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It’s time to take a look at the offensive line’s performance in the Jacksonville-Jets game. It was a big challenge for the guys up front with their Pro Bowl center knocked out of the game.
The first four runs of the game by Shonn Greene went nowhere.
A direct snap to LT went nowhere on the second series.
On the Jets fourth series of the game, they finally got their running game going.
On first down, Mangold had a terrific block on LB Paul Posluszy, and this allowed Greene to run five yards up the middle.
On second down, the Jets had their nicest run of the season thus far. Mangold was a key on this play also, along with Wayne Hunter. They both pushed defenders far to the right, opening up a big hole on the right side, and Greene ran through it for a gain of 12.
On third play of this drive, Slauson pancaked DE Jerome Mincey, and Greene ran behind him for a gain of six.
Then on the fourth play, there was another successful run, a seven-yarder up the middle behid Mangold, but disaster struck on this play. Mangold got caught in the pile, and suffered a high ankle sprain, and had to leave the game.
The drive fizzled after that, and the Jets were forced to kick a field goal.
A negative note on this drive was when DE Austen Lane leveled Sanchez, and he was slow to get up. I have to apologize. I wasn’t able to determine who let him in so easily. But somebody messed up. This was a big-time hit.
Wayne Hunter had a rough second quarter. He was called for a 15-yard facemask, on DE Matt Roth, on a Sanchez scramble to the left side for 15 yards.
Then on the next series, he was called for holding. A few plays after that, on the same drive, Hunter was beat by DE Tyson Alualu, and the defensive end got in Sanchez’s face, and the quarterback was forced to throw a short pass to TE Matt Mulligan, on the right side, for just two yards, on a third-and-10.
The Jets most effective run of the second quarter was a 10-yard scamper by Greene on the right side, and he deserves most of the credit for the success of this play. He broke a tackle attempt by DT Terrence Knighton, about one-yard into the run, and this allowed him to get the extra nine. Knighton was unblocked and Green did a terrific job of shedding the block of the massive Temple nose tackle.
Brandon Moore was called for a false start late in the first half, but it wasn’t his fault. This one was on the new center, Collin Baxter.
Another play that was Baxter’s fault, was also in the second quarter, was when Knighton blew by him, to stop LT for a loss of three.
In the third quarter DT Leger Douzable got by Baxter to stop Green for a loss of five. The snap wasn’t great, and this led to a domino effect of issues.
But it’s hard to be too critical of Baxter. He has been on the Jets for three weeks, and on top of that, he’s a rookie. Imagine being a rookie center, thrown into his first game, after three week with a team, with limited reps, and barely knowing the system. That is a tough hand to be dealt.
Expect a much better performance from him in Oakland. He’s very consciencious.