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Kansas City – The Jets loss in Kansas City is the kind of game that slaps you upside the head as players and coaches, and makes you take stock of where you are at . . .
Calvin Pryor isn’t playing very well.
He had issues with tight Travis Kelce today in Kansas City.
But just in general, he’s hardly making any plays.
And he knows it.
“I have to perform better. Simple #OnlyTheStrongSurvive,” Pryor tweeted.
Pryor is struggling.
His coverage instincts seem to be a tad off right now. He’s a tick late reacting to routes in front of him.
I know Eric Berry is a great player, so it’s unfair to expect many to play like him.
But watching Chiefs safeties Berry and Don Sorenson making a ton of plays on the ball today, it makes you realize that the Jets need to get more from their safeties.
The Jets are just not getting enough plays on that ball from that position.
And Todd Bowles played safety in the league, and was a long-time defensive back coach in the league.
He forgotten more about safety play than most of us know.
He’s got to figure out how to get more plays from the position . . .
As you all know by now, Ryan Fitzpatrick had a rough game today, throwing six picks.
Fitzpatrick has a problem he needs to fix, if he can.
And Rich Gannon talked about this last year.
He makes up his mind he’s going to somebody, and that is often where he’s going, come hell or high water.
And that got him into a lot today (and other days)
It’s funny, on Thursday, I asked Chan Gailey if it’s risky how often Fitzpatrick throws 50-50 balls, throws jump balls, and Gailey didn’t seem concerned.
Today it seemed to be a problem – just too many times he throws to guys hoping they can make a play in a jump ball situation with a defensive back.
I understand you need to do this at times in the NFL, but he might do it too much . . .
Fitzpatrick clearly had a bad game today and certainly contributed heavily to the loss, but I also think Andy Reid and Bob Sutton thoroughly out-coached the Jets’ staff, from a strategy standpoint. Reid runs the offense and Sutton runs the defense, and they both won their respective chess matches.
True Fitzpatrick struggled, but Sutton did an amazing job designing a game plan and teaching his guys what to expect in terms of the Jets route-tree. So yes, Fitz made some bad throws, but man were the Chiefs defensive backs (and their main coverage linebacker Derrick Johnson) prepared for what routes to expect . . .
In my opinion the Jets aren’t using Mo Wilkerson the best way.
We know they are mixing in a lot of 4-3 defense, and when they do this, he tends to line-up over offensive tackles.
This isn’t using him to his strengths. Wilkerson has done some of his best work over the years dominating guards and centers. When he goes against NFL offensive tackles, like Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz today, guys who are 6-6, 6-7, 320 and very athletic, he’s generally not going to dominate them like guards and centers.
I think they need to lineup him more inside. 4-3 end is not his best position and he’s being wasted a little out there.
September 25, 2016
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