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How did the Jets offensive perform at New England? Dan takes a look at the good, the bad and the ugly in this extensive review. Sign up for just $7.95 a month.
For some strange reason, the Jets’ second carry of the game was by Joe McKnight. Where did this come from? Perhaps it was done to surprise the Pats, but it only went for two yards. But we saw something on this play, even though it only gained two yards, that tells you a lot about McKnight’s amazingly quick feet.
This play should have lost a couple of yards, but it gained a couple thanks to McKnight making CB Kyle Arrington and LB Rob Ninkovich miss in very compact quarters on the left side. For a two-yard play, it was very impressive.
Overall, I thought the Jets would be able to run the ball a little better than they did. The Patriots are ravaged on the defensive line, and very young at linebacker. Granted the Jets finished with 29 carries for 120 yards, but if they take away their three long gains, a 16-yarder by LaDainian Tomlinson and 16- and 20-yarders by Shonn Greene, that makes the other 26 carries for 68 yards, which is pretty bad. Granted, you don’t take the runs away because they happened, but the Jets struggled on most of their carries against a front they probably should have dominated more.
Nick Mangold had a solid game, facing one of the NFL’s best nose tackles, Vince Wilfork. On the Jets first carry of the game, Nick locked up Wilfork,and LaDainian Tomlinson ran behind him for a gain of four up the middle.
The Jets second possession of the game, the Jets had another unsuccessful screen. We continue to be surprised about the Jets’ struggles in this area.
They have an athletic line, and a great screen back, in LT. This screen lost five yards. I don’t mean to make fun of two excellent players, but this play resembled the Keystone Kops. This left side screen ended with LT running into Brandon Moore, pulling from right to left. Vince Wilfork blew up this play.
One nice OL play on the second possession was when Matt Slauson had terrific block on an LT draw, for a gain of eight up the middle, putting the Jets in more makeable field goal range, but they missed from 32-yards.
On the Jets’ third possession, Wayne Hunter did a great job locking of DE Brandon Deaderick, and Shonn Greene ran behind him for a gain of five off right tackle.
Also on the third possession, Greene had a run for no gain, but this one was on him. He waited too long in the backfield for a hole to open, wasn’t particularly decisive, and LB Gary Guyton stopped him on the line.
On the late first half TD drive, after the botched fake punt, the Jets had a couple of impressive running plays that got them into the red zone. On first down, Hunter did a great job pulling from right to left, and neutralized DE Kyle Love, and Brick locked up Ninkovich, and this opened a big hole up the middle-left for LT to gain sixteen yards. On the next play, LT ran on the right side, behind Brandon Moore, for a gain of six.
In the middle of the second quarter, Moore and Turner, who are developing some nice chemistry, now with a few games under their belt as a right side tandem, paved the way on a Green gain of four on the right side. Moore took care of Guyton on this play, and Turner handled Deaderick.
On a gain of six early in the third quarter, Greene deserves most of the credit. As he often does, he broke the first tackle attempt (S Pat Chung) around the line. Then on the next play, Green ran behind Mangold up the middle for a gain of five. Then this possession fell apart when B-Schotty got away from the run.
Late in the third quarter, a drive ended with an incompletion, thanks in large part to Sanchez getting hit as he threw down field to J-Co. Rob Ninkovich blew by Hunter on this play, and hit Sanchez so hard, he hurt himself.
This drive actually had the Jets’ best running play of the game, a gain of 20 by Greene, thanks to tremendous blocking on the left side of the line. Slauson took care of LB Jarod Mayo and Brick handled Ninkovich, and Green was off-to-the-races.
You saw some good, then bad, from Slauson, on back-to-back plays late in the game. On a gain of four by Greene, he pancaked Mayo to clear the path on the left side. Then on the next play, he did a poor job of sustaining on Deaderick, and he got by the left guard to stop LT for no gain.
And on Greene’s late 16-yard TD, Robert Turner was the hero of this play. He was in the game as an extra lineman, and sealed the right edge, and Greene ran off right tackle for the touchdown. Once again, Greene helped his own cause, breaking a tackle attempt by Mayo in the middle of the run.
Very solid game by the blockers, but will need to do a little better against Pittsburgh’s Front Seven, which is more talented than New England’s.