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Nashville – Geno Smith has a similar issue to Mark Sanchez. It’s very hard to sustain drives in the NFL when the quarterback is wildly inconsistent with his accuracy . . .
Geno Smith’s first pass of the game was picked off. That is very troubling.
When you think about the really good offensive teams, that first drive of the game, that has been rehearsed, is so often like clockwork. Marty Mornhinweg came from Philly where he worked with Andy Reid for a decade. How often did they march right down that field on that first drive under Reid, the scripted drive? Very often!
What does a pick on the first pass mean?
It means the simplistic route-tree the Jets are using for Geno Smith has become very predictable.
When you combine predictability, with a quarterback who doesn’t get rid of the ball quickly, that is a really bad combination.
The player who picked the pass off was CB Alterraun Verner.
The guy is brilliant. I’ve interviewed him on SiriusXM NFL Radio several times. Coming out of high school, he had a 1740 SAT score and 4.17 GPA.
He did a ton of film study, and picked out Geno’s tendencies.
Verner had two picks in this game.
The more Smith plays, the more film there is to study, and the more opposing defenders, especially really smart ones like Verner, and Buffalo’s Kiko Alonso, who jumped a route last week, are going to potentially feast on Smith.
As I wrote in the last issue of the print version of Jets Confidential, the West Coast offense is all about quick decisions, and getting the ball out faster, and letting your playmakers make plays. What the Jets are running right now, with Smith’s proclivity to make slow decisions, resembles the West Coast offense very little . . .
One reason the Jets are having issues sustaining drives with Smith at quarterback is how inconsistent he is with his accuracy.
On the Jets’ second possession of the game, the Jets had a third-and-eight, and Smith had Santonio Holmes on a crossing route, but he was way off target.
On the Jets’ third possession, thanks to a nice blitz pickup by Bilal Powell that gave the quarterback extra time, Smith threw a rocket over the middle (he has a terrific arm) to Holmes for a gain for 25.
But then a few plays later, on second-and-eight, he had Jeremy Kerley wide open on a mid-range route on the right side, and he threw high. The Jets’ drive ended up with a field goal two plays later.
The Jets first drive of the second half, Smith was way off target to Holmes over the deep middle, and the Jets had to punt.
Late in the third quarter, Smith and Winslow connected down the deep middle for a gain of 25. Terrific play. Then a few plays later, Smith misfired to Winslow over the middle and the Jets punted.
This is eerily similar to Mark Sanchez.
A terrific play, followed by a bad one, and because of this wild inconsistency, sustaining drives is very difficult.
As a former NFL QB once told me, “You can’t put every other pass on the ground and sustain drives in this league.” . . .
Based on what I saw from Holmes in the locker room after the game, you would have to think he’s a long-shot to play against Atlanta.
He was walking gingerly in the locker room with an electro-stim device hooked up to his injured hamstring.
And went he went to his locker, he went into the sitting position very slowing, like it was painful for him to do so . . .
You have to be impressed with how safety Jaiquawn Jarrett throws his body around out there. He’s only 5-11, 205, but he hits like a much bigger man.
But that fearless hitting style might have cost him on Sunday.
Jets Confidential has learned Jarrett suffered some kind of AC joint injury in one of his shoulders
I’m not sure of the severity.
I can’t tell you how impressed I am with Jarrett as a tackler.
Late in the first half, Jake Locker was scrambling (and he’s a very good scrambler with great speed), and Jarrett, one-on-one, with no help, in the open field, brought him down, with no problem – great technique . . .
Jets Confidential has learned that Antonio Allen broke a finger on his left hand in the game . . .
September 30, 2013
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