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Three important points to ponder today regarding the Jets . . .
Robby Anderson had a pedestrian game to start off his second year – he had four catches for just 22 yards, and a drop.
You have to wonder if Jermaine Kearse being the focal point of the Jets’ passing attack in this game, after he just arrived, bothered him a little.
There was so much talk about how Anderson, who exceeded expectations as a rookie free agent last year, and had a good camp, would likely be there top wide receiver target this year.
And then in the first game of the 2017 season, he takes a back seat to a player who just got into town.
I’m not pretending to be Dr. Drew, but you just have to wonder if this got into his head a little. He’s very emotional guy, and his performance, against a pedestrian Bills secondary, was underwhelming . . .
I’m always asked on sports talk shows – “What does Todd Bowles need to do this year to save his job?”
I always give the same answer. He doesn’t necessarily need to make the playoffs, and he doesn’t necessarily have a winning record. But he needs to field a team that plays hard, plays smart, is always competitive (avoid blowouts) and improves as the year progresses.
So with that being said, what happened in Buffalo isn’t going to cut it.
And it gets back to the point I made yesterday about the run defense. You can’t have a run defense play with so many blown assignments and lack of discipline. Now, it’s only fair to add as a caveat that there probably isn’t a runner in the league with the cutting ability of Shady McCoy, so he certainly contributed on some plays bad plays for the Jets. But the Jets had issues last year with blown assignments on defense, so to start this way in 2017 is problematic.
So many reporters and fans are obsessed with Bowles getting more involved in the offense, like that is going to be the panacea for their issues on that side of the ball. I think that is foolish narrative. Of course he should be involved on that side of the ball as a head coach, but it’s a cookbook answer to problems to act like Bowles getting very involved with the offense is going to magically solve things on that side of the ball.
Honestly, I think he needs to get more involved in the defense – that is how he made his bones in the league, and if he’s on the hot-seat, he should go out with a fight, and fix the defense. Something isn’t being done right here. Blown assignments last year, blown assignments to start this year – something is amiss, something needs to change.
To me, Bowles needs to take over as the team’s defensive coordinator. In practice, he often sits back, and lets his defensive coordinator and defensive assistant coaches run things. This isn’t going to cut it anymore. He needs to go back to running things, and ignore the media/fans that want him to be “Mr. Offense.” Because unless the blown assignments stop on defense, he’s likely going to get fired. So roll your sleeves up, and take over the defense.
And Todd, don’t be afraid to make defensive lineman changes. Don’t worry about hurt feelings or where guys were drafted (that’s Mike’s problem) – play the players who give you the best chance to win. No more politics.
Headline at major paper today – “The Jets are as bad as expected.”
The Jets lost 21-12 on the road, and were in the game deep into the fourth quarter.
Isn’t that headline a little strong?
Welcome to Journalism 2017.
September 11, 2017
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