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I’m not making excuses for Greg Zuerlein for his two missed field goal, but talking to a couple of photographers who were on the field for the Jets-Bills game, they did point out the wind was very tricking Monday night.
ESPN’s Joe Buck actually said early in the game: “Windy night for Greg Zuerlein and Tyler Bass.”
And then added in the second quarter: “Just when you think you have this place figured out, the wind is blowing opposite the way it normally is.”
Once again, not making excuses, but I think sometimes with reporters in the press box, or fans watching at home on TV, we are kind of removed from how bad the wind is in some games.
As Sauce Gardner said after the game, not about the kicker, but in general: “We play an imperfect sport. We are imperfect players.”
It was a tough night for kicking as we saw with Tyler Bass as well . . .
Going over the game again. The Jets’ run defense issues are a huge problem.
If you look at the replay of Josh Allen’s first-quarter one-yard TD scramble, the Jets defensive line alignment seemed a little odd. Before the snap, there was a big gap on the right side of the line, and Allen clearly saw it and ran through it for the TD. It was almost like the end was lined up too far inside.
As Jeff Ulbrich said after the game, “I will take a hard look at our scheme, I will take a hard look at how we call it, and take a hard look at the people we have in there,” Ulbrich said. “Combination of all those things. We can fix it and we will.”
There are some serious issues. I know I’ve harped on a lack of size being at issue at defensive tackle, but there was a 13-yard run up the middle by RB Ty Johnson, with the two 330-pound defensive tackles (Javon Kinlaw and Leki Fotu) on the field together.
And for a 330-pound defensive tackle, it’s surprising how Kinlaw is sometimes easily steered out of the way by the offensive line opening holes in the middle, like on a 14-yard run by Ray Davis up the gut, where Spencer Brown pushed Kinlaw all the way to the left opening a big hole.
Troy Aikman said during the game, “The reason Robert Saleh isn’t the head coach is because the offense hasn’t done their job.”
That statement buys into the theory that they had an elite defense under Saleh, and they just needed a better offense to complement it.
Not accurate.
The run defense was bad during Saleh’s time with the Jets, and it’s probably unrealistic to think that Ulbrich was going to fix it in a weak.
Their run-defensive scheme is flawed.
Shooting upfield like wildmen all the time is no way to play the run. You need to be more disciplined than that . . .
The Haason Reddick holdout continues to hurt the Jets.
Not only is their edge rush pedestrian, but the holdout has left them thin at defensive end after the Jermaine Johnson injury.
And now defensive end Will McDonald has a shoulder injury. Not sure exactly what the nature of the injury is, but his right shoulder was taped today.
Something else to consider is that they didn’t pick a defensive end in the draft, and the fact that they had traded for Reddick in March probably impacted this.
This player’s refusal to honor his contract has really hurt the 2024 Jets.
There is now way around it . . .
With injuries to safety Chuck Clark (ankle) and cornerback D.J. Reed (groin), the Jets enter the Pittsburgh game with some concerns on the back end.
However, they actually have pretty good depth.
“We’ve been so fortunate this year to have Isaiah Oliver. He is the Swiss Army knife back there, he’s been able to play safety, nickel, and corner without blinking, so he’s doing a good job,” Jeff Ulbrich said.
Oliver had a terrific play in the fourth quarter of the Jets’ loss to the Bills, with a PD in the end zone on a slant to WR Mack Hollins, forcing Buffalo to kick a field goal.
Oliver is having a good season for the Jets.
So Oliver could start at safety for Clark, and Brandon Echols at outside cornerback for Reed.
Another underrated signing like Oliver was Jalen Mills, a player with 83 career starts who can play safety or corner . . .
Mike Williams didn’t practice today for personal reasons. The coach wasn’t asked about that, because the injury report didn’t come out until after practice, and the coach spoke before.
The personal issue might be they are shopping him. The announcement was made by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
Davante Adams’ (pictured above) hamstring injury, which kept him out of the last couple games in Las Vegas, seems to be healed now upon his arrival to his new team.
October 16, 2024
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