Content available exclusively for subscribers
Things that need to be tweaked . . .
Today, the Arizona Cardinals cut right tackle Andre Smith and cornerback Bene Benwikere a day after getting blown out by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Today, the Jacksonville Jaguars fired their offensive coordinator Nate Hackett and benched quarterback Blake Bortles.
Will these moves help these teams improve? Hard to say, but at least they’re saying, “What is going on here is unacceptable, and we need to change things up a little bit.”
It also sends a message to players on the team that the status quo isn’t cutting it, and you could be next.
When I tweeted what the Cardinals had just done, one Jets fan named Shane O’Neill responded, “While the Jets made absolutely zero moves after they got blown out by the Bills. No accountability on this team/organization.”
Hey, in no changes are made this week, are they ever going to happen?
You can’t keep doing the same things over and over again and expect different results.
The Jets’ current defensive lineup is terribly flawed. There is no way around it.
If I owned the Jets, I would DEMAND the coach make defensive lineup changes. DEMAND it. For some reason, he just won’t do it. Why? I can’t tell you.
Unconditional love and football personnel decisions are a bad mix, and there is too much of that going on in Florham Park right now.
People say they have no depth, so there is nowhere to turn. That is a loser/defeatist attitude and I don’t think it’s true.
Darron Lee is really, really struggling against the run due to his issues with stacking and shedding blockers. He has two guys in back of him who are more than capable of helping the cause in Neville Hewitt and Kevin Pierre-Louis. How about, at the very least, platooning one of them with Lee?
Jets outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins gives you everything he’s got, and is at tough as nails, but he’s on the ground way too much. This isn’t a shot, just the reality of the situation. And scouts will tell you that when a player is on the ground too much (and I’m not talking about a guy who gets tackled), then he’s probably not a great athlete. It’s not his fault. They have three other guys – Jerry Attaochu, Brandon Copeland and Frankie Luvu (who played a lot more against New England).
Nathan Shepherd was rushed into the starting lineup – why would the Jets throw a third-round raw as heck Fort Hays State-product right into the starting lineup is a mystery. First off, Henry Anderson should be playing in front of him, and getting more plays than Shepherd. I would also promote Destiny Vaeao from the practice squad and get him in there. He played the last two years with the Philadelphia Eagles, got a ring, and is a good fit at 3-4 end.
I’m not saying cut any of these players, just change things up a little bit.
Five-game losing streak, two defensive debacles in a row, if the coach doesn’t change anything now . . .
November 26, 2018
Premium will return by 9:30 pm on Wednesday.