Mike Pettine: Stay or Go?

Also, maybe if the Jets cut E.Smith.

I think its the players, namely the safeties.

Defense is the strength. I will say tackling is a major issue that ultimately sunk us in addition to offensive woes, but the Jets poor tackling predates Pettine.

If the FO actually does their job and plugs up the holes and weak spots, this could be hands down the best defense in the league next year. A pass rusher and a retooled safety rotation are all this defensive squad really needs.

You are on a MAJOR roll!!! All excellent points.

In addition, hopefully, Pettine stays and Schitty goes. Hopefully Tanny wakes the heck up and addresses the pass rush and OLB positions in a major way, taking OLBs in both the first and either the second or third rounds. Hopefully the other top pick is used on a safety who excels in coverage. With Ellis and Wilkerson having a year in the system, benefit of the offseason conditioning program, mini camps and OTAs, they should play at a much higher level in 2012. The D could return to the #1 spot if Tanny does his job for a change by:

1) getting rid of Schitty and replacing him with a quality OC and QB coach so that the offense has fewer three and outs, can stay on the field resting the D and by scoring more points and turning the ball over less and committing fewer penalties;

2) signing a quality vet FA RT;

3) removing the cancerous Holmes and re-signing Braylon Edwards;

4) signing Michael Griffin or Reggie Nelson to a FA contract and getting rid of Brodney Pool

i like mike p stay with jets

On one hand Jim Leonard knows the defense, he lines up everyone, and doesn’t make mental mistakes. On the other hand, he is too short and slow to cover. Another thing is why is Leonard the only one that can do this, (“quarterback of the defense”) shouldn’t we have someone else as a back-up plan if Leonard just suddenly goes down again?

But I think the personnel needs upgrading. Rex and Pettine seem to believe in themselves too much, to believe in their ability to turn scrubs into gold. Just because Bart Scott, Jim Leonhard, and others were unheralded players that Rex managed to make into solid ones, doesn’t mean the same thing can be done with Eric Smith, Nick Bellore, Jamaal Westerman, and Josh Mauga.
Offenses are always scheming to beat defenses and vice versa. Rex and Pettine are seeing a defense that is unraveling (see losses to the Raiders, Eagles, Giants, and Patriots), so they need to get their thinking caps on in terms of ways to fix it, in terms of both scheme and personnel. After getting picked apart in January 2010 by Peyton Manning, they found an “answer to that” in the next wild card game. That’s the kind of adjustment you have to make.
(end disjointed semi-rant)