Just Trying To Understand The New York Jets

We had a great article which you can read HERE about the bizarre gameplan we saw last night. I'm glad I'm not the only one who is slightly confused by what's going on with the Jets at the moment.

As John pointed out in his official game recap, the disconnect between the front office and the coacing staff is ominous. On one hand you have the coaching staff trying to save their jobs and reputations. They do that by taking the ball out of Geno's hands. On the other hand John Idzik and the front office are trying to save their reputation by kickstarting their hand-chosen QB. The result is another loss to move the Jets to 2-10.

However on this occasion they both lost and so did the fans who had to watch the Jets appear clueless on a Monday night for the second week in a row.

How The Front Office Lost

It's hardly surprising the Jets front office wanted to see Geno Smith starting. They invested a high second round pick in him. When a new regime picks a Quarterback, their reputation is largely tied to him. However it doesn't have to be if they move in a decisive manner. Unfortunately for the Jets this hasn't happend.

As I mentioned yesterday, the Jets had an oppurtunity this year to kick the tires on some young QB prospects around the league. However the GM decided to stay put with a quarterback who fails to do the simple things. An injury prone veteran whose quickly running out of steam and Matt Simms.

Last week rumours surfaced regarding the decision to go back to Geno being a front office decision. The coaching staff said all the right things but they showed last night on national television that the decision was forced by the front office. They completely removed Geno from being a factor in this game, in the end the coaching staff didn't need to confirm nor deny, their actions did it for them.

For all the issues people have with Jon Gruden's commentary, he introduced the inept roster building effort of John Idzik. He referenced the lack of cornerbacks available for Rex to run his defence, the problems the Jets have had developing a quarterback and the problems the Jets have with the offensive line and their pass protecting schemes. These issues are of course ones we're all familiar with, however now a national audience is familiar with them as well.

If the front office hadn't sealed their fate before this game.It should be firmly sealed now.

How The Coaching Staff Lost

Not only are we on course to set the NFL record for the lowest amount of turnovers forced in a season, we just set the NFL record for lowest number of passing attempts in a game. That would be fine if you come out as the winners, but that didn't happen. We were leading all the way into the 4th quarter and at no point did I think we were going to win that game.

Walls and Pace dropped two of the easiest interceptions you'll see, and that has been a factor all season. The Jets obviously don't have their defenders refining the art of catching on a semi-regular basis.

By running the football so much and completely eliminating their QB, the coaching staff not only sent a message to their front office, they sent a message to their QB who's struggling with confidence issues. Geno was never likely to become a good quarterback, but if I were him I would be embarrsed this morning with the complete lack of faith shown by the coaches.

Running the ball early was a good game-plan. The Dolphins couldn't stop it and we were moving the ball. However you need to mix in a few deep passes from time to time to keep the linebackers honest. We didn't do that at all, we told the Dolphons to come and stop the run and that's exactly what they did entering the 3rd quarter.

The Dolphins put 8 or 9 men in the box on a regular basis and the Jets continued to run the football. In the first half it was a surprise, in the second half it was a poor game plan that showed an inability to adapt to in-game situations.

Geno was cold going into that final drive and who can blame him, he had attempted 8 passes all night. You don't win in this league by attempting less than 10 passes before the two minute warning. Geno looked under-prepared and out of depth. No pre-snap reads, no adjustments, so notable audibles based on personnel. He looked under-coached.

The Jets had a perfect match-up with newly signed R.J Stanford mirrowing Eric Decker. He caught 2 passes for 18 yards. When you throw 13 passes total, that's going to happen. He was targeted only four times, do you game-plan to the opponents weaknesses? I thought you did, but apparently you don't if you are the Jets.

Some other coaching problems I noticed. We had a third and short and we ran the football. I have no problem with that. However we had been running behind Colon and Giacomini for fun but on this key play we decided to run behind Aboushi who wasn't clearing much room. That's bad enough. However the Dolphins had an overload blitz on that side and we still ran it to the left. That doesn't make sense.

In key situations and obvious passing downs, we put Jeff Cumberland, a horrible blocking tight end on Cameron Wake, one of the most difficult defenders to block in the league. Last week we did the same with Mario Williams and it resulted in a sack, this week we did it with Cameron Wake and the result was a sack, is anyone surprised? Obviously the coaching staff are because they thought it was a good idea.

If the coaching staff had not already sealed their fate, this game should do it.

How The Fans Lost

Fans have to witness the total disconnect between the front office and the coaching staff. They pay for tickets and merchandise because they are fans and that's what fans do. You can't change that. As much as you're frustrated, angry and upset with the direction of the franchise, we tune in anyway. We had to see the Jets ridiculed on a Monday night for the second week in a row.

I've been trying to understand the direction of the Jets for weeks now. Now I see why I've been struggling for so long. The Jets don't have a direction. I really don't think Woody Johnson knows what to do now. I don't think John Idzik knows what to do because he doesn't know whether he's going to have a job come January. I don't think Rex knows what do do because he's almost certainly off but wants to repair a little of his reputation. Cleaning house is the only solution to this problem, unfortunately I'm not sure Woody Johnson has it in him.