FanPost

Mission Number 1 - Right Now, Win Ugly




Just a few thoughts after the game, nothing broken down. Both games were in my book "ugly" wins. The Browns game could easily have broken the other way, and this game was, at the face of it, practically gifted to us by among other things Gore's flub with an open path to the endzone. On offense we had some serious problems. Aside from the playcalling going into icebox way too early, we could hardly run against what is though to be a mediocre at best run defense, and we really scored just enough against what has to be the weakest secondary in the NFL, despite lots of time for our QB.

But none of this matters. This team is being put together now. Winning ugly is just what they have to do. First against an indeterminate Browns team at home, then against a playoff team with a rising star QB that clearly is befuddled and going through their own adjustment issues, on the road. This is exactly what they have to do if this year is going to matter. Work things out, and win along the way.

This was an unexpected win. I thought the Jets would have done well if they just kept the game within 7, but they did more than that. It had so many built in issues, and still the overall impression that was left was one of dominance, of imposition, on the road. When you can impose yourself on the road, despite having only a passable QB, despite not being able to run the ball, you have done something, something that isn't in the stat sheet. Luck looked lost for most of this game. He couldn't tell which wheels were coming off at any one time. Just nothing seemed to work. Two teams putting themselves together, but this team muscled out the win.

And not to be lost, Marshall is a big story here, I admit it. It's just at certain times he has embodied that "not pretty, but impactful" story the Jets are putting together, a timely dominance. Hey, the turnovers aren't going to be there like this, and unfortunately when that hidden leg up quiets down the Jets are going to look very different, especially on Offense, but it doesn't matter. It's win first. Win ugly. Fix things along the way.

I still think Geno is quarterbacking this team by game 5 or 6, but right now the Jets are doing everything right, while lots of small things are going wrong.

Hopefully Sheldon comes back mid-year and with him Bowles is able to take this defense to the elite level.

To some, you might feel that I'm not giving the Jets enough credit. They are much better than I'm describing. I just don't see it (yet). But what I will say is that what I DO see is potentially incredibly important: the faculty to win when all the gears aren't clicking, especially on the road, to not be pulled down to where the opponent is when they limping. Hopefully this is the "stuff" that Bowles is making this team out of.

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