Jets O-line Failed Josh McCown vs. Broncos

I’ve been on the anti-McCown bandwagon for awhile, but this is not how I wanted the tenure to end. I wish McCown nothing but the best in recovery, but felt it necessary to try to figure out why everything went badlu for him on Sunday. Simply put, the offensive line failed him twice in big ways.

McCown has taken some pretty bad sacks this year. I can’t say this strip sack is one. Somehow 4 guys end up blocking 2 men, leaving one free. It’s astonishing to see just how this happened.

A few things before we get started: No one got open. Denver’s defense covered everyone, and McCown would have probably had to improvise either way.

Denver is running a very simple stunt from a front designed to cause confusion. They run a tackle/linebacker game. The outside end runs outside, the tackle bulldozes ahead with the linebacker running the delayed blitz. On the other side, the two linemen charge ahead with the linebacker dropping either into zone or a QB spy. From what I can tell the Jets are running a zone block to the right with the back and TE covering the left side.

The Jets line shuffles to the right, so it’s DE vs the RT initially with the RG eventually shutting down the (picture’s) right DE’s inside move. The center ends up on the DT that the RG left to help out the RT. All that seems to be on the up and up.

It’s the other side that’s a complete poop show. Both Forte and the TE get the outside man. Our LT ends up on the DT pushing dead ahead. Carpenter checks the middle linebacker dropping into coverage and I guess has a hand on the DT. Meanwhile the other linebacker simply waits and loops his way around the DT without anyone noticing him.

This is about as disastrous of a free rush as you can get. Simply put whether it was Carpenter/Forte/Tomlinson/Beachum...someone had to pick up the rusher.

At first if I had to guess that’s Forte’s man and he got tunnel vision. That’s just based off of the shuffle right the Jets did. However, after the next disaster, I’m wondering if Beachum should have been more aware. (Insert thinking emoji.)

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The next play is just pure fail from Beachum and the reason Petty is starting. It’s one on one and Beachum gets owned. No other way around it.

The Jets have everyone running a route including Forte who catches the pass. It’s 5 O line vs 4. Unlike the last time, there’s no stunts or anything from the defense. It’s just a 4 man bull rush.

If you’ve ever wondered where the Jets went wrong, take a look at the LT since D’Brick left. The guy was as solid as they came. Sadly once he left, the position has become a huge weakness. The blind side gives way, McCown had no idea it was coming.

The spin works perfectly and McCown somehow got the ball away just in time. It wasn’t enough time for him to avoid the hit that ended his season.

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Side notes: If you want to argue that Rex Ryan was nothing more than Eric Mangini’s drafts, the biggest thing would be to point to the OL. Mangold and D’Brick were fantastic for a decade.

I’d argue part if not most of the reason Mangini failed to replicate his success was when he traded away Pete Kendall. That led to a disaster of a year where every QB got hurt because the position was a turnstile. A year later we bought Faneca (for more than Kendall) because suddenly we realized getting cheap with OL is not a good idea.

Since about 2010, the Jets got cheap with Damien Woody, Mangold and D’Brick. They have never either spent money nor high picks on the OL, choosing to be cheap. Sometimes it works, ala Carpenter, other times we get Breno.

Oh wait. Sorry, I forgot about that time we drafted an OL in the second round who was non other than king ugly Vlad Ducasse. I digress.

The overall philosophy on the offensive line has to change soon or it doesn’t matter who is behind them. They’re going to be getting hurt. As much as I’d love to see a good QB being the first draft pick of the Jets, I’d more like to see them go out and start building an offensive line for the future. If you want to argue with me, look at Andrew Luck’s career and ask yourself how much more different would it turn out if he had a line at all during his career.