Looking Back, and Looking Forward

Final Thoughts on Last Week’s Game:

Positives:

1)      Mark Sanchez’s short-term memory: Following a shaky interception, Mark Sanchez seemed unfazed and quickly bounced back to a solid game. Granted that the pass to LT took an unfortunate bounce, it was still a questionable throw to make into tight coverage, and definitely a bad start for the sophomore. Sanchez, however, made like a goldfish in forgetting his first toss and quickly passed past his opening hiccup.

2)      Nick Folk (er, kind of): Folk made some decent-distance field goals, but didn’t connect on his final attempt. Tough to say anything definitive with regards to whether or not he’ll be the consistent Pro Bowl kicker he once was. What was impressive, however, came by way of his kickoffs. He had plenty of leg, and consistently booted them to the goal line to make for tough returns for the opposing team. I’m going to call a “to-be-continued” on this one.

3)      The snap count: Sanchez says he’s been working on his snap counts with graybeard Mark Brunell, and the work seemed evident in the game. The Jets seemed to have the early jump at the line, and often had the Giants defensive linemen jumping early. It even had the Jets jumping early a few times (see below).

4)      Mr. Clemens: Kellen Clemens looked like more than a guy fighting for a roster spot as a third-string QB- he looked like a legitimate back-up. With Mark Brunell already dubbed the Sanchez’s back-up, however, look for Clemens to be rewarded in one of two ways: either a roster spot with Gang Green, or a shiny new contract… with another club. There’s been speculation that the Jets are showcasing him as trade bait, and it’ll be interesting to see how much playing time he gets in the game tonight versus the Panthers.

Negatives:

1)      Jets back-up secondary: While there is typically too much made of Revis’s absence, it’s hard to deny the rather sound logic that many pointed to after the Jets’ secondary allowed the Giants to Cruz to victory: with Revis on the field, the depth chart gains a little… depth. Each corner would have been one notch lower, and we may have even been able to see an interesting Wilson-Cruz battle royale. Instead, we got to see Marquice Cole, Drew Coleman, and Dwight Lowery get burned for big TDs. (Although Lowery had great coverage and got a hand to the face as he slipped while giving up the first of Cruz’s three touchdowns.

2)      Penalties, penalties, penalties: Just ask Mark Gastineau about how much a penalty can hurt a team. The Jets shot themselves in the foot a few times in last week’s game, including a negated LaDainian Tomlinson touchdown run.

3)      Joe McKnight ≠ Leon Washington: At least not yet. The quick RB looked like a timid player, and took run plays designed for the inside to the outside before seeing daylight, usually a no-no in the NFL. He had one nice stiff arm, and he certainly looks explosive; hopefully Anthony Lynn can get this guy on track to get at least somewhat close to Leon’s playmaking ability.

What to Look for in Tonight’s Game:

1)   The Jets coaching staff had some serious work to do this past week. Look for improvements to be made with regards to penalty and the Jets’ back-ups. Any more big pass plays, and cries for Revis will only get louder.

2)   *Prediction Alert*: Larry Taylor will take one to the house tonight. The 5’6”, 177 lbs. Connecticut alum was impressive in the first game, and looks to be the leader in the competition for return man. He’s explosive, quick, and, in my opinion, has big play potential. (Guess I screwed that one up- he wasn’t even in the poll.)

3)   “The primary target is the quarterback’s mind.” So proclaims defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. The Jets brought the heat in the first game, and I don’t expect them to stop this game. I’ll be looking to see how well Vernon Gholston and other questioned back-ups bring the heat tonight.

4)   Since age 24, Antonio Cromartie is averaging more kids per year (3.5) than interception per year (2.5). Hopefully his hands will show up tonight in hopes that he bumps up the latter of the two during the regular season- he (along with the rest of the starters) will probably only have the first quarter to show off the athletic ability that his coaches have been raving about. 

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I went to the famous (infamous?) Roscoe Diner the other day. Feeling much like the Jets, Revis was nowhere to be found.

Stay Tuned.