Hank's Jets Recap

Here it is! A BIG pre-game analysis for a BIG game:

New York Jets (6-3) at New England Patriots (6-3)

The Key: Stick it to them IMMEDIATELY. Do not let this team, as it always seems to do, hang around in a close, low scoring battle, just to wait for that final game-breaking mistake. The only reason the Pats are still in the hunt this season is because of their experienced, but slow, D that is holding teams to an average of 17.8 points per game. Drive it down the field early with a balanced attack. Set a tone. And let the Jets be the team in the second half that runs the ball in demoralizing fashion all over the opposition's defense.
Wow. They followed this game plan perfectly...for the first half. Great initial drive--and just like I requested: balanced. It was the perfect opening statement. The Patriots' D looked slow, and the Jets' O was flying down field. But after looking so dominant for 2 quarters, the Jets became overly conservative in the second half and lost all of the momentum. I blame poor coaching (Belichick and his staff obviously made some adjustments on both sides of the ball during the half, Mangini and co., for some reason, didn't anticipate this) and the defense. The D looked tired by the end of the game. I mean really tired. Thankfully, the Jets won the coin toss in OT, because there was no way their D was going to make a stop.

Offense: Come off last week's domination running the ball down the D's throat. I want to see the O-Line explode off the ball like they did last week and, as Damien Woody has put it before, out physical that D-Line that we've heard so much about for the past 8 years. This week, though, I'm not going to repeat myself and just say run run run. While the Jets should absolutely put the ball in Jones' hands 20+ times, I want to see Favre take some shots at the Patriots' questionable secondary. And, because Belichick has probably been filming the Jets' practices, the Jets should throw out a trick play or two. This is the team and the game to do it in. Can anyone say Brad Smith option pass?
They didn't run the ball with as much authority as they had been, but that's because the Pats have a very good front 7. Still, they ran the ball very effectively at times. Jones was tough and finished the game with 107 yards rushing. We also saw a little bit of that trickery that we were anticipating. Not the Brad Smith option pass, but a well executed Brad Smith direct snap for a 17 yard gain (kind of like that Wildcat that Joe and I were talking about).
However the key this week offensively was...Favre. He had a very solid game. Perhaps his best as a Jet (I know he threw for 6 TDs in one game, but I'll stand by this claim). He seemed comfortable and poised (though according to him, very nervous by the end of the game). Just like I touched on in last game's recap, it appears that Favre has found the missing piece in his passing game: a tight end to throw to. These past two weeks he has bombarded Dustin Keller with balls (it's ok to chuckle...I am). Keller has proven to be very solid down the hash marks, except for his one dropped pass that was a big one, and is a comfortable target for old #4. Favre also demonstrated what we have heard so much about for ages: his ability to orchestrate a game-winning drive. This includes his 3rd & 15 conversion in OT to, who else, Dustin Keller (Collinsworth was talking about this play throughout the rest of the drive and even when Feely was lining up the game-winning field goal). So, Favre, well done.
I have to chew up the second half play calling a little bit, though. It really seemed that Schottenheimer was content with the 24 pts after the half. He was calling for short passes that the NE defense was all over. You have to make adjustments on offense as the defense is making adjustments. Of course, the oh-so-rare Cotchery fumble was also costly (though his Tyrie-esque catch in the first half was truly amazing).
Overall on offense, they scored 34 points on a good defense. I would just like to see more killer instinct, from the coaches and the players.

Defense: Stick to the plan of the past two weeks. Another big game by Jenkins--no way the big man is going to allow the tandem of Kevin Faulk and BenJarvus Green-Ellis dictate the pace of the game (I personally don't think any team should allow someone named BenJarvus Green-Ellis to run for 100+, but that's neither here nor there). Then keep blitzing, including the corner "Joe" blitz. Cassel is susceptible to throwing INT's, so let's see some good reads from Rhodes, Revis, and...Ty Law? I like the idea of playing Law, but as soon as we see his rust showing, throw Lowery right back in.
So, the run defense. They gave up 125 yards in "rushing." But 62 yards of that came from Cassel. So I am going to put the blame for most of that on the pass rush. By the second half, the NE offensive line looked like it did in its peak of last season. It seemed like Cassel had all the time in the world to make a play, whether it was throw for 10 or rush for 15. This is something that needs to be addressed in the upcoming weeks. The defense has to pressure the QB, and if they aren't seeing any penetration, then SWITCH IT UP. Throw a few stunts on the line in there. BLITZ. I wasn't exactly counting, but I saw minimal blitz packages in the second half. I think it can be considered official, the prevent defense DOES NOT WORK. And it was never meant to be applied to an 11 point lead! The Jets better plan on giving Collins some different looks on Sunday, or else here comes the long ball.
I will say this though, the secondary did a good job of containing Moss...until the end of regulation. But hey, that catch was purely ridiculous.

Overall: This is when that heart, or at times the lack-there-of, that we've been talking about will be tested. The Jets, on paper, are a better team. Now they have to show the heart, composure, and, let us not forget, the coaching to demonstrate that. Remain solid against the run. Keep blitzing, but mix it up (assume the Pats have been looking at tape of this all week--and will be during tonight's game). Run, set up the play action, establish a lead, and run the ball all second half.
Jets win 20-17.
The Jets followed my game plan at first (to a T in the beginning, I may add), and they were extremely effective. They fell off course for a bit, and almost let the game slip through their hands. But they kept their composure and Favre showed his expertise.
So overall, the Jets may not have had quite the decisive victory that people needed in order to feel that the "tide had turned," but they WON. And for right now, they are playing for that first week bye. There is not much about that statement that even I can complain about.

Notes: The last I heard, there was no decision of who is kicking tonight--both Feely and Nugent are traveling to Foxboro. DO NOT give Nugent the benefit of playing in this game, unless Feely proves useless. Feely earned his spot last week. Nugent has not.
Perhaps the best decision made by Mangini. He kept Feely in, and he ended up kicking the game-winner.