Good game. As always, there were good points and things needing improvement. Here are my thoughts in random order.
1. McNabb was out so Rexy was the starter. Solid performance. Again, the thing about Rexy is that he makes some quality throws but then does some really dumb things. His fumble where there was pressure and plenty of time to tuck the ball away that occurred around midfield and I believe right before the half sucked. Also, his muffing of the shotgun snap that led to a Jet safety was inexcusable. I like that Rexy is on the team as Kyle Shanahan seems to think highly of him and he understands the offense better than anyone else on the team so those are good things. Also, as mentioned, he had a number of quality throws. The thing that is troublesome and that has ALWAYS bothered me about him is that you can count on one or two just dumb mistakes. I can take bad plays but dumb plays really bother me and can cost you the game. If he were to eliminate those, I would feel much better about him.
2. Anthony Armstrong is fantastic. This guy isn't the most athletic guy but he continues to make plays whether it is on offense or special teams, he seems to always make a big play when he is on the field. If he doesn't get a spot on this team, I will have to wonder if Cerrato is still pulling some strings.
3. Defense is interesting. We had four turnovers which I can't remember the last time happening. The defense seems to be flying around the ball and the unit seems much more aggressive and almost seems to have a swagger about them which is very exciting. The downside is that we seem to be having some difficulty against the run. The last couple of years we were solid against the run but were not dynamic, couldn't get a pass rush or turnovers. The opposite seems true now. I do expect much more pressure on QBs and a whole lot more turnovers but I am not ready to tout this defense too highly. While I like a lot of what I see, the word is still out on them.
4. The O line was MUCH better. Actually, the protection was a lot better and this is a result of better game planning this week. We struggled against the Ravens but I thought the protection was very good especially considering it was against what many believe is the league's best defense. I also like that the O line seems to have some swagger to them. Trent Williams has been very good and I like that he mixed it up with some of the Jets players. He is showing that he is talented but also not willing to back down to anyone. Jamal Brown was also solid in his first opportunity at extended playing time. Brown said after the game that there was a lot of jawing in the trenches and that they loved it. He genuinely sounded excited about playing and playing along side Williams. As long as we don't have any injuries up front, this will be a much improved line.
5. Haynesworth was decent. The guy had a chance to play with the first unit and was pretty disruptive. I am confident that he will have a good year.
6. Moss has got to catch better. I am tired of Theismann always talking about how great Santana's hands are and comparing him to Cris Carter. Moss's hands suck. He has dropped critical passes in each preseason game and has dropped a number of them every year. I still like him but he has to do better.
7. WR in general is a concern. Galloway is old. Moss drops ball. Armstrong is dedicated but not the most talented guy. Who knows if Thomas and/or Kelly will even make the team. We need better production from these guys.
8. Coaching is outstanding. I really feel like there is much better organization with this staff. They have done a tremendous job of taking the talent that we have and maximizing it by playing up to each player's strength and putting them in a positions to win. They have also managed to create an excitement and business like attitude amongst the players where guys seem like they want to get out there and play and expect to win where as last year there was nothing of the sort. This is a true credit to Shanny and his staff.
All in all, was pleased with the performance. I like that we are converting many of our third downs. Right now, I still am not expecting miracles this season but I certainly feel like we will be a competitive team. Nobody is going to feel like they can walk over the Redskins which we couldn't really say the last couple of years.
Less than two weeks until the regular season. Can't wait.
HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!
10 comments:
Cannot wait for the season.
I'll say this - the Deadskins will be better. They should go 7-9 and look like a team that is improving.
Rex can play and I expect him to win a couple of games for the Deadskins this year.
If Malcolm Kelly makes the team it will be crazy.
I also think that the Jets are a team in flux. They seem to have a good D, decent special teams, and a lot of tools on offense. But there are real questions about Sanchez. He was rather poor last year and is going to have to improve for that team to be a serious contender.
Sanchez will have issues this year. Last year, not much was expected of the Jets. They had a new coach and not a lot of stars. Still, they over achieved and surprised many and made a great playoff run. Sanchez deserves credit for some of that. Robs, as a guy that loves Rexy, you should accept that.
This year is very different though. They went out and brought in higher priced talent (Holmes, Taylor, LT, etc.). They are built to win now. For Sanchez, this only increases the pressure on him. It's hard enough to play in NY. Because of the talent they brought in, they are built to win now. They are considered a Super Bowl contender so if he struggles that will hurt him. Don't mention the fact that the Jets are on HBO's Hard Knocks so they have been watched by people across the country. I don't care what people think, when there is a camera on them, there is a part of them that will "act."
I think Sanchez will struggle as he is still a young QB and the pressure is really going to get to him and the fans will turn quickly.
As far as the Redskins go, as mentioned, we will certainly compete in every game. I think we will pull out a couple of surprise wins this year. An 8-8 year while being competitive in all of the games will be a huge year for us and something to build on for next year.
As far as the Bears, fire Lovie, get rid of Angelo, Jeff Cutler is the most talented QB in the history of the game...unfortunately that is only what he thinks (of course Jeff George would disagree). The O line sucks. The WRs are pedestrian. Defense is aging. Safeties are an issue. Olsen is disgruntled in this offense and won't be utilized. Forte is not who we thought he was. Other than that, the Bears should be OUTSTANDING!!!!
Sanchez had a 63 QB rating last year with 12 TDs and 20 ints. He was a weak point for the Jets.
They won because of their running game and D. Frankly, the Jets were 9-7 and barely made the playoffs. Then they had a good run to get to the AFC Championship game.
If Sanchez does not significantly improve, the team won't be much better. The holdout of Revis and the loss of TJ could be big - especially if LT cannot find his old form.
Sanchez will have to be Trent Dilfer-esque (that's the second time I have used "esque" today...I like it). He will not have to win games but just don't lose them. It's a team built on good defense and the running game. Sanchez just needs to manage the game.
Sanchez was Grossman-esque last year. He had some very good games and some horrible games. Fifteen of his 20 INTs came in 4 games. He had 4 games of 100+ rating performances.
I'm not saying he is outstanding but he was solid last year but I agree that he needs to be better. He can't have those kinds of up and down performances. He needs to be consistent and not lose ball games with 4 and 5 INT type games.
I've never been a big Sanchez guy, but he has some talent. He certainly made some plays in the playoffs to allow them to advance, but I am not convinced.
Rex had 23 TDs and 20 Ints in their Super Bowl year and he won a lot of games for them when the D faltered down the stretch. He also had 7 games above 100 QB rating and another one or two in the 90s if I remember correctly. The problem is that people remember his nationally televised debacle against Arizona and the Packer game on New Year's Eve in the rain when the Bears had nothing to play for.
I still don't understand your love for Rexy. It's not just one or two games. He consistently makes dumb mistakes. The fans know it, the media knows it, football players know it. We don't need to rehash all of the Rexy stuff but I am not sure I will ever understand your undying, unconditional lovefest with Rexy.
Regarding Sanchez, I'm not a Sanchez guy either but he is only in his second year so it's hard to tell how good he will be. He had good moments last year and some not so good moments. Peyton Manning was pretty bad his first year too. The issue is that the Jets are built to win now and he will really need to step up and not blow games. The pressure is on him now big time.
Manning was far more prolific a passer than Sanchez. You cannot really compare Sanchez and Grossman - the facts are what they are - Grossman won a lot of games for the Bears that year.
Look, I don't want to rehash all of this again, but Rex played pretty good ball that year. He had a couple of bad games, but the media made him out to be something that he was not (i.e., an inept player who did nothing to help the Bears).
We'll see what happens with Sanchez this year.
Haynesworth put his hand up so that a ball would not hit Shanny the other day in practice. Maybe they are now friends. Shanny said something to that effect and Haynesworth smiled. He was probably thinking about JKSD's anus when he smiled and totally missed what Shanny said.
Manning's rookie year completion percentage was 3% better than Sanchez and his rating was 8 pts better than Sanchez. I wouldn't say that they were too far apart. Manning did throw a lot more as a rookie and was on a horrible team in a small market.
I get it, dude. You cannot truly compare QBs. There are a number of variances. Again, I am not a Sanchez fan. My point is simply that the Jets are built to win now and there is a lot of pressure on Sanchez to not blow it. It will be interesting to see how he plays. I do think he has to face a whole lot of pressure because of playing in NY, the offseason acquisitions making the Jets ready to win now, being on Hard Knocks, etc.
The problem with Rexy again is his perpetual problem of making dumb mistakes. I don't question he has had good games. I get that you are in love with him but don't really understand why. I suppose I don't need to know why as that is between you and Rexy. You seem to think that the world has ganged up on Rexy for no real reason other than they find it fun. It's one thing when the fans and media get on him but when even his peers get on him that says something.
Not even sure where Scott's comments came from. While my anus has the effect of making people smile, I don't think that was the case with Haynesworth. Apparently, a ball was headed towards Shanny and Haynesworth told him to look out at the last second. Shanny averted the flying ball and then looked at Haynesworth and said, "I didn't know you cared." This is what elicited the smile from Haynesworth.
Manning was far more prolific - and Rex had 23 TDs to go with his 20 Ints. Sanchez only had 12 to go with his 20 Ints.
There is no comparison - Manning and Rex showed far more in the years we are comparing.
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