I know most of the focus around here is on Schotty, but on the theory we can walk and chew gum at the same time, how about what that final drive by the Pats says about this team? Some argued that TOP was a huge factor, blaming the O for the D's inability to get off the field. I don't think so myself. Well, here's an article in today's paper about the drive:
I put the last drive on Pettine and Rex. They thought Brady was going to pass and had the wrong personnel in. There were still 6 minutes left in the game. I am sure Rex did not think Brady would run out the clock, rather he probably thought they would try to score a TD like the have in the past. They simply were out coached at the end of the game.
I thought Rex's comment about the third down conversion in that final drive was pretty telling. It was either in the post-game presser or yesterday's briefing, but he said something like, "We didn't expect them to run it there, but we still had that side overloaded and plenty of guys to make the play." That reads total failure. Green-Ellis is a decent running back, but there's just no way he should be able to get four yards on third down in crunch time. Let along fourteen yards. The left side of the Patriots' line absolutely manhandled the Jets on that play.
We seem to be starting to show a bit of a problem where run defense is concerned. Maybe we just got caught and out coached at the end, but between that drive and the gashing we took against the Raiders in the running game, I think there may be a weakness surfacing on the other side of the ball.
You're going to get gashed when your primary run stoppers are not in the game. It's not like the Pats had been unable to run all game to that point - they'd done just fine. The Jets should have expected them to run the ball with a 6 point lead and no evidence that the Jets could shut that down. The question is why Pouha and Devito were not in the game? Was Ryan out-coached or were they tired after spending three quarters watching the Jets put together exactly two drives of five plays or more? The Jets defense got softer after they came in the game.
It maybe more than a single weakness. Key quote from the article was: Videotape confirmed Ryan’s suspicions that the Jets had problems with alignment, assignment and technique — in other words, everything. This imo is a huge problem. As I said yesterday, the Jets seemed to have better run D against the Ravens, but as of this week they now officially have the worst run D in the league. No wonder, from that quote. I don't know if we want to say "all of a sudden", but the decline has certainly been evident. What will it take to reverse it? I have to wonder to what extent Wilkerson is part of the problem. He seemed at times to get moved to the inside, and did not seal the edge. Not that all the problems were on his side, by any means, but it did appear to be a factor. And of course Ryan would have us believe the emphsis since the Raider game has been on stopping the run. Wow. All the hang Schotty threads here will ignore this issue, but imo the Jet D played worse against NE than the O. Pass D was not great, either, to be sure, but they were against Brady and the Pats receivers. But the Pats rushing attack? Not good.
That drive was like a slow painful death. You knew what needed to be stopped but they couldn't get the job done.
Although statistically the time of possession was only 34/26 in favor of the Pats, realistically it was probably much worse. The Patriots weren't running much in the first three quarters and had the benefit of a bunch of clock stoppages between the penalties being called and the incompletions. The defense was out there much more than the perceived 56% of the time. Eight 3 and outs against the Patriots and Tom Brady this year (record-breaking pace) is fatal. If the Jets stopped them on the final drive the O could have driven up the field for the win, which is quite honestly a miracle with all things considered.
There was a similar article in the Boston Globe yesterday comparing Sunday to the January playoff game. The Jets, according to the article, did mostly the same thing as they did nine months ago... that is, play a lot of nickel and dime, essentially "daring" the Patriots to run. In the playoff game, Belichick did his best Mike Martz impression and stuck to his guns and had Brady air it out. Sunday the Patriots' offense took what the Jets were giving them. I'm sure Ryan and the defense thought they could stop the run anyway, even with smaller personnel. So it came down to execution. Excerpt below. Full article here: http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2011/10/10/sensing_need_patriots_kept_their_ear_to_the_ground/ The throw-it-all-the-time game plan helped end the Patriots’ season in January. The Jets played just 11 of 67 snaps in their base 3-4 defense in the playoff game. Despite the Jets inviting the Patriots to run, they did so just 10 times in the first half while attempting 17 passes. Six of those carries were by Danny Woodhead, who was ineffective with a 3.2-yard average. Green-Ellis only got four carries despite averaging 5.3 yards. The Patriots did not make the same mistake yesterday in their 30-21 win as the Jets played even less base defense. New England rushed 13 times in the first half and doubled the load for Green-Ellis, who carried eight times for 51 yards.
Something besides the last drive infuriated me about the defense Sunday. And it completely flies in the face of the whole "the defense was tired from being out there all game" theory. To start the second half, the Patriots marched 80 yards on 4 plays in two and a quarter minutes for a TD. You'd think the D would be reasonably fresh after the half, no? Beyond that, in the first quarter the defense allowed the Patriots to march 64 yards on 5 plays, in only two and a half minutes on their second possession. Yeah, the offense had gone 3 and out twice, but come on. The defense had given up a first down on the first play of the Pats' first possession then took them off the field. They were tired from that? The D isn't performing well at all. The problems are not all on the offense.
This was a subject of some debate here yesterday, of course. The Times article said absolutely nothing about being tired or time of possession. It was all alignment, assignment and technique. In addition to your point, the Pats' final possession immediately followed the Jets' longest posession of the game as the Jets methodically marched downfield to get to 27-21. Listening to those complaining about TOP, you'd think that Pats drive followed at least one, maybe even two, Jet three and outs. Not so. It is clear the whole TOP argument is a thinly veiled attempt to blame the O, and Schotty, for the D's shortcomings. I don't buy it, not one bit. There are huge problems with this D right now that have nothing to do with Brian Schottenheimer.
I find it interesting that when the Pats offense has issues, here in new england we put it on the head coach, even though O'Brien has been calling the plays fro two years, and Brady can change change any play at the line. I know it's because Belichik is quick to get on his OC and QB if he doesn't like what he sees. In NY, it's all on the OC. How come Rex doesn't step in if he sees what all the fans here see, that his offense is too predictable?
A march? 4 plays isn't a march. It was caused by big time karma; i.e. former Jets player and color man Simms in the broadcast booth doing a piece (i.e. sucking Jets dick) on how well the Jets were shutting Welker down. The next play of course we got to see blown coverage by the safety (Smith?) and Revis chasing Welker for 73 yards. Classic. The other 3 plays were basically messing around inside the 10 until Cro got caught peeking.
Sims Played for the Jets? Now I readily admit I am not a walking encyclopedia of football knowledge, but I think I would remember that happening?
