Content available exclusively for subscribers
Are they right?
Some people in the media, some perhaps paid by the team, and some perhaps friends with the coach, have come to Adam Gase’s defense because he’s playing with a third-string QB.
Aside from injuries at quarterback, there are also some other injuries his team is dealing with.
NFL teams are always preaching “next man up.” The Eagles have a ton of them and they kicked the Jets butt.
As for having to start a reserve QB, Luke Falk, how are the Carolina Panthers doing with 2018 undrafted free agent Kyle Allen? They are 3-0. Falk was a higher rated prospect than Allen in the 2018 draft.
The Jacksonville Jaguars rookie sixth-round pick Gardner Minshew is playing well in place of starter Nick Foles. Minshew is a sixth-round rookie and Falk is a sixth-round pick (Tennessee Titans) in his second season, so he has more NFL training than Minshew.
Next man up.
The biggest indictment of Gase is how poorly prepared the Jets offense was coming off a bye-week. Let’s take a look at their first four offensive series at Philadelphia. With two weeks to prepare this game coming off a bye-week, this theoretically should be one of the better offensive game plans you will see from an NFL team.
First series:
Coming off a bye-week, the Jets first two plays of their first offense series were Le’Veon Bell runs up the middle for one yard and no gain. That’s the best you’ve got off a bye week? Then on third down, Falk was sacked when DE Brandon Graham stunted up the middle (like he did to Tom Brady late in the Super Bowl) and sacked Falk, beating Brian Winters, who sometimes struggles on stunts and games, at times a tad late triggering.
Second series:
The second series ended with a Pick Six by linebacker Nate Gerry. This was just a very poorly executed play. The timing was off, and plus, Gase dials up so many runs and passes to Bell, the Eagles were paying extra attention to him. Why is Bilal Powell in the Witness Protection Program? We have all seen him do good things for the Jets over the years. This was a bad play call combined with bad execution.
Third series:
This series starts with a short pass to Bell in the left flat that gained just one yard. On the next play, cornerback Orlando Scandrick beat right tackle Chuma Edoga (pictured above) for a sack. As I mentioned yesterday, it was a dubious decision to replace Brandon Shell at right tackle for a rookie making his first start, on the road, especially with the left guard out. Too many changes. And then the Jets were called for delay of game on the punt to end the series.
Fourth series:
The series actually started with a successful play, a 16-yard pass to Damaryius Thomas on the left side. Then a Le’Veon Bell run gained just two yards, a Jamison Crowder five-yard completion (good job by Falk on this play as he was hit as he threw) and then an incompletion to Thomas. Then the Jets essentially iced their own kicker on a 55-yard attempt by calling a timeout due to some confusion lining up. After being iced by his own team, Sam Ficken missed the kick.
This is who you come out offensively after a bye-week against a team ravaged with cornerback injuries, and down two key defensive tackles (Malik Jackson and Tim Jernigan)?
I would love to see how the special pleaders for Gase counter what I just wrote.
October 7, 2019
Premiume will return by 9:30 pm on Wednesday.