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Buffalo – Checking in from Buffalo following the Jets’ win over the Bills . . .
Eli McGuire executed the Jets game-winning touchdown run with perfection.
As you know by now, the Jets went for it late in the game, down 23-20, on fourth-and-one, from the one, and McGuire ran it in.
Aside from great blocks from right tackle Brandon Shell on massive defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, and Brian Winters pulling right and taking out safety Jordan Poyer, the key to the play was McGuire’s patience.
If he wasn’t patient, and rushed up field too quickly, this play likely would have failed.
He ran to the right, waited for a hole to open up, and jolted into it.
“If I was in a rush, I probably wouldn’t get there,” McGuire said.
During this rookie year he clearly needed some work setting up his blockers.
You could see on this key play, he’s improved a great deal in this area . . .
I brought up the other day the foolishness of some of the commentary following the Darron Lee suspension.
“The suspension is a blow for a Jets team looking to finish strong,” wrote NFL.com.
There were plenty of other comments along the same lines.
To me this narrative was flat-out nonsense.
His backups are both better run defenders – better at stacking and shedding blocks. The undersized Lee has hurt the Jets’ run defense this year, being implicated in several big runs.
His two replacements (the Jets clearly felt he was so valuable, they needed two guys to fill-in for him), were key players in the Jets’ win today. Both played well, Neville Hewitt started, and played more, finishing 7 tackles, 1/2 sack and a quarterback hit. Kevin Pierre-Louis finished with three tackle, a sack, two quarterback hits, a forced fumble and broke up a pass in the end zone on a trick play.
But you know what, there is no way either would have played if Lee wasn’t suspended. Todd Bowles isn’t big on benching people and is a huge Lee supporter.
So this upgrade only occurred due to the suspension.
And this duo helped the Jets win today.
Something else that is kind of odd about this situation. The Jets felt they needed two players two replace Lee (which was odd – he’s not that kind of talent), but they were never platooning Hewitt or Pierre-Lewis with Lee at any time, even when Lee was struggling in run-support.
It took an injury to an underachieving player to get Hewitt/Pierre-Louis (who both started NFL games before they got to Florham Park) on the field.
This sort of decision-making is one of the reasons Todd Bowles might be in a little trouble.
Like Rex, the coach is extremely loyal, to the point of defiance, this hurts the pragmatism of some of his personnel moves. Buster Skrine had two penalties today, but he never gets pulled . . .
After the game, Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa walked off New Era Field with a significant limp. He clearly re-injured his high-ankle sprain.
In the locker room after the game, Jets running back Isaiah Crowell had a walking boot on his left foot.
After the game, I saw Bills kicker Stephen Hauschka being taken to the X-Ray room at Ralph Wilson Stadium to have his back checked. He took a big hit from Jets defensive end Henry Anderson. Some thought it was an unnecessary hit.
Perhaps, but I will tell you one thing, the Jets level of physicality today was impressive – really taking it to the Bills. The Bills had myriad injuries today, and part of that was the Jets flying around playing with an attitude from beginning to end.
As I have said many times, the Jets problem was never effort his year, it’s been blown assignments and mental errors.
December 9, 2018
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