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East Rutherford – This game was there for the Jets to take. And they couldn’t, losing 27-19 to an injury-ravaged Chicago Bears team. Why?
Because their quarterback is way too inconsistent.
The Chicago Bears entered the game without cornerbacks Charles Tillman and Sherrick McManis, and then lost safeties Chris Conte, Ryan Mundy and Danny McCray during the game.
Add this to the fact that starting DT Jay Ratliff and OLB Shea McClellin were out.
And the Jets scored just one touchdown. They had to settle for four field goals.
Four field goals against a team decimated by injuries on defense? Unacceptable.
Smith is too married to his first read, and needs guys to flash open before he throws. There are no timing routes, and not a lot of 50-50 balls.
He threw a horrible Pick Six to journeyman safety Mundy on the Jets’ first offensive series. He overthrew a screen pass to running back Chris Johnson right into the arms of Mundy, who returned it for a touchdown.
In the third quarter, with a first-and-ten on the Bears’ 18, Smith threw a pick in the end zone right to CB Kyle Fuller. It was a terrible decision.
“The decision was to throw the ball was to give the guy a chance at the ball,” Smith said.
If you want to give your 6-5 receiver a chance to win a jump ball, you need to throw it high, not on a line drive.
Early on the Jets’ last possession, Smith threw a pass right into the arms of linebacker Jon Bostic who dropped it. The drive eventually stalled, and the Bears ran out the clock.
“I feel good about Geno Smith,” said Rex Ryan after the game.
Ryan is clearly in denial.
“You wish you had a couple of plays back,” Ryan said.
Of course you do. Just like he would want to 21 picks, including five pick sixes, that Smith threw last season.
Ryan, who was called “loyal to the point of defiance by,” by former Jets, Ravens and Broncos defensive lineman Trevor Pryce, thinks Smith will improve from his experience tonight.
“He will learn from it – his heart is in the right spot,” Ryan said.
The Jets need to seriously consider turning to veteran Michael Vick at quarterback.
Before they dig a hole too deep to get out of.
Look, Smith is a good kid who is trying his best, but Ryan needs to win this year.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with putting Smith on ice for a while, and trying Vick. It’s not like it would be the end of the road for Smith. He is so young, and can re-emerge.
To me, there are a lot of egos at play here – they want to make this work come heck or high water.
But isn’t this about winning, not draft records? . . .
Saalim Hakim has no plan on kick returns. There is more to returning kicks than running 4.2. Joe McKnight had a plan. Leon Washington had a plan. Chad Morton had a plan.
You can just run the ball out of the end zone like your hair is on fire.
The Jets should have kept Jacoby Ford. He had great speed and a plan . . .
Jalen Saunders is a pedestrian punt returner, and I’m not just saying that because he had a muff tonight.
Aside from having some catching issues, he dances too much – too much east-west running, instead of north south . . .
Except for a pressure late, D’Brickashaw Ferguson was brilliant on Jared Allen. He was shutdown left tackle tonight . . .
This three man running back rotation is driving Marty Mornhinweg crazy.
The fourth quarter should be Chris Ivory time, and they went to Johnson a lot.
I think with Johnson being an iconic running back in the NFL, that the Jets are afraid to limit his role some weeks, and hurt his feelings.
This is the second week in a row they mishandled the running back reps . . .
Antonio Allen and Darrin Walls did a very respectable job tonight on Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey. They were both very physical with these two jumbo targets, and made a lot of nice plays. Allen finished with 10 tackles and two PD’s.
The Jets cornerbacks weren’t the problem tonight.
September 23, 2014
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