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For the second week in row, the Jets run defense was bad. Bart Scott finished with two tackles in Chicago. It must have been Matt Kroul’s fault. He was cut two days later. Actually he was inactive.
To play Vernon Gholston in short distance running situations is misguided, but the Jets do it. It’s a magical game of pretend to justify the owner’s huge investment in the former first round pick.
On the first third down of the game, on third-and-one, Gholston was on the line, and Chester Taylor gained three yards. Also on that line was Marcus Dixon, who I don’t see as a particularly stout player and is very inexperienced. To have Gholston and Dixon on the field in short yardage situations, is ill-conceived. Dixon is just 6-4, 295, but he seems to be their flavor of the month.
We will get back to Gholston in a bit.
Shaun Ellis continues to get the job done, bad knee and all. In the middle of the Bears first possession, Ellis blasted into a gap and blew up Matt Forte in the backfield, forcing him into the arms of David Harris for no gain.
Late in the game, Ellis beat a double-team for a QB pressure. Also late in the game, Ellis stopped Forte on back-to-back runs, after gain of just one and two yards, to help the Jets get the ball back one more time.
Mike DeVito had a few nice plays, like when he got his hand on the Bears first field goal attempt, but it managed to go through the uprights anyway. He also did a nice job of tracking down Forte on a Wildcat after just a gain of three, early in the third quarter. He also had a nice run stop on Taylor after just a gain of two early in the fourth.
DeVito and Ellis are what 3-4 end play is all about.
Jason Taylor shot into the backfield and blew up a rushing attempt by Chester Taylor, then DeVito didn’t allow him to get out of the jam, and Calvin Pace wrapped him up for a loss of five.
Late in the first half, Taylor was beat by Forte for a 24-yard gain down the left. Sure, it makes little sense for Taylor to be covering people at this stage of his career, but as an outside linebacker in this system, he has to be able to do it on occasion.
Taylor had a real nice play early in the fourth quarter. He jumped over a cut block attempt by an offensive lineman, and shot into the backfield, making Cutler move from his pocket, and into the arms of Bryan Thomas for a sack.
On the first play of a mid-fourth quarter possession, Taylor stopped Forte for no gain off right tackle.
On the first series, David Harris had a QB pressure, on a blitz up the middle, forcing a bad pass to WR Johnny Knox that fell incomplete. Harris was beat for a gain of 24 by Forte on a left side pass late in the second quarter. On the next play, he had a PD on Forte, that some thought was interference.
Harris had a really nice run play early in the second, on a run by Forte up the middle. He wasn’t great position to make the stop, so he grabbed Forte by his jersey, until he could get around the lineman he was engaged with, to put himself in better position to make the tackle, which he did. The runner gained just two on this play.
Now back to Gholston. After the Santonio Holmes fumble in the middle of the first, the Bears got the ball on a short field, and put the ball in the end zone on a four-play drive. The last two plays, they ran right at Gholston, playing left end for Ellis.
On the first play, Gholston was manhandled by Davis, and Forte gained eight yards right at him. Davis pushed him back on skates. Then the next play was a disaster. They ran right at Gholston again, and Forte ran around right tackle for a 22-yard touchdown. Both Gholston and Thomas were dominated on this play, and Forte ran right between the two of them, while they were engaged, and was off to the races.
We didn’t see Gholston in the game for a long stretch after this. You see, the owner and GM can lobby for the coaches to play him, but they can’t dictate how much.
Gholston did come in the game in the fourth quarter, and did have a stop on Forte for no gain. Every once in a while he makes a play. They are few and far between, and he’s a liability most of the time.
He’s not a 3-4 end, and still isn’t good at getting off blocks. Other reporters like him a great deal personally (he is a very nice person), and aren’t going to be critical of him.