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Two important things to get into today . . .
We will find out a lot more about where Sam Darnold is at this week against a New England Patriots defense that gave up 17 and 12 points the last two weeks.
The Green Bay Packers defense is ravaged beyond belief. The entire starting defensive line is on injured reserve. Let me repeat that – the entire starting defensive line is on injured reserve. Also, highly-paid outside linebacker Nick Perry is also on injured reserve.
And in the secondary, two starting corners on injured reserve – Kevin King and Davon House. And 2018 first-round pick Jaire Alexander, who is now starting, left the Jets game with a groin injury in the first half.
Look, I’m no looking to take away from Darnold’s performance. He did a heck of a job, but when four players from a front seven are out, and three key cornerbacks, that is a problem.
The week before, the Texans secondary was also mess, and was playing terribly entering the Jets game. And then last Sunday against Philly, Nick Foles threw for 471 yards and four touchdowns against them.
So of the bottom line is Darnold shined against two of the NFL’s worst defensive backfields, and he deserves credit for that. You have no control over who your opponent lines up.
But let’s see what he does against the Patriots healthy and fundamentally sound secondary on Sunday.
This will be a good litmus test for his progress .. .
Dolphins beat reporter Armando Salguero reported today that the Dolphins are going to fire VP
Mike Tannenbaum, the former Jets GM, who oversees Miami’s football operation.
I feel bad for Mike. I don’t like to see people get fired, but this is a cautionary tale for the Jets moving forward.
A big reason Mike got that job in Miami is that Stephen Ross’ right hand man is former Jets VP Matt Higgins.
Higgins is a smart business, marketing and PR guy, but he’s not a football guy.
The point here is simple – you should not let non-football people make football decisions.
When Higgins recommended a guy to run his football operation, Ross should have said, “Stick to the business side.”
I like Matt, I really do, but is he qualified to recommend somebody to run the Dolphins football operation?
So as much has some Jets fans have an issue with the fact that Mike Maccagnan is probably going to be retained if Todd Bowles is fired, there is a silver-lining to this.
When the Jets go out to find a new coach, they will have a football guy in the interview room – Maccagnan – who has been in NFL scouting for a quarter century.
If Maccagnan wasn’t in the room, then it would be Christopher Johnson, Ira Axselrad and Neil Glat picking the new coach.
I have nothing against any of those gentlemen, who are all very bright, but having them alone picking a new coach, is like having Higgins picking a VP of football operations.
I’m sorry if this bothers some people, but the Jets need somebody like Maccagnan in that room.
You can’t have non-football people making major football hires alone.
That is a really bad idea.
Because they often focus on the wrong things, like when the Pegula’s in Buffalo fell for the cult of personality and hired Rex Ryan after his interview. They are oil experts not football experts.
December 26, 2018
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