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Will McDonald didn’t register a stat in the Jets’ loss to Miami on Sunday. His name isn’t on the stat sheet.
This isn’t the first time this has happened. It also happened in Tampa Bay; aside from the blocked punt he returned for a TD, he didn’t register a defensive stat in that game.
When you have a starting defensive end who is not on the stat sheet, that is an issue. Yes, stats don’t often tell the whole story, but in this case, it’s a little bit of a problem, especially since the Dolphins ran for 249 yards.
Not just McDonald, but the Jets’ defensive line in its entirety struggled against the run – the starters, the rotational backups, the whole kit and caboodle.
Jermaine Johnson had one tackle, an assisted tackle he shared with another player.
So the Jets got a total of 1/2 tackle from their two starting defensive ends . . .
They are wonderful people with great character, and give you everything they’ve got, but Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs are not starting defensive tackles.
They are rotational backups, and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s a good job to have.
And Phillips clearly is not healthy.
Saw him after the game, and he can hardly walk.
Here is the issue – Phillips is an overachiever who gets every ounce of his ability, but when he’s not healthy, and you are playing him extensively, that is not ideal.
You know how people will say stuff like, “70 percent of Patrick Mahomes is better than most other quarterbacks.”
You have heard that cliche in all sports about certain great players.
Well, 70 percent of Phillips is a problem since he’s an overachiever who has athletic limitations to start with, and when he’s hurt, the limitations expand.
There were so many plays today where the Dolphins opened up massive holes up the middle with Phillips and Briggs at defensive tackle.
Briggs is a 6-1 DT with short arms, so he gets engulfed a lot. Not a lack of effort.
Yes, he’s had a couple of nice plays this season, but the stuff in between needs work.
Teams don’t trade defensive tackles in late August who they think can help them.
Remember last week when the Falcons dominated the Jets on the ground, and the Jets leading tackler was safety Malachi Moore, which displayed how much the Falcons’ runners were getting to the third level.
Well, this week, Jamien Sherwood did lead them in tackles today with 15, but second was safety Isaiah Oliver with nine.
The Jets’ defensive line play today was horrid. The Jets might need three new starters next year.
It’s easy to blame Steve Wilks for the Jets’ defensive woes, and it was a surprising hire, but anybody with clue, and two eyes has to see that the Jets have major personnel issues on defense.
You could argue they need to add six new starters on defense next offseason.
And having four picks in the first two rounds should help them fill some of the needs.
You could argue that three of the four picks should be on defense, along with picking a QB.
They have major, major defensive personnel issues right now.
There is no way around it . . .
Aaron Glenn doesn’t get asked many difficult questions. He’s benefiting from milquetoast coverage on the beat.
I asked Glenn if the issues on defense are personnel-related, and he didn’t like the question.
He responded, “I’m not going to go into that.”
Also asked him, with his extensive defensive background coaching and playing, how he feels about giving up 239 yards rushing.
“It’s BS,” Glenn said.” You can’t give up 240 yards rushing. It’s that simple. You can’t give it up. So you have to fix it.”
Not sure they will be able to “fix it” with their current front seven – defensive linemen who struggle getting off blocks and linebackers who are often out of position due to being too aggressive and “going for the cheese” on misdirection plays . . .
Speaking of personnel issues, there is nothing wrong with signing QB Brady Cook and trying to develop him, but he never should have been one snap away from playing this year.
Great kid. Hard worker, but a major project.
He’s the kind of college prospect that if you sign him, he’s redshirted for a year or two, and you see if you can fix his accuracy and decision-making
He should never be one snap away, even if you have injuries.
Keeping him instead of Adrian Martinez was a dubious decision. It’s almost like they played favorites with Cook since they signed him and inherited Martinez. They had no equity in Martinez.
If you don’t think that impacts the thinking of teams, you are kidding yourself.
Cook finished the game with two picks, was sacked six times (sometimes due to holding the ball too long), and had a 35.8 rating.
Should not have seen the field this year under any circumstances.
You would be hard-pressed to find another team that would have had Cook as their #3 QB as a rookie. His film from Missouri wouldn’t have pointed many teams in that direction.
December 7, 2025
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