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If it was only that easy.
There is trend around the NFL this season with a lot of teams struggling in the red zone offensively.
Everywhere you turn on the internet, there are stories about teams struggling in the red zone.
Read a story today quoting Ravens OC Todd Monken on Baltimore’s struggles with the headline: “Ravens OC Todd Monken recognizes red-zone struggles: ‘We just have to do a better job’.”
And that team has a QB who just signed a five-year contract extension worth $260 million and includes $185 million.
So this ongoing problem can even happen to quarterbacks making $185 million guaranteed.
Jets coach Robert Saleh, whose team had to settle for nine field goals in the last two games, with his team’s drives often bogging down in the red zone, has said repeatedly this week that his offense is “that close” and often puts to fingers up close together to emphasize his point.
“Just stick with it and they will see how good this offense can be,” Saleh told Rich Eisen. “Because at the end of the day, it’s not easy to get into the red zone and we’ve gotten in the red zone nine times in the last two weeks. We haven’t been able to punch the goalline and cross in for touchdowns. We’re getting there and we’re that close. We just have to stick to it. Have faith in one another and keep plugging away.”
While you have to respect his positivity, perhaps this goes beyond just strong belief.
With all due respect to Zach Wilson, has he ever been good on the NFL level in the red zone?
Like I said, he has a lot of company this year across the league, but the bottom line is, like a lot of young quarterbacks, the red zone is daunting.
Over his three years in the league, with Wilson under center, the Jets have had to settle for a lot of field goals.
So not sure if having faith and staying the course is going to rectify the problem.
The issue in the red zone for many quarterbacks is simple – things are so condensed down there, with so little space to operate, operating down there at the QB position, is one of the biggest challenges in all of sports.
So maybe they are “this close” from a proximity standpoint in terms of getting close to the goalline, but scoring touchdowns down there is never easy, and never will be, especially for young quarterbacks.
And even a guy who just signed a $260 million contract is struggling down there . . .
I was looking up a bunch of stuff, and something popped up that caught my eye from last year.
“The Jets are 7-4 and in the playoff hunt,” wrote Zach Rosenblatt for The Athletic on December 2, 2023. “If they really want to kill the tired ‘same old Jets’ cliche, they won’t blow this opportunity in front of them.”
I’m not judging anybody, just reprinting something I stumbled upon. Kind of interesting when you see narratives from a different time, and how history turned out . . .
Bryce Huff is playing on a very high level, and has been the Jets’ most effective defensive end this season.
Against the Eagles, he beat both left tackle Jordan Mailata and right tackle Jack Driscoll for sacks.
Aside from a great motor, what makes Huff so effective is his “bendability.” He’s got the best bend of all the Jets ends, with his ability to dip his shoulders to get under tall offensive tackles. Many, many defensive ends, even on the NFL level ,can’t do this well. They just aren’t built to do it. Too stiff.
Let’s put it this way, if Huff went on vacation to the Caribbean, and they had a limbo contest by the pool, he would likely be the odds-on favorite to win.
As Chubby Checker once sang, “How low can you go?”
Huff can go really low, and that is one of the keys to his success.
October 20, 2023
Premium will return on Monday at 9:30 p.m. since the Jets are on their bye-week.