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I’m going to keep this real
Well first of all, I don’t want to hear about all the Jets’ injuries.
Could a team have more injuries than the San Francisco 49ers who blew out the Jets today?
For goodness sake, they lost two first-round defensive ends to blown out knees early in this game.
And remember, they were without another defensive end, Dee Ford, who was out of this game with a neck injury.
On top of that, they entered this game without two starting corners – Richard Sherman and Jason Verrett.
And with all that, the Jets still couldn’t move the ball. Think about that for a second. A team is without three of their top defensive ends, and two of the top corners, and the opposing offense performs like the other team is at full strength.
And I stand by what I said last week – this is a 50-50 with Adam Gase and Sam Darnold. I’m not in the weapons lobby, one of those people who thinks that Darnold’s supposed lack of weaponry is why he’s struggling.
Look at the 49ers – no George Kittle, no Deebo Samuel, no problem.
And some will blame the Jets’ offensive line. They aren’t great, but I’ve seen worse. There are plenty of plays where there is time.
Look at Dak Prescott today – three studs on his offensive line out of the picture – bookend tackles Tyron Smith and La’el Collins both out, and the Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick retired, and replaced by a journeyman, and he figures out a way to bring his team back from a huge deficit, and beat the Falcons today 40-39.
I have to be honest, I didn’t think they would be able to win with Smith and Collins out, but the really good quarterbacks find a way.
Sam Darnold is so fixated on his first read, how much are great weapons, and a great line, going to make a difference.
I know you can get ostracized in the Jets’ nation for saying anything negative about Darnold, but he’s not playing well, and to put his all on Gase, is not dealing with reality. Regardless of the head coach, the QB needs to play better.
And I don’t think Gase is doing a great job here, but I’m not going to blame Darnold’s inability to turn his head on my most plays on the coach. Once the ball is snapped, “The Cube” is on his own.
If that offends people, and hurts my business, what I’m going to do?
I can’t live a lie and blow smoke.
And Gase using 6-2, long-legged Josh Adams on fourth-and-one instead of 5-8 Frank Gore, with his low center of gravity, which is so helpful on short yardage. Gore gets under the pad level of defenders. 6-2 Adams, is talented, but isn’t going to do that. He can do other things, but this is a bad scenario for him. This was a terrible decision by the head coach.
Another terrible decision was Gregg Williams starting Alec Ogletree today over Avery Williamson and Harvey Langi, at the linebacker spot next to Neville Hewitt. It was so crazy that I had to put my glasses on to see if I was seeing straight when I first noticed it. That was one of the worst personnel decisions I’ve seen in my 25 years of covering the team. Ogletree was a main culprit on that 80-yard run to start the game, and the 55-yard on third-and-31. He was out of position on both plays. I don’t blame Ogletree for this, but Williams who thought it was a good idea to start him with the ink barely dry on his contract.
Williams needs to lose the control of defensive personnel decisions, immediately! There is no way around it. First pulling Pierre Desir for Nate Hairston (who was inactive today) last week, and now this Kabuki Theatre with Ogletree. Joe Douglas needs to tell him who is playing from now on. He needs to pull rank. This is ridiculous.
September 20, 2020
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