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Obviously this is an embellishment . . .
“They have a four-game winning streak with doing zero on offense,” said former NFL GM Mike Lombardi on VSIN. “Give Saleh credit. They basically told Zach Wilson – you’re really not participating. We’re just going to hand this ball off. I give [Saleh] complete props for doing it. It’s the chance he has to win the games.”
Clearly nobody has said that at One Jets Drive, but some might say, “actions speak louder than words.”
Aside from the fourth quarter in Pittsburgh, the Jets have not gotten a lot done passing the football over the last month.
Clearly the running game, defense and special teams have carried them during this stretch. But there have been plenty of passing opportunities over the last month, like the two we pointed out on Sunday – overthrowing a crossing route to tight end C.J. Ozomah who was wide open and the quick slant to Denzel Mims, who was open, but the pass was behind him, he had to contort his body trying to catch it, and ended up getting hurt. They are missing some layups in the passing game. Some incompletions are tough throws, no doubt, but you gotta make the layups.
So it’s not like Mike LaFleur isn’t dialing up pass plays.
Also, when you are 4 for 25 on third down the last two games, that is also taking away passing plays that might come from staying on the field.
The Jets were 1-11 on third down against Green Bay, and then 3-14 in Denver. That is far from ideal, and most times, you aren’t going to win games with that key stat looking that bad.
Robert Saleh was asked about Zach Wilson’s performance in Denver – going 16-26 for 121 yards and no touchdowns. He also ran four times for 24 yards.
“First of all, this defense is ridiculous that they’ve got,” Saleh said. “They’ve got a really, really good defense, credit to them. Obviously, [QB] Zach [Wilson] is going to want things that he can’t have back but he did a great job, he didn’t turn the ball over, he kept the ball where it needed to be and we’re still able to generate a couple of scoring drives in the second half. Was it the cleanest game? No. Was it something that sounded the alarm off? Absolutely not. Credit goes to Denver and how good they are.”
This is what Saleh is saying publicly, which is what coaches do. Not sure what he’s saying behind the scenes. Is it fair to say Wilson “did a great job” in Denver? It’s probably hard to make that argument.
Is Denver’s defense as good as the coach says and that was the reason for the Jets’ offensive struggles? There is no doubt they are good, and their DC, Ejiro Evero, is doing a terrific job. However, it should be pointed out, they played without prized free-agent addition Randy Gregory at defensive end, starting inside linebacker Josey Jewell and starting cornerback Ronald Darby. So three key players missing on all three levels.
They have a rookie fourth-round pick, Damarri Mathis, starting at cornerback for Darby. Look, I get how good the other starting corner is, Pat Surtain, but they couldn’t have done more against Mathis, who is learning on the job?
The Jets’ passing offense is a problem now, but to blame LaFleur for this, is probably a little unfair.
The QB isn’t trusting his eyes reading coverages, and looks like he’s afraid to make mistakes sometimes, leading to hesitation pulling the trigger on passes.
While Elijah Moore was out of line for letting himself get triggered on Twitter by a reporter, and he shouldn’t have voiced his displeasure with his involvement on social media, his discontentment certainly shed some light on the Jets’ passing attack being stuck in the mud right now.
Hat-tip to the Jets for winning four in a row, but how long can they keep this going with a substandard passing offense?
October 24, 2022
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