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Let’s start with a teachable moment on managing the game.
The Jets had the momentum late in the first half. They were up 10-3 and in field goal range. On a third-and-11 on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 29-yard-line, Zach Wilson threw a pass into double coverage on the left side, inside the five-yard-line to WR Jeff Smith, that was intercepted by cornerback Cam Sutton.
Whether it was the QB, or the play-caller (who dialed up a lot of good plays in this game), somebody showed a bad feel for the kind of game this was.
It was clearly going to be a low-scoring game. QB Mitch Trubisky, who was playing for the Steelers at the time (before being replaced at halftime), was struggling, and if the Jets make it 13-3 here, that is a good way to go into the half.
This play made little sense, and CBS analyst Adam Archuletta said during the second half after the Steelers took the lead – “Every since that play, the energy has completely shifted.”
You’ve got to manage the game better than this. They need to have a meeting about this play call. You need to have a better feel for the kind of game you are in . . .
Jets OC Mike LaFleur is going a really nice job of dialing up great plays for tight end Tyler Conklin to take advantage of him being a little bit of an afterthought to opposing defenses who are so obsessed with the talented receiving trio of Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore and Corey Davis.
In the middle of the second quarter, on a read-option, Conklin snuck off the line, creating an easy throw and catch to the wide-open tight end for a 26-yard gain. Then in the middle of the third quarter, Conklin snuck out again and went for 18.
Then late in the game, on a third-and-six, on another read option, Wilson hit Conklin over the short middle for a gain of eight and a huge first down.
Good stuff . . .
In a day and age where “selfies” are the rage, and a lot of “me, me, me” behavior, Alijah Vera-Tucker is a throwback and a revelation.
The guy epitomizes a team-first player. I remember how shocked we were when it came out that they were moving him from left to right guard after signing Laken Tomlinson in the spring. Why do that to a young guard who is coming off a terrific rookie season on the left side? But he was all for it. He felt it was best for Laken to stay at the position he played his entire 8-year career – left guard.
And then the team asked Vera-Tucker if he could move to left tackle with the injuries to George Fant, Duane Brown and Mekhi Becton. They left it up to him, and he said “yes” to help the team out.
While it wasn’t perfect in Pittsburgh, and who expected it to be, he did a lot of good things at left tackle. For instance, on the two key runs on the Jets’ game-winning drive, he had important blocks. On the 7-yard run by Breece Hall to the 2-yard-line, he sealed the left edge, locking up outside linebacker Ryan Anderson. And then on the 2-yard TD run, AVT and Tomlinson got a big push on the left side that Hall ran behind and dove into the end zone, breaking the plane with the ball.
One of Joe Douglas’s finest moves was moving up in the 2021 draft to pick this guy in the first round. Not only is he an excellent player, but the quintessential team player and a powerful cultural building block with his selfless attitude . . .
Zach Wilson still needs some work on taking some mustard off some of his shorter passes, like a high, hard pass to Conklin that went off his hands and was picked by safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in the third quarter. Then shortly after that, another high hard pass, this one to RB Breece Hall on the short right side, and this pass also popped in the air, and was nearly picked by Fitzpatrick again.
This isn’t a new discussion. He clearly needs to vary the speeds of his throws, depending on the kind of route it is.
October 3, 2022
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