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How can you not like the way . . .
Tevin Coleman plays the game. He plays football how it was meant to be played. He has so many runs that are described in football as “attitude runs.”
You combine how violent he runs, with his 4.4 speed, you can understand why he’s been such a solid contributor to the Jets running back stable.
Coleman and Michael Carter both had impressive games today in leading the Jets to this win . . .
Speaking of the running game, you can’t say enough about the job the Jets two fill-in guards did today – Dan Feeney and Greg Van Roten. The Jets had several big runs up the middle behind their guards, and underrated center Connor McGovern, like a 14-yard run scamper by Carter late in the second quarter. Massive hole up the middle . . .
Joe Douglas takes a lot of heat for the Jets’ won-loss record the last two years, and we will see what he does next off-season with so many premium picks, but one thing you can’t deny is the man’s eye for offensive line talent.
The tackles George Fant and Morgan Moses were good again today, and the two guards who were out today with COVID-19 – LDT and AVT – were both playing well before being sidelined, and now the two guys filling in today, both reserves now, but with a lot of starting experience, played very well today. And you have Conor McDermott, who is a valuable backup swing tackle, who came in today briefly for an injured Moses, and then came in as an extra lineman and caught a TD pass.
Look, Douglas has some work to do, but Joe knows O-Lineman. There is no way around that . . .
It’s tough times for writers these days with newspaper layoffs, but it was still pretty amazing today to see no Jacksonville writers making the trip to cover the game. Not one writer. Wow . . .
Safety Will Parks did a solid job starting at safety considering he signed on Tuesday, He played deep a lot. You could tell this wasn’t his first rodeo. He knows what he’s doing out there. He had a nice PD on a cross to Marvin Jones in the second quarter. Even when the Jets’ two starting safeties return, this guy should continue to play . . .
Hat-tip to the Jets for winning this game, but let’s be honest, the winning formula today for the Jets probably won’t work about Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills. The Jets won today with their QB throwing for 102 yards. Hard to keep up with Brady or Allen on the scoreboard doing that. Wilson ran four times for 90 yards, including a 52-yard TD scamper. That is great, but he’s not going to win games with his legs very often, and he knows that.
He was asked after the game if he enjoys making plays with his legs more than throwing:
“No I don’t,” Wilson said. “I was telling someone the other day, it kind of sucks as far as stats go. Yeah, rushing touchdowns are great to win the game but I could care less how many rushing touchdowns I have. I wish they were passing touchdowns. But if it helps us win then I’ll take them.”
Long rushing touchdowns by quarterbacks in the NFL are rare. Remember that 46-yard TD run by Sam Darnold against Denver in 2020? Darnold has been in the league four years. How many other runs did he have like before and after that play against Denver? It doesn’t happen that often. They are nice when they happen, but for the most part, you need to make most of your hay from the pocket.
Wilson has six touchdowns in 10 games. Obviously they need more TD passes from their QB1, especially against quarterbacks like Brady and Allen.
And speaking of a winning formula for their next two games. The struggling Trevor Lawrence, without starting receiver Laviska Shenault and tight end Dan Arnold, threw for 280 yards against the Jets’ pass defense.
Once again, too many players wide open.
They need to tighten things up against Brady and Allen if they hope to have a chance to compete in those games.
December 26, 2021
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