Content available exclusively for subscribers
A big part of sports are matchups, and the Jets Front Seven doesn’t matchup well with Mike Vick and Shady McCoy. This happens.
The Jets came out in a 4-3, with Mo Wilkerson and Calvin Pace at defensive end, and got off to a good start when McCoy ran off left tackle and Wilkerson ran him out of bounds after just a gain of one.
On the Eagles’ second play, they threw to TE Brett Celek for a gain of 38. The pass was lofted over Bart Scott and in front of Kyle Wilson into a hole in the zone.
But then the Jets settled down and got out of this drive thanks to Pace, who had two nice plays in a row. First he stopped a scrambling Vick, up the middle, after just a gain of two. Then he stopped a run by McCoy up the middle, also after just a gain of two. On the next play, the possession ended with a Vick incompletion.
The second possession didn’t go as well. On the third play of the drive, McCoy ran for 11 yards to the left side. What happened on this play was very simple. LT Jason Peters locked up David Harris and LG Evan Mathis took care of Wilkerson, and McCoy ran right between Harris and Wilkerson.
This drive ended with another blown coverage on Celek (we will deal with this in our secondary section). This made it 14-0.
There was impressive defensive play on this possession. Mike DeVito shed a block and crushed McCoy on the line. It was the Jets top hit of the game.
The Eagles next possession almost ended on it’s second play when Scott forced a McCoy fumble, but it was overturned because the runner’s knee was down.
A few plays later, the Jets were victims of a bad call which helped advance this drive 15 yards, when Marcus Dixon was called for a helmet-to-helmet on Vick on an incompletion. The quarterback ducked his head into Dixon, so it’s unclear what the officials expected Marcus to do.
Four plays later, Vick scrambled for an 11-yard touchdown to the left side.
The Jets didn’t do a great job with the edges in this game, and this play was perfect example. The only player over there was Wilkerson, and do you really expect a 300-pound end to chase down Vick with no help. There was no linebacker over there. This made it 21-0.
The Eagles got the ball back quickly after a Mark Sanchez fumble. On second down, there was a neutral zone infraction by Pace that advanced the ball to the nine, and then on the next play, McCoy ran up the middle for a nine-yard TD.
On this play, the Eagles did a good job of zone blocking, all the blockers pushed the Jets defenders to the left, and McCoy too one step in that direction, and then cut right, and sailed into the end zone.
McCoy was a terrible matchup for the Jets’ Front Seven with his amazing lateral quickness and hop steps. It was a rough day for Sione Pouha, who finished with zero tackles. McCoy with his incredible feet, constantly was making the Jets players, like the 330-pound Pouha miss.
Vick presented the same issues with his speed and quickness. On the first play of a late first half possession, Vick scrambled for a gain of nine. Pouha and Wilkerson both at a chance at him, but Vick made them both miss with his special ability in small areas.
Two plays later, McCoy gashed the Jets for a 12-yard gain off left tackle, but DeVito caused a fumble at the end of the play that Brodney Pool recovered and advanced 33 yards.
The first half ended with a Hail Mary pick by Harris.
On the Eagles first offensive play of the second half, Wilkerson stopped McCoy for a loss of one. But then two plays later, disaster struck when Vick hit Celek for a gain of 73. He was wide open (we will get into this in the secondary section). Shady McCoy ran it in from the one, two plays later.
One other note on this possession – on the second play, Pace had Vick around the goalline as he was about to throw, but Vick pulled a move out of his bag of tricks, got away from Calvin, and hit TE Clay Harbor for a gain of 16 over the middle.
McCoy had a 33-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter. Scott could have had him early in the run right in the initial hole, but “Can’t Miss” missed. Once again, McCoy’s quickness is unreal and side-stepped Scott.
One nice play in the second half was when Harris stopped McCoy for a loss of six on a short pass to the right side.
This wasn’t a great game for the Jets defense, and this TE coverage deal needs to be fixed.
But sometimes you have to give the opponents credit.
The chicanery of McCoy and Vick, and their rare ability to make defenders miss, was something to behold.
Our next premium article will appear by 9 pm tonight, and will take a look at the secondary, in this game, and looking forward.
Â