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Yes, the Jets were down some receivers and their left tackle
but Zach Wilson still didn’t have a good game, finishing 7-for-20, for 87 yards and a 66 QB rating.
And forty of those yards came on one play, a crossing route to Keelan Cole, where the receiver had a lot of yards after the catch leading to a TD.
Wilson was just as baffled by the NFL’s #1 defense as Mike White was in the first meeting.
Let’s be fair, he was no better at diagnosing this Bills defense than White, who lost his job over a bad game against Buffalo.
So to put it bluntly, the Jets’ offense was ineffective today aside from basically one play.
You can blame the weapons, but it was clear Wilson didn’t trust his eyes today.
And there were some throws, even with limited weapons, that were way off-target.
Three examples in the fourth quarter:
1)A swing pass to Michael Carter on the short left side was way off target. Simple short throw.
2)A pass to Jeff Smith on the short right side that was short.
3)Late in the game, a pass to Tyler Kroft on the right side – he short-armed it.
Wilson has a lot of work to do this off-season on his throwing mechanics and footwork. A lot. The stuff he could get away with in 2020 against teams like North Alabama, Troy and Western Kentucky, throwing off his back foot to wide-open targets, isn’t going to consistently cut it on the NFL level. The throwing windows are much smaller, so you need to have much better throwing fundamentals.
And no matter who the weapons are – take more chances (like you saw Josh Allen do today). In the NFL guys aren’t always going to be wide open with a neon sign flashing on their chest – “I’m open.”
Throw the ball – give guys a shot. People are too caught up in Wilson not throwing any picks over the last month. That’s great, but he’s hardly taking any chances. You have to throw guys “open” sometimes. Attempt some 50-50 balls. He’s too often hold the ball too long, taking sacks, scrambling or throwing it away. He needs to throw with more anticipation.
The Jets’ defense played well enough to win today. Their offense was unwatchable.
Somebody owes Mike White an apology.
Buffalo has a good defense – very confusing for young quarterbacks.
Can you imagine, White was benched for how he played against THIS defense. And keep in mind, in that game, the Bills had their lockdown corner Tre White, one of the best in the business. Today they didn’t. Instead, Dane Jackson started, a seventh-round pick in the 2020 draft.
You can blame the weapons and the weather all you want, but Wilson has a lot to work on this off-season. You can’t sugarcoat that . . .
The Jets definitely missed Connor McGovern today. Nothing against Dan Feeney, who is a solid player, and gives you everything he’s got, but doesn’t have the “mass in the ass” of McGovern, to use a scouting phrase. McGovern is a thickly built lineman, with impressive weight distribution, and gets a lot of movement on interior defensive tackles. Not blaming Feeney for the line issues today, but there was a lot of pressure up the middle. It’s not Feeney’s fault how he’s built.
January 9, 2021
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