Look For Jets To Rebound

  I remember it like it was yesterday. I was in high school. It was October 1968 and the Jets lost a home game to the Denver Broncos 21-13. It was the fifth game of the season and the loss put the Jets record at 3-2. Merle Harmon was the announcer at the time and the color man may have been Sam Deluca (this I’m not sure of). In the locker room after the game they interviewed kicker Jet Jim Turner who sounded incredibly down.  Turner stated that he didn’t think the Jets were of championship caliber. Listening to that interview had me feel as low as I ever felt. The expectations were high for that season and here I am listening to one of the Jet players almost throwing in the towel. As we all know that the rest is history. The Jets had a magical season ending with a victory in one of the most important sports games ever played. I’m not saying the Jets will go to the Superbowl this year but let’s take a deep breath and relax a little. The Jets lost a game they should have won. All Jet fans agree with that. We are all disappointed with the lack of adjustments by the Jets during the game. I still have a feeling this staff knows what they are doing. Remember that Todd Bowles played defense when he was a player and he played in the secondary. If Revis can’t do the job like he once did, I’m counting on Bowles to make changes. Revis still is a quality player but he has to be used based on today’s ability not when he was 23 years old, This coaching staff will play the players that give the Jets the best chance to win. With the talent they have I’m still optimistic. Sure you can throw darts at Fitzpatrick’s talent but remember he missed all the OTA’s and looked rusty in pre-season. Hang in there Jet fans, things change quickly in the NFL.

  Who is this guy Lawrence Thomas (#97)? He is an undrafted free agent who ended up starting at defensive end! If you remember the series of plays before Nugent kicked the winner before the pass to Green, the Bengals lost yardage on the two previous plays. Lawrence Thomas was in on both plays. Below (at the very end) is his scouting report.

Five Plays That Buried The Jets

1. Blocked Field Goal:

The 8^th play of a drive that stalled had the Jets Nick Folk attempt a 22-yard field goal with 3:45 remaining in the first quarter and got it blocked.

2. Missed Extra Point:

After scoring on a nice TD pass to Eric Decker, the extra point misses going wide right.

3. Andy Dalton hits Green for TD:

On a missed coverage, Dalton hits AJ Green perfectly for a 54-yard touchdown pass. Revis was covering but the safety supposedly screwed up. I’ve been hearing different versions of what happened on this play.

4. Pass to Green for 11 yards:

On a 3^rd and 13, Dalton hits AJ Green for 11 yards with Revis covering. Though they were short of the first down, Nugent then hit the game winning 47 yard Field Goal.

5. Marshall drops pass:

With 54 seconds remaining in the game, Fitzpatrick throws to Brandon Marshall. A potentially big gain fizzles as Marshall drops the ball.

If there was a 6^th play it would have been that 3^rd and 18 that Bengals got a first down over Marcus Williams.

Green Tidbits:

….I’m not worried about the secondary or special teams. What worries me most is Brandon Marshall’s play. We need big things out of him….I like what I saw from Matt Forte. Jets have to spell him with Powell so he has something left in the tank in December….I know, the Pats winning was more salt in the wound. I’m as speechless as you….Could defensive lineman Steve McLendon have played any better in his first game as a Jet?....I thought Derron Lee would have been more visible….I’m putting an APB out for Robby Anderson. Please throw him the ball on Thursday….Kudos to the Jets offensive line. They could not have done a better job….How good can Leonard Williams be?....I wish Greg Buttle would replay and listen to some of the things he says on radio. I like him, but wow!....Forget about any Sammy Watkins not playing rumors. He’ll be on the field for the Bills….Keep on eye on Rontez Miles (#45) on special teams. This kid wants to play football….For what it's worth, I'm in one of those suicide pools and am taking the Jets this week....

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What the Jet scribes are saying:

Rich Cimini, ESPN

New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, coming off one of the worst games of his illustrious career, insisted Tuesday he won't flinch in the face of unprecedented criticism.

"I'm very confident," he said. "I've been through the trenches before."

But this is an unusual situation for Revis, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection who is being picked apart by analysts and fans.

In the Jets' 23-22 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Revis struggled against star receiver A.J. Green, who finished with 12 catches for 180 yards and a touchdown. Unofficially, eight receptions came against Revis, who covered him for most of the game.

"Most of the plays, I was right there," Revis said. "On the busted coverage [for a 54-yard touchdown], I'm supposed to get help. But at the same time, it is what it is. Like I said, I can take a punch.

"They're going to catch balls. It's not like I never got a ball caught on me. In that instance, it's just small technique things. There's no game you come out of playing a perfect game. As easy as some people make it look it seem, it is what it is. You bounce back. That's why we play week to week."

From 2009 to 2014, Revis was generally regarded as the NFL's top cornerback. He struggled in a couple of games last season, inviting criticism, but it was later revealed that he played with a torn tendon in his wrist that required offseason surgery.

Revis, who is making $17 million this season, set the bar so high that it becomes news whenever the 31-year-old gets beat for a big play.

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Brian Costello, NY Post

Sheldon Richardson’s biggest problem Sunday was trying to find what channel the Jets-Bengals game was on.

The defensive lineman watched the game at home while serving his one-game suspension and said he could not find the game at first on his new cable system. When he did, he saw his teammates notch seven sacks on Andy Dalton in the 23-22 loss.

“It was good to see them guys eat like that. I wanted to be a part of it. I just had to watch,” Richardson said.

Richardson returned to the Jets on Monday. He had been suspended for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy after an arrest last summer. Richardson said it was difficult to watch the game and not be out there, but he was happy for his teammates who got to the quarterback.

Jets coach Todd Bowles said the biggest question around Richardson this week is what kind of shape he is in after a week away.

“He can slide in and play,” Bowles said. “It’s just a matter of whether he did conditioning last week or not. He’s only missed a week. He didn’t miss four like last year, so he should be able to come right back in and play.”
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Manish Mehta, NY Daily News

The pitchforks are out in Western New York, where disappointment has become a way of life for the past 16 years. The crazies have curiously channeled their frustration at a man who embraced them after his power-hungry, condescending, uninspiring predecessor left.

It sucks to be a Buffalo Bills fan. Failure has prompted heartache. Heartache has prompted anger. Anger has prompted an irrational reaction to Rex Ryan, who swept into town 20 months ago with optimism and hope.

You think Ryan’s first choice after getting railroaded by an inept general manager in New York was to come to Buffalo? If you believe that, email me. I have some swampland in Florida that might interest you.

Ryan preferred other vacancies (Atlanta and San Francisco, in that order), but the Pegulas believed in him enough to make the hire. So, Ryan did what he always does when he accepted the challenge: He went all-in.

………….. Ryan hasn’t used the parade of injuries and off-field issues as an excuse, but let’s get real. Lombardi couldn’t take this team to the playoffs. The Bills’ particularly putrid offensive performance in their Week 1 loss to the Ravens included 160 total yards on a league-low 48 plays.

“It was ugly,” Ryan said. “That’s about as bad as it gets…. It was a terrible performance.”

Is it fair to expect much better the rest of this season? His best offensive weapon is practically playing with one foot, but Ryan remains undaunted.
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          Lawrence Thomas, Michigan State, 6’3” 286 lbs.

          Scouting review:

OVERVIEW

Ranked in the top 30 of all recruits nationally coming out of Detroit, Thomas could have signed on with many different programs across the country. He stayed close to home, however, signing with the Spartans. Thomas redshirted in 2011 before splitting the next season between defensive end, fullback (he caught seven passes for 78 yards), and defensive tackle. He missed the first half of the 2013 season with a back injury, managing only on the year. Thomas proved healthy the following year, starting every game (12 at nose tackle despite his tall, athletic build), making 30 tackles, 4.5 for loss. MSU coaches moved him at defensive end for most of his senior season, resulting in career highs in tackles (38), tackles for loss (five), sacks (three), and pass break-ups (six). This improvement did not escape Big Ten coaches, who voted him honorable mention all-conference.

PRO DAY RESULTS

Short shuttle: 4.45 seconds

3-cone drill: 7.55 seconds

Bench: 24 reps of 225 pounds

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS Outstanding athleticism for a man his size. Came in as a linebacker before moving to defensive line. Has muscular, well­-defined lower body with very little bad weight on his frame. Knee­-bender who comes off ball looking to strike a leveraged, upward blow. Good motor and is always working to improve his positioning with footwork and upper body strength. Hard to get him sealed and won’t quit on plays. Plays with good lateral bend and quickness. Unselfish and does dirty work asked of him to keep linebackers flowing. Can be a two­-down power end or has room for more weight to be play inside.

WEAKNESSES Hard worker, but lacking in overall production. Not much of a finisher on the other side of the line. Needs to get into blocker's framework more quickly with his hands. Aggressive in his "take ­on" but could improve with the quickness of his control and shed. Effort pass rusher who didn’t get home much with the Spartans. Uses a random spin move that gains little ground. Doesn't seem to rush passer with a plan.

DRAFT PROJECTION Round 7 or priority free agent

BOTTOM LINE Worker bee type with the energy and athleticism to get you excited, but the lack of production that could keep him from becoming anything more than a rotational lineman. Teams will need to decide where to play him, but with a frame that carries so much good weight already, it isn't hard to imagine Thomas carrying 315 pounds for a full­-time spot inside. Keep in mind that Thomas played fullback as a freshman and teams might want to give him another look there.

@GreenRewind



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