Having to spend each day the color of the leaves
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold
Or something much more colorful like that
-Kermit The Frog
In the 4th quarter with 6:11 to go and the Jets losing by a score of 26-3, Todd Bowles decides on 4th down (and 10) to kick a field goal. He must have felt that after securing a two year extension by doing this the Jets would no doubt give him an additional five years. What on earth is this coach doing? How many times does he throw up the white flag during a game in an NFL season? And he is not held accountable for a decision like this. The Jets press corp is more interested in trying to find out why Christian Hackenberg did not get a chance to play. He stinks! Plain and simple! Cut him yesterday and move on!
The Pats took the opening kick off and went on a 13 play scoring drive with Deon Lewis scoring on a 3 yard run. The drive ate up 5:30 of the clock. Danny Amendola caught four passes on the drive that Tom Brady made look easy. Keep in mind one of those pass completions to Amendola was on a fourth and two. Talk about a different mind set. The Jets answered with a three and out highlighted by a false start on the Jets first offensive play of game by Dakota Dozier. For the game the penalties were the Jets 9-84 yards, the Pats 4-49 yards. Throughout the game it was’t just the number of penalties but when they occurred. A new offensive strategy for the Pats developed on third down plays throwing the ball near defensive back Justin Burris who was called on holding or pass interference to help extend a Patriots drive throughout the game. It is getting to the point with the Jets that unlike most teams who score touchdowns, the first reaction by fans is to see if there are any flags on the field. With the Jets if they held the opposition on third down, fans now search the field for a flag. The Jets answered with a field goal to close out the scoring in the first quarter. A highlight of the drive was a pass completion to Neal Sterling (5 rec., 74 yards) who was the Jets most productive offensive player.
You could have turned your TV set off. In the second quarter Tom Brady was not as sharp as usual but Justin Burris made up for it. On two touchdown scoring drives he had penalties on third downs to extend each drive. Why is Todd Bowles keeping this guy in there? Rashard Robinson should have been put in for Burris who was playing like a disease. I’m so sick of players not being held accountable during and after games it is really sickening! And with 31 seconds to go in the first half the Jets thought it best that Petty take a knee on their own 25 yard line to run out the clock. God forbid the Jets try and run a draw or screen and by some chance get a 20-25 yard gain then and throw a sideline pass to try and get into field goal range. The Jets offense is just not capable and the coaching staff is showing no confidence.
The second half was like the Chinese drop torture, slow and painful.This is how Jet fans had to bring in the New Year! Each team scored a field goal and the Pats scored on a safety. The final score 26-6 had it about right. The Jets came into Foxboro as 15 point underdogs. There were a couple of silver linings for the day. The Jets moved up to 6th place in draft but will no doubt lose on a QB they want to the Broncos who pick one spot ahead of them. Also the Seahawks lost and the Jets own their second round pick. This means the Jets have three draft picks out of the first fifty picks. Here is the order for the top ten teams:
1. Cleveland Browns
2. New York Giants
3. Indianapolis Colts
4. Cleveland Browns (from Houston Texans)
5. Denver Broncos
6. New York Jets
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8. Chicago Bears
9. San Francisco 49ers
10. Oakland Raiders
There will be plenty of jockeying this year with teams trying desperately to move up.
Teflon Todd
I’ve gotten e-mails that I’ve been too rough on Todd Bowles. I’m making no apologies and if he proves me wrong and becomes a great NFL head coach with the Jets then I’ll eat crow. However week after week I’m seeing the same attitude on the field especially at the end of each half that lack any type of desire not to give up. The penalties have also been abysmal this year though stats show in Bowle’s first two years the team’s penalties were within reason. I just cannot fathom with Bowles at the helm that the Jets will ever have a fighting chance in a close regular season or playoff game with a lot at stake if it goes down to the last few minutes of the game. The combination of his clock management and other decisions will put the Jets at a disadvantage. And twelve men on the field again is defenseless. I see the Giants make the playoffs last year and fire their coach in his second year. Well maybe that’s why the Jets are the Jets and the Giants are the Giants. I hope to the Jet heavens that I am wrong and Todd Bowles becomes the next great NFL head coach.
Reason For Hope
As negative as I have sounded all season, I am still a glass half full type of person. Marcus Maye and Jamal Adams were two good draft picks. Elijah McGuire and Robby Anderson have shown that they are talented. Austin Seferian-Jenkins is talented and he needs to be locked up. Guard James Carpenter is still solid and has a few more years left. Back-up center Jonotthan Harrison has shown some potential. The offensive line in general will need help but Mike Maccagnan knows this and will address it. The team has eight draft picks this year with three in the top fifty. This combined with a potential of over $100 million in cap room gives Maccagnan some good options. He has got to make the right decisions in free agency and the correct draft picks. Like all off seasons for Jet fans, this one should be interesting and probably more exciting than the games of 2017!
NFL Key Dates 2018
Jan 1-Clubs may begin signing free agent players for the 2018 season.
Jan 15-Deadline for college players who are underclassmen to apply for special eligibility. A list of players who are accepted into the NFL Draft will be sent to clubs on January 19.
Jan 27-Senior Bowl, Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama.
Feb 20-First day for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
Feb 27-March 5 NFL Scouting Combine, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana.
March 14-Free agency period begins at 4:00 p.m
April 26,27,28-2018 NFL Draft, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX.
Sept 6,9,10-Regular Season opens.
Green Tidbits
….The Brandon Cooks TD pass from Brady sums up the Jets season when Claiborne and Skrine run into each other taking themselves out of the play….Not only do the Jets get no respect in their division but the Steelers did not even activate “Big Ben” assuming the Jets had no chance against the Pats….Pass interference on Marcus Maye was really ticky tacky….News flash: Buster Skrine just missed another tackle on Deon Lewis.....Years ago Jet Bill Parcells drafted a QB from Nebraska Scott Frost. He couldn’t make it in the NFL as a player but did a great job going undefeated as head coach at Central Florida and now he becomes head coach at Nebraska. Watch the Cornhuskers in 2-3 years. Frost is a winner…..Elijah McGuire had four rushes for -6 yards…..Dayton Flyer Jet Fan extraordinaire Tony Milewski says teams should pass on UCLA’s Josh Rosen. Two concussions coming out of college is a red flag….Jets third down efficiency was 0-12. Amazing!…..Not to worry about the Bowles extension. The Lions fired coach Jim Caldwell less than a year after he signed an extension……I’ve seen more than enough of JoJo Natson…..DL Xavier Cooper continues to show some game…..College football playoffs go too deep into the night. On a positive start time note, Yankee home games will start at 6:30 pm at the beginning of the season. Great move…..Please no more talk about giving Bryce Petty a fair chance to start…..
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