Another week, another edition of Know your Enemy: Stinky New York Jets. Today, we have a Q&A and a podcast with Jets writer, Daniel Krieg from Rexsanchez.com. For the podcast, Daniel and I talk about the following:
- State of Jets.
- Comparing Fitzpatrick to Sanchez.
- Rex Ryan’s mouth.
- Fred Jackson’s impact
- I also explain to a Jets fan how the Bills can honor someone like Scott Norwood. (That was fun)
- Joe Namath vs Rex Ryan
- Keys to Sunday’s game and much more.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ney9-agIWw&w=344&h=174]
(If you want to download the podcast as a MP3, just goto this site and copy the podcast link from Youtube)
Below is the written portion of the Q&A. If you’d like to see my answers to Daniel’s questions, please check out his site.
1) Currently, the Jets are ranked 29th in total offense. Who does the blame go to and why?
It’s a mixture of things. For starters, Sanchez hasn’t played great. He really seems to be a postseason quarterback—which is great—but he may not have the team to get him there this year. His wide receivers have not played well (Santonio is not having a great year and outside of last week Plax has been invisible). Keller has also been quiet in recent weeks and the Derrick Mason experiment failed miserably. Then there’s Shonn Greene who has only one 10–yard game this season. He was useless early in the season, but has been improving of late. Lastly, there’s the O-line which has sucked miserably at times, namely at RT where Wayne Hunter has done a poor job replacing Damien Woody.
2) What has happened to the Jets running game? Last year, you guys were ranked 11th, while this year, you guys are ranked 28th.
Like I said above, the offensive line has greatly struggled at times, in particular when Nick Mangold was out with an ankle injury. He’s easily the MVP of the offense. And then there’s the playcalling by Brian Schottenheimer. He can be absolutely atrocious at times. Our site has a segment called The Beautiful Mind where we parody what goes on in Schotty’s mind during the season. He makes some truly moronic playcalls, and in turn, never lets Greene touch the ball as much as he needs to in order to be effective.
3) How do you feel about S. Holmes? I know he was named captain, but he got called out by some of his teammates for actually calling them out.
I’ve always thought captains in football are overrated, especially with the Jets. Rex anoints captains as publicity stunts and to sooth egos. ‘Tone isn’t a vocal leader. He’s supposed to lead with how he plays on the field and he has far too many drops this season. He’ll figure it out though, I’m sure. He shouldn’t have called out the O-line like he did but everyone has moved on…that’s what winning does.
4) If you are an offensive coordinator, how would you attack the Jets defense?
Utilize your tight ends and throw short passes to running backs. Eric Smith (safety) is TERRIBLE in coverage and frequently gets burned by tight ends, and the linebacking corps has its moments, but overall they’re a slow, aging unit. They don’t have the best closing speed on plays to the outside. Wide receivers are often rendered useless by the Jets. Revis is the best defensive player I have ever seen play, and although he gets a lot of crap from fans, Cromartie is fairly reliable. It’s just when he’s compared to Revis people expect more of him. There’s only one Darrelle Revis.
5) How has Mark Sanchez looked this season? Do you think he’s overrated?
He’s definitely not overrated, mainly because everyone who isn’t a Jets fan says he sucks. I laugh when people put Henne and Fitzpatrick ahead of him. The guy has the most road playoff wins of any quarterback in NFL history. And he’s 24-years old! Jeez. Give the dude some time. He’s going to be a great quarterback. There are definitely some speed bumps, some bigger than others, but he’ll get by them.
6) How has Rex Ryan been looked at by Jets fans this season? Also, why does Joe Namath have so much to say about him?
Jets fans are still in love with Rex although the comment about him winning Super Bowls with the Chargers did rub some people the wrong way. Enough is enough after a while. Win a Super bowl with the team you have before you start talking about winning with other teams. Plus, it was an indirect knock on the Jets players. Still, I have total confidence in him to get me a ring.
7) Who wins Sunday and why?
This is going to be a great game. I’m super pumped. I truly feel the Jets turned a corner in the second half of their win against the Chargers. Their season started at 2:45 p.m. on 10/23. It took a long time but they got there. I don’t think it’ll be pretty and I think the offense’s struggles may continue, but I see the Jets squeaking out a 16-13 win. I know he’s been great, but I just can’t see Ryan Fitzpatrick beating the Jets this week (furiously knocking on wood).
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