I caught up with colleague blogger Brian Bassett this week, editor and blogger for The Jets Blog, to get his toughts on the Jets-Saints matchup this week in New Orleans. Thought you guys might be interested in checking out what a knowledgeable Jets fan’s opinion is on the game coming into New Orleans. Special thanks to Brian for taking the time, and please check out his blog: HERE for a similar piece I did with him from a Saints’ perspective. Check out what he had to say:
SAINTS NATION: How do you feel about the play of Sanchez so far?
THEJETSBLOG: I’ve been impressed on the whole. He’s had some rookie moments, bad handling of the ball (he’s got a tendency to fumble) and he’s made some ill-advised passes. With all that being said, he’s been better than I’ve expected. For some of the struggles of any rookie quarterback, he’s persevered and is a part of why this team is 3-0. Sanchez’s footwork and his ability to buy time in the pocket or on the run to hit the open man is quite impressive. His arm strength might not be Joe Flacco quality, but he’s throwing the ball well, accurately and with zip … something we Jets fans haven’t been accustomed to seeing much in recent years.
SN: How do you feel about the Saints-Jets matchup?
TJB: Nervous, very nervous. Throwing Power Rankings out of it, I think that the Saints are pound for pound the best team in football. They’ve proven they have a prolific offense, and now their defense is catching up. This is the most complete team that the Jets have played so far this season. A win here will go a long way for the Jets, but it’s going to be a long tough day for the Jets.
SN: What scares you the most about the Saints?
TJB: t’s got to be the pass offense. Drew Brees is (as he has for the past few years) been playing out of his mind so far. The Jets have a solid secondary, but starter Lito Sheppard and nickel-dime Donald Strickland hasn’t been practicing this week either. That means that the depth charge at corner looks rather thin after Darrelle Revis and Dwight Lowery.
SN: Can you give Saints fans a sense of what to expect from the Jets? Fill us in on maybe something we might not know?
TJB: This team has taken on a defensive life of it’s own this year. Although most of the personnel is the same, it’s a vastly different, and more cocky defense. On offense, the team has been slammed for not having better receivers, but between Cotchery, Stuckey and Keller, this team is in fine shape.
Get ready to see the blitz. if you’re not too familiar with the Ryan style of QB pressure, he loves to bring blitzes from all over the field. Whether is stunting through the A-Gap, standing up his Nose Tackle and walking him backwards as a LB and then bull rushing him, multiple defensive backs from one side of the formation, shifting an ILB outside to get an overload .. it’s all that kind of stuff. The Jets might only bring four blitzers, but it’s a question of where those four are coming from.
SN: What were your expectations of the Jets going into the season, and what are your expectations now that they’re 3-0?
TJB: I honestly expected the Jets to go about 9-7 this year. I think a lot of that had to do with quarterback play, and it’s been better than advertised, so that’s been a big help to getting this team off to a strong start. Now at this point, I’d like to see them go to the playoffs, but there’s a lot of football left to play and the team still plays in the division with the Patriots, who are notorious at turning it on as it gets colder.
SN: Give us a prediction on the score.
TJB: I’m never good at this stuff, but it’s clear that the Saints are a team to put up some points. I don’t know how well the Jets can keep up: Saints 30 – Jets 24
Thanks Brian!
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