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http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/jets/post/_/id/46840/sunday-notes-jets-owner-green-with-qb-envy
A look at what's happening around and inside the New York Jets:
1. Unhappy owner: Woody Johnson is tired of seeing his quarterbacks fizzle in New York and succeed elsewhere. Those who know Johnson believe that, aside from the obvious (the 2-10 record), it's the quarterback enigma that frustrates him more than anything. Johnson has watched Geno Smith regress to the point where the coaching staff practically tied his right arm behind his back in Monday night's loss to the Miami Dolphins. At the same time, Mark Sanchez -- a train wreck in his final season as the Jets' starter -- is now a speeding locomotive with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Johnson, no doubt echoing the belief of his football people, told reporters in October, "I think Geno can be a franchise quarterback, I really do." How's that working out? Johnson has a right to feel duped.
[+] EnlargeWoody Johnson
Jim O'Connor/USA TODAY SportsOwner Woody Johnson has to be fed up with the lack of production he has seen from Jets quarterbacks in recent seasons.
A similar situation unfolded in 2008. The Jets cut Chad Pennington after a down year, then watched him lead the Dolphins to the AFC East title, returning to New Jersey to beat them in the season finale. A furious Johnson fired Eric Mangini the next day. The same fate probably awaits Rex Ryan.
2. The 21-run salute: Monday night's lopsided offense was reminiscent of a game the Jets played in 2003. The Oakland Raiders, coming off an AFC championship, ran the ball on 21 consecutive plays, finishing with 52 carries for 169 yards -- and lost, 27-24. They kept it on the ground despite having two all-time greats at wide receiver, Jerry Rice and Tim Brown. Evidently, then-coach Bill Callahan, fired after the season, felt the same way about his quarterback (Rick Mirer) as the Jets do about Smith. In one stretch Monday night, the Jets ran on 23 out of 24 plays.
3. Friction, what friction? Interesting word choice from Ryan as he attempted to shoot down a published report that described a rift between him and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. Ryan said he likes to "challenge" his coaches. Hmm, so I imagine the marching orders from Ryan went something like this: "Sorry, Marty, we're starting Geno, so I challenge you to come up with a workable game plan."
No, I don't believe Mornhinweg tried to stick it to Ryan by calling such a run-heavy game. No, I don't believe Ryan considered firing Mornhinweg. That is not just my opinion; people in the organization expressed the same sentiment. But apparently there is a "management source," quoted in the published report, that wants to make Ryan and his staff look bad. Ryan has to be furious, because it casts him in an unflattering light, and that won't help him land another job. It's getting ugly at One Jets Drive.
4. Ever hear of 'play action'? Mornhinweg called only five play-action passes. Against a loaded box, with man-to-man coverage on the outside, they should have been able to do some damage. As one player said, "I wish we could've done more off play-action." The ones he called didn't exactly work. Smith was 1-for-3 for six yards, plus a sack and a scramble.
5. All wet: One last thought on the Monday night mystery: Someone familiar with Mornhinweg's play-calling tendencies said he wasn't surprised by the imbalance, noting the Jets' OC tends to lean on the run in rainy conditions. Another example occurred in October, when the Jets rushed for 218 yards in a soggy Foxborough. Mornhinweg also has a tendency to call the same running plays over and over if they're working, said the person, who found it hard to believe that Mornhinweg could've had a hidden agenda.
6. Happy Percy: Based strictly on the statistics, Percy Harvin isn't doing a whole lot more than he did in Seattle, where he became disenchanted with his role. In an equal sample size (five games apiece), he has 36 touches and 33 targets with the Jets; it was 33 touches and 26 targets with the Seahawks. Nevertheless, Harvin maintains that he's happy. He feels like a complete receiver, not just a gadget guy.
"I know the numbers don't show it, but as far as route-running, I'm doing things different than I did in Seattle," he said. "Some of the things are similar, but I definitely think my role has expanded."
Harvin commanded respect from the Dolphins, who used their top cornerback (Brent Grimes) on him for the entire game. They also avoided Harvin on kickoffs, using pop-ups. Said Harvin: "You appreciate the respect, but with the way the game went last week, not getting a lot of chances on offense, I view special teams as another chance on offense. It's definitely frustrating, but I understand it."
Why would any team kick it to Harvin? You might as well kick a pop-up, sacrificing field position, because you know the Jets don't have enough offense to capitalize on the shorter field.
7. Salas on the spot: Some of you might be wondering why seldom-used wide receiver Greg Salas got the call Monday night on the first-quarter jet sweep that resulted in a 20-yard touchdown. Ordinarily, the ball goes to Harvin on that play, but he went to sideline to catch his breath after blocking downfield on Chris Johnson's 47-yard run on the previous play. Salas stepped in at the last second, capitalizing on his opportunity.
8. Injury curse: As it turned out, Salas tore a hamstring on the play. You could see, as he turned upfield, he broke stride, somehow managing to make it to the end zone. Tough dude, Salas. Unfortunately, he's injury prone. On his previous "touch," a Week 6 reception against the Denver Broncos, he suffered wrist and ankle injuries that sidelined him for two games. He didn't touch the ball in his next two games, leading to Monday night's one-and-done. And now he's done for the season.
9. Comparing QBs: Vikings rookie Teddy Bridgewater has recorded a Total QBR of 70 or better in four of his eight starts. Geno Smith has done it only five times in 25 starts.
A look at what's happening around and inside the New York Jets:
1. Unhappy owner: Woody Johnson is tired of seeing his quarterbacks fizzle in New York and succeed elsewhere. Those who know Johnson believe that, aside from the obvious (the 2-10 record), it's the quarterback enigma that frustrates him more than anything. Johnson has watched Geno Smith regress to the point where the coaching staff practically tied his right arm behind his back in Monday night's loss to the Miami Dolphins. At the same time, Mark Sanchez -- a train wreck in his final season as the Jets' starter -- is now a speeding locomotive with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Johnson, no doubt echoing the belief of his football people, told reporters in October, "I think Geno can be a franchise quarterback, I really do." How's that working out? Johnson has a right to feel duped.
[+] EnlargeWoody Johnson
Jim O'Connor/USA TODAY SportsOwner Woody Johnson has to be fed up with the lack of production he has seen from Jets quarterbacks in recent seasons.
A similar situation unfolded in 2008. The Jets cut Chad Pennington after a down year, then watched him lead the Dolphins to the AFC East title, returning to New Jersey to beat them in the season finale. A furious Johnson fired Eric Mangini the next day. The same fate probably awaits Rex Ryan.
2. The 21-run salute: Monday night's lopsided offense was reminiscent of a game the Jets played in 2003. The Oakland Raiders, coming off an AFC championship, ran the ball on 21 consecutive plays, finishing with 52 carries for 169 yards -- and lost, 27-24. They kept it on the ground despite having two all-time greats at wide receiver, Jerry Rice and Tim Brown. Evidently, then-coach Bill Callahan, fired after the season, felt the same way about his quarterback (Rick Mirer) as the Jets do about Smith. In one stretch Monday night, the Jets ran on 23 out of 24 plays.
3. Friction, what friction? Interesting word choice from Ryan as he attempted to shoot down a published report that described a rift between him and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. Ryan said he likes to "challenge" his coaches. Hmm, so I imagine the marching orders from Ryan went something like this: "Sorry, Marty, we're starting Geno, so I challenge you to come up with a workable game plan."
No, I don't believe Mornhinweg tried to stick it to Ryan by calling such a run-heavy game. No, I don't believe Ryan considered firing Mornhinweg. That is not just my opinion; people in the organization expressed the same sentiment. But apparently there is a "management source," quoted in the published report, that wants to make Ryan and his staff look bad. Ryan has to be furious, because it casts him in an unflattering light, and that won't help him land another job. It's getting ugly at One Jets Drive.
4. Ever hear of 'play action'? Mornhinweg called only five play-action passes. Against a loaded box, with man-to-man coverage on the outside, they should have been able to do some damage. As one player said, "I wish we could've done more off play-action." The ones he called didn't exactly work. Smith was 1-for-3 for six yards, plus a sack and a scramble.
5. All wet: One last thought on the Monday night mystery: Someone familiar with Mornhinweg's play-calling tendencies said he wasn't surprised by the imbalance, noting the Jets' OC tends to lean on the run in rainy conditions. Another example occurred in October, when the Jets rushed for 218 yards in a soggy Foxborough. Mornhinweg also has a tendency to call the same running plays over and over if they're working, said the person, who found it hard to believe that Mornhinweg could've had a hidden agenda.
6. Happy Percy: Based strictly on the statistics, Percy Harvin isn't doing a whole lot more than he did in Seattle, where he became disenchanted with his role. In an equal sample size (five games apiece), he has 36 touches and 33 targets with the Jets; it was 33 touches and 26 targets with the Seahawks. Nevertheless, Harvin maintains that he's happy. He feels like a complete receiver, not just a gadget guy.
"I know the numbers don't show it, but as far as route-running, I'm doing things different than I did in Seattle," he said. "Some of the things are similar, but I definitely think my role has expanded."
Harvin commanded respect from the Dolphins, who used their top cornerback (Brent Grimes) on him for the entire game. They also avoided Harvin on kickoffs, using pop-ups. Said Harvin: "You appreciate the respect, but with the way the game went last week, not getting a lot of chances on offense, I view special teams as another chance on offense. It's definitely frustrating, but I understand it."
Why would any team kick it to Harvin? You might as well kick a pop-up, sacrificing field position, because you know the Jets don't have enough offense to capitalize on the shorter field.
7. Salas on the spot: Some of you might be wondering why seldom-used wide receiver Greg Salas got the call Monday night on the first-quarter jet sweep that resulted in a 20-yard touchdown. Ordinarily, the ball goes to Harvin on that play, but he went to sideline to catch his breath after blocking downfield on Chris Johnson's 47-yard run on the previous play. Salas stepped in at the last second, capitalizing on his opportunity.
8. Injury curse: As it turned out, Salas tore a hamstring on the play. You could see, as he turned upfield, he broke stride, somehow managing to make it to the end zone. Tough dude, Salas. Unfortunately, he's injury prone. On his previous "touch," a Week 6 reception against the Denver Broncos, he suffered wrist and ankle injuries that sidelined him for two games. He didn't touch the ball in his next two games, leading to Monday night's one-and-done. And now he's done for the season.
9. Comparing QBs: Vikings rookie Teddy Bridgewater has recorded a Total QBR of 70 or better in four of his eight starts. Geno Smith has done it only five times in 25 starts.