We're 1/8th of the way through the 2016 season and we're at .500. Is that a good sign? Is that like kissing your sister? Leave my sister out of this and let's look at the facts!
We can all agree that the Bowles' should be 2-0 having let the Bengals game slip away. Still, if you had to pick one of the first two games to win, most of us would have chosen to beats the Bills. The wheels are coming off in Buffalo and all Rex has to play for the rest of the season is to knock the Jets out of the playoffs in week 17...AGAIN. Back to New Jersey.
Offense
There's little to complain about here but I'll find something. Matt Forte is the real deal and is this year's 'under-the-radar' signing. Still, someone needs to whisper in Chan Gailey's ear that Bilal Powell can run too, especially on first and second downs! Can we try to keep Forte healthy throughout the season and not wear him down?!
Quincy Enunwa is proving to everyone that John Idzik actually knew what he was doing and was an excellent talent evaluator. Ok, maybe not, but Q is a really pleasant surprise. Funny thing is that they seem to be throwing to him in the first half of the game and then they ignore him. Hmmm. Also interesting is that of the three rookie receivers, only Marshall's number is being called. And he nearly lost that honor after his third quarter fumble which gave the Rex's the lead. It said a lot about him that he came back with a clutch catch later in the game. In the Bengals game Jalen drew two key penalties and is clearly a huuuuuge improvement as a kick returner. Kudos to Macc for this UDFA find.
Shockingly the offensive line is not killing this team, but that has more to do with Fitz's quick release than their blocking prowess. If some of these young guys continue to improve, the offense may be top five this year.
Defense
The fearsome threesome/foursome were not as fearsome as they were in week one, but that had mostly to do with the game plan. Staying in their lanes and not letting Taylor roam free was priority number one and for the most part it worked. I firmly believe the big plays given up are more easily fixable than stopping the slow leaks.
This week should be interesting. The Chiefs offensive line were abused by the JJ's on Sunday; four sacks allowed, eight tackles for losses, nine QB hits. Ouch! Could be why Jeremy Maclin was targeted 15 times and only caught six passes. Alex Smith didn't have time to do much back there. His QB rating was a less than pedestrian 68.1. Could make for an interesting day for Mo, Leo, Sheldon and McClendon. The Chiefs like to throw to the running backs (13 receptions, 98 yards in week one) and I expect more of that to avoid sacks.
In our weekly 'We Could Have Drafted This Guy In Round Two, Instead Of Hackenburg" segment, we nominate cornerback James Bradbury who is STARTING for the PANTHERS this year. He has size and is tough which would have fit perfectly into this defense. Clearly the secondary is not what anyone was expecting it to be this year and Bradbury would have been a great addition.
Things tend to change quickly in the NFL and suddenly the schedule doesn't seem quite as daunting as it did two weeks ago. The Chiefs and the Seahawks are beatable opponents and it sure would be nice to come into the Steelers and Cardinals games at 3-1.
One game at time Jets Fans, one game at a time.
We can all agree that the Bowles' should be 2-0 having let the Bengals game slip away. Still, if you had to pick one of the first two games to win, most of us would have chosen to beats the Bills. The wheels are coming off in Buffalo and all Rex has to play for the rest of the season is to knock the Jets out of the playoffs in week 17...AGAIN. Back to New Jersey.
Offense
There's little to complain about here but I'll find something. Matt Forte is the real deal and is this year's 'under-the-radar' signing. Still, someone needs to whisper in Chan Gailey's ear that Bilal Powell can run too, especially on first and second downs! Can we try to keep Forte healthy throughout the season and not wear him down?!
Quincy Enunwa is proving to everyone that John Idzik actually knew what he was doing and was an excellent talent evaluator. Ok, maybe not, but Q is a really pleasant surprise. Funny thing is that they seem to be throwing to him in the first half of the game and then they ignore him. Hmmm. Also interesting is that of the three rookie receivers, only Marshall's number is being called. And he nearly lost that honor after his third quarter fumble which gave the Rex's the lead. It said a lot about him that he came back with a clutch catch later in the game. In the Bengals game Jalen drew two key penalties and is clearly a huuuuuge improvement as a kick returner. Kudos to Macc for this UDFA find.
Shockingly the offensive line is not killing this team, but that has more to do with Fitz's quick release than their blocking prowess. If some of these young guys continue to improve, the offense may be top five this year.
Defense
The fearsome threesome/foursome were not as fearsome as they were in week one, but that had mostly to do with the game plan. Staying in their lanes and not letting Taylor roam free was priority number one and for the most part it worked. I firmly believe the big plays given up are more easily fixable than stopping the slow leaks.
This week should be interesting. The Chiefs offensive line were abused by the JJ's on Sunday; four sacks allowed, eight tackles for losses, nine QB hits. Ouch! Could be why Jeremy Maclin was targeted 15 times and only caught six passes. Alex Smith didn't have time to do much back there. His QB rating was a less than pedestrian 68.1. Could make for an interesting day for Mo, Leo, Sheldon and McClendon. The Chiefs like to throw to the running backs (13 receptions, 98 yards in week one) and I expect more of that to avoid sacks.
In our weekly 'We Could Have Drafted This Guy In Round Two, Instead Of Hackenburg" segment, we nominate cornerback James Bradbury who is STARTING for the PANTHERS this year. He has size and is tough which would have fit perfectly into this defense. Clearly the secondary is not what anyone was expecting it to be this year and Bradbury would have been a great addition.
Things tend to change quickly in the NFL and suddenly the schedule doesn't seem quite as daunting as it did two weeks ago. The Chiefs and the Seahawks are beatable opponents and it sure would be nice to come into the Steelers and Cardinals games at 3-1.
One game at time Jets Fans, one game at a time.
