Yanks1in99

So what's more important, a good defense or a good offense?  That's the question that will be answered this Sunday when the New York Jets bring their revamped defense down to the Big Easy to take on the high powered offense of the New Orleans Saints. Everyone says that defense wins championships, but the Saints are trying to prove that a very good offense can get you to a championship.  Both units will be put to the test on Sunday. 

New York's defensive unit will face its biggest test of the 2009 season so far, going up against QB Drew Brees and the Saints offense.  Brees has been off the charts over the past two seasons.  In 2008, Brees threw for 5069 yards and 34 touchdowns.  So far, three weeks into this season, he has 841 yards and 9 touchdowns.  Brees' career has really taken off in New Orleans and the Saints have all the tools around him to make a successful run at the playoffs in 2009.

Brees' number one target in the passing game is WR Marques Colston.  So far this season he only has 195 yards receiving through three games, but he has 15 receptions with 3 of them going for touchdowns.  He will be matched up with Jets Pro Bowl CB Darrelle Revis.  All Revis has been able to do this season has been shutting down Andre Johnson, Randy Moss and Justin Gage in successive weeks.  The key for Revis will be keeping Colston out of the end zone.   

The Jets are hurting a little in the secondary with Lito Sheppard and Donald Strickland still nursing injuries and are questionable for Sunday.  Revis and S Kerry Rhodes are also a little banged up, but they will be in the lineup on Sunday.  The Jets have to do their best to take away the receivers and make the Saints beat them in other ways. 

That's where the defensive line comes in.  Last week against in Buffalo, the Bills held Brees to only 172 yards passing.  The flip side to that was that the Saints ran the ball for 222 yards and 3 touchdowns.  The Jets run defense is ranked 9th in the NFL giving up 82 yards per game on the ground.  If the secondary is able to keep the receivers quiet, then the defensive line will have their hands full with RB's Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush. 

The front seven of the Jets defense will need to keep pressure on Drew Brees and the running backs.  It will be tough but I'm sure Rex Ryan has a good game plan in place.  

One player that could end up having a good game is Saints TE Jeremy Shockey.  So far this season, he been able to haul in 14 catches in the first three games.  The Jets gave up some yards last week to Titans TE Alge Crumpler, so Shockey could be a huge factor in this game.  Expect the Saints to use short passes to Shockey and quick screens to Bush to help them control the clock. 

On the other side of the ball is the Jets offense led by rookie QB Mark Sanchez.  Sanchez is having a good year by rookie standards so far with 606 yards and 4 touchdowns.  He has only thrown two interceptions through three games, but does have 4 fumbles.  Sanchez, the NFL's offensive rookie of the month in September, has been working on protecting the ball better in the pocket.  As expected, he has made a few mistakes this season, but not when it counts.  He has been very solid during the important moments of the games so far.   

The Saints secondary is ranked 22nd in the NFL against the pass, giving up 245 yards per game through the air.  Sanchez will have to try to expose this so he can open things up for the running game.  He does have the luxury of passing to WR Jerricho Cotchery, who is currently 3rd in the NFL with 285 yards.  Throw in TE Dustin Keller and WR Chansi Stuckey with Sanchez' pocket presence and the Jets should be successful through the air on Sunday. 

A main key for New York is to get the ground game going to control the game clock.  Last week against the Titans, RB Thomas Jones was only able to get 20 yards on 14 carries.  The Saints running defense is currently ranked 5th in the league, giving up 67 yards on the ground per game.  Jones and Leon Washington got plenty of carries last week but could not get the yards against Tennessee.  New Orleans defense has really improved since last season and may have a good day against the Jets running backs.   

They key on offense this week for Gang Green is try to establish the running game against the Saints.  If they can do this, then the passing lanes will open up even more on a poor Saints secondary.  They have to establish the run and keep Drew Brees and Co. off the field.  The key on defense is to keep the pressure on Brees.  Get him confused and try to force him into a mistake.  But do not over do it on the blitz or he will burn you.  The Saints offense is too talented and will find ways to score.   

I have confidence that the Jets can win this game.  As long as they can keep the Saints offense some what in check, then I believe their offense can do enough to win.  But they are going to have to put some points on the board.  Jets head down south and take it 28-24. 

So it looks as if the New York Jets are not all talk.  The New England Patriots showed up at the Meadowlands on Sunday to teach the Jets a lesson and were punched in the face by a fast and smart Jets defense.  This was the first time the Jets have beaten the Patriots at home since the 2000 season.  The Jets came out swinging from the opening kickoff and did not let up during the game.  In the process, they sent a message to the league that they should not be overlooked.

We have to start this off by talking about the defense.  What a performance by Rex Ryan's bunch, holding the Patriots without a touchdown in a game for the first time since December 2006.  The defensive line held strong all afternoon, limiting to the Patriots to 83 rushing yards.  Laurence Maroney and Fred Taylor only ran the ball 14 times in the game for a total of 69 yards.  The defensive line, with the return of Shaun Ellis, was able to shut down the run and keep pressure on Tom Brady as well.  Kris Jenkins and Shaun Ellis are looking as strong as they did midway through last season when the Jets had one of the most solid defensive lines in the NFL.  Not only are they plugging the holes for the running backs, they are creating openings for the line backers to bring the blitz.  The line is looking very good to start the season.

The secondary also looked great on Sunday.  With the defensive line taking away the running game, Brady was forced to pass the ball 47 times.  Darrelle Revis is becoming one of the top three cornerbacks in the NFL.  He was matched up with WR Randy Moss and was able to hold Moss to 4 catches for 24 yards.  Late in the first quarter, Brady threw to Moss on a streak down the right side and Revis took the ball out of Moss' hands for the interception.  Last week, Revis held Andre Johnson to 4 catches for 35 yards.  Just to be noted, in week 2 against the Titans, Johnson hauled in 10 catches for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

The rest of the secondary is playing great also.  Jets CB Lito Sheppard, who was flagged in the second quarter for interference, followed up the penalty on the next play by knocking the ball away from a Patriots receiver in the back of the end zone.  New England had to settle for a field goal.  The only negative on the secondary was the coverage on Patriots rookie WR Julian Edelman.  Edelman was filling in for injured WR Wes Welker, who did not play due to a sore knee.  Edelman was able to 98 yards on 8 catches, mostly out of the slot position.  Other than that, the secondary was as good as advertised.

The offense was able to manage the game for the second week in a row.  Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez again started off a little shaky but rebounded in the 2nd half to lead the Jets to the win.  It did not start off that well for Sanchez though.  He was sacked on the first play from scrimmage for the Jets and fumbled the ball.  The Jets were able to recover the ball on their own 3 yard line avoiding serious damage.  New York was unable to get anything going in the 1st half.  Sanchez only had 15 yards passing in the 1st half of the game, but they came out firing in the 2nd half. 

The Jets received the ball to start the 2nd half and made an impact right away.  After starting on their own 44 yard line, Sanchez hit WR Jerricho Cotchery down the middle for a gain of 45 yards.  Two plays later, Sanchez hit TE Dustin Keller for a 9 yard touchdown in the back of the end zone.  On the next possession, Sanchez hit WR Chansi Stuckey for an 8 yard touchdown, but the score was called back on a challenge by New England.  The Jets settled for a field goal.  Overall on the day, Sanchez was 14-22 for 163 yards and a touchdown.  He is not making stupid mistakes and is protecting the ball very well so far.

The running game was solid although no one stood out in particular.  Jets RB Thomas Jones was able to gain 54 yards on 14 carries, while RB Leon Washington gained 58 yards on 14 carries.  Neither, Jones or Washington was able to break off any huge plays from the line of scrimmage.  They did do their best to control the game clock.  Both teams controlled the game clock for about 30 minutes a piece. 

The Jets talked trash all week leading up to the game and backed it up in a big way.  They were able to keep Brady on his toes all day.  He was never able to get into a groove, constantly looking at the defense trying to read the blitzes.  Jets S Kerry Rhodes said that the Jets wanted to "Embarrass" the Patriots.  They didn't embarrass them, but they did hang with them.  And in the end they were the better team on Sunday.  It was the first time since 2003 that the Jets defense has gone two games without allowing an offensive touchdown.  It was also the first time in 2 years that Tom Brady completed under 50% of his passes.  The last time that happened was against Rex Ryan's Baltimore Ravens defense. 

Its only week two in the NFL, but the Jets look good.  As long as the defense keeps playing like they are, then rookie QB Mark Sanchez will not have to do more than just manage the game for the time being.  The running will be better than is was against New England and the defense will continue to improve.  With the addition of LB Calvin Pace in three weeks, this defense will be very scary.  The win against the Patriots was huge, but there are still 14 games remaining.  And after last season, its never good to get too excited too early.

To quote Terrell Owens, "Get your popcorn ready!"  The New York Jets and the New England Patriots will renew their heated rivalry this weekend in the Meadowlands.  Both teams come into the game atop of the AFC East, both posting a 1-0 record.  New England, in true Bill Belichick form, are treating the game as just another game on the schedule.  While the trash talking, Rex Ryan led Jets are treating it like Armageddon.  Which as a Jets fan you have to love.  He sure does talk a good game.

The Jets are coming off a very dominating performance in Houston last week and are amped up for Sunday.  They totally shut down a very good Texans offense.  While the Patriots were two minutes away from a loss against the Bills, until Buffalo KR Leodis McKelvin fumbled a kickoff which led to another Tom Brady comeback win.  Both teams will be ready to play and play hard on Sunday.

Mark Sanchez is now being called "Sanchise" after his solid performance in his first game last week in Houston.  The Jets rookie quarterback picked apart the Texans for 272 yards and a touchdown.   191 of those yards came on 3rd down.  But just like the Jets teams of the past, Sanchez will have his hands full with the Patriots defense.  Rookie quarterbacks always seem to have a hard time with Belichick's defenses.  The offensive line should have a slightly easier time then in the past with the absence of DE Richard Seymour, who was recently traded to the Raiders.  Sanchez has a pocket presence about him after watching last weeks game.  As long as the offensive line can give him some time, he will be able to find his open receivers.

The Jets receivers did a good job of finding openings in the Texans secondary and they will need to do the same this week.  Jets TE Dustin Keller was the teams leading receiver last week with 94 yards.  He should be able to find openings across the middle with Patriots LB Jerod Mayo out with an injury.  It's not that the Patriots do not have good role players, but the loss of Mayo and Seymour is something the Jets need to take advantage of.

Jets number one receiver Jerricho Cotchery will most likely be matched up with CB Shawn Springs, so don't expect a huge game from him.  Chansi Stuckey, who had a good game himself last week, will need to take pressure off Cotchery and make some plays himself.  I think the key for the Jets will be to have Brad Smith and David Clowney involved in the passing game this week.  Neither one recorded a catch last week.  Smith could be a key for Sanchez and the offense this week.

The passing game may be tested in a big way if Gang Green can not get the running game going.  Thomas Jones picked up right where he left off last season by posting another 100 yard game last week.  He will be leaned on to get the offense started this week behind a strong offensive line.  He will be up against a Patriots defensive line that surrendered 90 yards on the ground against the Bills.  Since the start of last season Jones has been pretty consistent at putting up 90 yards a game and I don't think that will change this week.

It took two season, but Leon Washington finally got more than 10 touches in a game.  He was able to gain 60 yards on 15 carries against the Texans.  Throw in 4 catches for 24 yards and I'd say he had a good day.  And that does not include what he does on special teams.  Any way you slice it, Leon has to get the ball at least 12 times against New England.  Even if it's in the "Wildcat" which the Jets ran a few times last week.  He is a main key to any success the Jets will have in 2009.

What more can you say about the way New York's defense played last week.  They totally dominated the Texans offense and shut out that side of the ball.  If that was their "A" game, then they need to bring their "A+" game this week.  Unfortunately for Rex Ryan and the Jets defense, Tom Brady is no Matt Schaub.  Brady is a master at picking apart a weak spot in a defense, so the Jets better not show any holes in their defense.  Just like last week, the defense needs to send a message early.  On the Texans first series, Jets LB Bart Scott buried his helmet in Shaub's chest after a pass attempt to set a tone.  And it worked.  They must send a similar message this week.  A good thing for the Jets is the return of DE Shaun Ellis from his one game suspension this week.  The defensive line was great last week and now you add Ellis back to it.....scary.

CB Darrelle Revis will be matched up with WR Randy Moss and should be able to keep him in check most of the game.  The key for the secondary will be to keep an eye on WR Wes Welker and TE Benjamin Watson.  Watson put up 2 touchdowns last week and is always a threat in the red zone.  Welker had 12 catches for 93 yards last week, but did have a few key drops on 3rd and 4th down.  With a potential neutralized Moss, stopping Welker and Watson is crucial.

The Patriots running game is inconsistent at best.  RB's Laurence Maroney and Fred Taylor did not have the best showing against the Bills.  Combined they were only able to rush for 55 yards.  Kris Jenkins and the Jets "D" line was able to hold Steve Slaton to just 17 yards on 9 carries.  They totally dominated the line of scrimmage.  With the way they played and the return of Ellis I don't really see the Patriots running game being a huge factor in this game.

Patriots - Jets is always a huge game for both teams.  The main reason is the divisional matchup and the standings afterword.  It just always seems to be a little bit bigger for the Jets.  They are the ones with something to prove, not New England.  The Jets need to focus on: 1) controlling the game clock.  Let the running game do its thing and eat up that clock.  2)  Try to contain the Brady to Welker connection.  They wont be able to stop it, but try to limit the damage.  3)  Start drives with good field position.  This is something the Jets have done pretty well over the past two seasons with Leon Washington.  If they can execute these things, then I think they can win this game and stop the 8 game losing streak at the Meadowlands.  If they don't execute, then Brady can have a field day and this game could be over by halftime.  I say the Jets stick to the game plan from last week and squeak out a 20-17 win on Sunday.  They have the talent and the attitude, but they need to execute.

So here we go again.  The 2009 New York Jets season is about to start and a lot has changed since the end of last season.  The Jets will take the field at Reliant Stadium on Sunday to take on the Houston Texans.  They will be led by new head coach Rex Ryan, who brings his defensive mind to New York from Baltimore.  The Jets will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing end to the 2008 season and it all starts Sunday in Houston.

Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez will at the helm for the Jets offense on Sunday.  Sanchez beat out Kellen Clemens for the starting job in the pre-season.  Sanchez will be starting with some lofty expectations from the Jets fans.  Since New York moved up in the draft to get him, he will be counted on to try to get this team in the playoffs.  It wont come easy though.  The Texans have one of the NFL's best pass rushers in Mario Williams.  Williams did have 12 sacks in 2008.  He will be going up against a very solid Jets offensive line.  This unit will be entering it's second season together after a strong 2008 campaign.  It will be up to them to keep Sanchez upright this season.

The Jets also return a strong running game this season with Thomas Jones and Leon Washington.  Jones led the AFC in rushing last season with 1312 yards.  He also had a personal best 15 touchdowns as well.  He will be up against a Houston defense that ranked 31st against the run in 2008.  And with the way the offensive line blocked for him last season, we should expect the Jets to have a good game on the ground on Sunday.  Mr. Everything, Leon Washington, should also have a good overall game as well.  If the Jets are smart, they will find a way to get Leon the ball 10-15 times on offense.  Whenever he touches the ball he seems to make something happen.  Ryan has said since he was hired that Leon needs to get the ball more.  So lets start off on the right foot on Sunday and get Leon some touches.

One problem the Jets will run into on offense is the passing game.  They only have one proven wide receiver and that is Jerricho Cotchery.  And the problem with that is that Cotchery does not seem to be a number one receiver, he is a very solid number two though.  This puts Chansi Stuckey as the number two receiver this season.  Stuckey had a couple of big catches last season as he became a favorite target of Brett Favre for a few games, but in no way does that make him a proven receiver.  The Jets round out the receiving corps with Brad Smith and David Clowney.  Smith, a converted quarterback, is someone who the Jets are high on and will be counted on to come up big as the slot receiver.  Clowney brings plenty of speed with him.  He had a very good pre-season for the second straight year.  However, he was hurt for a big part of last season and does not have that much experience behind him.

A man who could become one of Mark Sanchez favorite targets is second year tight end Dustin Keller.  Keller started out slow last season but really emerged as a very solid option in the passing game for the Jets.  He proved that he can handle pressure situations last November in Foxboro against the Patriots, catching a few key passes in overtime to help the Jets to the win in New England.  This season Keller will be counted on to be a relible option for Sanchez.

New York's run defense returns with a few new pieces in 2009.  Free agent Bart Scott joins David Harris, Calvin Pace and Bryan Thomas to form one of the strongest linebacking core's in the NFL.  Scott, a key in the Ravens defense for the past few years will be looked upon to help lead the Jets to one of the best run defenses in the league.  The run defense will be led by Kris Jenkins and Shaun Ellis.  The Jets had one of the best run defenses in the league last season until the beginning of December when they started to wear down.  The will have a tall order in week one against second year running back Steve Slaton.  Slaton is coming off a rookie year in which he ran for 1282 yards and 9 touchdowns.  Jenkins and Scott will need to shut down Slaton and make Matt Schaub beat them through the air.

Which brings us to the Jets achilles heal from last year, the Secondary.  Last season the Jets secondary surrendered 234 yards per game, good for 29th in the league.  To address this issue, New York brought in cornerback Lito Sheppard and safety Jim Leonhard to join pro-bowl corner Darrelle Revis and safety Kerry Rhodes.  These upgrades should bring the secondary back to respectability.  They will be tested on Sunday against the Texans' Andre Johnson.  Johnson is coming off a season where he had 1575 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns.  He will be matched up with shut-down corner Revis while Sheppard will be on Kevin Walter, who had a good season himself in 2008 with 899 yards and 8 touchdowns.

The few keys for the Jets this week will be to: A) protect Mark Sanchez.  The offensive line needs to try to keep the pressure off the kid so he can make some plays.  B) Establish the running game.  Jones should put up good numbers against a weak Texans run defense.  C) Get Leon Washington the ball more than 10 times.  The more he gets the ball, the more plays he is able to make.  This is a key for the whole season.  D) Get pressure on Matt Schaub.  Get the pressure on him and let the revamped secondary make some plays.  With Ryan's new attack style defense, the secondary should be able to make some key plays. 

The 2009 season is about to begin and the Jets are an enigma.  The have a very good defense on paper and have a very good running game.  The question this season is how fast Mark Sanchez will develop.  If he can settle in and have a season like Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan did in 2008, then the Jets will be in good shape.  If not, it may be another long season for Gang Green.  But for this week, the Jets will rely on the running game and should come out of Houston with a win to start the season.  I see the Jets winning 21-17.  Sanchez just needs to manage the game and let the running game and the defense do the rest.