Jets fall to Texans in preseason opener

TEXANS 20
JETS 16

If the New York Jets have any plans of going to the Super Bowl this year, there is still miles to go and a lot more work to be done. That being said, this was the first preseason game, and a game played mostly by rookies and undrafted players who may be destined for your local supermarket, but the game raised plenty of issues with regard to the way the Jets played in Houston.

Once again the Jets offense fizzled inside the 20 yard line. The Jets got great field position at the Texans 41-yard line but managed to drive the ball only to the 15 yard line before Mark Sanchez was sacked for a loss on third down, forcing Gang Green to settle for a field goal.

The facts is settling for field goals was a big problem for the Jets the past two seasons. This team never finished a drive, as Sanchez was either sacked or threw a dreary incompletion. Monday did little to soothe Rex Ryan's concerns about this offense which looked quite mediocre.

The only bright spot from this offense was Shonn Greene, who exhibited a great burst of energy in his brief time on the field. Greene accrued 32 yards on five carries, and it is clear that he is ready to take the lead as the team's number one H-back.

Once the Jets starters left the field with a 3-0 lead, the second string moved into putrid territory. Missed tackles and miscommunication on defense, led to Houston taking a 13-3 halftime lead. It got so bad that Rex Ryan exploded onto the field and slammed his headset onto the turf when he noticed that too many Jets were on the field.

Offensively, back-up Greg McElroy delivered a incomplete effort. While the kid toughed it out, he made a bunch of bonehead decisions, such as deciding to run with the football with 0:05 left in the game with the Jets down 4, and needing a touchdown. Realizing that he needed to throw it, he tossed the ball into the end zone, but he was ten yards past the line of scrimmage, which is a penalty.

Other than that, McElroy displayed little accuracy and made it clear that his arm is weak enough to make Chad Pennington look like Dan Marino. Now you know why the back-up quarterback position is a big concern for Gang Green this year.

Meanwhile the midget who replaced the incomparable Brad Smith, Jeremy Kerley, was only so-so in his debut with the Jets. He didn't display much in the way of burst away speed and executed nothing special on yards after the catch. He did have one nice 34 yard kick return. Conclusion: no matter how much the Jets try to spin this, they will not replace Brad Smith.