RAVENS 34
JETS 17
Well, the good news for the New York Jets this morning is that they are not the Philadelphia Eagles.
That's where all the superlatives end when it comes to Gang Green right now because Rex Ryan's brash bullies of Super Bowl talk have been shot down and shut up so far this season after four games full of inconsistent play from the defense, as well as purely abysmal play from the entire offensive unit.
A quarter of the way through the season the Jets stand at 2-2, and if it were not for Joe McKnight's blocked punt in Week One against Dallas, one could make the argument that the Jets would be 1-3 right now. They have lost the first two games of their critical three-game road trip—both in excruciating fashion—and look progressively worse with each snap.
The Jets have been exposed.
No way is this a Super Bowl team. Heck, this might not even be a playoff team, let alone a .500 team, right now.
Their offensive line depth is atrocious. Without Nick Mangold, there is no glue to keep that unit together, the lack was on display against the Ravens as Mark Sanchez couldn't get on the same page with center Chris Baxter. Even though Mangold will likely return next Sunday against New England, there are still visible problems with this offensive line. Vladimir Duccase is a joke, and Wayne Hunter has been horrible at right tackle.
Keep in mind this is a Jets team that was convinced Damien Woody was finished and that Hunter could step in and replace him. The Jets not only miss Woody on the offensive line, they miss his veteran presence in the locker room.
Woody was a three-time Super Bowl Champion with the New England Patriots, a guy who was well respected in that Jets locker room, a true leader; he's no longer there.
The running game has been the Jets' biggest problem all season. A team that dedicates itself to the notion of "ground and pound" has seen the Jets get grounded and pounded. Will we ever see the real Shonn Greene? Better yet, is this the real Shonn Greene?
Greene didn't step up his game at all last season, paving the way to LaDainian Tomlinson becoming the team's leading rusher. Greene had a decent second half and postseason last year, but he didn't replicate the burst of speed he had in the 2009 playoffs.
As for Greene, he has been a complete bust this season. He has only 157 yards rushing this year with one touchdown. He has even watched his yards-per-carry average drop over the last two seasons from 5.3 in 2009 to 4.1 in 2010 and now 3.1 in 2011. The Jets know they have to get him the football more often, but when he touches it, it's like like watching a man run through cement. The burst and power is not there right now.
I offer Greene the excuse that the offensive line is not doing a good job up front. Plenty of blocking assignments have been missed, and, with a lot of inexperience on the right side of the line, opposing teams are getting great pressure up front. That said, Greene was supposed to be "the guy," but, up to now, he has not delivered. If his struggles continue the rest of the season, you can rest assured that the Jets will use their first draft pick in 2012 on a running back.
Then there are the two biggest culprits of this offense: Mark Sanchez and Brian Schottenheimer. TO READ THE REST CLICK THE LINK!
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