Forget that the Bengals won 17-6.
Because the most important facts that come out of the Jets preseason opener against the Bengals is that this New York offense has a ways to go.
The Jets offensive line that was such a huge problem last season, looked like it was back to its old tricks. On the first play from scimmage, the Bengals burst through the lane, pressured Mark Sanchez and brought him down for the sack.
Sanchez was sacked twice, and roughed three times during the game. While the O-line was bad, Sanchez wasn't great either. He dinked and dunked his way to 21 yards and never converted a first down. On three third down plays he threw two incompletions and had another pass caught well short of the marker.
In short, Sanchez was pedestrian.
As for Tim Tebow, the much ballyhooed addition to the Jets roster, was impressive in his four series as the Jets quarterback. While he didn't blow anyone away with his arm, and threw an interception, he made the plays when they needed to be made.
On his first play from scrimmage, Tebow zipped a 12 yard slant to Stephen Hill, then on third and eight he avoided the sack and ran for 14 yards and first down. Tebow's solid first drive as a Jets resulted in a Jets field goal.
While it wasn't a large sample, Tebow showed that he can be a big playmaker for the Jets. But, he still needs to develop as a passer, if New York is going to take him seriously as a starter.
As for Sanchez and the starting unit, to be fair the sample size was small, but nobody can be happy with what they saw. The problems that held down New York last year is still apparent. The Jets running attack was nowhere to be found and the line did a horrid job in protection. If the Jets don't improve in these two areas, it won't matter who the starting quarterback will be.
The Jets have plenty to work on, as they get ready for Big Blue on Saturday.
The Jets offensive line that was such a huge problem last season, looked like it was back to its old tricks. On the first play from scimmage, the Bengals burst through the lane, pressured Mark Sanchez and brought him down for the sack.
Sanchez was sacked twice, and roughed three times during the game. While the O-line was bad, Sanchez wasn't great either. He dinked and dunked his way to 21 yards and never converted a first down. On three third down plays he threw two incompletions and had another pass caught well short of the marker.
In short, Sanchez was pedestrian.
As for Tim Tebow, the much ballyhooed addition to the Jets roster, was impressive in his four series as the Jets quarterback. While he didn't blow anyone away with his arm, and threw an interception, he made the plays when they needed to be made.
On his first play from scrimmage, Tebow zipped a 12 yard slant to Stephen Hill, then on third and eight he avoided the sack and ran for 14 yards and first down. Tebow's solid first drive as a Jets resulted in a Jets field goal.
While it wasn't a large sample, Tebow showed that he can be a big playmaker for the Jets. But, he still needs to develop as a passer, if New York is going to take him seriously as a starter.
As for Sanchez and the starting unit, to be fair the sample size was small, but nobody can be happy with what they saw. The problems that held down New York last year is still apparent. The Jets running attack was nowhere to be found and the line did a horrid job in protection. If the Jets don't improve in these two areas, it won't matter who the starting quarterback will be.
The Jets have plenty to work on, as they get ready for Big Blue on Saturday.
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