RAVENS 19
JETS 3
It's time to let the great fantasy come to an end. Those few and fleeting Jets fans who thought this team could be a serious playoff contender after the teams stunning 26-20 victory over New Orleans need not worry about playoffs anymore.
The Jets season is over.
And with it, Rex Ryan's career as Jets coach might be close to over with it.
The Jets were listless, helpless and depressing to watch Sunday. Their anemic offense mustered only 137 yards, when the game was actually mattered with Geno Smith playing the roll of Mark Sanchez-redux for the fourth consecutive week.
Awful doesn't do justice to describe Smith's performance. He was 9-of-22 for 127 yards, two interceptions and a rating of 22. It says a lot when the best quarterback on the field for the Jets was Josh Cribbs, who threw two gimmick passes.
There was nothing to like about the Jets performance. They were uncompetitive in every phase of the game. Culprit number one and two has to be Head Coach Rex Ryan, and Offensive Coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, who slapped together an ultra conservative game plan meant to have the Jets work around the excuse of a football player they have under center.
Of the Jets 13 possessions, eight of them finished in a three-and-out with less than 10 yards per drive. Why? Because the Jets decided to force the run down the throat of the Baltimore Ravens, and Baltimore would not budge. Bilal Powell (11 carries, 41 yards) and Chris Ivory (9 carries, 35 yards) were inept. Every time they touched the football they ran into a wall of purple.
This put Geno Smith into several third and long situations that the quarterback couldn't handle; and whenever there were plays to be made in the passing game, he either succumbed to the rush, or was picked off.
Case in point: midway through the third with New York down only 12-3, Smith heaved a pass down the length of the ball park on a ridiculous third down and long, only to have it picked off at the Ravens 10. Baltimore turned the interception into points, when Flacco hit Jacoby Jones in stride at the Jets 15 for a 66-yard touchdown to make it 19-3, Baltimore. Game over.
Now New York is now in a precarious situation. They are 2-6 in conference, and likely will not qualify for the playoffs now that the Ravens (5-6), Steelers (5-6), Dolphins (5-6), and Chargers (5-6) are all ahead of them for the final wild card slot.
The Jets blew it. They could have been the surprise team of the year, instead the folded back into the team we thought they would be -- a lousy football team that has no quarterback, no offense, and a bumbling coach who is on the hot seat.
For whatever reason Ryan continues to defend Geno Smith. Why? Why defend a quarterback who was not even a first round draft choice, let alone the guy who was expected the start this year? Smith stinks, and needs to be benched. Matt Simms might not be any better than, but until the Jets try the question will continue to be asked.
Yet, ask anyone on this Jets coaching staff, and they will tell you that they think Smith is the guy. Problem for the Jets is that everyone sees and knows that Geno Smith is NOT even close to being the guy for the Jets.
Hence the long tortured story of Jets football. A recurring problem for this franchise has been investing itself in guys whom they think are THE guy, when the opposite is true. Geno Smith, Mark Sanchez, Chad Pennington, Kellen Clemens, the list goes on forever. The Jets don't have a quarterback --- as usual. And as usual, it will eventually cost the head coach his job.
It's time to let the great fantasy come to an end. Those few and fleeting Jets fans who thought this team could be a serious playoff contender after the teams stunning 26-20 victory over New Orleans need not worry about playoffs anymore.
The Jets season is over.
And with it, Rex Ryan's career as Jets coach might be close to over with it.
The Jets were listless, helpless and depressing to watch Sunday. Their anemic offense mustered only 137 yards, when the game was actually mattered with Geno Smith playing the roll of Mark Sanchez-redux for the fourth consecutive week.
Awful doesn't do justice to describe Smith's performance. He was 9-of-22 for 127 yards, two interceptions and a rating of 22. It says a lot when the best quarterback on the field for the Jets was Josh Cribbs, who threw two gimmick passes.
There was nothing to like about the Jets performance. They were uncompetitive in every phase of the game. Culprit number one and two has to be Head Coach Rex Ryan, and Offensive Coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, who slapped together an ultra conservative game plan meant to have the Jets work around the excuse of a football player they have under center.
Of the Jets 13 possessions, eight of them finished in a three-and-out with less than 10 yards per drive. Why? Because the Jets decided to force the run down the throat of the Baltimore Ravens, and Baltimore would not budge. Bilal Powell (11 carries, 41 yards) and Chris Ivory (9 carries, 35 yards) were inept. Every time they touched the football they ran into a wall of purple.
This put Geno Smith into several third and long situations that the quarterback couldn't handle; and whenever there were plays to be made in the passing game, he either succumbed to the rush, or was picked off.
Case in point: midway through the third with New York down only 12-3, Smith heaved a pass down the length of the ball park on a ridiculous third down and long, only to have it picked off at the Ravens 10. Baltimore turned the interception into points, when Flacco hit Jacoby Jones in stride at the Jets 15 for a 66-yard touchdown to make it 19-3, Baltimore. Game over.
Now New York is now in a precarious situation. They are 2-6 in conference, and likely will not qualify for the playoffs now that the Ravens (5-6), Steelers (5-6), Dolphins (5-6), and Chargers (5-6) are all ahead of them for the final wild card slot.
The Jets blew it. They could have been the surprise team of the year, instead the folded back into the team we thought they would be -- a lousy football team that has no quarterback, no offense, and a bumbling coach who is on the hot seat.
For whatever reason Ryan continues to defend Geno Smith. Why? Why defend a quarterback who was not even a first round draft choice, let alone the guy who was expected the start this year? Smith stinks, and needs to be benched. Matt Simms might not be any better than, but until the Jets try the question will continue to be asked.
Yet, ask anyone on this Jets coaching staff, and they will tell you that they think Smith is the guy. Problem for the Jets is that everyone sees and knows that Geno Smith is NOT even close to being the guy for the Jets.
Hence the long tortured story of Jets football. A recurring problem for this franchise has been investing itself in guys whom they think are THE guy, when the opposite is true. Geno Smith, Mark Sanchez, Chad Pennington, Kellen Clemens, the list goes on forever. The Jets don't have a quarterback --- as usual. And as usual, it will eventually cost the head coach his job.
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