Catch Up

It's been a little while since my last post on this site, so I decided to take some time out of my day for a quick recap of some issues that are outstanding.

The Jets have had a couple of preseason games since we last saw each other, with very different results.

Against the Colts, the Jets Defense returned somewhat to earlier form, by getting run over in the first half. James ran all over the field and all over the Jets. Missed tackles and John Abraham all contributed to the disaster for the run defense. The Secondary actually impressed a little bit. Getting a big pick off of Peyton Manning.

The Giants game was a tale of a different defense. The Jets D had a field day with Eli Manning on the field. The Jets looked quick and alert, and impressed this skeptical fan. I've always thought the third preseason game was always the key, since the starters are basically ready, and there is not yet the cautiousness that comes into play during the forth game. It's usually a barometer on how the team is progressing. The Defense is making big strides. But it's a marathon. Building a defense is a marathon.

Some other notes:

Curtis Martin is getting a ton of carries this preseason. For any normal back, this would be alarming. But this veteran seems to play his best when he is either 1) hurt or 2) tired. Let's just be safe, and keep Curtis tired, not injured.

Lamont Jordan is still on this team, and still mopping around Hofstra. Please trade this guy.

The Secondary is going to have some young exciting players playing a lot. Reggie Tongue has all but lost his job to rookie SS Coleman. And since Ray Mickens is a little banged up, Derrick Strait will be used more often than not as a nickel back.

Wayne Chrebet is doing terrible apparently. His thigh (or whatever that is that's hurt) is doing poorly. I won't be surprised if he doesn't come back until after the first couple of weeks of the season. Even then, what can you expect from a guy coming back from post concussion syndrome, and someone who hasn't been hit in game action in a year? I think it's a great time for Jerricho Cotchery to step up and become a good possession receiver in his first year.

After years of watching John Hall and pulling my hair out, it's really refreshing to have Doug Brien on your team. We maybe giving up some longer field goals, but in the end, the consistency makes up for that. He has been 6 for 6 in the preseason.

Jets are close to signing Chad Pennington and possibly Shaun Ellis to extensions. I'm glad to hear that. Also glad to hear the Jets may not even bother to talk to John Abraham about an extension. Good. Talk about the biggest one dimensional player on this team (along with Bryan Thomas, remember him?). He cannot, under any circumstances, stop the run.

I'll leave reiterating my excitement about this Jets Defense. Joe (my fellow contributor to this blog) has gotten me even more excited. How? He actually mentioned to me how happy he was with the development of this defense. Joe is usually level headed about such things, so his saying that really makes me stand up and take notice. It should be a fun season.

Next game vs. Philly on Friday night. "Just don't hurt yourself" should be the motto.

My favorite 4th round pick

The bandwagon is getting full...

And here's another one!

Newspaper Read

A glowing critique of the Jets game last night by Rich Cimini in the NY Daily News. He seemed very excited about some of the new things the Jets defense is doing. To be honest, I have to agree with him. This seems like they are taking some chances, and being aggressive and proactive instead of reactive. Nice.

Of course, something to keep in mind is Reggie/Ronnie/Ronald Tongue (SS) and Eric Barton (LB) didn't play. Those two are projected to start on this defense. So the defense wasn't full "strength". I hesitate to use the word "strength" when mentioning the Jets D.

All the local papers today are saying good things about RB Jonathan Reese. Things like "it will be hard for the Jets to cut him...". If this is the case, isn't this a good time to trade Lamont Jordan? I reiterate my view that it's time to let him fly somewhere else.

Friday the 13th - Jets/Saints

9:30pm

See below for some analysis of some interesting stats in the first half of the Jets/Saints preseason game.

It is halftime now, and the first half of the first preseason game is all that matters. Second half involves most people just fighting for a job.

Jon McGraw had an interception in the first half. It's time for him to break out this season. If not; that draft pick was a bust. What was he a 3rd round pick? I'm not sure, but 3 years is enough to develop for a Safety.

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9:15pm

Bollinger is proving me wrong. He's 4 for 6 for 43 yards on this current Jets drive. My unsung draft pick Cotchery has 2 catches for 22 yards. I tell you, he WILL contribute to this receiving corps this year.

Jonathan Reese is getting some carries in this first half in place of Martin and Jordan. He has 11 carries for 40 yards. He was on the Jets in 2003, but didn't carry the football.

Brien kicked his second field goal.

(I am not concerned about the score. It's how you LOOK not whether you win or lose. Especially in the first preseason game.)

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I'm sitting here at 9pm tonight getting my first glimpse of the stats on the internet of tonight's game so far. I will be watching the game on tape tomorrow morning courtesy of the NFL Network.

Brian Bollinger has two fumbles, losing both of them. First of all, how long will it take Terry Bradway to sign a veteran backup? The line starts at 2 days. Any betters? Secondly, I hope this doesn't have something to say about the O-line. We shall see when I watch the game tomorrow.

The Jets rushing defense. 6 minutes left in the first half, the Saints have 76 yards rushing, including two rushes over 20 yards. I just wrote an e-mail to a fellow Jets fan telling him that I was about to puke over that stat. Of course, keep telling yourself how early in the preseason it is. Keep telling yourself how this defense has to gel.

Vilma has four tackles. Is this due to lack of good defensive line play? I hope not. I hope it means this kid is all over the field... I can't tell that by just stats.

Doug Brien. Just consistent as heck last year. Couldn't have asked for more from him. Would really "like" some more leg strength, but I'll take consistency over length and inconsistency (i.e. John Hall) any day.

I'll try to write more later....

First workday in August

It's Monday morning and it's the first workday in the month of August. Just about six weeks left until opening Sunday of the football season.

Reggie/Ronnie/Ramon Tongue is to miss three or four days because of a strained calf. Really unknown how this happened because the guy hasn't been on the practice field for the Jets yet. Erik Coleman who is a 5th round draft choice is practicing in the shoes of Tongue. The coaches are saying that they are impressed with Coleman's "quick grasping of the playbook". Unfortunately, it seems everytime coaches say something like that about a player, he ends up being slow as molasses.

The NY Media keeps living it up on Wayne Chrebet. Let's give those beat writers some advice. ONE article about Chrebet and his "come back" is sufficient. When you start mentioning it everyday, it gets annoying.

I guess all Jets fans are asking if this is the year that the Jets realize that Abraham is over-hyped, and injury prone. Here's another example of his over-hype. Everything is always so rosey and sweet in training camp.

Josh Evans is supposedly having a wonderful camp so far (in 3 entire days), and says he isn't ready to concede the starting job yet to Dwayne Robertson. I'm glad to hear this, because I like Evans a lot, and I think the Jets missed him tremendously in the first half of last season. Here is the proposed rotation at defensive tackle: Evans, Robertson, Jason Ferguson and James Reed. That could be a nice little rotation in the middle, only if Robertson becomes the solid player he should.

However, this will only be Robertson's second season. Defensive tackle, more than any other position on the football field is tough for a young player to make an impact right away. That was my line last year, and is still my line this year. It seems all great defensive tackles have taken time to develop their bodies to a point where they can lean against and beat a solid offensive lineman, and take on a double team. I am, more than the media seems to be, willing to give Robertson more time. In the league of win now, I'm willing to give Dwayne years to develop.

Last year, the Jets never practiced on Sunday during training camp. The "new" Edwards had them practicing yesterday and again in two weeks on August 15th.

The terror warning level has been raised to Orange for financial buildings in NYC, Northern NJ and Washington DC. This is based on information obtained by the CIA. Unfortunately the CIA also had asserted that Iraq had WMD's, gotten materials from Africa for Nuclear Weapons, and had floated the theory that Al Qaeda had ties with Iraq. Why should we, or can we, believe them now? That's what this country has come to. We can't figure out what to believe out of this government anymore. Do something.