Ok so in a perfect world, you, Mr. or Mrs. all knowing and wise, have been put in charge of the Jets. The Jets are coming off this miserable loss against the Patriots, and you've been charged with making changes to salvage this season. What do you do? What is your plan of action? Here is mine: ----------------------------- 1. Fire the offensive line coach. We definitely need better offensive linemen, but when I watch the way the line played, and see how everyone, even Mangold, just got their asses handed to them, it tells me that our offensive line coaching is completely ineffective. Am I correct in remembering that this current o-line coach used to be the o-line coach for the Giants, where they also were miserable? If this guy can't get the job done, then fire him, and bring in a coach who will do the job. 2. Switch back to a 4-3. Many people on this message board, not including myself, have been screaming for months about us not having the right personnel to run a 3-4. I now agree with these people. I don't think we got blown off the line of scrimmage this bad the year we went 1-15 under Rich Kotite. The pass rush and the run defense was absolutely ATROCIOUS. I am not going to blame the DL or LB coach for this one, as the problem lies with the scheme, not the players. Honestly, let's take a player by player evaluation of the guys up front. Ellis - Proven to be effective in a 4-3, and not in a 3-4 (with the exception of his rookie season, when John Abraham was on the other side of the field). Remember when Herm tried to move Ellis to DT in the 4-3, and he looked like crap? I have a feeling the same thing is happening now with him playing 3-4 DT. Ellis is a pure DE, we should get him back to that role. Coleman - Coleman had the most tackles yesterday, so we know he is a decent run blocker. I don't know how effective he is as a pass rusher, but I would think if he can pull as many tackles as he does as a 3-4 DE, then he should be even more effective as a 4-3 end. Robertson - The guy is a decent DT, and keyword being decent. He is NOT a nose tackle, which he is playing in the 3-4. He gets absolutely manhandled in this position. Robertson is probably gone since he is the highest paid player on the Jets, but currently, while he still is a Jet, he needs to be moved back to a 4-3. The guy is simply more effective in this role, and if he was lined up next to a big body, he would be more effective. Pouha - This guy could be our NT. He is inconsistent, but he seems to make good run stuff plays when he's in there. The problem is, if all he does is run stuff in the 3-4, then you generate absolutely no pass rush up the middle, which we need desperately. Move back to a 4-3, and Pouha provides the run stuffing while Robertson provides the pass rush, which he is better at anyway. Hobson - Effective outside linebacker, however limited in his ability to stop the run, which he is more responsible for in the 3-4. Move back to a 4-3, and he won't have to deal with that so much. Thomas - Effective outside linebacker, shined in the 3-4 last year. Was not an effective 4-3 end, and who knows what he would do as a 4-3 OLB. This would be experimental. Vilma - As others have pointed out here, Vilma gets absolutely devoured by linemen when they get through to the second level. Vilma needs protection. Opposing offenses know this, and they send linemen to attack him. There is no effective way to protect him in the 3-4. Either trade him, or move back to a 4-3 where Vilma is known to be a beast. Trade Barton - Yes, Barton is a good player, but we have his replacement in David Harris. We need to stockpile draft picks for next year, because it is clear that we need to stock up on the lines. If we don't trade Vilma, then trade Barton. What good is it having either of them around if we can't stop anyone anyway? Especially with someone of Harris's abilities waiting in the wings. 3. Sign offensive linemen. Bring people in, try them out in practice, see if they are effective. If they are, keep them around. If our current olinemen continue to screw up, whether it is Moore, Clarke, or even D'Brick... any of them... then bench them. Send the signal to these guys that playing at a low level is unacceptable. 4. Figure out a way to get Barrett off the field. If Dyson is not healthy and will not be healthy for some time, maybe the Jets can get creative. One way to do this is to move one of the safeties to corner, then start Eric Smith. I know this is a risky solution but it can't be worse than the garbage coverage we saw out of Barrett. Justin Miller doesn't look much better. We need someone who can be consistent in this spot. 5. Max protect for as long as the offensive line is not doing it's job. We can get by with just Coles and Cotchery running routes, and maybe having our HB act as a bump and run type of dump-off guy. If our QBs continue to get killed we are in for a long year. ----------------------------------- OK, I am done with my rant. What would you do?
My plan would be simple, try to suck less. In fact, I would make it a team motto and have a sign put up in the locker room "Suck Less".
Definitley get rid of Barret. Miller got burned far too much as well, but I assume Revis did well since Stallworth didn't catch anything, and since I practically didn't see him the whole game, he must of been on Stallworth, right?
Edge, I like your plan to transform the defense. The OLine will take a massive infusion of talent and you're right, D'Bust just might need to sit his non producing ass on the bench for a few games. At the very least, bring in someone to challenge him instead of what we have now which is the equivalent of nobody.
