So, this win was largely due to the defense playing physical football. I didn't see the game, but after reading about it, I got thinking about how such a huge change could happen, i just couldn't imagine our d playing like it supposedly did. With the multitude of changes on defense in personnel and playcalling, who is responsible for the turnaround? Did Sutton finally grow some balls? Did Mangini take control of his team? This also leaves the question, was it the team's fault for the previous faults, or the coaching?
The easy answer is I don't know. Sutton, Mangini? I don't know. The Scheme changes? Good for one game? Start of a new life on D? Who knows? We made Major progress after our By last season, only to fall apart this year. Why the sudden efectiveness? Personal? Scheme? I thinka little of both? Why 1 and 8 till we find out?
You can change the 'D' to QB, and that statement would also be true.... I havent re-wacthed the tape yet, but the crew was making much out of the fact that Ellis was playing at LB, so they must have made an effort to get bigger.... Which is also what freed up Robertson...
If our QB played the entire season like they did yesterday we'd be alot closer to 8-2 than 2-8. Huh? I am certainly happy with Clemen's progress and performance against such a formidable D, but I don't really think the above statement is true.
I agree with JUNC. Not sure why it took so long to play loose inspired and creative defense, but we finally did. I was thinking about it while watching the game, and hoped that Mangini took away some of the playcalling from Sutton. Whatever the heck happened, it took way too long this season to shake things up on defense. The pressure we had on them was absolutely amazing. Watching D-Rob come up the middle, with Bowens, Thomas, and Kenyon on the outside was just sick! It was just awesome to see. Fitz
I am going to go out on a limb here and say Mangini is responsible for the bye week adjustments. The hybred defense we saw yesterday is reminiscent of the Patriots defensive model. Only the Pats execute it even better then we did yesterday if you can imagine that. It's is actually more fluid. I sincerely hope we stick to this type of interchangible hybred 34 and build on it. It was great to see Ellis and DRob playing out of position and confusing the steelers.
The question is why did it take so long to see this kind of performance out of the D? I didn't think they were capable of that kind of performance this year which makes it more frustrating that they are but we haven't seen it before. It also gives me some hope that with better talent we can see this consistently.
With better play at the QB spot we probably reverse: 2 Vs. Buffalo. NYG Philly All probably go the other way with better QB play. thats 6-4....Probably Cincy as well...
Woulda... coulda... shoulda... Our record is 2-8 and the what if's aren't going to change a thing. But I do believe that if the D played this way all year Chad would still be at helm.
Right but has Clemens given us enough of that "better QB play" to get there? Don't get me wrong. I love what Clemens has brought to the table, and I think - given time - he could be a good to great QB... but his level of play hasn't exactly been stellar, especially yesterday. 59.2 QB rating for the year (compared to Chad's 87.5). Again, please don't get me wrong... I'm by no means disappointed in Clemens, or expect more from him this season. And those last drives were fantastic to watch. I want Clemens to be the QB. I think he's a much better option than Pennington and helps keep opposing defenses more honest by opening up the playbook (and, yes, I suppose that alone might've been the difference in some of the games). But right now, he's not that much of a difference maker. Now, if you're just saying "better QB play" wins those games, and you aren't being specific... meaning that having a QB play like Dan Marino circa 1985, I'd agree with you.
An arm strong enough to not be reliant on 4 yard outs at the end of close games. In all of the games I listed, crucial 4th quarter picks turned the game against us.
I would agree with you if "not much of a difference" meant there was not much of a difference between putting the ball in NY Jets WR's hands with a chance for a game winning or tying catch vs. the opposing teams defensive back for a TD the other way (pick 6). Yeah then in that case there really isn't much of a difference between KC and Chad.
The Jets went with Shaun Ellis at LOLB and had Thomas and David Bowens spending a fair amount of time at ROLB. Thomas shifted inside and played some ILB also. At one point the Jets had probably the biggest set of linbackers ever to play in the NFL with Ellis (285), Thomas (266), Harris (243) and Bowens (265) lined up in a non-short yardage situation. They played Mike Devito (298), Sione Pouha (325), D-Rob (317) and Kenyon Coleman (295) across the line in several different formations. Basically they forced mismatches all across the Steelers offensive front and that, along with the safety blitzes is what got Roethlisberger sacked 7 times. On the run D they just plain outmatched the Steelers offensive line with a bunch of different looks that featured Bryan Thomas and David Harris on the line of scrimmage in gaps to either side of D-Rob and Pouha. Then they had Ellis pinching in from strongside linebacker and it just got to be too much for the Steelers line to handle. The defensive backs also played very well across the board once the pocket began to collapse on Roeathlisberger. The key move in the whole change-up on defense was putting Ellis at LOLB. He was impossible to block on the pass rush because of the wide angles he came from and he was a huge handful for the TE to try to take out on the running plays.
After watching the post match report , I think that Mangini has alot to do with it. Hopefully Suttons gone.
He's gotten the Jets to overtime on two occasions against superior teams and he would have done it a third time if McCareins had held onto the ball in Baltimore. Clemens has been a solid player on 3rd down and in the 4th quarter. That's what you want to see out of a guy in his first season on the job.
Which is good, but the frightening aspect of this, is that it took so long for the staff to get to. The DLine is tantamount to what has been said here, about getting one more big body down next to Dewayne CNBM Robertson... From there the only 'leap' is treating the 285 lb Ellis like a tweener...
I would never have guessed that Ellis could play outside and be at all effective. You have to give Mangini or whoever came up with that idea some credit because it was the key to absolutely dominating a fine Steelers offensive line and it allowed the Jet's secondary a fighting chance against a good receivers corps. The defensive backs grabbed that opportunity with both hands and played excellent pass defense. And it all happened because Shaun Ellis changed the dynamics on the line of scrimmage.
And as Hobbes replied: Which is good, but the frightening aspect of this, is that it took so long for the staff to get (it).
