1) Mark Sanchez- yes he was inaccurate at times, but he completed a lot of passes and had a high percentage. Look at the way he spread the ball around- Hill, Curley, Holmes, etc. Lots of first downs. 1 punt all game. 2) Stephen Hill- hmm...doesn't he look a bit like another tall, lanky, fast WR who donned #84? 3) Laron Landry- It's been so long since we had a truly nasty, hard-hitting safety patrolling the backfield (Victor Green anyone?). The guy cannot resist hitting people and he's involved in every play. 4) Time of Possession- T.O.P. has haunted the Jets for years. Today we dominated. 5) Scoring In All Three Phases- we had a TD on offense, defense, and special teams. Man I'm gonna cry when Westhoff retires. 6) The Offensive Line- No sacks or major hits on Sanchez. And perhaps most surprisingly, Mario Williams' name was not mentioned. 7) Sporano's Playcalling- we saw long and short pass plays, wr screens, some wildcat, and even a flea flicker. And somehow we scored 48 points while still emphasizing the run a good amount. 8) Tebow's minimal role/no signs of a QB controversy- after that early interception, Sanchez could have self-destructed and the Tebow chants would have begun. But instead, Sanchez bounced back and played so well that the wildcat became an afterthought. So well that the crowd started cheering for Sanchez when HE came onto the field.
Good post, the thing im so excited about is the O-Line, its crazy how one weak link killed the whole unit last yr. Howard was stout and definitely held his own, to say the least. If he can keep a similar level of play the entire year, the sky's the limit. Crazy how Sanchez looks pretty good with some time in the pocket, isnt it? :rofl2:
It is just 1 game but there are enough reasons to be optimistic about. Looking forward to the Steelers game. That game will be a true test IMO.
Only thing we can improve on is run D (Pouha was out, though, so him being back will help there). Our real weakness this season will probably be containing speed backs, Spiller killed us today.
Yeah, it's only 'one game' for Howard BUT it was against the highest paid pass rusher in the history of the NFL. After today, it's all down hill for Howard. He HAS to feel real good after shutting out Mario Williams ($100M/6yr) in his debut as a JET.
We played very well; hard to believe that this was the team that couldn't score a touchdown in the preseason.
I think if the line can protect Sanchez for most of the season like they did today we will see that he can be a good QB when he has time.
My reasons to be encouraged: 1. Offensive line pass blocked great. Buffalo has some guys who can get after the quarterback. Ask any Bills fan who has posted on this board since March. Howard neutralized Williams (who then complained about Howard using hands to the face after the game). The best defenses the Jets face this season are all early. If we can pass block well against Buffalo, that bodes well for the Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Houston games. 2. Stephen Hill and Jeremy Kerley stepped up as the 2 and 3 receivers. I thought when they drafted Hill that they could get by with this, but a shaky preseason by Hill and Kerley having a mediocre camp by Rex's account made me doubt that a little, which would be a problem with so little other options. 3. Defense looked as good as advertised. I didn't really like the way the game ended, but by that point, the game was basically out of reach. 4. The offense looks like it has a rhythm. Really liked how Sparano was mixing things up and keeping the defense out of balance. Then having time to throw the ball deep to Hill was a pleasant surprise, and they were willing to take the shots.
Almost every QB in the NFL performs with time to throw and looks like crap when rushed. One of the main reasons for Brady's success is that he often has all the time in the world to throw. When he is pressured - like in last year's AFC Championship game and the SB, he is ordinary. Sanchez took a ton of undeserved flack last year when he spent the entire season under enormous pressure (because of Mangold's injury and Hunter's ineptitude), trying to hit receivers who could not get separation, and having to overcome Schotty's shitty offensive system. Today he had time, receivers were open , and the play calling was refreshing (except for too much wildcat in the first half).
definitely a feel good win, I was prepared for the worst. Everyone looked good for the most part, would love to see them build upon it next week against a much tougher opponent in Pitt
our pass protection was amazing. Sanchez aside from the Holmes overthrow was on point, and of course that flip to Cumberland which resulted in an INT.
