My take, What is a problem 1. Pass Blocking Bill Belichick once said it's impossible for a fan to judge O Line play because we don't know which player had the blocking assignment or what their assignment was. But my eyes tell me we can't pass protect (outside of a few moments against OAK and CHI). Our interior line has been getting dominated. Our guards are both bad, and either Mangold has regressed or he's not good enough to pick up the slack. Either way, both Geno and Vick have faced a strong inside rush. Brick is good, and Breno is average. But our oline isn't all to blame, becasue our receivers weren't getting open - which leads me to...... 2. Our Receivers (without Decker) I don't think anyone knew just how important Eric Decker was to our offense. When he's off the field we can't move the ball. Don't let this Chargers game make you forget that when Decker was in, we moved the ball (at least between the 20's). Jeremy Kerley is a good No. 3, and after that we have a roster full of No. 4 and 5 receivers. I love Greg Salas as a number 4, but a starter he is not. 3. Third Down Defense It's not just the CB's, it's everyone. Don't look now but Dee Milliner played a good game against the Chargers. Darrin Walls won't set the world on fire but at least when he gets beat (like when Michael Floyd or James Jones beat him) his hands were right there. He belongs in the NFL, but he's not a starter. He's not always trailing the receiver like Kyle Wilson (who sucks). And AA is in a tough spot transitioning between Safety and CB. Hard to blame him. But we also can't cover tight ends and running backs, and we can't get pressure when we need it most. What Is NOT a Problem 1. John Idzik Too early to tell. He was thrown into a roster that was a complete mess. He seems to have hit on both 1st round picks his first year, and has made some other good moves like getting Ivory, and signing the top WR, QB and RB this past offseason (which I think people forget), and getting some good depth guys like David Nelson, Greg Salas, and Jason Babin. As for the CB's, he tried signing Vontae Davis and DRC. He drafted a CB in the 3rd round who unfortunately got hurt. So he tried to address the CB problem, but he's not going to overpay which is a good thing. He's not even 2 years into his tenure, it'd be asinine to judge this year's draft class (more on that later). We will also have more cap flexibility than probably any team next year and all of our draft picks. So let's stop it now with the dumb Idzik bashing. 2. Our 2014 Draft Class Too early to tell. Too stupid to pass judgment. For people who wanted Cooks or Benjamin over Calvin Pryor? Cooks is averaging 6 catches and 50 YPG, with just 1 touchdown with a HOF QB. Benjamin is slightly better: averaging 5 catches, 73 yards, and 3 touchdowns. I'm not knocking either of those players, but the bottom line is you flag yourself as someone who knows nothing about football if you judge a draft class 5 games into the season. What May Be a Problem 1. Geno Smith Yes, "may be" a problem. I say this because I watched Michael Vick play yesterday, and he didn't look any different than when Geno Smith was playing. Would a full week of practice help Vick? Only if the Oline learns to pass protect better and our receivers can get separation. He's made dumb mistakes, but he also moved the ball well during the first 4 weeks when Decker was on the field. Not even Tom Brady looked good the first 4 weeks when his line couldn't block, and when he had no one to throw to. I know, everyone can bitch and moan now about how I'm a homer, a Geno apologist, or whatever, I'm just stating facts. Just ask yourself, do you think Andy Dalton could be a good player on this Jets team? No, well he's a 100 million dollar QB. Why, he has the best weapons on offense a QB can ask for. 2. Rex Ryan I love Rex. He's a good coach, and will probably get another HC opportunity if we fire him. But this could be our fourth straight year without going to the playoffs, Demario Davis has come saying players don't practice hard enough, and there have been too many repeated mistakes under his tenure. It could be time for a change.
