There really can be no excuse for the awful performance put forth by the Jets in the first half of Sunday’s 24-19 loss to Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game. As a team they flat out just didn’t show up. The offense was useless; they couldn’t run the ball, gaining only 1 yard on 5 carries and they also couldn’t pass block, seeing how the deciding score came on a strip sack of Sanchez that put the Jets down 24-0. As for Bart Scott and the Jets defense, they were the ones who couldn’t stop a nose bleed. Big Ben was able to drive the Steelers down the field almost at will in the first half scoring 17 points. Even worse the Jets heralded run Defense couldn’t do anything, getting dashed for over 100 yards in the first half.
However somehow in the 2nd half the Jets were able to flip a switch, and it was Sanchez who couldn’t be stopped (except for on the goal line, Shonn Greene reverted back to his battering ram ways and the Jets defense was finally able to stop the bleeding. That is however until they truly had to stop them to have a chance to win the game.
I simply can’t understand how a defensive expert like Rex Ryan could allow his defense to not come up with a stop on the two most crucial defensive downs of the game and season. Yea sure on the dagger play the Jets did everything right getting pressure on Big Ben and forcing him out of the pocket. However all week long, all that was talked about was how Big Ben is so good when he gets out of the pocket, always seeming to find a way to get the job done. So in regards to this I must ask, how in the world the defensive backs were playing “plaster” coverage, when all week, Rex and the Jets talked about how the key to stopping Big Ben’s improvisation skills was getting the defenders to play plaster coverage.
As for Schotty I am glad that Rex has already announced that he is coming back for next year because I think that for the most part he did a pretty good job calling plays this year. Even more so I think there is also a lot to be said for keeping the young Sanchez in the same system he has been in during his first two seasons. Having said that, you’ve got to be kidding me, how in the world do you not call 4 straight plays of Shonn Greene up the middle. He was the hardest running back left in the playoffs if not in the playoffs altogether; and on that drive he was running through the entire defense at will. The only two plays I ever want to see on the goal line in that situation is a power run right up the middle or a play action naked bootleg. Now you couldn’t call the bootleg, because they were expecting it and James Harrison did a great job of staying home after getting beat by a Sanchez bootleg earlier in the season, so good job not calling that play. But how do you not just blast that ball right down their throats with Greene? Then after two failed pass attempts how do you give the ball to LT, who had done nothing all day long, as opposed to Greene who had been running through the Steelers defense at will in the second half, it just doesn’t make sense.
So with all my angry ranting out of my system I would like to take a moment to reflect on how impressive that 2nd half was. To be down 24-3 at halftime against that Steelers defense and to come back and put themselves in the position that the Jets did is pretty amazing. I mean not only did their offense do whatever they wanted in the 2nd half, but the defense also held them to almost nothing. I’m not sure of the exact stat but I don’t think they gave up 50 yards in the 2nd half after being dashed for more than 100 on the ground alone in the 1st half.
Also I’m glad I haven’t heard any second guessing about how the Jets should have onside kicked the ball instead of kicking it deep. With 3+ minutes to go, with multiple timeouts and the way the Jets D had been playing you kick that sucker deep all day every day. By all means the Jets D did what they were supposed to; they had the Steelers in third and long twice. All they had to do was make one play on one of those downs and the Sanchise was going to get the ball back with plenty of time to do his thing and put the Jets in the lead.
Unfortunately we never got to find out if I was right, but I would have been willing to bet a large amount of money that the Jets would have scored a touchdown if they got the ball back, I know it, the Jets know it and even the Steelers know it. However that doesn’t matter now, the Steelers won and Jets nation must accept it. I am hoping that getting this out of me will finally get me out of my depression. I can’t wait for next year; let’s just hope that there even is a next year
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