Leading up to the start of the 2013 regular season, the New York Jets were the laughing stock of the NFL. Nobody, especially the New York media, gave the Jets any chance of having success. For many, it was a forgone conclusion the Jets would have a terrible season and bank on getting a high draft pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
New York then traded away its best played in cornerback Darrelle Revis to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a first round pick. With two first round picks in the 2013 draft, there was a glimmer of hope the Jets could get some top young talent to build on.
They selected Dee Milliner out of the University of Alabama with the 9th overall pick, which was a safe pick. Then with the 13th overall pick, the Jets went off the radar by selecting Sheldon Richardson from the University of Missouri, a defensive tackle considered by many as a mid to late first rounder.
The Jets then grabbed more headlines by drafting quarterback Geno Smith from West Virginia University. Smith was projected by many to be the first quarterback to come off the board, but reports of Smith’s poor handling of the draft process, which included rumors of disinterest and a bad attitude, led him to slide out of the first round.
Smith and incumbent starting quarterback Mark Sanchez battled throughout preseason for the starting quarterback job until Sanchez got hurt in preseason. Smith played sparingly in the preseason and Sanchez seemingly won the battle, but the injury gave Smith the job on a silver platter.
Smith and the Jets, who entered their regular season opener ranked dead last in the ESPN power rankings, were gifted a win by the Buccaneers in Week 1. Lavonte David’s late hit out of bounds gave the Jets 15 yards, which put them into field goal position late in the fourth quarter. Nick Folk’s 48-yard field goal gave the Jets a win in their opener.
Two more games have gone by ? a loss to New England on a sloppy Thursday night, and a win over Buffalo in which the Jets could not quite pull away. Sitting at 2-1, Jets fans are feeling optimistic about a team that was supposed to be contending for a top five draft pick. Wins over Tampa Bay and Buffalo for most teams are not celebrated, but looking at how the season has started across the NFL, nothing should be taken for granted.
This Jets team is for real. The Mark Sanchez-era is over, and the Jets should get back to their elite play they showed in 2009 and 2010 when they reached the AFC Championship game.
There is just one person who can hold back the Jets this year - offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg.
In his first season as offensive coordinator, Mornhinweg has already made his presence felt in the offensive play calling. Mornhinweg has always been known as a coordinator who loves throwing the football. Philadelphia Eagles fans will remember how much the Eagles threw the ball during the Andy Reid-era. As much as Reid was criticized by Eagles fans for the pass-heavy offense, Mornhinweg was equally responsible for the lopsided play calling during his six years in Philly.
Mornhinweg has brought his air raid philosophy to New York, and it could very well cost the Jets any hopes of playoff football. When the Jets made their two conference championship games, head coach Rex Ryan was all about the “ground and pound” philosophy. In 2009, the Jets were No. 1 in the league in rushing yards per game
In 2010, the Jets were fourth in the league in the same category. In those same years, the Jets defense was also a leading contributor to the success of the team. In 2009, the Jets were first in the league in total yards and passing against. In 2010, they were third in total and rushing yards against. Ryan and the Jets were going to stop you on offense, and pound the ball down the opposing defense’s throat.
So far in 2013, the Jets have gone completely away from the ground aspect of the philosophy. Ryan has always been a defensive coach and has gotten the unit to play much better. The crazy blitzes Ryan draws up are once again getting sacks and turnovers, but the offense is now the problem.
In the three games this year, Smith has attempted 38, 35, and 29 passes, respectively. Worst of all, Smith has completed just 53.9 percent of his throws with six interceptions.
In a league full of great quarterbacks, Smith is not even close to playing at that level. Smith has been incredibly inconsistent and is turnover-prone. The most glaring issues of Smith and Mornhinweg could be seen in the loss to New England. The Jets ran the ball well against the Patriots in the first half, finishing the game with 129 yards on the ground. Running backs Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell split the majority of the carries and averaged a reasonable four yards per carry. But in the second half, when the skies opened up and it started pouring, Mornhinweg decided to abandon the running game. That led the rookie quarterback to throw the ball all over the field in a complete downpour. The Jets’ offense sputtered and missed a huge chance to steal a win in New England.
In the win against Buffalo, the Jets running game continued to impress. Powell went over the 100-yard mark for the first time in his career, rushing for 149 yards on 27 carries.
If the Jets are going to make the playoffs, they are going to have to lean on the defense and the run game. When Sanchez was in his first two years, the Jets kept the training wheels on the young quarter back and it worked. Over time, Smith will be able to run the full offense Mornhinweg has since he was so used to throwing the ball all the time during his West Virginia days.
But until then, the Jets have to protect Smith and it all starts with the play calling.