Thoughts On The Jets Second Preseason Game

Everyone who watches football knows that you can’t put too much stock into pre-season games. Teams are trying new plays and basically exploring their potential in a consequence-free environment. Not to mention that, once you get to the second half, you’re watching a bunch of players who will most likely be cut before the season starts and will be bagging groceries at your local supermarket.

However, I believe you can glean a little indication of the state of your team by watching pre-season games. Here are my thoughts:

- The velocity with which Brett Favre throws the ball adds the exact element that the Jets offense has been missing.  He gunned his first pass to Jericho Cotchery and executed a play which would have undoubtedly gone incomplete had Chad Pennington attempted to squeeze the ball in there.  Ditto for the touchdown pass to Dustin Keller.  (By the way, who else held their breath when Favre was sacked?)

- The Jets are still not generating much of a pass rush.  By my count, they only seriously pressured Washington QB Jason Campbell twice.  They will certainly be burned by better quarterbacks than Campbell if this keeps up.

- RB Thomas Jones played better.  He hit the holes with more authority and exhibited a burst which he was missing the last game.  You have to think he was thrilled with the Favre signing as defenses will no longer be keying on him.

- LB Eric Barton did a fantastic job sniffing out a screen pass in the red zone.  Foiling plays like this are going to be crucial for the Jets and, if they can consistently execute them, they will be much harder to score against.

- Cotchery took a huge hit in the first quarter but managed to hold onto the ball.  Considering the Jets already have one of the leagues toughest receivers in Laveranues Coles, it’s an encouraging sign that Cotchery might be on the verge of joining him in that respect.

- The Run Defense is still getting gashed far too often for my taste.  Washington is hardly one of the most dominating run offenses in the league and yet, at times, they ran the ball at will.  A definite red flag that needs to be addressed in a hurry.

- Granted, Kellen Clemens was sabotaged by his receivers, who dropped multiple passes.  However, it is my opinion that he lacks confidence these days.  Perhaps the combination of Favre replacing him and the emergence of Brett Ratliff (who had another strong performance last night) has adversely affected his mental toughness.  I am a big Clemens fan and I feel it’s in the team’s best interests that he regains the mojo he had earlier in the preseason.

- LB Vernon Gholston was more noticeable this week.  It seems as though the rookie is making strides in his attempt to acclimate to the speed of the pro game.  He also appears to be playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, determined to refute the reputation that he sometimes takes plays off.

Analysis:  With Brett Favre at the helm, the offense is showing signs of becoming dynamic.  The main problems with the team is still the defense.  I’ll be very interested to see what sort of adjustments they make when they take on the World Champion NY Giants next week.

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