Smoke and Mirrors: Outmanned

[Ingtar33]

There is only so much you can do with smoke and mirrors, eventually you go up against a team with more talent and you just can't match up.

This game was worrying me all week, because it was clear we just didn't match up well with the Jets strengths. Unfortunately, we only got the "bad" Sanchez for one half. Once he straightened out, it was game over.

Just have forget it and move on. Sometimes the other team is just better then you.

[Crisis]

Agreed. I think we matchup with the Jets worse than anybody in the league. They're our new New England...

It's troubling though because we're probably directly competing with them for a playoff spot when its all said and done.

[Crisis]

What REALLY concerns me is that it's been a trend in the past few weeks for teams to sit on our short passing game and our offense hasn't really been able to overcome that in the passing game. It takes Freddie to have a big day for our offense to do anything.

[Ingtar33]

Well, we only have 1 serious WR, the rest of the WR corps is a little too slow, and untalented to take advantage of a solid secondary.

throw in the undermanned front 7 and you have our problems in a nutshell. And you're right, the two worst matchups in the league for us is probably the Jets and 49ers.

[MikeInRoch]

I completely agree. I didn't think at the beginning of the year they were a playoff team - they still just don't have that much talent.

[psubills62]

Jets are definitely a horrible matchup. Teams have been sitting on our short routes, but we threw the ball deep a decent amount this game. Too bad it wasn't more effective.

The thing is, I actually don't have a problem with our short passing game as long as we aren't playing good, physical CB's. For example, I think we match up well next week as Dallas doesn't have very good CB's. Johnson and co. can beat those guys short and Fitz gets the ball out so fast that pressure almost never works.

Jets and Rex Ryan have got Gailey's number with their defense. Ingtar is right - we just aren't quite talented enough to beat them. I think a few more pieces and we'll be strongly competitive, but they match up very well against us.

[ParanoidAndroid]

True. We couldn't win one-on-one battles today.
Though, I think, if the defense could have given the offense a few more opportunities, things would have shaken loose a bit.
2 Jets drives took a total of about 16 minutes. That's only six minutes less that the Bills total TOP.

[Ingtar33]

True. We couldn't win one-on-one battles today.
Though, I think, if the defense could have given the offense a few more opportunities, things would have shaken loose a bit.
2 Jets drives took a total of about 16 minutes. That's only six minutes less that the Bills total TOP.


we need 4 better players in our front 7. that's not a small change.

I didn't see the Jets outscheme us, they just outmanned us all game. Man to man they beat us up. Our front 7 just didn't have the horses to stop them, and our WR corp couldn't get open.

You can't do much if you can't get open and can't stop the other team from running at will.

It doesn't matter how good your coaching is if the players get their butts handed to them. So you can say "if only", well if only your aunt had balls she'd be your uncle. Sometimes on Sunday a team plays flat, sometimes they get outcoached... and then you have games like today when you're just not as good as the team you're lining up against, and you just get your ass handed to you.

[Buddo]

I think there's a fair amount of truth in the 'match up' idea.

We need to get bigger still up front defensively.

Jets O-Line, imho, was the biggest difference today. I still don't think Sanchez is that good of a QB, but his life is made easy.
We also need to find a guy like Burress. With him available, Sanchez gets away with an awful lot.

While I like Johnson and Nelson, a guy like Burress (but young, with speed still), would make an awful lot of difference to our offense.

We need to get a serious pass rusher.

We are now in need of another CB, and that's assuming that Williams will be a good one.
For all his physical ability, McKelvin just doesn't have the discipline to play the position. Football smarts are lacking, and I think he will be gone.
Between McGee and Florence, we can find enough competence to be okay, but we need another young guy to come through.

For all that today was pretty disheartening for our chances further down the road, I still think we are on the right track, and I believe we will come back hard against the Cowgirls.

Jury is still out on what this team can, or can't achieve, and I think we will get some more answers to that when we play the Jets again. Today hurts, but it isn't the end of our chances, or season. For the Jets, it might have been, (if they lost) and just maybe that was some of the difference today.

[YardRat]

A defensive coordinator that actually knows what a 34 defense is capable of and the know-how to implement it would do wonders. I'm OK with our front seven, actually, but wouldn't dismiss getting another lineman or LBer as an upgrade. Our corners just flat-out blow, and that's probably our biggest need talent-wise on defense.

A big WR w/speed and a legit LT wouldn't hurt on offense.

[Night Train]

Agreed.

I look at the Jets skill players and see 1st round picks everywhere. I see 7th rounders and UFA's on our team. The pre Nix-Gailey era with all the bad picks does stilll haunt this roster. Another off-season needed.

[PTI]

Agreed.

I look at the Jets skill players and see 1st round picks everywhere. I see 7th rounders and UFA's on our team. The pre Nix-Gailey era with all the bad picks does stilll haunt this roster. Another off-season needed.

I just can't live with this reasoning, there is a salary cap and I won't accept it. That is an acceptance of losing mentality to me.

[MikeInRoch]

So what exactly do you think "not accepting the losing mentality" would mean?

[bf1]

Agreed. We could not match up worse with them.

[Turf]

We have the same problem we've had for 10 years. We don't have a FB to pound the ball. We can't convert 3rd or 4th and less than 1 yard. Its killing us.

[YardRat]

We have the same problem we've had for 10 years. We don't have a FB to pound the ball. We can't convert 3rd or 4th and less than 1 yard. Its killing us.

Actually between Fitz's keepers and Smith in the wildcat, I think we've been pretty effective on 3/4 and short this season.

[Crisis]

Actually between Fitz's keepers and Smith in the wildcat, I think we've been pretty effective on 3/4 and short this season.

Seems like everytime we hand it to a RB on X-and-short we never convert though.

[Turf]

Its QB sneak or nada.

[djjimkelly]

I completely agree. I didn't think at the beginning of the year they were a playoff team - they still just don't have that much talent.

no we are very well coached today just out talented by a team with no qb

[methos4ever]

A defensive coordinator that actually knows what a 34 defense is capable of and the know-how to implement it would do wonders. I'm OK with our front seven, actually, but wouldn't dismiss getting another lineman or LBer as an upgrade. Our corners just flat-out blow, and that's probably our biggest need talent-wise on defense.

A big WR w/speed and a legit LT wouldn't hurt on offense.
Yard, we sacked Sanchez, got 3 turnovers and only allowed 126 yards rushing while being undermanned in the front seven, how does that continue to add to your meme that Edwards is to blame? I mean that with no malice, I just really want to know.

[chernobylwraiths]

Our corners are not that bad. If you cannot get a decent pass rush with any consistency, having four pro bowl defensive backs wouldn't help.

[Mski]

. Unfortunately, we only got the "bad" Sanchez for one half. Once he straightened out, it was game over. when Santonio came back to the sidelines after his TD, he looked at Sanchez and said, "average throw, amazing cathc" sanchez looked at him, smacked him on the side of the head, and said, "you F*****g kidding me? amazing throw, mediocre catch"

[YardRat]

Yard, we sacked Sanchez, got 3 turnovers and only allowed 126 yards rushing while being undermanned in the front seven, how does that continue to add to your meme that Edwards is to blame? I mean that with no malice, I just really want to know.

The guy has shown me almost zero ability to generate a pass rush with any kind of creativity that causes confusion for the offense, opens up lanes for the rushers, creates actual pressure that makes the QB get rid of the ball prematurely, throw to the wrong receiver (coverage schemes are an entirely other issue, but IMO that's where we're lacking talent-wise), tuck and take the sack, etc.

The only thing Edwards knows how to do is line up as many guys as possible near the line and try to 'confuse' the offense with numbers, which really is pretty rudimentary for this level, and if you're going to try to be successful using that strategy you better have seven Pro Bowlers on the field to even have a chance. No way, no how, is a defense going to get consistent pressure on the QB by simply taking lanes straight up field and trying to beat the 5 or 6 guys blocking man on man, I don't care how much talent a team has in the front seven.

Pull some switches, some over-unders, some drop zone blitzes, etc. We've got the talent on the line especially, and enough in the LBer corps that somebody with any kind of skill level using the 34 defense would be very successful, maybe even dominant. If Wade Phillips, Dom Capers etc were hired as DC today, we'd be a top 5 defense tomorrow.