By Tom Rock
So the Patriots accused the Jets of tampering. That’s too bad. I hope it doesn’t ruin what has been a cordial and friendly rivalry between the two franchises over the years. Don’t let Deion come between you, Jets and Pats!!! Take a page from Entourage and Hug It Out, guys!
Seriously, the Patriots may think the Jets did them wrong by ALLEGEDLY letting Branch and his people in on what they were offering as a possible trade. But all that did was help the Patriots by driving the price up to a first-rounder from Seattle. The Jets may have actually helped the Patriots, who were likely never going to come to terms with Branch anyway. Sigh. Just one more sub-plot in the stew of stories that always lead up to a Jets-Pats game.
No comment from the Jets yet about the claim, and I’m not holding my breath for one. They don’t comment on good news, so they’ll probably hunker down on this one. So what we have is two teams that don’t address the media in a dispute over a player that neither team now controls. I love this job.
Speaking of Branch, kudos to Bobby G. for getting the word out on his blog next door. Not only did Glauber blog on the Branch news, he blogged about blogging it earlier in the day on Monday. Wow. That’s blog-tastic!
Finished Week One at 9-7 in my picks thanks to the Vikes and the Chargers. Not bad for a week with so many upsets. Not sure how Staple and Glauber made out yet. I may be new here, but I can tell you it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Unless I have the early lead. In that case, eat my dust!
It’s become clear that I need to address my grading system. Thank you for many of the points that were made here, and those with intelligent arguments were appreciated. You are correct, there was no need for a comeback. It just felt like they came back from the change in momentum. Anyway, here’s what I was thinking in giving the offense a C-plus:
If I had to give the quarterback a grade, it would be an A. If I had to give the running backs a grade, it would be a D. If I had to give the o-line a grade, it would be a B or a B-minus. I packed those together like a snowball and came up with a C-plus.
Perhaps those who criticize forget the first and third quarters when the Jets were a combined 0-for-4 on third-down conversions and would have led by only 13-0 instead of the important 16-0 had Kerry Rhodes not intercepted Collins on the first play of the second half to set up a field goal. Even then, the Jets couldn’t punch it in from 1st-and-goal at the 10, having to settle for 3. The Jets couldn’t budge the ball forward when they needed to most (ok, second-most; they did during the game-winning drive), as the Titans were coming back and the Jets needed drawn-out possessions that ate yards as well as clock. Instead they had a three-and-out, then a three-and-fumble. And don’t forget, cornerback Chris Hope got his hand on the game-winning touchdown pass to Chris Baker. If he picks that and returns it 99 yards for the winning score for the Titans, it’s a whole other story.
Now ask me if the offense is better than last year’s, and the answer is definitely. Compared to 2005, anything other than a shutout deserves an A on offense. But considering the competition and some of the problems (penalties on the line, miscommunication that led to sacks and a costly turnover), I think this performance was above average but not exceptional.
I stand by my C-plus. Though I’m not above taking kickbacks to bump it to a B-minus.
Comments (15)
but Hope didn't pick it off. the pass was thrown perfectly. you must've been at the concession stand eating one of your daily 43 hotdogs. lose the agenda man, you sound like a bitter idiot who is trying to knock the team as much as you can just cause you predicted them to stink. so you try to find reasons that they did.
tom,
i like your blog and the way you approach your job. and i do appreciate your explanation/analysis. but forget about nitpicking each drive. you could do that to every NFL team this weekend and give all of their offenses C's at best. the jets put up almost 400 yards of offense on the road against a solid defense. you can say what you want about tennessee overall but their weakness is clearly on the offensive side of the ball -- they actually have a respectable defense. no doubt the jets need to work on their running game but tennessee is stout up the middle. and the jets exploited their strength against TN's weakness (chad vs. weak secondary). don't fault the offense taking what was given to them or for nugent's woes. if nugent hits all three kicks, the jets score 23 points and it's not even a game.
jeff i
Tom,
Do you read your blog before posting it? You stink. I am considering cancelling my Newsday subscription until someone with a clue covers my Jets.
As a public service, could you poll Jets fans in your column?
New coach, new players, new year, right? How about a new fan image for the franchise. Here's the question:
Is it time for Fireman Ed to go? __ Yes __ No
If you say no, who or what should replace him?
Thanks, Tom.
I would like to see Cedric and Leon this weekend. It was also a pleasant surprise to see 3 running back behind Chad. I like our offense, even though its to early to judge but I love what I see. I've been watching the Jets since Al Woodall and I think I have Pretty good sence of how things are going to play out, We are all in for a treat this year.
Anyone remember when they told number 99 not to dance around anymore? If they would have left him alone his record would have never been broken...When was it that they allow defensive linemen to celebrate again?
I guess his dance was a little to much.
Who remembers the game against the Rams? The entire Rams team wanted to dance with him...
Yeesh. Can we get a grip, people? I think you can make an argument that the offense was a B- rather than a C+, but, at the end of the day, the passing game was very good and the running game was abysmal, and we're fighting over a half-grade in an unofficial game report card. Tom, congratulations on your position, your work in general and your blog in particular, which I think is excellent. And I, for one, am impressed that you took the time to explain your grades to the audience. It's your opinion; whether I agree or disagree is beside the point. And the format provides an avenue by which those who disagree can do so. I just wish they could make their points without resorting to namecalling.
I just submitted some comments on the offense and a bit of trvia. Whys isn'tmy comment up on the board?
I agree with each comment that's been made about your Blog...it's obvious you have an anti-Jet bias, & you don't like being proved wrong by a disciplined, well coached team.
Sean: Anti-Jet bias? Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
A road win opening week is impressive, but it came against a shambles of a team and it took a good deal of luck (Pennington's ball to Coles was underthrown).
The Pats are a much better barometer, and the odds are the Jets will be terrible.
As for discipline, the Jets became totally unglued in the 4th quarter, but bounced back nicely. Again, our opponent wasn't exactly the Steelers.
I vote grace should go
how many times are you going to post the same lame thing
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