A gut feeling
-
- October
- 6
Sometimes, you just get a gut feeling.
Now, those feelings are not always correct, but, before the fact, you’ve just got to go with them.
Which is why it says here, the Jets will find a way to squeak out a victory tomorrow against the Giants.
What caught my attention is the players belief the Giants are not going to change their aggressive defensive posture, meaning they’ll go all-out to get pressure on Chad Pennington. This can definitely work to the Jets advantage because Pennington is smart enough to get rid of the ball not only quickly, but with accuracy. And I’ll take Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery against Giants cornerbacks Aaron Ross and Sam Madison. That goes even if the Jets, as expected, use fullback Darian Barnes and running back Thomas Jones to max protect. Not that Leon Washington can’t block, on the contrary, he’s improved that area of his game tremendously, but if you see him in, chances are he’ll be available on a safety valve route for Pennington.
Also, I think the Jets’ offensive line is slowly coming around. Sure, Pennington will get dropped at some point, call it 2-3 sacks for the Giants, but I have a gut feeling the Jets’ offensive line will be up to the task.
I actually have many more concerns about the Jets’ defense, particularly, as always, the front 7, than I do about the Jets’ offensive line. I think the Jets are running out of time to show that this defense can work. Another stinker or two and it’s going to be time to re-assess the situation and starting fitting the system to the personnel, not the personnel to the system. The Jets can only hope that it’s not too late to do that.
Overall, the Giants may well have an edge on both offense and defense but I’ll take the Jets’ special teams and I think the desperation the team must play with – even if they won’t articulate it – will be an evening factor.
Final: Jets 24, Giants 23.
Meanwhile, our talented Knicks writer, Mike Dougherty, was out at Hofstra for me yesterday and has a very solid story on Barnes in today’s Journal News.
And in case you missed it somehow, safety Erik Coleman is doubtful for tomorrow’s game, the only surprise in that being the Jets didn’t just list him as out because he won’t play.
Feel free to post any score predictions or thoughts you have below and I’ll catch up to you from the Stadium tomorrrow.
This entry was posted
on Saturday, October 6th, 2007 at 10:38 am by Andrew Gross.
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Jane McManus 
Good thoughts Andrew, in regards to your Defense comments, I think I have some football knowledge, the only thing the Jets can do is move to a 4-3, which they sometimes play. Do you think Mangini will make a switch, he does mention that he does use the 4-3 sometimes based on the offense they are facing (typical Mangini answer), and if they did, is this something that will take another 2 years for the players to adjust to. Its sad, we really have some talented defensive players, but to lose them in a bad scheme makes absolutey no sense at all!!
Oh to be a JET fan. You have to be able to close your eyes and dream of what could have been. We couldn’t get the job done against a team without 5 of thier starters on defense. We saw what happened in the exhibition game against the Giants. A game in which you play your starters a little bit longer than normal. What was the rational in not signing Pete K. Those 3 losses alone just about ended our season prematurely. We need a 10-2 finish to even have a slim chance of making the playoffs. There have been reports that Chads ankle is still bothering and he is having trouble throwing off of it. I would love to see Mangini talking on the sidelines instead of chewing gum. Maybe not emotionally, but at least communicating with someone. I just think the rest of the schedule is to tough. I can actually see a 3-13 season. Hope I am completely wrong. However I am a realist not an optomist.
I still don’t understand, all the 3-4 to 4-3 stuff.
Whether we play the 3-4, or 4-3, our players still aren’t good enough.
Our only consistent pass-rusher in the 4-3, was Abe. Who does it now?
To me, since we now play some 4-3 sets, the way to go, is to continue as we are. These players are learning the system, and when we add a few key players, things will start to click.
I think the real problem now, is that the coaching staff is just being too conservative, on both sides of the ball.
On D, we have to be more aggressive is disguising coverages.
When our D improved last season, in the 2nd-half of the season, it wasn’t only because of the blitz.
If you remember, our players were moving around a lot, before the snap. Not this season.
So, I suspect the coaching staff, if things continue as they are, will start taking chances again… and play will improve.
This being passive, to try to cover for our line play (on both sides of the ball), is sheer madness.
I love your gut feeling and I hope it’s right. I wish I had a gut feeling, but I don’t. Giants 27 Jets 17.
You crazy. CB Aaron Ross (6’1 197) is a STUD! he’ll prove tomorrow hes a better CB prospect than Darelle Revis. Revis is solid but he doesn’t stand out in anything. Ross is a agressive corner and playmaker. Hes a rookie but hes a good one.
I don’t understand how your gut is telling you that the Jets OL will handle DE Strahan(1 sack) DE Osi(6sacks) DE Justin Tuck(4.5 sacks) LB Kiwanuka(4.5 sacks) the fast and athletic DT Barry Cofield and the disrupter DT Fred Robbins??
What type of gut you have?
It’s way too early to be debating the greatness of a couple of rookie corners and it’s too late to be talking smack. Logic has a way of going out the window, with the opening kickoff, so a gut feeling is as good as anything. Nothing to do now but wait and see….
[...] Gross and I have the same gut feeling. [...]
If the sole reason Barnes was inactive last week was due to him opening his mouth, then the coach should be fired.
We cut a solid player in Askew because he was not getting the job done blocking, sign a pure blocking full back, then keep him on the bench in favor of a nobody H-Back who continues to get blown up by blitzers while the superior player rides the pine for opening his mouth?
Another case of putting the program ahead of the game.
I hope they come to their senses soon and realizes this is the NFL, not college. You need talent to win consistantly, and talent sometimes arrives with a brain and the willingness to express the occasional opinion.
I blame this entire bad start on the coaching staff. They uprgaded their talent and the schedule to date has been easier than last years 4 game start. So it has to be the coaching. Sophomore slump or arrogance, not sure yet, but they better get it figured out and quick.
I think last week opened their eyes and a different team will show up today. Like last year’s decimation of the non-Bear NFC opponents, this will be a blow out.
Jets 34-17.