The New York Jets go into their bye week with a 3-5 record and many fans weren’t expecting a loss at home to the Miami Dolphins. Both teams went into the game ‘hot-headed’ ready to blow off some steam and it just so happens that the Dolphins blew off plenty of steam on the field and came out with the 30-9 win.  The Jets have a handful of things to work on during this down time and I’ve decided to give them a little mid-season grading on what seems to be the problem.

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Offensive:  D (Needs Improvement)

Who would have thought this shaky offense that we saw in the pre-season wouldn’t get it together and now 8 weeks in the offense is at the bottom of the team ranking and almost looks to be non-repairable.  The running game has been pretty much horrible since the season started, with the exception of RB Shonn Greene and the few times we seen him get some yards.  Mark Sanchez does not have the proper coverage he should as a quarterback.  The return of TE Dustin Keller has taken off a little pressure and he looked like his old self again but unfortunately he cannot do it on his own. Throwing Tim Tebow in the mix should have been a good thing but many were hoping to see him do more and this acquisition almost seems like a huge waste.

Defensive:  C- (Satisfactory)

After Darrelle Revis left the season with a torn ACL, Antonio Cromartie has stepped up big time, combine that with a hard hitting Landry and Bell the D-line is not too bad.  The injuries is what’s stopping this defense from getting a kick start especially with Sione Po’uha (back) and Kenrick Ellis (knee) added to that mix as well. Muhammad Wilkerson has been decent in his run game and protection and rookie Quinton Coples has been able to get two sacks with the limited time he’s played.  The defense will need to improve a bit and I think if they can get it together they will be the key to getting some wins in the next few match-ups.

Special Teams C (Satisfactory)

Kicker Nick Folk has kept the team alive with points for some of the games when it was crucial for the Jets.  He has currently made 12 of 13 field goal attempts.  We have seen a little bit of success when Tebow was used as the punt protector. The return units has also been looking decent with Jeremy Kerley having that well needed 68-yard punt return touchdown against the Bills and Joe McKnight’s 100-yard kickoff return touchdown against the Texans. They just need some overall improvement on their special team’s coverage.

Coaching B (Good)

I’m going to go right into the coach I think has the biggest impact of the Jets record and that would be OC Tony Sparano. He has been criticized lately for not using Tebow as much as he should and his play calling hasn’t really made any phenomenal plays as promised. DC Mike Pettine’s ‘One Step Faster’ strategy doesn’t seem to be moving anywhere; they seem to have the inability to get off the field on third down. Coach Ryan cannot be happy with the way things are going which is why he has become a little more involved with both the offense and defense side of things.  Ryan had much pride in the past by calling his team the best defense in the league. I’m sure he wants to get back to this rank and it starts with the coaching once things flow from this level then things on the field will flow as well.

Overall Mark:

F (Needs Some Hardcore Improvement)

If the Jets want to remain playoff contenders, they will have to make these changes, it’s already getting  into week 9 and I hate to say it but if they continue playing this way they will have to sit this one out and hope for a better one next season.

After the Bye week the Jets are up to face the Seattle Seahawks in this away game.  The Seahawks are 4-4 and have been playing some decent ball. The Jets currently stand 24th overall in the league( 29th in offense and in 16th in defense). The Seahawks are 15th  overall (30th in offense and 5th  in defense). The  Jets are currently last place in their division and the one question that many are asking each week is: When will it be Tebow Time?

To be continued………..

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Written by Veronica

Veronica was born in Jamaica and raised in Toronto, Ontario so where did her love of Football come from you ask??. Watching the game with her step-dad of course, the minute she seen legends like Jerry Rice and Brett Favre she knew this was her passion. Not only does she love Football, she also has love for other sports like Basketball, Baseball, Boxing and Hockey. Veronica always jokes that Football is her ‘husband’ and Basketball is her ‘mistress’. Graduating with a Marketing degree from Ontario a sports career was the next thing on her ‘To-do list’. It’s her lifelong dream and is definitely on the right track of following her dream and eventually catching it. In her spare time if she’s not watching her favorite channel the NFL Network she’s probably at a game (during the season) or blogging about her first love. Oh and by the way Veronica bleeds green with her favorite team the JETS so if you ever see her out at a game don’t hesitate to chant with her J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!

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