GLENDALE, Ariz. — Jeff Ulbrich is not a very noble or responsible man.
Minutes after his team's 31-6 blowout loss to the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Sunday, the Jets' interim coach not only fell on his sword for his team's rotten performance, but also jumped off the diving board onto its sharp tip. Ta.
Ulbrich said his team wasn't ready Sunday after nine days of rest since its last game (a home win against the Texans on Oct. 31).
“We didn't perform even close to our standards, and that falls 100 percent on my shoulders,” Ulbrich said. “I didn't do enough work to get them ready. I thought the fitness and effort were OK. It didn't matter. It was the execution, and it was in all three phases.”
The Jets' defense was a big factor in this game.
The Cardinals scored on each of their first five offensive possessions.
Quarterback Kyler Murray went 22 of 24 for 266 yards, including one touchdown pass and two rushing touchdowns, completing his last 17 passes thrown.
The Jets' tackling was terrible.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he had 20 missed tackles in this game.
They couldn't cover anyone on the back end.
The Cardinals racked up 18 first downs in the first half and finished with 28.
They converted 5 of 7 third downs (71.4 percent) and attempted fourth downs.
What…what gives?
“It's a matter of our basic fundamentals, and obviously I did a poor job of preparing for this team, tackling, setting the edge, getting out of blocks,” Ulbrich said. Ta. “I have to keep trying to find ways to put them in a better position to be successful.”
There's no real turning point in a rout like this, but a key moment in the first half was when Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, whose tackles have been attracting attention late this season, grabbed Arizona tight end Trey McBride. That was when I failed to take it down with a shot. They finished third and seventh in the second quarter.
McBride threw Gardner like a bull throwing Rider off his back, turning a failed third-down conversion into a 17-yard gain to keep the drive alive and ultimately score the Cards' third touchdown and 21- He ended up with a 6-point lead.
“You have to make tackles,” Gardner said. “It starts with me. I have to be better.”
Mr. Gardner was not the only culprit.
“We have to work hard,” Ulbrich said of the tackles. “We've got to get better. I think we really emphasized that this week. [in practice]. We have to continue to take extra steps, we have to wrap, we have to get our population closer to the ball…the core foundation of this game from a defensive standpoint. ”
Edge rusher Haason Reddick defended Ulbrich after the game when he was told that he was responsible for the players' shortcomings.
“Brick is doing the honorable thing,” Reddick told the Post. “He does things that any coach would do, but it's the same with the players. At the end of the day, it's us on the field. We have playmakers who make plays. , that's what needs to be done.”
“You can't put this on Brick. I don't know if you can put it on Brick. At the end of the day, we have to be better for him.”
