The Jets believe it will be easier to protect Nathaniel Hackett than Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers, who had a rare 3-interception stink, and despite all the attention on playmakers Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, the offense struggled with back-to-back losses to the Broncos and Vikings and a slow start. can be traced back. Two things in common: an offensive line that hasn't lived up to the expectations set during the offensive offseason, and an offensive coordinator that hasn't offered many creative solutions.
On Monday, the day after a 23-17 loss to the Vikings, head coach Robert Saleh was asked about the performance of his offensive line, which allowed 47 pressures, 25 quarterback hits and eight sacks in one game. , “I'm not disappointed.'' He recorded an astonishing 104 dropbacks in the past two games. “I'm very disappointed with the way things have been over the last few weeks. It's clearly something that needs to be fixed.”
Short-term fixes do not include changing the play-caller to passing game coordinator Todd Downing, a former play-caller for the Titans and Raiders, or anyone else.
In response to questions from the Post, Saleh said that even though the Jets rank 27th out of 32 NFL teams in total offense, 32nd in rushing offense and 25th in scoring offense, taking play-calling away from Hackett is unlikely. He said he had not thought about it.
“This project in New York is not worthy of a Super Bowl,” ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said on “The Get Up.” “It's too stagnant. The predictability is the problem. This attack is pretty rudimentary in that it's running the same concept on both sides.”
It may be difficult to separate blame from the offensive line and Hackett for losses to the Broncos and Vikings.
“They're the most dynamic blitz team in football, and the reality is that when you throw the ball over 50 times like we did, you're going to hit the quarterback, so that makes sense,” Saleh said. “We didn't run the ball enough.” [Sunday] And we retreated from passing too often. If you sit for a long time and teams can tee off on you, it just builds up on you. ”
As an example of one-dimensionality, consider the sample size of two key plays in the first half against the Vikings.
The Jets had Braylon Allen run the ball down the middle of the line on third-and-three and (after avoiding a field goal) fourth-and-two.
Even with three tight ends helping block, two linebackers targeted the gap and stuffed Allen on third down.
To make it even more difficult on fourth down, Hackett gave Rodgers the shotgun and placed Allen directly behind the line of scrimmage, eight yards, for a 10-yard gain at the snap. The play had no chance when an unblocked Dallas Turner took a shot off the edge, slowing Allen down.
“I don't want to say the O-line just isn't up to snuff,” Saleh said. “We're not efficient enough to put ourselves in position to play the football. We have to keep up with two really good defenses that put pressure on the quarterback at a high level, and we're basically trying to keep up with their defense. I got stuck in my fangs.”
After 96 pass attempts in two games, it's easy to say the Jets should run the ball more.
Only opponents have eight or more defenders in the box on 14.2 percent of their carries, the fifth-lowest rate in the NFL this season, but still 23 percent of the Jets' runs are for zero or lost yards. .
However, the running game seems to be getting worse.
In Week 5, the Jets ranked worst in the league in expected points added per rush at -0.62 and ranked 20th out of 26 teams playing through Monday night in expected rushing yards at -0.1.
It was the exact opposite of what I expected the Jets to be able to do against the blitz-happy Vikings.
“The beauty of having many zones” [run] Schemes, a lot of gap schemes, you can understand what they're trying to do. [creating] It was pressure,” Allen said before the game. “They're going to have a chance, but we can have a chance too.”
After an unreliable offensive line stunted Zach Wilson's development and wasted a defensive gem over the past two seasons, the Jets have added free agents Tyron Smith and John Simpson and trade acquisition Morgan Moses to the Jets. They added two new starters and used first-round draft pick Olu Fashanu. To prevent the exact scenario that happened: an injured Moses pushes Fashanu into the starting lineup.
Although they practiced together at training camp, it seems like they still don't get along well. why?
“Coaching, especially on the offensive end, is beyond the Stone Age,” former Jets offensive lineman and ESPN analyst Damian Woody said on “Get Up.” “They have no plans as far as protection.”
