No aspect of the team played well in Jets' rout
by Steve Saslow
The Offense was held out of the end zone, the defense gave up more points then they have all year, and special teams allowed two long returns. Yes, this game was as bad as the score indicates. The last place and winless Jets got flying in this one as they blew the Bills out 30-3. Our position by position grades will not be kind to the Bills:
Quarterback:Drew Bledsoe seemed lost from the second quarter on. He finished with 40 pass attempts as the team had to abandon the run when they fell way behind. He completed 24 of them for 202 yards. He also threw an interception, lost a fumble, and let a snap go by him as he tried to call timeout. Alex Van Pelt came into the game in garbage time and promptly threw an interception on his first play. Grade F: Bledsoe has officially started his second half slide way too early.
Running Backs:Travis Henry was a busy man also as he ran 18 times for 53 yards and added 7 catches for 35 yards. His catches were mostly in garbage time and his 2.9 yard average per carry is actually better than the recent past but still not good. Joe Burns caught one pass for three yards. Sam Gash was again underutilized, in fact, the team put a tight end in at fullback instead of Gash on many occasions. Grade F: Maybe McGahee can get the running game going.
Receivers:Josh Reed did not drop a pass in this game and caught three balls for 42 yards. Bobby Shaw was Bledsoe's go to guy with Eric Moulds out with a groin injury. Shaw caught six passes for 58 yards. Two rookies got a chance to play with Moulds out. Clarence Coleman caught three passes for 27 yards, his first catches of his career. Sam Aiken also caught his first career pass, an 18 yard gain in which he made a nice reaching catch in coverage. Mark Campbell caught three passes. Dave Moore was quiet, and third string tight end Ryan Neufeld saw extensive action in blocking schemes, including lining up in the front of the I formation at fullback. Grade C-: Made some plays and held onto the ball.
Offensive Line:Let's just say it, this unit is downright awful. Bledose was sacked seven times and that was with their best player, John Abraham, inactive. Ruben Brown and Trey Teague were taken to school by Jason Ferguson for two sacks. Mike Williams continues his horrific sophomore slump as he was beaten for a sack by Shaun Ellis. He also had a sack when he stunted and came by Teague and Mike Pucillo. Teague also snapped the ball once when Bledsoe was calling timeout. Run blocking wasn't much better as they averaged only 2.8 yards a carry. Grade F-: The unit isn't overrated anymore, they just plain stink.
Defensive Line:This was a depleted unit as Sam Adams and his backup, Ron Edwards missed the game with injuries. Justin Bannan started and saw most of the action in the middle with Pat Williams. Both players were in on six tackles but let Curtis Martin run for 77 yards. Aaron Schobel and Ryan Denney were quiet and did not get much pressure on Testerverde. Grade F: Undermanned unit didn't step up.
Linebackers:London Fletcher led the way with nine tackles. Takeo Spikes was second with eight tackles but neither player made an impact play. Fletcher was beat for a score by Anthony Becht. Jeff Posey had a sack and was in on six tackles. Grade F: Like everyone else, didn't do the job.
Secondary:Nate Clements was called for a pass interference penalty and was beaten on a few plays. Antoine Winfield was in on seven tackles and was his usual stellar self in run support and pass coverage. Lawyer Milloy had a half of sack but was otherwise quiet. Izell Reese was beaten for a few nice gains. Pierson Prioleau had a half of sack as he continues to play in blitz packages. Grade D: Did well against the pass but the Jets kept in on the ground a lot.
Special Teams:Brian Moorman averaged 47.5 yards on his four punts but the coverage units didn't help his net average as Santana Moss returned three of them for 102 yards, a whopping 34 yard average. His 47 yarder led to a touchdown and his 38 yarder led to three points. The Bills return teams struggled again as they averaged 20 yards on kickoff returns and were called for two holding penalties. Rian Lindell hit his lone field goal attempt, a 44 yarder. Grade F: Worst game of the year from this group.
Coaching:The fourth down gamble in the first quarter allowed the Jets to seize the momentum. Why don't they use Gash in the backfield? Certainly he's better then Neufeld. The Bills have been flat for a month now, the blame is squarely on the coaches for not getting them out of the funk. Grade F: At this rate Williams may not survive the season.
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