Would it be wrong to say the best thing about Monday Night Football was Fireman Ed’s opening speech?
Perhaps that’s a little harsh as there were some good displays (particularly on defense), but there won’t be many more MNF games that offer as little in the way of excitement as this one. In fact, as much as Baltimore and Jacksonville may look like a mismatch on paper, I’m foaming at the mouth in anticipation especially considering it can’t get any worse than what the Jets and Dolphins offered up.
However, there are still talking points, and right now I’m left deciding who I was more unimpressed by; a Dolphins side which is clearly in transition now until they move on from Tony Sparano, or a Jets unit that appears to be going nowhere. Sure the Jets picked up a vital win, but the manner of it? Well let’s just say the Dolphins played their part in losing this game with poor decisions and poor performances. So let’s get into that straight away.
Miami Dolphins – Three Performances of Note
No Moore!
That was brutal. The only person smiling after that performance was the agent of Chad Henne, who saw Matt Moore (-1.4) make Henne look like Dan Marino. It’s hard to pick out one part of his play that really epitomizes what makes Moore such a poor fit as the starting QB for the Dolphins (or anyone), but what really hurts as much as anything are the forced throws. Two interceptions came on two bad decisions, as Moore seemed to ignore coverage’s more often than not. Still, the low-lights of his poor day were two plays, one a throw and a ridiculous decision. Now sure, Brandon Marshall may have caught that ball for a touchdown with 13:38 left in the second quarter. But why is Moore throwing a slant behind his receiver when he has perfect position on the cornerback? The commentary team may have placed the blame at Marshall (who doesn’t get off scot free for putting a catchable ball on the ground), but Moore should never have put his receiver in that position. Secondly, it was his decision (12:20 in the third) to run out of bounds and take a sack, which took his team out of field goal range. Aren’t quarterbacks supposed to be the brains of the operation? A terrible display.
All Stand for the Bell
It hasn’t been a great year for Yeremiah Bell (+2.0). He was terrible against San Diego, and hasn’t put in a strong showing all year (a far cry from his impressive 2010). Fortunately though, he looked back to his best in this one. He came up to make a couple of nice tackles for short gains in the run game, finishing the day with five defensive stops. Still, his best play came when he showed excellent closing speed to cut off Jeremy Kerley on third down (00:32 in the third), with the Jets receiver looking like he had oceans of space to turn a third down into a first down.
A 180 on the Line
Part of the criticism of Coach Sparano has come as the result of an area, in which he is an expert, struggling so badly. The offensive line has more than it’s share of problems this year, with the right side in particular having plenty of issues. Incongruously, they found a degree of form in this one, while the star of the unit so far, Mike Pouncey (-1.5), had his worst game as a pro. The elder Pouncey gave up a hit and a pressure, but his biggest problems came in run defense. Simply put, he wasn’t up the task of dealing with Sione Pouha (+2.3 run defense), with the Jets nose tackle (and others) able to get the better of him. This was no more obvious than with 13:17 to go in the first, where Pouha stood up the Dolphins center, before disengaging to make a tackle for a one yard gain. On the positive side, the right side of the line gave up just three pressures between them. There have been single drives this year where either Marc Colombo (-0.5) or Vernon Carey (+1.1) have given up more.
New York Jets: Three Performances of Note
Responding to a callout
So much of the talk this week was regarding comments Santonio Holmes made, and the response of Brandon Moore (+0.7). Moore can be content with his display in this one, but it was the line as a whole that can feel comfortable with what they were able to do. There’s no point denying that having Nick Mangold (+2.3) back is huge for everyone, but the Jets got performances out of the entire unit, including Wayne Hunter (+1.4). In my three points to focus on, I speculated Hunter could be in for a rough day against Cameron Wake (-2.6), but that never materialized, with the only sack he gave up being to Koa Misi. Hunter benefited from Wake only rushing the passer 18 times, but was more than up to the challenge as he continued his string of more impressive recent performances. If only Mark Sanchez (+1.6) could have taken advantage of the fact he was only pressured on four plays. Instead he completed just 14 out of 22 when not pressured (and none when he was).
Not the finished articled
Coming off a strong performance against New England, this was a bit of a come down for Jamaal Westerman (-3.8), who could find himself losing playing time on the back of this showing. Sure he picked up a garbage time sack as Matt Moore stepped up for him, but he did very little else in his 44 snaps, generating just one extra QB hit on 16 pass rushes. That wasn’t the worst of it though, with Westerman schooled by Jake Long when he went up with him in the run game. The Jets still need to generate pressure sending four, and Westerman doesn’t look like a guy ready to consistently help them in that regard.
The Difference Maker
In a game so low on quality, it’s hardly surprising that the most talented player on the field was what separated the two teams. There will be those (understandably) who argue the first interception of Darrelle Revis (+3.1) should have been called a penalty, and others who point out a better throw from Matt Moore would have seen Brandon Marshall pick up a touchdown. Valid points, but Revis still responded to being thrown at 14 times, by allowing just five completions for 63 yards, while breaking up two passes to go with his two interceptions. If you’re looking for a sign of his class, watch how he prevents a touchdown with 7:36 to go in the first. He oozes class and was the bright spot, in an otherwise drab Monday night of football.
Game Notes
– I don’t want to keep laying into Matt Moore, but he completed just 2/ 10 attempts when pressured, and took another four sacks. If anyone out there remembers the “old” NFL QB rating, that equates to a 10.8. Otherwise referred to as ‘ugh’.
– The Jets offensive line had a 95.5 Pass Blocking Efficiency rating, giving up pressure on just three plays. Of games graded so far this week (all bar three), that’s the second best score.
– Shonn Greene had an ‘Elusive Rating’ of 0 after picking up just 2.19 yards after contact, and forcing no missed tackles.
PFF Game Ball
And your winner is Darrelle Revis. Obviously. How could it be anyone else?
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