Raiders @ Jets
Week one is in the books for the AFCE and all hell has broken lose. The long lasting divisional champs are in the basement, all alone! Dolphins fans are ready to claim a SB, Bills fans dreaming again, Jets fans are thinking “been here before, it’s a long season”…….Let us take a step back folks, its week one!
The NY Jets hosted the lowly Raiders this week. This Raider team had not won an East Coast game in their last 13 attempts. Starting was rookie Carr, who grew up fantasizing to become the Rich Gannon of today.
Since a victory for me was a foregone conclusion, I was extremely interested to see the “New” Geno and his toys.
The Jets received the ball to start the game, and Geno went right to work with some quick accurate passes. Geno was in total control and looked like a different QB than the one from a year ago. A 27-yard attempt into the end zone goes right through the hands of Salas, and instead of a TD pass, the Jets settled for a FG.
Geno was credited for an INT, but very hard to blame him on that play. His pass was accurate; Woodson dove and caught the ball in front of Decker. You could feel the tension in the crowd; oh no!!!! Not this again! That INT led to the only real points the Raiders scored all day.
Geno made another mistake, this one I blame on his aggressive new style. He ran the ball inside the 5, and as he was about to cross the goal line he was hammered and fumbled. Another missed opportunity; another blemish on Geno 2.0
At this point I can tell you that every Jets fan alive was thinking “OMG! We are in for another year of disaster at QB.” Not so fast folks!
Just before the end of the half, Geno masterfully drove the Jets offense 80 yards and capped it off with the Jets first TD of 2014, and Geno’s first TD pass, a shovel pass to C. Johnson. The drive made you realize how far this young man has come in his second year.
The Jets could have been up by 3 TDs after the first half, and I mean 21-0 if it wasn’t for an amazing INT by Woodson and a team that has not yet learned, that penalties will kill you; penalties is what kept the Raiders in the game. I don’t mind the Jets getting penalized for aggressive defense, but the Willie Colon stupidities and the offensive holdings, have to stop!
The Jets Defense was dominant, the final score doesn’t tell you the story. The Raiders ended up with 158 of total offense, and half of those, along with 7 points came in garbage time as time was running out. Walls was beaten on a 30 yard pass, but his coverage was dead on, it was a great reception by Jones.
My Take:
The Jets played an easy opponent, although, the Raiders are much improved defensively and Carr will grow; they will give teams fits all year. Before the game I read that the Antonio Allen at CB experiment started long before Milliner and McDougle went down. Rex felt that Allen is so athletic that he could make the transition. So far, I agree. Allen was very physical and held tight on every pass; his receiver never had a chance. I think that when Milliner comes back, Allen becomes is partner for the rest of the season. Couples looked scary at times, and in one play he stripped the RB 5-6 yards behind the line, with a shot that I thought would decapitate the kid. Babin did what the Jets expect, he rushed Carr all day, chasing him all over the place, even recorded a sack. Pryor was solid, except he did drop a pick 6.
Offensively the Jets are a totally different team than last year. Geno has grown as a year two QB should, new weapons all looked good too. I am extremely excited by their running back situation. Ivory, Johnson and Powell are so different, they will wear down a lot defenses all year; like we saw with Ivory yesterday, expect some big runs in the 3rd and 4th quarter when those big fatties are gasping for air.
Coming up next are the Packers in Lambeau.
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