Offense:
1. Gus played solid. I don't blame him for the last interception...that ball was just a tick high for Randy. I didn't see any really poor decisions, and most of the balls he threw gave the receiver a chance and put the defender out of position. I think it's getting a little frustrating for him when the receivers are running incorrect routes.
2. The line was up and down all game. No consistency. I'm not sure what the line tinkering was about in the 3rd quarter, but John Abraham was abusing our line. WAY TOO MANY stupid holding calls!
3. Ronnie Brown didn't have a lot of running room, but he's got to learn to take advantage of the creases. What I see him doing is stuttering in the backfield looking for a hole. What he needs to do is hit a hole quickly and get through the line of scrimmage, then make the decision to cutback or wiggle through another crease. He's not making his cuts at the proper times.
4. I'm not saying that Chambers is overrated or anything, but he needs to pick it up. If he's going to be the #1 receiver on this team, he needs to be a lot more aggressive attacking the football with his hands. The drop he had on 3rd down was a play that a #1 receiver is expected to make. McMichael and Diamond both had good games as pass receivers.
Defense:
1. The front seven was rushing hard, and the blitz package was getting guys free, but the Jets seemed to be a half step ahead in either blocking or having Pennington throw to a hot read. I think the big problem stopping the run in the 1st half was due to poor discipline by the players. I saw Seau, Schulters, Tebucky Jones, and Taylor make mistakes by being out of position. They've got to maintain gap responsibilities in this defense. The problem seemed corrected in the 2nd half.
2. Daniels got beat for a TD, but I thought he played well. Schulters was around the ball most of the day. Jones might be getting better, but he dropped a sure interception, and he's a little slow in recognition. Mario Edwards needs to be cut. He's shown nothing and he's hurting us back there. Reggie Howard struggled a little bit to keep up with the Jet's quicker receivers, but he wasn't nearly as bad as Edwards. It's usually a good sign when we don't hear too much about Madison. That means he had solid coverage and the QB was going away from his side. He also avoided the stupid pass interference penalties that always seem to get him. Bottomline, Saban will go hunting for at least one new safety and one cornerback next year.
Special Teams
1. Donnie Jones is doing a good job. The hang time on his punts is very good, and the coverage teams aren't giving up any big returns.
2. I was curious as to why The Miami Herald reported last week that Saban was auditioning punters and long-snappers. That muffed field goal answered my question. The snap was high and it threw off the timing of the whole unit. You just can't do that in the NFL.
Overall
Saban's doing a good job out there. The team seems better prepared than last year, but at some point, it's going to be up to the players. The coaching staff can only put them in a posisition to make plays. All the players seemed to be waiting around for something to happen and not stepping up to make something happen. The only thing that irks me is the penalties. That is often the sign of either an undisciplined team or a stupid team, and we know Saban's team's aren't undisciplined. Some of the current roster will be gone next year because their mental ability doesn't match their physical prowess.
1. Gus played solid. I don't blame him for the last interception...that ball was just a tick high for Randy. I didn't see any really poor decisions, and most of the balls he threw gave the receiver a chance and put the defender out of position. I think it's getting a little frustrating for him when the receivers are running incorrect routes.
2. The line was up and down all game. No consistency. I'm not sure what the line tinkering was about in the 3rd quarter, but John Abraham was abusing our line. WAY TOO MANY stupid holding calls!
3. Ronnie Brown didn't have a lot of running room, but he's got to learn to take advantage of the creases. What I see him doing is stuttering in the backfield looking for a hole. What he needs to do is hit a hole quickly and get through the line of scrimmage, then make the decision to cutback or wiggle through another crease. He's not making his cuts at the proper times.
4. I'm not saying that Chambers is overrated or anything, but he needs to pick it up. If he's going to be the #1 receiver on this team, he needs to be a lot more aggressive attacking the football with his hands. The drop he had on 3rd down was a play that a #1 receiver is expected to make. McMichael and Diamond both had good games as pass receivers.
Defense:
1. The front seven was rushing hard, and the blitz package was getting guys free, but the Jets seemed to be a half step ahead in either blocking or having Pennington throw to a hot read. I think the big problem stopping the run in the 1st half was due to poor discipline by the players. I saw Seau, Schulters, Tebucky Jones, and Taylor make mistakes by being out of position. They've got to maintain gap responsibilities in this defense. The problem seemed corrected in the 2nd half.
2. Daniels got beat for a TD, but I thought he played well. Schulters was around the ball most of the day. Jones might be getting better, but he dropped a sure interception, and he's a little slow in recognition. Mario Edwards needs to be cut. He's shown nothing and he's hurting us back there. Reggie Howard struggled a little bit to keep up with the Jet's quicker receivers, but he wasn't nearly as bad as Edwards. It's usually a good sign when we don't hear too much about Madison. That means he had solid coverage and the QB was going away from his side. He also avoided the stupid pass interference penalties that always seem to get him. Bottomline, Saban will go hunting for at least one new safety and one cornerback next year.
Special Teams
1. Donnie Jones is doing a good job. The hang time on his punts is very good, and the coverage teams aren't giving up any big returns.
2. I was curious as to why The Miami Herald reported last week that Saban was auditioning punters and long-snappers. That muffed field goal answered my question. The snap was high and it threw off the timing of the whole unit. You just can't do that in the NFL.
Overall
Saban's doing a good job out there. The team seems better prepared than last year, but at some point, it's going to be up to the players. The coaching staff can only put them in a posisition to make plays. All the players seemed to be waiting around for something to happen and not stepping up to make something happen. The only thing that irks me is the penalties. That is often the sign of either an undisciplined team or a stupid team, and we know Saban's team's aren't undisciplined. Some of the current roster will be gone next year because their mental ability doesn't match their physical prowess.
