Exactly wharf. Even when the Jets were bad at the beginning of 2002, you could see vestiges of what could make them a pretty good unit if they put it together. I think tonight I saw that. With Vinny in the game they are almost bound to taking dumps on the field rather than scoring touchdowns, but they still kept this game competitive against what I feel will prove to be a pretty good Redskins team. We're not talkin super bowl Skins here, but there is no doubt that with the additions they have made they have improved their team. They need to get Trung Canidate out of the way and let Ladell Betts be their runningback. I watched the Skins last year and I'm tellin ya, it wasn't that the Skins were a horribly coached team (although at times, that was part of it) it was that they had horrible players! It starts at QB with Danny Wuerffel. Then the WRs that Spurrier kept messin around with. Spurrier used his influence to have the GMs grab a bunch of ex-Gators for what they thought was going to be either camp fodder or depth fillers (guys who could teach the rest of the players how to play in Spurrier's system), and then he played them no matter who was the best player on the field. It was aweful. People make fun of the Fun'n'Gun and trust me there's usually no bigger Spurrier detractor than myself, but I have definitely seen much much worst coached offensive units in the NFL. In fact I think Paul Hackett showed us a great example.
These teams just duked it out tonight. They looked sloppy at times because they had good players on the other side. John Abraham made the guys trying to block him look bad, as well as Ramsey. LaVar Arrington made the Jets play-calling look way worst than maybe it was.
On that 3rd and 1 where they ran the ball, I'm not criticizing the Jets for calling a run...lord knows I would also want to take the ball out of the hands of Vinny Testeverde when he's playing like crap...I was criticizing the Jets for not having an option for Vinny to check out of the play. He was coming off a timeout, had plenty of time left on the play clock, and when he steps up to the line no less than 3 Skins players jump toward the line of scrimmage, outside and inside, just ITCHING to step into that backfield. An I formation isolation run just will NOT WORK in that situation, and both Vinny and Paul Hackett should know that. Hackett should have given Vinny the freedom and responsibility to check out of that play, and Vinny should have clearly checked out of it. That play failed because of the failed relationship between Vinny and Paul Hackett. With Pennington in the game, different situation is what I am saying.
And with Pennington back in I think the Jets are the same team that stole the AFC East title...all that I've seen tonight merely confirms that for me.
