A defensive specialist by trade, Ryan’s offense has needed more attention from its head coach since the season started. After reviewing game film of the first three games, I saw many of the same mistakes Sanchez is making now.
He made bad decisions, off-target throws and was careless with the football but since the team was winning, these flaws drew insufficient attention from the coaching staff.
As head coach, it is Ryan’s job to respond to his team’s weaknesses. If he does not, his counterpart on game day will surely exploit them. That has been one of Ryan’s biggest failings: he has been slow to effect change on this team.
In his defense, this is a part of the game to which most new coaches struggle so his recent revelation is a positive sign that change is on the way. But he has to speed up the process. Ten games and 19 turnovers later is too long to respond to the team’s biggest liability.
Ryan is in a coach’s no man’s land right now. A losing streak is a lonely place for a head coach. It is the ultimate test of his philosophy and makes him question his own leadership.
Ryan has been open about accepting input from various sources but the most significant advice is coming from within the organization. In a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the Jets’ organization, Ryan alluded to the “after action report” process whereby senior decision makers provide feedback to improve the team’s performance.
Ryan is clearly getting direction from Mike Tannenbaum and Assistant GM Scott Cohen. They no doubt urged him to be more hands on with the offense, to provide more oversight to the entire operation and to delegate more on defense.
This is a positive development but it is alarming as well. As head coach, Ryan should know these things and the fact that he has his training wheels still on means management must take the same active role in his development as Ryan is taking with Sanchez.
But change is clearly in the air at Florham Park. Ever the optimist, Ryan’s positive regard for his players has allowed certain guys to become complacent.
After cutting special teamer Ahmad Carroll the week before, Ryan demoted Kerry Rhodes in a move that was long overdue. Without knowing his practice habits, the perception of Rhodes is that he is a “glamour boy” – more interested in his Twitter account and celebrity parties than actually getting better on the field.
That sort of thing is tolerated as long as he can deliver on game day but Rhodes has been underachieving. He was on the cusp of a Pro Bowl selection when he turned in consecutive impressive seasons with 9 interceptions, 5 forced fumbles and 7 sacks spanning ’06 and ’07.
Since then? Two INT’s, 0 forced fumbles and 1 sack.
He has not delivered big plays despite having a solid partner now in the deep patrol. Rhodes has been too comfortable for too long and needed this wake up call. Good move by Ryan in delivering a reality check.
Now that they are essentially out of the playoff race, the Jets must focus on getting better and playing with more consistency.
Ryan gets another chance to get the team on track with another winnable game against an opponent that has stumbled to a 4-6 record as well.
After a 12-4 finish last season, Carolina was “one and done” in the playoffs, getting blown out at home by the Cardinals 33-13. Head coach John Fox has been on the hot seat ever since.
His quarterback has struggled with his accuracy and has thrown 2 interceptions or more in four games this year and has 14 on the season. With only 8 touchdowns, Jake Delhomme has come under scrutiny from fans and media alike.
At 34, he may be at the end of the road as he tries to balance out an offense that has become increasingly dependent on its bruising rushing attack.
The duo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart is arguably the most potent in the NFL. Last year they were the first pair since 1960 to run up 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns and have not slowed down since.
Williams has already rushed for 980 yards and 7 touchdowns and Stewart has accumulated over 500 yards and 6 TD’s. The Jets D will have to be stout in order to stop this offense.
The Panthers’ best defensive player, Julius Peppers, is nursing a hand injury which has relegated him to pass rush specialist in recent games. Carolina newspapers have reported that the hand is broken which would explain his poor production since the injury.
This will be an interesting game. Both offenses are mirror images of each other. Their quarterbacks are struggling and their coaches will no doubt want to run the football and limit their risk in the passing game.
The quarterback that can minimize his mistakes and make enough plays to get points on the board stands the best chance of winning. Both defenses will surely bring the heat in obvious passing situations knowing these QB’s are mistake prone.
This game could turn on one or two big plays. The team that wins the turnover battle will have the best chance to come out on top. It also projects to be a low scoring affair. The Jets are averaging 21 points per game compared to Carolina’s 19.
Both coaches like to win with defense and a strong running game and both facets will be on full display in this one.
Predicting an outcome in a Jets’ game is nearly impossible. They do not play to the level of their talent and are at the mercy of their rookie quarterback.
Hopefully Ryan’s new code system will help Sanchez better understand game situations and avoid turnovers. If he is on his game, the Jets have an excellent chance to win.