WFAN's Joe Benigno: 'The Jets Secondary Is An Unmitigated Disaster'
BOSTON (CBS) - Midday host Joe Benigno from our sister station WFAN in New York dialed in to Toucher & Rich Tuesday morning to discuss the Patriots-Jets first meeting of the season on Thursday Night Football.
Joe B says there's three people in the Jets organization who have received the most flack on his airways, and they are, in no particular order: general manager John Idzik, head coach Rex Ryan and quarterback Geno Smith.
The irony, Joe says, is that the one person in that group that's done the best job (Rex Ryan) will likely not be back next season.
"I think Idzik has done a terrible job. I'm not a fan of him at all," Benigno told T&R. "The draft choices outside of Sheldon Richardson are still yet to be determined. At $20 million under the cap they have no secondary, and even with the signing of Eric Decker there's not much at wide receiver outside of him. I'm not very thrilled with John Idzik right now."
Back when the Jets made two straight AFC Championships in 2009 and 2010, they were getting competent quarterback play from Mark Sanchez to complement a ferocious, aggressive Rex Ryan defense.
Now under Geno Smith, the Jets offense has sunk to its lowest depth in a long time, and at 1-5 it's probably too late to make a switch according to Benigno.
"It's too late to make the switch at quarterback now. To me, the window to have Mike Vick start a game is already over. He should have started the San Diego game after Geno didn't show up for a meeting. At this point in the season you might as well ride it out with Geno and see if you've got anything with this guy, or if you need another quarterback in the draft next year."
The quarterback play has regressed since Rex Ryan took over, and now the Jets can't even boast about having a great defense.
"The biggest thing with this defense is they never get a turnover. They have one interception in six games, and that was completely offset by a Chris Johnson fumble in San Diego the very next play to give the ball right back to the Chargers. They have two fumble recoveries all year. On Sunday when Denver was ripe for the taking -- any decent team could have beat them -- they had three opportunities for turnovers, two balls on the ground and one ball hits Kyle Wilson in the leg when he wasn't even looking for the ball."
Joe B went ballistic yesterday on WFAN and had an epic rant about Jets corner Kyle Wilson, the former Boise State player taken one spot ahead of Devin McCourty.
As it was made perfectly clear again Tuesday with T&R, Benigno is no fan of Wilson.
"Kyle Wilson is probably the worst cornerback in the history of mankind. As bad a first round pick as the Jets have ever had. He's not Devin McCourty or even Mrs. McCourty," said Joe B, who believes the Patriots will have no problem passing the ball Thursday night.
"The Jets secondary is a disaster. Dee Milliner is out for the year. He tore his Achilles. Looks like another waste of a first round draft pick. They didn't bring Darrelle Revis in, they let [Dominique] Rodgers-Cromartie walk to the Giants, they didn't re-sign Antonio Cromartie, the whole deal. Right now the starting cornerbacks are Phillip Adams and Darrin Walls. They've tried to convert Antonio Allen from safety to corner and that didn't work out. The secondary right now, especially the cornerbacks, are an unmitigated disaster."
However, we've seen the Jets and Rex Ryan draw up great game plans that have beaten the Patriots before, and despite the weak secondary, Joe B thinks there's a way the Jets can win on Thursday night.
Listen below for the full discussion!
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