Green Lantern: Jets Conquer Severe Turbulence
By Jeff Capellini, CBSNewYork.com
NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- It was simply a stunning performance on every level.
For 30 minutes on Sunday the Jets played like the guys who we thought they were, worthy of all the seemingly undeserved praise that's been bestowed upon them ever since that disappointing result last January in Indianapolis.
The Jets overcame obstacle after obstacle when every fiber of our being told us this beleaguered franchise simply doesn't win these types of games. History suggested there was no way this group of players would rebound from a halftime deficit and beat the mighty Patriots, not after how they played in the opener and not after how the offense barely touched the field in the first half on Sunday.
Yet these Jets came out of the tunnel in the second stanza and went to work in a way that both shocked the system and the fan base and, if nothing else, put the entire NFL on notice. Sunday's 28-14 victory gave the world a glimpse of what these Jets can be.
There's plenty of heart, soul and desire on this team, in addition to buckets of talent and big mouths.
The examples are endless, even if the opening two quarters had many shaking their heads and reaching for additional beverages.
Tactically, many questioned Rex Ryan's early defensive strategy. Instead of bringing the house like he'd done almost to a fault through his first 20 games as the Jets' head coach, Ryan played it safe in the first half, holding his blitzing army back. Now whether or not he was fearful his secondary couldn't contain Wes Welker and the Pats' tight ends in single coverage, the decision to play it safe, or to play it basic to the rest of the coaches in this league, resulted in guys like aging Fred Taylor, always versatile Kevin Faulk and non-descript BenJarvus Green-Ellis eating up huge chunks of the clock with 4 to 5 yards a pop on the ground.
It appeared as if the Jets head coach had goofed big time and that the team really missed behemoth tackle Kris Jenkins.
When all-everything Tom Brady did drop back to pass he had a month to find Welker and tight end Aaron Hernandez and they did what many feared they would do -- catch everything and run to daylight.
Then there was Darrelle Revis and his balky hamstring, a problem many suspected would surface considering his lack of reps in the preseason due to his five-week contract holdout. The Jets' franchise defensive player looked very un-Revis-like from the start and when Randy Moss beat him deep near the end of the first half for a touchdown that put that Pats up 14-7, one just sat around wondering "Where have I seen this before?"
When it comes to Revis getting toasted, barely ever. When it comes to what it would probably end up meaning for the Jets, well, you've seen it so many times in the past I really don't need to waste words here explaining.
But then something happened, something absolutely unforseen.
Mark Sanchez took over.
The maligned second-year quarterback engineered a nice drive in the waning minutes of the half that ended with largely unsung Nick Folk booting a 49-yard field goal that sent the Jets into the break down just four points and with a little momentum.
Despite all that had gone on -- the Patriots' statistical dominance, the injury to Revis and a glaring lack of possession time by the offense -- the Jets were very much in the game, even if it really didn't feel that way.
Whatever Ryan said to his troops during the intermission should be bottled and sold as motivational inspiration for every single person who has a job, for the Jets came out in the second half a completely different bunch. And despite a slew of injuries that could easily have destroyed any chance they had of coming back, they persevered, showing the kind of sticktoitiveness we're simply not accustomed to seeing from members of this franchise.
And it actually got worse as it got better. Revis, despite being listed as questionable, never returned. Center Nick Mangold disappeared into the tunnel with a shoulder injury. Jason Taylor suffered an elbow injury.
But the latter two were to be heard from again, in a huge way to boot.
Ryan switched his thinking back to all-out attack mode on defense. The Jets started getting in Brady's face. Welker and Hernandez disappeared from the face of the field and Moss found himself, unbelievably, on "Cromartie Island." The Jets' other standout defensive back shook off a nightmarish opener to handle his new task of stopping Moss with gusto, holding the future Hall of Famer without a catch in Revis' stead.
The glimpses Sanchez showed in the first half exploded into an entirely different player over the final 30 minutes. He spread the field and turned Dustin Keller into the star tight end many have been waiting to see and Braylon Edwards into the stud he's always been suspected of being.
Sanchez, killed all last week by media and fans for his 74-yard, INT performance against the Ravens, picked the Patriots apart. It was as if the light finally went on inside offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's head.
Let this kid play.
And play he most certainly did. Sanchez finished the day 21-of-30 for 220 yards, with a career-high 3 TD passes and, most importantly, not a single turnover. Schottenheimer called the types of plays that played to Sanchez's strengths. He got his signal caller out of the pocket and allowed him to use his vast improvisation skills.
Keller emerged from the shadows of a disastrous Week 1 performance that saw him get knocked upside the head by Ray Lewis and run a 9-yard pass pattern on 4th and 10 late in that loss to record 7 catches for 115 yards and a TD.
Edwards and the often overlooked Jerricho Cotchery combined for 9 receptions for 71 yards, 2 TDs and one crucial 2-point conversion.
Getting back to the walking wounded, Mangold returned and helped spearhead a rushing offense that completely wore down the Patriots in the fourth quarter. LaDainian Tomlinson finished with 102 all-purpose yards and somewhat forgotten Shonn Greene punished the New England line for another 52 yards, including many, many late. Greene protected the football like his life depended on it.
Taylor also returned and delivered the signature hit of the game, coming back brandishing a large elbow brace to sack Brady into a fumble with four minutes remaining.
Now, I've read countless comments from Patriots fans saying the team didn't show up in the second half. That's nonsense. It's garbage. So let me get this straight, a team with a Hall of Fame coach, quarterback, wide receiver and many guys with championship rings suddenly broke from character and got complacent against their hated rivals with just a four-point lead after 30 minutes?
That's a ridiculous copout.
As painful as it is, Patriots fans need to tip their caps to the Jets for they proved themselves as truly worthy adversaries. If I had a dollar for every tweet sent my way predicting a Patriots blowout or chastising the Jets for being this all-talk, no-results team I'd probably own a large stake in Twitter and run it my way.
"We did a lot of talking," Tomlinson said. "But at some point, you've got to prove it. That's what it was about today."
And prove it the Jets most certainly did. They are very much for real.
And if I'm a member of next Sunday night's opponent, the Miami Dolphins, I keep one thing in mind. Revis looks as if he's going to miss a few weeks.
But as we all learned that's not a death sentence.
These Jets appear to have what it takes to walk the walk, stars on the field or not.
