Report Cards - 2/3 - Turn On The Jets

Turn On The Jets 2010/2011 Report Card – Brad Smith

Today we continue our series of evaluating how each player on the Jets performed this past season, along with looking forward to what their role on the team will be next year…up today, Mr. Do everything, Brad Smith

Stat Line – 38 carries, 299 yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 1 passing touchdown, 7 receptions, 44 yards, 28.6 per kick return, 2 touchdowns.

Playoff Stat Line – 2 receptions, 25 yards, 2 carries, 11 yards

Best Moment – I couldn’t choose between his two kick returns for a touchdown this season. The one against Pittsburgh to start the game was a huge play that helped the Jets end an ugly two game losing streak, but how could you ignore the shoeless touchdown? Run them both back…

Best Game – Smith scored a pair of touchdowns in the Jets Thanksgiving night victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, including the above kick return and one on a 53 yard reverse.

Overall Evaluation – Smith continued to further his reputation as one of the most versatile players in the NFL, providing the Jets a valuable weapon on both offense and special teams. He routinely provided big plays out of their “Tiger” formation and has turned into one of the best kick returners in the league. The only disappointing aspect of Smith’s game is how he has never really developed as a wide receiver. (A-)

Future – Smith is a restricted free agent in this hazy off-season. The Jets placed a second round tender on him. If the rules stay similar to what they were previously, I have a hard time seeing the Jets matching an offer if somebody wants to give him Josh Cribbs type money. However, if the Jets can get him back at a reasonable price I wouldn’t be surprised to see him return.

Turn On The Jets 2010/2011 Report Cards – Jerricho Cotchery

Stat Line – 41 receptions, 433 yards, 2 touchdowns

Playoff Stat Line – 12 receptions, 146 yards, 1 touchdown

Best Moment – Cotchery had a huge, momentum swinging 58 yard reception on the first play of the fourth quarter in the Jets divisional round win over the New England Patriots. However, without question his most memorable play from the 2010 season is below —

Best Game – Cotchery’s 5 reception, 96 yard performance against New England in the playoffs was his best game of the year by a fairly wide margin.

Overall Evaluation – It was a disappointing season for Cotchery, who struggled with injuries and drops throughout the year. Normally possessing the team’s most reliable hands, he actually led the team in drops this season highlighted by three drops in the fourth quarter of the team’s loss to the Green Bay Packers. He did have to deal with being demoted from the starting role after Santonio Holmes returned from suspension but handled it with class. Cotchery had an encouraging end to the season by putting together a strong run in the playoffs. (C)

Future – Cotchery is under contract and will be back with the team next year. There is also a good chance he will be back in the starting lineup, since the the Jets will likely be unable to retain both Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes. I would count on Cotchery to have a nice bounce-back season after his least productive year since 2005.

Turn On The Jets 2010/2011 Report Cards – Braylon Edwards

Stat Line – 53 receptions, 904 yards, 7 touchdowns

Playoff Stat Line – 9 receptions, 164 yards, 1 touchdown

Best Moment – His most important play of the season was a 18 yard leaping reception on the Jets game winning drive against the Indianapolis Colts in the wild-card round. However, something about him dragging half of the New England secondary into the end-zone the following week was too good to pass up (at 3:45).

Best Game –In the Jets regular season victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Edwards hauled in 8 receptions for 100 yards, including multiple tough grabs over the middle. This game really exemplified how far Edwards had progressed away from his problem with dropped passes.

Overall Evaluation – Simply put, Edwards was terrific for the Jets this season. He led the team in receiving yards, made a ton of big plays, and had the least amount of drops. Even though his stat line wasn’t gaudy, anybody who watched every snap of the Jets offense in 2010 knows how productive Edwards was when given the chance. (A)

Future – Cloudy to say the least. It is impossible to guess what will happen with the situation the NFL is currently in, but it will likely be very difficult for the Jets to find a way to bring Edwards back along with Santonio Holmes. The team has stated they want him to return and Edwards has agreed with that sentiment but it could be awhile before we see how free agency breaks. I would say it is more likely he isn’t on the team next year but I hope to be proven wrong by the always creative Mike Tannenbaum.

Turn On The Jets 2010/2011 Report Cards – Darrelle Revis

Stat Line – 32 tackles, 10 passes defensed, 1 prolonged holdout

Playoff Stat Line – 15 tackles, 2 passes defensed

Best Moment – Does a single play jump out in your memory from Darrelle Revis’ 2010 season? It doesn’t in my mind. Honestly, I think we have to go with this…

Best Game – You can go with holding Andre Johnson to four receptions for 32 yards when the Jets played the Texans, holding Calvin Johnson to one reception for 13 yards against Detroit, or his performance against New England in the divisional round when he was all over the field, helping limit the Patriots much hyped passing attack.

Overall Evaluation – The holdout certainly didn’t help things for Revis early in the season, as in the Jets first six games, he missed two and a half and was ineffective in two. Revis was basically back to his 2009 form from that point on, despite not making the amount of big plays he did the previous season. Teams did a better job of avoiding throwing at him down the stretch, which obviously contributed to his zero interception total. I can’t give him higher than a B because of the time missed early in the year and the lack of big plays. He set the bar ridiculously high in 2009. (B)

Future – I think we all remember him negotiating a new contract over the summer, right? Even though he hinted a holdout at a future date wasn’t impossible, I would bank on Revis spending most of the next decade in Green and White.

Turn On The Jets 2010/2011 Report Cards – Santonio Holmes

Stat Line – 52 receptions, 746 yards, 6 touchdowns

Playoff Stat Line – 9 receptions, 127 yards, 2 touchdowns

Best Moment – This isn’t an easy selection, considering Holmes had three game winning catches this season. However, I am going with his touchdown against New England in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Patriots had just cut the score to 14-11 and the Jets were facing a third and goal. If they had to settle for a field goal (also keep in mind Nick Folk had already missed a chip shot), who knows how that fourth quarter could have went? Fortunately, Holmes made an immensely difficult catch to extend the Jets lead to 21-11.

Best Game – Holmes put on a show against the Houston Texans in week 11, pulling in 7 receptions for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns, including the game winner.

Overall Evaluation – Holmes was the clutch playmaker the Jets traded for last off-season. He did have occasional drops and lost two fumbles, yet overall brought a big play dimension to an offense that has been lacking it for years. When the game was on the line this past season, Holmes consistently stepped up his game and provided some of the year’s most memorable moments. (A-)

Future – Holmes received a first and third round tender from the team last week. The team will now work on locking him down to a long term contract. The reports have been pretty consistent about Holmes being the Jets top free agent priority now that David Harris is franchised. I would anticipate seeing Holmes in Green and White for the foreseeable future.

Turn On The Jets 2010/2011 Report Cards – Mark Sanchez

Stat Line – 278/507 (54.8 completion percentage), 3,291 yards, 17 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 75.3 QB Rating, 3 rushing touchdowns.

Playoff Stat Line – 54/89 (60.7 completion percentage), 616 yards, 5 touchdowns, 1 interception, 95.5 QB Rating.

Best Moment –It is hard to argue with him outplaying Tom Brady is his own building to lead the Jets to a divisional round upset victory. However, Sanchez also put together game winning drives in three consecutive November games against Detroit, Cleveland, and Houston.

Best Game – Considering the situation, his best game was against New England in the playoffs. Statistically, his best performances were against New England in week 2 and Miami in week 3 when he posted quarterback ratings over 120 in consecutive weeks, throwing 6 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

Overall Evaluation –You can see the best part about Mark Sanchez’s game by looking at his regular season stats compared to his post-season stats. When the spot gets bigger, his elevates his level of play which is a terrific characteristic for any quarterback to have. He also made strides in protecting the football, alluding the pass rush, and becoming more of a team leader. Sanchez still needs to improve his overall accuracy and consistency but there is no reason not be very optimistic about his future as the Jets franchise quarterback. In two years as a NFL starter, Sanchez has a 19-12 regular season record and is 4-2 in the playoffs, with all four wins coming on the road. (B+)

Future – He is the future of the Jets offense and this team will ultimately go as far as he takes them. It will be interesting to see if the Jets start moving to a more pass happy approach and how Sanchez handles it, if they ultimately decide to.

Turn On The Jets 2010/2011 Report Cards – Shonn Greene

Stat Line – 185 carries, 766 yards, 2 TDs, 16 receptions, 120 yards

Playoff Stat Line – 45 carries, 198 yards, 1 TD, 1 reception, 9 yards

Best Moment – Goodnight New England…maybe the best moment of the entire Jets season came from Greene. You really can hear the tears flowing from Nantz and Simms in this clip.

Best Game – Statistically his best game was against Buffalo in week 4, when he finished with 117 yards on 22 carries (the only game he received more than 20 carries by the way). However, I thought the best he looked was in week 16 against the Bears when he finished with 70 yards on 12 carries with a touchdown and in the AFC Championship Game when he racked up 52 yards on (inexplicably) only 9 carries.

Overall Evaluation – It was a disappointing overall year for Greene. Most of us expected him to seize the lead back role after his run in the 2009 post-season but he was never quite able to do it. I would argue the coaching staff didn’t give him enough work down the stretch run, however he has his slow start to blame for that. Fortunately, LaDainian Tomlinson played better than expected which helped compensate for Greene’e lower than expected output. Two total touchdowns in the regular season just isn’t cutting it either. (C+)

Future – Hopefully Greene will be motivated by last season and grab the lead back role by throat in 2011. He should be given the chance to even if Tomlinson returns for another year. The coaching staff needs to get him more than 20 carries on a much more consistent basis.

Turn On The Jets 2010/2011 Report Cards – Dustin Keller

Stat Line – 55 receptions, 687 yards, 5 touchdowns

Playoff Stat Line – 14 receptions, 121 yards

Best Moment – I am going with Keller’s game clinching touchdown against the Patriots in week 2, which gave them a 28-14 lead late in the fourth quarter. Keller had completely dominated the New England secondary all afternoon and his touchdown was an exclamation point on a terrific game.

Best Game – It is too hard to pick between these two but he looked like a legitimate All-Pro in back to back weeks against New England and Miami early in the season. Between week two and three, Keller pulled in 7 receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots and then followed with 6 receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns against the Dolphins.

Overall Evaluation – Keller was a beast for the first month of the season, with five touchdowns in the Jets first four games. However, when Santonio Holmes returned from suspension his role in the offense was marginalized and he never scored the rest of the season. He still had an occasional productive game but only went over 50 yards in three other regular season games. Keller has improved each season in his short career which is a good sign and has become a much more capable blocker. (B+)

Future – There is a very good chance that either Santonio Holmes or Braylon Edwards won’t return in 2011, which should open up more opportunities for Keller in the passing game. If he continues to progress at the rate he has been, he should receive a long term deal from the team following the 2011 season. It has helped Mark Sanchez’s development to have a reliable pass catching tight end that he has good chemistry with. It remains to be seen whether Keller can ever take the next step towards being a Pro-Bowl caliber player for an entire season.

Nice Defense Buffalo

Turn On The Jets 2010/2011 Report Cards – Bart Scott

Stat Line – 81 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble

Playoff Stat Line – 9 tackles, 1 pass defended, 1 all-time interview

Best Moment – Is there even a question? I prefer the auto-tune version…

Best Game –Scott didn’t have any that really jumped off the page. He is more of a steady, consistent player who doesn’t really fill up the stat sheet but is a key component of the Jets run defense. He did have a particularly strong stretch in week 8 and 9 against the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. Over the course of those two games, he had 13 tackles and one sack.

Overall Evaluation – Scott doesn’t make big plays in this defense and probably talks more than his productivity merits. However, he is an emotional leader on the defense and is very good in run support. Don’t underestimate his overall importance just because of his low sack totals or because he doesn’t lead the team in tackles. (B)

Future: Scott got a monster contract before the 2009 season and isn’t going anywhere any time soon, which is good for the Jets run defense and for reporters covering the team.

Random Update — I tweeted Peter King of Sports Illustrated today to prioritize Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards, and Antonio Cromartie if he was Mike Tannenbaum…he responded “Cro-Holmes-Bray, remember Rex LOVES cbs“…take it for what you will but he makes a good point.

Turn On The Jets 2010/201 Report Cards – Sione Pouha

Stat Line – 59 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 passes defended

Playoff Stat Line – 14 tackles, 1 sack

Best Moment – Two moments jump out to me when thinking about Pouha’s season, first was his fumble recovery when Joe Flacco was sacked on the Jets first defensive play of the season and second was his sack of Tom Brady in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Best Game – Despite coming in a losing effort, Pouha had a monster game against the Miami Dolphins in week 14 (sounds similar to Brodney Pool, know?). He racked up 10 tackles and a sack and the crowd got more into their “POOO-HA” chants than usual.

Overall Evaluation – Similar to 2009, Pouha stepped in for an injured Kris Jenkins and did a more than admirable job. He is a quality starter in the NFL and a very good fit for Rex Ryan’s system. I would love to see the potential of this defensive line if Jenkins could actually stay healthy for a season and have Pouha playing alongside him. Pouha’s tackle totals for a defensive lineman are particularly impressive and emphasize how solid he is against the run. (B+)

Future: Pouha will be back with the team next year and probably will be given the starting role as Kris Jenkins works back from yet another injury. If Jenkins can recover, it will be interesting to see how much work Pouha gets at defensive end alongside him. Regardless of how healthy Jenkins does get, Pouha is now at the point where he is going to play plenty of reps no matter what.

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