New York Jets thrash Bengals, but trench play disappoints: Fan reaction
By
Glenn Vallach,
Yahoo! Contributor Network Aug 23, 3:12 pm EDT
The
New York Jets defeated the
Cincinnati Bengals by 20 points in their second preseason game (August 21) and didn't play even remotely well. That probably articulates more clearly the unsightly status of the latter than the upside of the former. Whatever the margin of victory might have been, masked were inadequacies at positions vital to ultimate long-term success in the NFL.
Preseason football games have little significance and even less implication concerning the eventual outcome of the regular season. Nobody's playing for keeps. No elaborate game plans are being divulged. There's just no edge to the competition. But one place you
can look to gauge a team's identity and their ultimate standing is the line of scrimmage. It's where games are won and lost, seasons captured and wasted.
The Jets have boasted a ground and pound character, a position that screams we're more physical than you are. And for the first year and a bit of Rex Ryan's reign, it was the truth. It is no longer.
This reality is certainly not based on the Bengals game alone, but also of most Jet games last year. I suppose I'm waiting for some evidence to the contrary and unfortunately continue to not see it. The offensive and defensive fronts are not awful, of course. They're representative, but you need more to become a championship team.
The offensive line opens no holes since the first year chemistry with
Alan Faneca(notes) was mitigated with his release. And now, with
Damien Woody(notes) retired, it's even less impressive—and thin. Let's face it, Vlad Ducasse is just awful. In the defensive trench,
Shaun Ellis(notes), the Jets one pass rusher with a pedigree, will be pressuring
Mark Sanchez(notes) this year from his defensive end position on the Patriots. Ryan disguised the pass rush deficiency for a while last year but his blitzes, particularly on third down, were exposed. It wasn't until the two playoff victories last year that Ryan confused the Colts and Patriots by giving up on a pass rush and playing a million people in coverage.
The Jets are certainly a good team, and Ryan seems to be a great big game coach. But they need to display an advantage on the line to take the next step.