Jesse Chatman played like a monster against the Philadelphia Eagles. With 180 yards of total offense on his legs, the Jets battled with the Eagles for the lead until his fourth-quarter touchdown put the team on top for a 27-20 victory.
Chatman used his stocky frame and low-center of gravity to fight for yardage and keep plays alive all night. An exceptional receiving threat, he caught screen passes and took dump-off routes for first downs on long-yardage situations. At 5'8" and 225-lbs, Chatman’s best play came on a 3rd-and-15 situation, where he took a delayed handoff and converted it for a first down.
To call him the offense’s workhorse would be an understatement. Some fans didn’t expect much from Chatman when he was signed away from the Miami Dolphins this offseason. But Chatman has certainly proved his worth, showing some very good elusiveness and a never-quit motor to fight for those tough yards.
However, it wasn’t all power football and impressive play for the entire evening.
With all of the projected starters having the night off, it was time for the men fighting for roster spots to show what they can do. And some of these players didn’t make the strongest case for themselves with final cuts approaching on Aug. 30.
The defensive backups were shredded by Kevin Kolb. The blitz packages that worked against the Giants must have been abandoned for this outing. Outside of Marques Murrell’s pressure, Kolb did not look threatened at any point during his evening. He had plenty of time to deliver precise passes to his receivers.
The defense did play better in the second half, with Abram Elam and Hank Poteat recording crucial interceptions. David Barrett was also on the field for a lot of the night, but you probably didn’t notice unless you were looking for him.
Ahmad Carroll continued to be inconsistent. He played a pass to the end zone very well in the first quarter, but was caught out of position later on when he allowed a play to go for 54 yards and end inside the five.
If the decision really is going to be between Carroll and Barrett, then fans should expect to see Carroll still on the roster come Aug. 31st. He showed good speed on special teams, which will allow him to contribute positively in an area where Barrett cannot.
Curiously, the coaching staff experimented with Chansi Stuckey at defensive back throughout the night. It’s a questionable decision, as some fans and analysts expect Stuckey to push for the third-receiver spot throughout the season. Risking injury to see if he can tackle and cover receivers was a bit reckless. The Jets’ love versatility, but at what cost?
While Philadelphia moved the ball at will throughout the first quarter, the Jets’ first few drives were suffocated by a swooping Eagles’ defense.
Depth at the offensive line has to be somewhat of a concern, as no player managed to look remotely impressive. Jacob Bender, a seventh-round project from the Jets’ 2007 draft was slow off the snap and allowed far too much pressure for a guy entering his second season in the system.
With the selection of Nate Garner in the 2008 draft, the Jets may want to consider dismissing one of their offensive experiments.
1 comments Last one added 10 months ago — Leave a Comment
Bruce Dickenson 10 months ago
I thought we might get something out of Chatman.
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