5 Areas the New York Jets Need to Focus on During Bye Week
The New York Jets may finally have something to feel good about after their stunning upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday to give them their first win since early September, but this 2-8 squad has plenty of room to improve over its much-needed bye week.
As nice as it is to enter a two-week break riding an impressive win, they must not allow complacency to set in after just one win. Jobs are still on the line, and anything but optimal effort each and every week could lead to the blowout loss that winds up getting everyone fired.
Here are the areas the Jets need to address heading into the bye week.
Working out a Safety Rotation
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The Jets knew working first-round pick Calvin Pryor into the safety rotation would not be a static process, but this situation has become only less clear with each passing week.
The first order of business is to get Antonio Allen back to playing at an acceptable level. Forced to make an emergency switch to cornerback, Allen has been nothing short of a liability going back and forth between the two positions, as he has allowed five touchdowns between Weeks 7 and 9 (according to Pro Football Focus). That performance has led to his benching.
Meanwhile, Rex Ryan is having trouble keeping Pryor engaged from a mental standpoint. According to ESPN's Rich Cimini, he was late to several meetings this year, which undoubtedly was a big reason for his absence from the lineup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) November 10, 2014"
Fortunately for the Jets, Philadelphia Eagles castoff Jaiquawn Jarrett has played the best football of his career in the absence of Pryor and Allen. Responsible for all three of the team's turnovers last week (two interceptions, one fumble recovery), Jarrett has been everything the Jets were hoping Pryor would become.
Eventually, the Jets are going to have to find a way to work in these two youngsters, particularly Pryor, based on how much they have invested in him. Moving Dawan Landry, a veteran in the last year of his contract, into a smaller role would seem to be a logical move, but his ability to call alignments and get fellow defensive backs into proper position can't be overlooked.
Adding to the intrigue is how Ryan will balance playing his youngsters to show development in the roster—without their mistakes costing his team games, and eventually, jobs.
Work in the New Cornerbacks
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The Jets’ dreary cornerback situation has been a revolving door all season, but the dust finally appears to be settling with two young, unknown players settling into the starting roles that flank Kyle Wilson in the slot.
Marcus Williams and Phillip Adams more than held their own against a red-hot Steeler offense, not allowing a touchdown pass (or even much of an explosive play in general) until the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.
Electing to play a more passive approach than usual (for a Ryan defense, anyway), the off-coverage utilized by Williams and Adams proved to be effective. They allowed some easy completions, but keeping the play in front of them ensured the big plays were kept to a minimum.
To this point, cornerback has been a by-committee approach all season, but there is no justification to remove either Williams or Adams from the field anytime soon.
As much as it may pain Ryan to do so, the Jets would be best to use their extra week of preparation to build their defense around this style of coverage and try to replicate Sunday’s results as often as possible.
Red-Zone Offense
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This is a step the Jets need to work on every week, but the bye week will give them a chance to step back and reassess an area of their offense that has single-handedly cost them several games this season.
According to TeamRankings.com, the Jets come in 27th overall in red-zone offense, converting just 47 percent of their trips into touchdowns. The move to Michael Vick at quarterback has hardly eased their woes, as he nearly threw a costly interception near the goal line against the Steelers.
The Jets do have one antidote for this red-zone sickness on their roster—rookie tight end Jace Amaro. Amaro has been getting No. 2 tight end snap counts, but he has two touchdowns on the season, both in the red zone. While prone to the occasional drop, Amaro has the size that a quarterback can rely on in a condensed space.
As much as the Jets may be reluctant to trust a drop-prone rookie to more offensive snaps, at 2-8, the Jets have nothing to lose. Amaro may drop a few passes, but he already is twice the player Jeff Cumberland, the incumbent starter, ever was in the red zone.
Ultimately, the Jets' red-zone success will depend on Vick's ability to keep the ball out of the hands of the opponent. After throwing a near-interception in this area last week, reinforcing this concept to Vick over the bye week is certainly appropriate, as difficult as it can be to teach an old dog new tricks.
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Critical Situation Defense
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How does a defense that ranks eighth overall seem so average?
Statistically, the Jets have been an above-average defense in terms of yards allowed per game, but its inability to make critical stops in key spots, namely on third down and in red-zone situations, has cost the team at least a handful of games this season.
According to TeamRankings.com, the Jets's third-down defense is 28th in the league, allowing a conversion 46.7 percent of their defensive snaps.
Unfortunately for Rex Ryan, the Jets were even worse against the Pittsburgh Steelers, as they allowed 6-of-11 third-down conversions). As long as Kyle Wilson is on the roster, the slot cornerback position will be a problem area.
The best Ryan can do at this point is work on covering tight ends, getting Antonio Allen back in his regular role as a tight end coverage specialist. If they can at least improve in that area, they should see a significant increase in their results in these key situations.
Jeremy Kerley's Role
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The Jets have to be thrilled with the early returns on the Percy Harvin trade so far, but their recent investment in receiver Jeremy Kerley has to leave them a bit underwhelmed.
Since giving him a sizable $16 million deal in late October, Kerley has been almost a complete non-factor in the Jets offense. In fact, Kerley has been rather quiet since his seven-catch breakout game in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears, failing to eclipse the 30-yard mark in any game since then.
The production between both Kerley and Eric Decker was expected to take a dip with the arrival of Harvin, as there is only one ball to go around. However, Kerley has been an unproductive player for a good two months now between two quarterbacks. Inexplicably, Kerley has been virtually removed from the Jets offensive game plan on a weekly basis.
It was once believed that Kerley was not producing consistently because of inconsistent quarterback play and the lack of other weapons to take away coverage. With Harvin now in the fold and Vick under center, there are no more excuses left for Kerley.
The Jets clearly believe Kerley is a player worth making a part of their long-term offensive plans, or they would have never bothered to try an extend him in the first place. The onus is now on Marty Mornhinweg and the offensive coaching staff to get him more involved.
Advanced statistics provided by ProFootballFocus.com (subscription required).
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