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ByGlenn Vallach,Yahoo! Contributor Network Sep 19, 4:44 pm EDT
MostNew York Jetsfans with whom I analyzed the 32-3 drubbing of theJacksonville Jaguarsat MetLife Stadium (September 18) conveyed several conflicting thoughts. Not unlike the paranoia of your average Jet fan, the prevailing emotion was relief that there was no emotional letdown from the near miraculous opening night victory over theDallas Cowboys.
Once clear of that fear, there was great celebration about the resurfacing of the Jets' suffocating defense, even if it emerged at the expense of a neophyte, overmatched quarterback. Somewhat curiously, though, there was some disquiet about the team's offense, even though 32 points is a decidedly crooked number.
I'll have to admit some tepid agreement concerning this point. Mark Sanchez(notes) continues to appear very hot and cold as his two interceptions indicate. The running game is near nonexistent. One hopes Plaxico Burress(notes) was allowed to hold a football on the sidelines when the defense was on the field, because he didn't see one during game action.
Defense is the great equalizer, though. If you boast great pitching in baseball and you're winning games 2-1 and 3-2, few will notice or care that your cleanup hitter is only batting .280 with 20 homers. Similarly, when a team picks off four passes, records a couple of sacks, and generally tosses around the opposing offense like throw pillows, lack of offensive firepower is less likely to be of major concern.
It is particularly true in today's NFL. It's all about offense now. It doesn't even appear teams care very much about stopping the other team. Slowing them down just enough to outscore them seems to be the strategy. In that sense, the Jets' defense, or any better than average defense, might be just the aberration necessary to derail some of these machine-like offenses.
The key is to have that defense operating at a peak level every week, and against better offenses. As the Cowboys demonstrated last week, that's easier said than done.
Glenn Vallach has been a football fan for most of his lifetime, but never played organized pigskin unless you consider the thousands of youth hours running slant routes on city streets with a friend serving as Joe Willie. Don Maynard was his idol, an adulation he took seriously, complete with a number 13 stitched to his sweatshirt. In later years, he modernized his admiration and included Wayne Chrebet. Receivers—always receivers. He remains a New York Jet fan through so much disappointment and embarrassment over the years. Coach Rex Ryan has rekindled a dormant fire, but sometimes he feels as if he doesn't understand the likely end result of all his efforts. It has been 42 years, after all.
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