The 4-yard touchdown Lowery allowed was a fade pattern thrown. Lowery does not defend this pattern well and has been victimized on similar plays by other QB’s.
He often has tight coverage but has not learned to get his around to pick up the ball. By the time he turns around the ball is already in the receiver’s hands. This is one reason why he is not suited for a starting CB role.
Coleman allowed 5 catches to Collie for 99 yards and committed an illegal contact penalty. Collie’s 47-yard catch against him on the Colts’ last drive before the half was a crushing blow and a real momentum changer.
Coleman was in great position, running stride for stride with him until he decided to leap for the interception. The ball went just beyond his reach and the Colts were in business at the Jets’ 16. They would score on the next play.
< > The Jets used a lot of two, three and four man lines on defense but did not use a lot of defensive linemen. Their most common formation had Shaun Ellis playing nose tackle and Bryan Thomas and Calvin Pace in three point stances at DE.
David Harris manned the middle linebacker spot and Ryan deployed six and seven defensive backs. This formation was clearly used to defend the Colts’ passing game but Manning audibled a lot to runs in order to take advantage of the Jets’ smallish front.
This is why the Colts ran the ball so easily. The Jets did not have the personnel it needed to stop it.
Mike DeVito, Marques Douglas and Bart Scott did not get many reps. Ryan wanted either pass rushers or pass defenders on the field and these guys are clearly not known for either.
< > Braylon Edwards’ 80-yard touchdown catch was the byproduct of a well-designed play by Brian Schottenheimer. The Jets came out in a power formation with 2 WR’s, 1 TE and 1 FB. Faneca pulled to the right to sell the Jets’ power trap.
Sanchez executed a great play action fake and the entire defense came up to play the run, including CB Jacob Lacey who was covering Edwards.
Edwards slowly approached Lacey as if he were throwing a stalk block, which is a common technique on running plays. Lacey took the bait and Edwards ran right by him. Great design by Schottenheimer.
< > I do not understand the Jets’ fascination with Wayne Hunter. They continually use him as an extra blocker but he is rarely effective. He is slow out of his stance and plays with no aggression.
He whiffed on a backside block of Clint Sessions who wound up pressuring Sanchez into an incompletion. He made the same mistake against Dwight Freeney.
He was supposed to make a backside block on the defensive end but missed and Freeney caught Thomas Jones from behind for a loss of four.
Hunter was also called for a false start penalty. If there are no other reserves who can block better than Hunter, it is time to draft another guy because Hunter has not impressed me in the least.
< > D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Damien Woody did an excellent job on Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis respectively. Neither pass rusher had a sack, a hit on Sanchez or pressure of any kind.
Keeping Sanchez clean against this formidable duo was one of the keys in this game and Brick and Woody deserve a lot of credit for taking care of business.
< > Jerricho Cotchery stepped up big in this game. He caught 5 balls for 102 yards for an impressive 20.4-yard average.
Three of his catches came on third down and all three went for first downs. Cotchery was Sanchez’ safety blanket in this game and came up with some tough catches in tight coverage.
No one has better hands on this team than Jerricho Cotchery.
Other Random Thoughts and Observations
Donald Strickland did a good job on Dallas Clark before leaving the game with a groin injury. Strickland is a good player but he has missed an inordinate amount of time this year to various injuries…Lito Sheppard was targeted immediately by Manning right after he entered the game. Sheppard was burned on a 35-yard completion to Garcon… Sanchez’ 4 postseason touchdowns are the most ever by a rookie…Shonn Greene is the first player in NFL history to accumulate 125+ rushing yards and 1 TD in each of his first two playoff games…Manning tried to quick snap on a third and goal at the Jets’ one-yard line but refs delayed him while they set the ball. This allowed the Jets’ defensive line to get set. Sione Pouha and Mike DeVito had a great surge and stoned Manning at the line for no gain… The Jets’ offensive line did not allow a sack against the Colts and allowed only one in their prior three games…The Jets ran the ball 76% of the time on first down this season…Rex Ryan was livid in the third quarter when safety Melvin Bullitt took a cheap shot at Sanchez. Bullitt unloaded on him a good two seconds after Sanchez handed the ball off. Don’t be surprised if Ryan has his players exact a little payback on Bullitt the next time they face the Colts.