newjerseynewsroom.com

BY SAM HITCHCOCK

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

COMMENTARY

There is a certain genre of movie that comes out every year depicting human beings as crude and/or unfeeling, and even a waste of existence. Directors are perhaps drawn to these types of films because they think that portraying life as hopeless and punitive makes their movie edgy and thought-provoking. I was stuck on a plane not long ago and saw the movie “Young Adults,” starring Charlize Theron and directed by Jason Reitman (son of acclaimed director Ivan Reitman).

From start to finish, the protagonist is devoid of any amicable emotion or gesture, and halfway through I wished I could stop watching it. But, as often the case with in-flight movies, you keep watching to pass the time.

I bring this up for two reasons. Even though a movie disappoints, it may not be a complete failure. For the director, Reitman, the movie was mediocre. But for actor Theron, it showcased her versatility. She showed impressive conviction for a character whose distasteful personality saw her completely distance herself from any positive human connection. The lesson? What is a setback for one person can be a plus for another.

This analogy brings us to the Jets, a team heading towards a season record of four wins minimum, seven maximum. For a group that had “Super Bowl aspirations,” this is unquestionably a failure. However, head coach Rex Ryan may have just felt his leash grow longer. And General Manager Mike Tannenbaum can breathe a little easier from the chokehold around his neck.

With franchise cornerback Darrelle Revis’ season-ending torn ligament injury, and now No. 1 receiver Santonio Holmes’ season-ending Lisfranc injury, the Jets’ brain trust can blame it on bad luck. They also have a plethora of bad contracts, like the $7.50 million in guaranteed money they owe Holmes in 2013. So this becomes only the penultimate season of the Ryan-Tannenbaum era, and next year will see them bring back many of the same players in whom they are so invested. This year is effectively a mulligan, buying the Jets’ operating personnel another year to try to rework the product.

For Jets fans, this is terrible news. Their rushing offense is obsolete. Shonn Greene is the worst running back in football and he is still labeled as their starting running back. They get no push against any defensive front that is quasi-pedestrian, and no ball carrier on their roster has any ability to break a big play.

Their passing offense is built around a quarterback who is best suited to be a caretaker of the offense, not a franchise quarterback. Since Sanchez is at best a “game manager,” he needs some weapons on offense to be successful. He has none. No one in his receiving corps can beat man-to-man coverage, or effectively use their speed on the perimeter. The Jets have no playmakers, and that was true even with Holmes in the lineup. After getting to paydirt four times in the season opener, the Jets have half that amount (two) in their three games since.

Defensively, New York’s rush defense is being gashed and last week San Francisco opened some huge holes for their runners to go through. In fact, every team the Jets have played has been able to capitalize on their leaky front seven, generating a 31st ranked rush defense. The tackling is abysmal and they are getting out-muscled and out-maneuvered.

With Revis, their secondary is supposedly their biggest strength; without him, they are a specter of their former selves. The Jets allowed Niners’ quarterback Alex Smith far too much time to sit inside the pocket, and their inability to generate a pass rush will haunt them against more precise quarterbacks.