Jets-Texans Game Preview (12/12)

chili it's a little warmer here in studio, which we like. Well, yeah, I want to know what you thought the most impressive part about Sam Donald's performance was because most eyes will point to the final two minutes when he drove the Jets down the field hit Robby Anderson on a beautiful thirty seven yard pass that Anderson said was a perfect ball. But what did you think about the way Donald performed in his first game action since Week nine. I thought

he'd performed well. I think the Jets did not have a lot of snaps in the first half because the Bills control of the ball and the Jets were they had to frankly adjust defensively what they were doing against Josh Allen, and they were able to do that in

the second half. But the most impressive thing to me Green's was that he was able to shake off the third quarter interception where the Jets were in plus territory and they were in Jason Meyer's field goal range, because Jason Myers anything inside sixty anywhere in the United States, that's his range. Uh No, but they were probably about two yard field goalf. Donald throws that ball out of bounce, but he never flinched after throwing that pick, So that

was the most impressive thing for uh for me. And then you can talk about all the athleticism that he displayed on a couple of those plays, especially the touchdown pass to Robbie Anderson, But to me, that just speaks to the mental makeup of the rookie quarterback who missed three games with the strained right foot, is that he was able to shake off a costly mistake and come back and help his team win. And Donald was almost

re injured early on in that game. On the third play that the Jets had the ball offensively, Sam Donald scrambled up the middle. Looked like a broken play definitely was a broken well, I didn't want to put anyone on blast. It was a broken player. He didn't put anything on blast. He looked at he looked at hand, the ball hand, the ball off, and no one was there.

So he scrambled up the middle and he thought he re injured his foot, as he told Bob, was using and he was a full participant in practice on Tuesday. And typically Tuesday's a player's day off, but because the Jets play the text numbs on Saturday, everything gets pushed up a day. But you mentioned the interception, and I think that was the one mistake, really, the only mistake that I can think of, about Donald's performance in his

first came back since week nine. And well, really, what you would what you be able to tell anyway, because I didn't go back and you probably haven't had time since we got back Sunday night to look at the film of the game. I don't know if there were a couple of times, a couple of occasions where uh, maybe he could have looked to another read or maybe somebody else. No doubt that, and only Donald wouldn't know

that at this point. But it was it was the only blemish that stuck out, and I will say that I think I don't think Sam Donald makes that throw next game, next year, or whatever it may be. I mean, it was kind of no, again, not to put anyone on blast. It looked like kind of a silly throw. He tried to force something when he didn't need to, especially when you have Jason Myers ready to kick through the stadium, any stadium, as he said, anywhere in the

United States, fifty sixty five yards out. So I'm joking around a little bit. But Meyers said his range is basically fifty eight yards and then well he said Bowyer and Jason Meyer said that he's kicked from sixty five and practiced before with a snap in a hold. Did you think the interceptions were very similar, because looking back at the tape there were carbon copies. Yeah, I think so. I mean, the one thing that sticks out to me is that Alan's was significantly further. Like I thought his

was a little worse. Maybe I don't know, I think that's a little harsh of a word, but I think it was a little worse because he was getting shoved out of bounds already, you know what I mean, Like Donald was running out of bounds, and by no means in my favoring Donald's interception over Allan's. I just think that both of them should have thrown the ball out of bounds. I thought Alan's like, I wasn't expecting Josh Allen to launch the ball downfield in the field of play,

You know what I mean? Do you think that Allen after watching him a person is trying to do too much or try to do too much in that game, thinking that he had to do everything for that offense a little bit? I mean, I think I think some of it. It's probably has come with experience and not I'm I don't think the Bills skill players are all

that great. They utilize them well and the game plan well, but I don't think that moving forward, a lot of those guys are gonna be centerpieces in that offense with Josh Allen under center. I will say that I don't know what I'm curious to see in Josh Allen's development, as if he learns how to throw with touch, because he throws rockets right now, and even if it's a

short pass, it's a rocket. And you saw him kind of it looked like he burned a hole in z Jones's chest and Daryl Roberts dropped the pass because it looked like it came in a little hot. It was

ended up being a past deflection. But I'm curious to see, you know, five years from now, next year, does Josh Allen throws a little more touch in the shorts of intermediate routes as opposed to the longer routes, because when when he sat back there and especially in zone, and one of the Bills receivers would sit down in his zone, the ball gets to his hands in the blink of

an eye, if that, you know. And the interesting thing in Vick Virci said is I think the Bills are very happy with who they ended up with getting at number seven. I think the Jets are more than happy with who they got a number three overall. And it was big way, a big way to start the final quarter of the season because his team desperately needed some juice after what has been happening over the past few weeks.

They needed him in the lineup. And not only did he come back in the lineup, it makes some nice throws in the first half, but he made some monstrous pros at critical times. And this is a game Week thirteen against the Buffalo Bills in two thousand eighteen, that we will ultimately be talking about probably a couple of years down the line, maybe five years down the line, maybe ten. This is a moment that Sam Donald always

can draw upon. And another thing Greens is his teammates can draw upon that that this guy in the clutch can't come he can come through. I've seen it before, and I've seen the way he handled himself, hopefully the first of many for Sam Donald's game winning drives throughout his NFL career in Green and White. I want to move to the defensive side of the ball because Darrenly suspended by the NFL, heard the news about Thursday or Friday, and Neville Hugh would ended up getting the start in

least place. And I think Nevill Hugh had played pretty well considering that he jumped right in there yet seven tackles on the day, and he seemed to be flying around.

I like the energy that he plays with. And I know that we talked about him in preseason because if we go all the way back to August, it was Neville Hewitt, it was Kevin Minter when he was on the ninety man roster in training camp and Nevill Hewitt in the preseason was a machine and he got the start in place of Lee on Sunday, and I think

he played really well. I love his energy, and we talked about that when we were in Richmond, both myself and you went down and it seems like yesterday, but it seems like a year ago at the same time. It's weird. But in training camp, the Jets and the Redskins had those practices in the lead up to the preseason game, and he would always caught my eye during the summer because he plays with great passion and a motor. He's excited to be out there and have the opportunity.

It's been a core special I mean, he's been a special teams player, a core special teams player for Brand Boyer so far this season. But he gets an opportunity to play, and this is big for him because duringly suspended for war games, so that's the rest of the two thousand eighteen season. So Hewitt might get the ballk Erupts. Maybe KPL gets in there sometimes as well, but maybe it's Hewitt is the former Miami Dolphin who's getting the ballk Erupts and this is a tremendous opportunity for let's

just say this. I know Jets fans are probably thinking, oh, what, what do the Jets have to play for the rest of the season whatever, Neville Hewitt has a lot to play for if exactly. I know that's not like a sexy thing to say, but Neville Hewitt is is playing for a lot of reasons. I mean, you could make the statement, or the theory or the case that Neville Hewitt is playing for a spot on the twenty nineteen Jets if he plays well, yeah, I'd agree with that.

And and to your point, I mean, you can continue up and down the roster. Here's a guy. Yeah I know that. But what I'm saying is that I think it's clownish for people on the outside to say it doesn't matter, because it does. I just got out of the locker room and talked to Trent and Cannon, the rookie from Virginia State, And you should have seen the smile on that kid's face when I asked him about

his first professional touchdown. You think those reps don't matter for a guy like Trent and Cannon down the stretch? I mean, are you crazy? People? Don't get it, like this guy is getting snaps out of the backfield and all by the way, he's got tremendous speed. What he's done on special teams this year goes under the radar. BEA's we're trying to get Jason Myers and Andre Roberts rightfully, Soda Orlando, but Cannon has been unbelievable on special teams.

When we thought he was gonna be the return man, he turns out to be an a plus gunner. I just want to say this about Trenton Cannon. I watched the replay of his first career touchdown and no pun intended. He really shot out of a cannon that he got to the end zone so quickly, and I don't sometimes we think that Cannon looks like he's trying to do a little too much, kind of like a wild stallion, like he needs to be a little patient. But you

can tell that the speed is there. I mean he's someone that Yeah, of course these reps matter and we'll see what the status is with Isaiah crow L who got hurt Sunday against the Bills. He was questionable leading up to that game and then he exits that game early. I mean, if Eli McGuire and Trent Cannon end up being the two feature backs for these next three games.

Reps for Trent and Cannon in particular from a D two school, taking a back seat for the majority of the year and then finally getting an opportunity to get on the field. I mean, I think you're right. I think these are absolutely crucial and fans might be thinking you talk about this, fans are thinking about the draft and whatnot. Well, there's two things here. One, you said this in the game review that it doesn't matter for the Jets because they have their quarterback, and that's one.

And two, fans are gonna be there next year. Not all the Jets players in the team are gonna be there next year, so they're playing for jobs. Yeah. I just I just completely encouraged by when a guy like Cannon gets those valuable rocks and now he does something offensively. Now let's see what he can do against Houston, maybe gets a couple more touches. Eli McGuire had a long run. That's a guy who missed the first eight games this season. He's just in his second year. You want him out there.

He got long run against the Bills and then uh, and he put Micah Hide to the ground in fourth and one game on the line. A lot of young backs in his place probably don't wait and aren't that patient and wait for his blockers and finally extend past the goal line on the right hand side, they might

punch it in there when there wasn't a hole. So good eyes by him, great patients, and he's another young guy that if you're a Judge fan, if you remember this organization, you're thinking, Okay, we got something here and can in again. I go back to it's very ironic how this whole special teams things has played out in two thousand and eighteen because it is when Cannon was drafted. Remember what they were saying downstairs, we really like his

return ability. I think the Jets probably thought Cannon day one as our return man. Well, a nine year veteran name Andre Roberts, who's thirty years old, looks like he's eighteen. He's got eight returns of forty plus yards this season. The next closest guy in the National Football League has three. Yeah, I think you need to say that one more time because that at his staggering and on top of it,

you think about how the Jets won that game in Buffalo. Yeah, there are multiple there's a multitude of reasons, but I point to number one. Special teams. Oh, no doubt about it. Blocked the field goal. Henry Anderson blocked the field goal. The week before he blocked a p A t. Andre Roberts was fantastic. He d plus return in a fifty plus return. Yeah, I mean he did have the one fumble. Yeah, but you'll take ten Don Verses three Yeah, absolutely, will

and Andre Roberts this season. I just would like to talk about special teams for a minute because Roberts and Jason Myers, we we talked about them here and there, but they are really killing it in the league right now. And we're not just saying that Andre Roberts is having a fantastic return year. First it was punch, Remember it was Oh, he's having a decent kick return year and the punch were fantastic. The punch return should I say that it's switched. The kick returns are fantastic. And Jason

Meyers has been dynamite since he's came here. Thirty thirty two five kicks of at least fifty five yards in a single season. That's the first time that has happened in NFL history. NFL history, I guess that's the franchise record already. I mean, come on, both those guys. I tweeted this the other day that we know President Mamal Jamal Adams is flying first class door Lando, but these guys should be on that same flight. Absolutely no doubt

they should be in a road together. Jason Meyer is probably in the middle because he's the smallest of the bunch, but they all just their first class flight story. I bet you Adams wouldn't let him sit in the middle. He Adams wouldn't let my what what he buy out? Okay, well you think Jamal Adams would like to be on the aisle, then get more. No, I don't know where now. He probably buy up the two He probably have the two seats if they're two across. After three across, I

don't know. If there's three across, you's screwed. No, But I'll tell you what, that was a cool scene in the locker room. Be seen a lot of photos now, and we've seen a lot of reactions. Jamal kind of led the way last week by saying his personal and Terence Brooks repeated that on inside the Jets this week when we had an opportunity to talk to him, He's like, listen, people say you're not playing for anything. He's like, you're playing for your fam, you're playing for your legacy, You're

playing for your teammates. And he went on and on and on. I love Terence Brooks. He keeps it real. Ah, super smart, good team guy. Well liked. Wow, you're saying that about a seminole. Well spoken. Yeah, hey, you gotta you gotta, you gotta give it to where it's do. I mean, well, okay, So what can the Jets take from Sunday's performance and apply it this Saturday against the Houston Texas. What would you like to see carry over? I say, I'm gonna ask you the same thing, So

I would say that they finished for me. And I just talked about this will Live on practice today presented by Serious Check that Out, Green's and I five thirty Thursday. I think to me, it reiterated something we already knew, but maybe we had forgotten about. The Jets recipe for

success in two thousand and eighteen is very good. The great special teams to play opportunistic defense and opportunistic defense, because the Jets had three takeaways and then timely plays by the Row offense, whether it is in the run game or the past game. I don't think it really matters. I think for me, that's what you want to continue to see. I don't know if this offense is going to be thrown thirty five points around any time soon

without getting help from those other areas. But we know Greens. I think this team, I think again, what was on display there is the fight has been there, especially the last couple of weeks we saw in Tennesseee. To me, it's like, here's your formula. You guys know how to win. That's how you'll win. What about you? I like the red zone success, especially a week after they just settled. I'm putting air quotes settled for five field goals in Tennessee.

Why it's great to see Jason Meyers have success. But any time you're on the road, and really anytime you can trade seven points for three, I think you're gonna want to do with the Jets in the red zone on Sunday against the Bills. So to see that number switch from what happened in Tennessee, do what happened in Buffalo was very encouraging to me, and I think that you're absolutely right. When the Jets win or played well. The Jets run the ball a lot, and there are

a couple of big runs here. They're like when you think about the Denver game, I think about Crowell's Monster game last week. You think about Eli McGuire breaking one loose, didn't score, but still a big, a big run to set the Jets up. And then Sam Donald through twenty four passes Sunday against the Bills, and I think that's about the right number because I think, yeah, thinking about that when you were talking about I'm pretty I'm pretty sure that when the Jets beat the Colts, it was

about the same. And you think about that game, opportunistic defense, Morris Claymore picked off like the second play from scrimmage, maybe the first I don't remember. And then didn't Dre Roberts have a big return that game too, up the sideline up against the Colts. I think so I would say yes, I would say true whenever you said Andrew Roberts had a big When did Jason Myers go seven for seven? There he goes very good to great special teams and and a couple of big plays from the offense.

I think you're absolutely right, But yeah, that was You're right about the sweet spot. You don't want to put everything on uh Donald at this point, not saying he's not a big boy, because I think he's got big shoulders and I love his temperament and how cool he is. A nice job with the four yards stroll. It was interesting to find out that his pet peeve was people not doing what they have said there. I know, I

thought that was that was pretty cool. I was expecting something generic that just speaks to his parents, because to me, that just talks about young Sam from an early age. It was all about, hey, if you tell somebody you're gonna do something, brother, you better follow through. Yeah, you can definitely see what Sam Donald was like growing up a little bit there and how he was raised. But

one more thing on Sam Donald. He was sixteen of twenty four, he completed sixty seven percent of his passes, and we talked about twenty four being that sweet spot. Had say I'm not throwing the interception, it would have been like so I'm just saying that. Granted it would have been he probably would have thrown the ball away and been sixty seven regardless, but had he completed one more pass would have been But Sam Donald had a great game for all everything considered, and I know he

didn't throw for a lot of yards. I would say very good. Yeah, I let's say very good, very good. Yeah, great problem. But I think it's okay to be very excited about it, and well, especially how could you not be after the way the Jets won that game? You know what I mean, Like if the Jets stormed down the field and and didn't convert on fourth and one or or didn't I can't, honest with you, I could. It's been so close lately. I really felt that they

were gonna be in Tennessee. That Tennessee just did not have enough offensively for I can't believe Tennessee put up thirty the next like six days later or well. Well, that's the interesting point that we were talking about here, is that you just mentioned Donald's number sixteen twenty four I think for for one seventy six. So the numbers aren't startling to you. But the completion percentage is very good.

And the command, the general command of what was going on around him, I thought, is not representative in stats obviously. But my point is when you're looking at the league now, uh, as we've had a chance to do a little bit over the list a couple of days, you've seen some interesting, fascinating, dumbfounding results. I guess I mean Minnesota. Kirk Cousins go to Seattle and that's a good defense, and you have Peak Carroll a lot of credit, but they're held the

seven points and Kirk Cousins isn't doing anything. I didn't know Kirk Cousins was four and twenty four against teams over five, and we're not listen, We're not throwing shade

on him. I'm just saying it's that you would think that Minnesota, UM, some of the skilled guys they've they have right now that they've been they would have been performing a little bit of higher level or New Orleans me and you looked up in the press box the other day, I'm like, wow, they're not fourteen to three Tampa Bay and I know Drew Brees didn't have a monster day through there. And then you look at Tom

Brady and what happened to him? Again, great quarterback period, but new sentence, Uh, Brady was very on Brady like against Miami for what he did leaving points on the board in the first half, and then the in then the Patriots over all, the way they lost and things like that. That's been a couple outcomes out there of late where you're like, whoom, what's going on right now? I totally agree. Moving on, just quickly on the Texans.

So my point is, even though the star quarterbacks, the Hall of Fame quarterbacks, some of these guys, sometimes they don't have these monster numbers. So with Donald, to me, it's about wins and losses and also the eye test. How does he look, how's he going through his progressions, how is he commanding things, and stuff like that, And obviously it was a step forward for him. I agree with that too. But moving forward to the Houston Texans

really quickly. Here they won nine in a row after losing three straight and then lost last week to the Colts in Houston. What do you think about the Texans overall as a team. I have no idea. I really thought one three there was something wrong there because it's really hard to get it back on track after starting on three. Ye the stats will reveal that that teams to start going three in the National Football league very

rarely didn't make the playoffs, but they're talented. I mean, how can you you look at Shawn Watson we're watching MC Clemson. I know a lot of people looked at him instead. He was system quarterback at Clemson. I think he'd do anything. I think he's very accurate pastor uh and he's very athletic. We know that DeAndre Hopkins. For my money, I might say he's the best receiver in football. I really like DeAndre Hopkins a lot. You like, you're just liking the Clemson guys. Huh um? Why because I

it was complimentary towards Sean. Look at what I'm just poking fun a look at what he's done the first two years that Lamar Miller former Dolphins, so Jets fans were very aware of him. The Marrius Thomas is not what he used to be, but he still gives them another option on the opposite side. And defense, defensively is where it really stands out to me. And what I want to look back on is we prepare for Saturdays. How did the Colts do it? How did the Colts

did they shut them down? They they stop the rushing game first. But I looked at the Texans stats from their nine game winning streak, and they on average rushed the ball for more yards and they throw the ball, which maybe you don't you don't think of because of Deshaun Watson, but you have to account for Watson's rushing capabilities. And you mentioned Lamar Miller got hot in that stretch too, So I think what the Colts did was shut down the run. And then you pick your battles where you can.

With DeAndre Hopkins and the Cults are all about his own scheme, I don't know. And then and another thing on the opposite side of the ball. This is a good, monstrous test for the Jets offensive line. We always talk about this pass rush, this pass rush. J. J. Watt is one of the top I don't know where you're gonna put them. If you can put them in the number one to under in the league or number two, number three, He's definitely on the shortlisted for one. And

Guy's got twelve and a half Sex. He's an interior pass rusher, he really is. He's an interior pass rusher. You got Ja, Dave and Claren. He coming off the edge, he can bring it. Whitney Mercills doesn't have a lot of sexes here, but he's still got to account for him. I just look at the front and say, okay, Tyron Matthew, forget him in the back hand. Three interceptions and making tackles all over the place, very active. UM, I just want to say this. Adams calls him the Badge, the badge.

That's good. That's so, that's what That's what I call the l A Chargers kicker, the badge and not really um his last name is Badgeley, but regardless, I want to imagine this really quickly. I'm very excited to see what Trumaine Johnson does on Sunday because he has three interceptions in two games, and I assume we'll be locked up with DeAndre Hopkins for a decent amount. So I think this is really a very good test for true

Maine Johnson, especially since coming back from injury. I don't this is definitely the best receiver he's seen all year, and this is definitely one of the best receivers in the NFL right now. So I am very excited for one to see what Drumaine Johnson plays or how he plays on Saturday, especially with a little extra juice with three picks in two games and not to mention the game seiler. Yeah, this is the Truemaine Johnson that I think people thought the Jets were getting when they signed him.

So good for him because he endured injury earlier this year with the quad and you know, he wanted to be on the field, but he's starting to come along here and play his best ball late. But you're right, you know, the challenge increases this week with this guy Hopkins on the other side, and what a challenge this is for the Jets reshuffled offensive line. Jonathan Harrison is

still doing a nice job at center. Spencer Long doing a nice job at left guard now, and uh Harrison is guy probably pretty familiar with J. J. Watt and company because a couple of years ago used in Indianapolis, so I'm sure he's seen one at the time or two. But uh yeah, yeah, let's see what Houston does up front, how much they're moving those guys around and things like that. Todd Bowles was asked about how different does J. J. Watt looks since the injury. He said, he doesn't look different.

He looks the same to me. Yeah, that sounds about all par for J. J. Watt and about all par for what Todd Bowles would say about j. J. Watt, But Jets text in Saturday four thirty pm. The Saturday Slate has begun as Army, Navy, and the college football season takes a break until bowl season comes around. That's all we have here on the Official Jetts Podcast. Again, thank you for tuning in, and we'll see you next week.