Tag: Jamison Crowder

Takeaways from Joe Douglas’ season-ending press conference

Here are five takeaways from Joe Douglas’s season ending press conference.

With the Jets’ regular season complete, it’s time to look ahead to their first offseason under general manager Joe Douglas.

Douglas was hired by the Jets in June after the team fired Mike Maccagnan in May. However, Douglas couldn’t implement the players he really wanted with free agency and the draft already in the past. He made a few moves, including signing Ryan Kalil — which was a failure — and trading Leonard Williams to the Giants.

Now his work is cut out for him with free agency and the draft looming. Let’s take a look at what Douglas had to say at his season-ending press conference on Tuesday.

No commitment Le’Veon Bell will be back

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Adam Gase said on Monday to ask Douglas if he wanted Le’Veon Bell back and we still don’t have a definitive answer.

Douglas said that his personal experience with Bell has been very positive, but hesitated to say whether or not Bell will be back in 2020. Douglas said that if a team calls about Bell’s availability, he will listen as he does on any player. Douglas doesn’t know how those trade conversations would go, though.

It sounds like there is a 50-50 shot that Bell does get dealt in the offseason. If he gets the right value for Bell and that team will take his contract, Douglas will pull the trigger. If not, Douglas seems more than happy to keep Bell for another season.

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4 interesting stats from the Jets’ Week 17 win over Bills

In Sunday’s win over the Bills, the Jets hung onto an ugly one and ended their season on a high note, finishing 6-2 after a 1-7 start.

A win is a win.

The Jets proved that with Sunday’s ugly 13-6 takedown of the Bills in Buffalo. With the Bills already locked into the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs, they held out mutiple starters and only played starting quarterback Josh Allen for two series.

From there it was the Matt Barkley show. In the pouring rain, the Bills backup quarterback was erratic, throwing two interceptions and fumbling once. Gregg Williams’ defensive unit held the Bills without a touchdown, while Adam Gase’s offense did just enough to win, despite two missed field goals from Sam Ficken.

Let’s take a look at some interesting stats from New York’s conclusion to the 2019 season.

NFL History

.(Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

With Sunday’s 13-6 win over the Bills, the Jets became the eighth team in NFL history to start 1-7 and finish 7-9 or better, according to the team’s website.

Since the start of 16-game schedules in 1978 (not including the strike-shortened 1982 campaign), 111 teams had started 1-7 or worse and only six teams finished 7-9 or better (5.4%).

The second half of the 2019 season marked the Jets’ best second-half finish since 2006.

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Instant analysis: Bills look to playoffs after loss vs. Jets

The Buffalo Bills fell to the New York Jets 13-6 to close out their regular-season slate of games.

The Buffalo Bills fell to the New York Jets 13-6 to close out their regular-season slate of games. The game had the feel of a preseason game since the Bills were already locked into the fifth spot in the AFC playoff standings and the Jets playing out their schedule as New York was eliminated from the playoff picture weeks ago.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott removed most of his starters by the end of the first quarter, leaving the majority of snaps to players who will provide depth in the Wild Card round.

The most special moment of the game occurred midway through the first quarter, as McDermott called a timeout so that veteran linebacker Lorenzo Alexander could be acknowledged while leaving the field.

Buffalo Bills outside linebacker Lorenzo Alexander (57) signs autographs before an NFL football game against the New York Jets Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Impressively, Buffalo’s reserves on defense kept the Jets offense under wraps. The unit allowed only 272 total yards. Jets quarterback Sam Darnold was quiet, totaling 199 passing yards on  23-of-36 day.  He threw one touchdown, a third-quarter score to wide receiver Jamison Crowder.

Trent Murphy recorded two sacks on the day, while Siran Neal and Corey Liuget each registered six tackles.

Offensively, Buffalo saw some unfamiliar faces gain some decent yardage. TJ Yeldon carried the ball seven times for 18 yards. He also caught three passes for 24 yards. Wide receiver Duke Williams was targeted often, catching six passes for 108 yards. Tight end Tommy Sweeney was a presence over the middle of the field, catching five balls for 76 yards.

Isaiah McKenzie also put pressure on the Jets defense, running two jet sweeps for 30 yards.

However, there was a lack of continuity with the second-string garnering most of the meaningful snaps on the day. Matt Barkley struggled throughout the afternoon. Barkley turned the ball over three times: two interceptions and a lost fumble. He did not inspire much confidence if he were to see the field in a dire situation in the playoffs.

Barkley finished completing 18-of-35 passes for 232 yards and the aforementioned turnovers. Several passes sailed and found the turf off Barkley’s hand.

Several bills limped off the field at several points in the game. Offensive tackle Ty Nsekhe, cornerback Taron Johnson, defensive back Siran Neal, and cornerback Levi Wallace all missed snaps during the game.

Buffalo Bills cornerback Levi Wallace (39) is carted off the field during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019 in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

However, Wallace’s injury could have major ramifications going forward, as his lower-body injury looked somewhat severe. The Alabama product could not put weight on his leg leaving the field. As the counterpart to Tre’Davious White in the Bills secondary, his possible absence will be problematic for the Buffalo.

The Bills conclude their season at 10-6, their first double-digit win total in 20 years. Buffalo will travel to Houston for Wild Card playoff action next weekend.

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Sticking to the ground game among keys to Jets’ offense vs. Bills

Jets Wire breaks down what it’s going to take for the Jets to have success on offense against the Bills on Sunday.

The final week of the 2019 regular season is upon us.

The Jets will take the field for the final time this season on Sunday when they travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills. New York is looking to exact revenge against Buffalo after blowing a 16-point lead to the Bills in Week 1, but it’s not going to be an easy task with Buffalo now established as one of the premier teams in the AFC.

The Bills have relied on their defense to carry them to the No. 5 seed in the AFC. Josh Allen and company have been solid on offense throughout the season, but Buffalo’s calling card is dominant defensive play.

Knowing what the Bills bring to the table defensively, let’s take a look at what the Jets will have to do on offense if they want to put points on the board in Week 17.

Stick to the ground game

AP Photo/Seth Wenig

If there’s one way to beat the Bills’ defense, it’s running the football.

Buffalo boasts an elite pass defense that ranks third in the NFL with only 195.9 passing yards allowed per game. Its run defense is solid, but ranks outside of the top 10, allowing 4.3 yards per carry and 104.2 rushing yards per game.

Le’Veon Bell has seen a relatively heavy workload in New York’s last two games. There’s no reason to stray away from a run-heavy gameplan in Week 17 considering it plays to the Bills’ lone weakness on defense.

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Jets assistant Hines Ward wants win, Gatorade shower against former team

Sunday will mark the first time that former Steelers WR Hines Ward will face his former team, but it will be in an assistant coaching capacity

Sunday will mark the only time that former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward will root against his former team.

Now an assistant coach with the Jets, Ward would like to be celebrated in style if New York can knock off the Steelers on Sunday.

“It will be special for me, but I’m a competitive guy,” Ward said on Friday. “I want to win. I want to beat the Steelers as much as anybody in this building, trust me. I’m telling my guys, ‘You have to win this for me.’ I want the Gatorade shower and all that if we win.”

Ward became a legendary figure in Pittsburgh during his 14-year tenure with the Steelers. In 217 career games played between 1998-2011, Ward caught 1,000 passes for 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns. He was a four-time Pro Bowl nominee, three-time second-team All-pro selection and also played an integral role in two Pittsburgh Super Bowls, winning MVP in a 21-10 over the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.

“I’ll always bleed black and gold,” Ward told Jets team reporter Olivia Landis on Thursday. “I’ve done great things there during my football career. I won a couple of championships and the city of Pittsburgh has treated me so great, but I still want to beat those guys. I want to go out there and win and help our team pull out the W.

“It will be a little bittersweet. I’m thankful for the opportunity to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I’m also thankful for the Jets for giving me an opportunity to coach and to start my career in coaching. That will be the only time I root against Pittsburgh is when we play them, but hopefully, we can find a way to pull out the win.”

Ward began training camp with Gang Green as a coaching intern and has now become a permanent fixture on Adam Gase’s staff. Wide receivers like Robby Anderson and Jamison Crowder have thrived under Ward’s tutelage.

This is Ward’s championship and he hopes that it ends in a Gatorade bath. The black and gold pom poms will have to take a backseat as the Jets look to play spoiler in Pittsburgh’s quest for a wild card berth.

Jets coach in awe of Sam Darnold’s recent touchdown passes 

Sam Darnold is making a habit of delivering the perfect ball to Jets receivers, and his coaches are taking notice.

A shining light in the Jets’ poor 2019 season has been the return of Sam Darnold’s unbelievable passes.

Darnold’s has had an up-and-down season statistically, but recently he’s been rattling off multiple “did-he-just-do-that?” throws that left players, coaches fans and broadcasters amazed.

Among the astonished is Jets offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, who cited Darnold’s first touchdown pass to Jamison Crowder against the Ravens in Week 15 as a prime example of Darnold’s incredible ability to hit his receivers at the right spots.

“Mom, dad, and God gave him a lot of gifts,” Loggains told ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “There’s no defense for a perfect ball.” 

The aforementioned touchdown by Darnold epitomized his style of play, so it’s not surprising to hear praise for it from one of his coaches. Darnold rolled out of the right side of the pocket and delivered the ball where only Crowder could catch it – on right on the side of the endzone for the four-yard score.

That wasn’t the only time Darnold displayed his impeccable ball placement in the game. He hit Crowder later in the game on 2nd & 8 from the Ravens’ 18-yard line while being hurried by two Ravens defenders. Darnold stepped up in the pocket to avoid the pressure and got the ball off just before Ravens linebacker Matthew Judon could bring him down. The ball hit Crowder in the perfect position while he blanketed by Ravens cornerback Brandon Carr and the wideout waltzed into the endzone thanks to Darnold’s precision passing.

What makes it so impressive is how naturally these throws come to Darnold. You can teach footwork, decision-making and game management, but it’s hard to teach a quarterback how to drop a ball into an area where only his receiver can catch it. These are the types of throws that give the Jets hope for a future with Darnold as their quarterback. When he delivers passes like these two, he looks like one of the best young prospects in the league and the Jets’ offense typically rolls – like against the Cowboys and Raiders. 

Darnold isn’t perfect, though. Not by a longshot. He’s still apt to make foolish turnovers and that continued in Week 15 against the Ravens when he threw another bad red-zone interception. It was hard to tell where Darnold meant to deliver the ball, but clearly, there was some sort of miscommunication between him and intended target Daniel Brown as two Ravens were closer to the pass than the Jets’ tight end. It was Darnold’s 12th of the season and 27th of his young career, and Loggains didn’t mince words when asked about it.   

“Bad decision,” Loggains said bluntly.

This is one of the few faults in Darnold’s game and he’s made a poor habit of making throws like that throughout this season. His four-interception performance against the Patriots in Week 7 is unforgiving but not surprising given the competition, and he also threw three terrible back-foot picks against the Jaguars the next week. Darnold cleaned up his turnover game recently, though, and only has four interceptions since the Jaguars’ loss in Week 8.

Darnold still has a lot to learn still in his young career, but the new Jets regime, for however long they end up sticking around, is impressed with what they’ve seen lately. If Darnold can clean up the less savory parts of his game, he could turn around a Jets franchise that’s been in the doldrums for the past decade.

4 interesting stats from the Jets’ Week 15 loss to Ravens

In Thursday’s loss to the Ravens, the Jets proved while they will have a top-10 draft selection, while Baltimore won the AFC North title.

Unsurprisingly, the Jets were handed their ninth loss of the season by a team much better than them.

The Ravens, entering the game as two-touchdown favorites, wound up winning by three. Baltimore beat the Jets’ No. 2 rushing defense like a drum. New York had its opportunities in the game, but never stood a chance. Adam Gase’s offense could never get going, and it looked like boys against men on the field on the defensive side of the ball.

Let’s take a look at some interesting stats from Gang Green’s latest embarrassing loss.

Lamar Jackon revenge tour

(Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports)

Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and Josh Rosen were the four quarterbacks selected before Lamar Jackson in the 2018 NFL draft.

Those four quarterbacks have a combined 38-52 record after the Ravens beat the Jets 42-21 on Thursday Night Football. With Thursday’s win, Jackson is now 18-3 as a starter.

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Jamison Crowder, Marcus Maye among Jets’ Studs & Duds in Thursday night loss to Ravens

The unstoppable force that is the Baltimore Ravens steamrolled the New York Jets in a 42-21 primetime win on Thursday night.

The Ravens came into Thursday night’s matchup as two-touchdown favorites and there is no question why. Baltimore clinched its second consecutive AFC North title with Thursday’s 42-21 win over New York.

Baltimore has the most dominant offense in the league, while its defense isn’t afraid to punch you in the mouth. The Ravens offense operated at a video game pace, even with Lamar Jackson hobbled by a quad injury and made a mockery of the Jets No. 2 ranked run defense, running 34 times for 218 yards and a score.

Here are the best and worst players from the Jets’ latest loss.

Stud: WR Jamison Crowder

(Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports)

After dropping a wide-open touchdown pass, Jamison Crowder made a tougher catch to connect with Sam Darnold for his third touchdown reception of the season.

With Demaryius Thomas sidelined and Ryan Griffin placed on injured reserve, Crowder immediately filled the role of Darnold’s go-to receiver as he has numerous times this season.

Crowder caught six passes for 90 yards and two scores in losing fashion.

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Jamison Crowder dropped the easiest TD pass and got mocked… then made a great TD catch

What a recovery by Jamison Crowder.

New York Jets wide receiver Jamison Crowder dropped one of the easiest touchdown passes you will ever see at any level of football… and then stunned fans by making a very difficult TD catch just a few second later.

Maybe we can all learn something from the wide receiver who is in his fifth year in the league? I mean, way to battle back.

The Jets fell behind Lamar Jackson, who broke Michael Vick’s rushing record in the first quarter, 13-0 in Baltimore. Sam Darnold found a very wide open Crowder for what looked like a touchdown. But then Crowder forgot to catch the football.

Check this one out:

My goodness.

But then Darnold went right back to Crowder on the next play and he made this sweet TD grab:

Fans had feelings:

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Robby Anderson not worried about impending free agency: ‘It’ll work itself out’

Jets wideout Robby Anderson could enter unrestricted free agency after a down year in Adam Gase’s offense.

One of Joe Douglas’ most important decisions this offseason revolves around Robby Anderson.

The wide receiver isn’t enjoying the breakout season many had hoped to see from him in his fourth year, but Anderson said he isn’t too worried how it will affect his contract negotiations with the Jets as his unrestricted free agency draws closer.

“It’ll work itself out,” Anderson after Thursday’s practice. “I know the work I put in and I know what I’m capable of doing.”

Anderson signed his one-year, $3,095,000 restricted free agent tender this past offseason with his sights set on a big payday at the end of the year. But instead of a big season, Anderson has seen a dip in production as his receptions, yards and touchdowns have declined over the past two seasons. Through 12 games in 2019, he only has 36 receptions for 546 yards and three touchdowns.

He’s played well lately – with back-to-back games of more than 80 yards – but tends to disappear in pivotal games against superior secondaries. In two games against Patriots’ cornerback Stephon Gilmore this season, Anderson only hauled in four receptions for 21 yards.

Despite his down season, Anderson remains confident in his abilities and how that will translate at the negotiating table.

“I don’t really try to pay that no mind,” Anderson said, via NorthJersey.com. “Sometimes you can’t dictate a player’s potential and overlook what they have done. I don’t really think that’s going to be a factor, because I’m still the player that I am, it’s just the situation that’s been going on.” 

For what it’s worth, Anderson has been one of the best deep-threat receivers in the game since he entered the league. He’s averaged 14.8 yards per reception for his career, which is tied for 10th among all receivers with at least 150 receptions since 2016.

Anderson burst on the scene as an undrafted rookie in 2016 and followed up a strong end to his first year with a 63-catch, 941-yard and seven-touchdown sophomore season in 2017. His numbers declined with Sam Darnold under center, though, in 2018 and have dropped further with Darnold in Adam Gase’s offense. This season, Anderson’s targets have been widely inconsistent and he’s only eclipsed 100 receiving yards twice all year.

“It’s been hard at times,” Anderson said.  “But I feel like the games that I’ve put up, I’ve had pretty good games when given the opportunity I feel like. I know the work that I’ve put it in and I know what I’m capable of doing.”

Darnold put the onus on himself for getting Anderson more involved in the offense. The two have been magical at times the past two seasons, but inconsistent in big moments. Darnold also has more reliable options in the offense this year, including Jamison Crowder and Le’Veon Bell, who both saw more targets than Anderson prior to Week 13. 

“I think for me, it’s about getting the ball to him in a timely matter and making sure that I stay on time,” Darnold said, per the New York Post. “When you got a guy that’s so fast like Robby, you got to make sure you’re on time or else you’re going to miss him. I think we’ve done a lot better job, or I’ve done a better job of staying on time and on rhythm with him.”

If Douglas and Gase truly believe Anderson can be a quality contributor on offense and potentially a top receiving option for Darnold, retaining his services makes the most sense. The price will be the biggest question. Spotrac.com suggests Anderson is worth a four-year, $47,087,060 contract that would pay him $11.7 million annually. That puts him on similar contracts as Allen Robinson (Bears) and Alshon Jeffery (Eagles), who were the same age or younger when they signed their current deals.

Is Anderson worth that much money? That’s for Douglas to decide. If the Jets are serious about signing Anderson, they’ll have to weigh his potential off-field concerns. He was arrested twice between 2017 and 2018, including an ugly-looking altercation with police in 2018 which could have led to a suspension. Anderson’s been a model citizen since then, but there’s always a risk with players who’ve been arrested for these types of incidents in the past.

Anderson doesn’t seem concerned, nor should he be considering the interest surrounding him during the past two trade deadlines. Multiple teams inquired about his services but the Jets refused to trade him away. The talent is obviously there for him to be a quality contributor. It’s just a matter of what the Jets are willing to pay for his production.  

“I honestly feel like I’m one of the best receivers in the NFL when given the opportunity,” Anderson said Thursday, via the Jets’ team website. “If you look, when I’m given those opportunities and given those multiple targets, I put up those numbers that people that are considered top receivers do. And I feel like I’ve done that on a consistent basis throughout my career when given the opportunity. I’m just trying to make the best plays and do the best I can to contribute to the team.”