Tag: Robby Anderson

4 takeaways from the Jets’ bizarre win over the Dolphins

Jets Wire breaks down New York’s bizarre win over the Dolphins with four takeaways.

What a bizarre game that was.

The Jets got the job done against the Dolphins in Week 14, downing Miami 21-19 on a Sam Ficken field goal as time expired. The action was far from exhilarating despite the final minutes, but a win is a win.

Let’s take a look back at New York’s fifth win of the season with four takeaways from the game.

Darnold gets it done…sort of

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Sam Darnold was not good in the second half. That’s not up for debate. However, despite his underwhelming half of football, he stepped up down the stretch and put the Jets in a position to win.

Darnold’s pitch and catch to Vyncint Smith essentially set up Sam Ficken’s game-winning field goal. The Jets got bailed out by the referees deciding to review defensive pass interference after their drive started going backward, but Darnold got them into Miami territory in the first place, nonetheless. That deserves some sort of acknowledgment.

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Robby Anderson, Sam Darnold among Jets’ Studs & Duds in win over Dolphins

The Jets won their fifth game of the season in a battle of field goals to earn their first AFC East win of the season.

The Jets barely squeaked out a victory over the Dolphins Sunday, winning 22-21.

The Dolphins’ lackluster red zone offense kept the Jets in the game, despite New York giving Miami every opportunity to win. Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders went 7-8 on field goals, but it was Sam Ficken who won the game for the Jets with a 44-yard field goal as time expired.

The Jets’ fifth win of the season was also Adam Gase’s first against his former team.

Mistakes were made on the final drive, but a reviewed defensive pass interference call gave the Jets a gift from above. Here are the best and worst players from the Jets’ last-second win.

Stud: RB Bilal Powell

(Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

Bilal Powell was a workhorse out of the backfield Sunday.

Powell had 19 carries for 74 yards. That’s more in a single game than Le’Veon Bell had in any of his starts (70). A staggering statistic, this is the first time a Jets running back has run for over 70 yards this season.

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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.”

Fantasy football: 5 sleepers to start, 5 starters to sit in Week 14

Fantasy football Sleepers, sits, starts, ahead of Week 14.

It’s crunch time in fantasy football.

A little scouting and you can avoid a crucial late-season loss or do just enough to cross the finish line with a win this week. We’ve got you covered with a quick scouting report to help you out.

Here are five sleepers to start and five starters you’ve got to sit in fantasy football Week 14:

Starts
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

QB Tom Brady

Things aren’t going well for the Patriots. Correction: Things aren’t going well for the Patriots offense. Their defense had led them to their 10-2 record. But this could be a good game to have faith in Tom Brady. The Chiefs have an offense that could put up some points even against a stout defense such as New England’s, plus Brady played well against the Kansas City defense twice last season. He had 340 yards and two scores in that game, which was also a home game for him.

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Adam Gase, offensive line among Jets’ Studs & Duds in loss to Bengals

The Jets dropped their second game to a winless opponent this season and are now 4-8 with four games remaining after their 22-6 loss in Ohio

The Jets lost to a team that is 1-18 in its last 19 games on Sunday.

Adam Gase’s squad was a no show in Cincinnati, thinking they already had the game won when they arrived. Instead, New York was on the wrong side of NFL history for the second time this season.

The Jets gave the 0-7 Miami Dolphins their first win. No NFL team has ever given two teams who started 0-7 or worse their first wins of the season. New York became that team Sunday, handing Cincinnati its first win of the season and giving Zac Taylor the first win of his head coaching career.

For the Jets, it was two steps back in the wrong direction. Sam Darnold ended the game with a pronounced limp and the Jets offense didn’t sniff the red zone once.

Here are the best and worst players from the Jets’ sluggish and embarrassing Week 13 loss.

Dud: The Offensive Line

(David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports)

Pass protection has been an issue all season for the Jets, but it reared its ugly head in the 22-6 loss.

The Jets offensive line was guilty of six holds and several back-breaking penalties. The Jets offense had no chance with the Bengals defensive front wreaking havoc on the backfield on every play.

Offensive line play has been key to the Jets’ success all season, so it didn’t help that Kelvin Beachum and Tom Compton were penalty machines while Brandon Shell was a turnstile.

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Lack of energy, missed opportunities among takeaways from Jets’ loss to Bengals

Jets Wire breaks down the Jets’ Week 13 loss to the Bengals with four takeaways from the action.

The same old Jets are back.

Granted an ideal opportunity to make it four wins in a row against the winless Bengals, New York looked like the team that started the season 1-7 and gave Cincinnatti its first win of the season by a final score of 22-6 thanks to what was essentially a no-show performance.

The Jets can now say goodbye to any hope for a miraculous postseason push. They can also say goodbye to the momentum that seemingly had them trending in the right direction. Before putting this ugly loss in the rearview mirror, let’s take a look back at the action with four takeaways.

Typical Jets

David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Leave it to the Jets to lay an egg against the worst team in football after winning three games in a row.

New York had a prime opportunity to extend its winning streak to four against a winless Bengals squad, but fell flat on its face in Cincinnati. Maybe it was the dreary weather and nearly empty stadium that threw the Jets off. Maybe they simply got caught flat-footed by underestimating the Bengals and assuming they would lie down for them.

Either way, there’s no denying that Sunday’s performance was the latest example of the same old Jets coming out to play.

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Featuring Le’Veon Bell among Jets’ keys to offense vs. Bengals

Jets running back Le’Veon Bell should be able to run rampant against the Bengals defense in Week 13.

The Jets offense should continue to roll in Week 13 as New York takes on the winless Bengals in Cinncinati. Sam Darnold just put up 27 points in a blowout win over the Raiders a week ago, and the young quarterback has thrown for 838 yards and seven touchdowns with only one turnover during the Jets’ three-game winning streak.

There isn’t a lot to be worried about against the Bengals defense but that doesn’t mean the Jets can sleepwalk through this game. Remember Week 9 in Miami? The Jets looked atrocious against the Dolphins and delivered them their first win of the season. Similarly to how they played in the previous three weeks, Adam Gase and the Jets should pour it on with their offense and light up one of the worst defenses in the league.

Here are four keys to the Jets offense against the Bengals.

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With free agency looming, Robby Anderson needs to build on Week 12 performance

Jets Wire breaks down why Robby Anderson can earn himself an even bigger payday if he builds on his performance against the Raiders.

There’s no disputing that someone is going to pay Robby Anderson the big bucks this offseason. The only question is, how high can his price tag rise?

The fourth-year wideout has a dynamic skill set that any team looking to upgrade at the position would covet. His ability to take the top off a defense with ease is an invaluable trait in a league that trends more toward airing it out and taking shots downfield. Even Anderson’s route running has come along nicely in 2019. It’s not where he’d like it to be, but it’s improved enough to earn him a few extra dollars.

Anderson’s projected market value currently sits at $11.7 million in terms of average annual salary, according to Spotrac. With that projection, he would be in line to earn a four-year deal worth approximately $47 million. That’s a nice raise over the $3.1 million he’s earning with the Jets this season.

A nine-figure deal is a lucrative amount of money, one Anderson was never supposed to sniff entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Temple. He’s done well to make himself a valuable commodity, but believe it or not, there’s still a lot more he can do to up his value.

It starts with building on his Week 12 performance against the Raiders. Anderson caught four passes for 86 yards and a touchdown against Oakland — an impressive, but not extraordinary, stat line. Anderson’s numbers might not jump off the page, but the way he operated throughout the afternoon certainly does.

Anderson’s route running was crisp as the Jets turned to more of an underneath passing attack due to dreary weather. Jamison Crowder is lauded as New York’s most efficient underneath route runner, but Anderson certainly earned his keep with his showing against the Raiders.

There’s also the notably improved ball skills Anderson put on display. Taking the top off a defense is one thing, but being able to track a pass and make plays in traffic is another. Case in point; Anderson hauling in a Sam Darnold dime dropped in between two defenders and somehow holding onto the ball despite some wrestling with an Oakland defender as he went down to the turf.

There’s also Anderson’s ability to adjust on the fly. It might not seem like anything special to the average fan, but Anderson not only had to haul in a pass thrown from an awkward angle on a third-down situation, but recognize the coverage and run the route deep enough to allow Darnold to have a window to throw into.

When NFL front offices evaluate Anderson, they’re going to nitpick his film, as they would anyone else. In the past, there would’ve been a lot to criticize.

Now? Not so much. Anderson is far from a finished product, but considering how young he is and how much growing he still has left to do, he’s an enticing player and arguably the third-best wide receiver option set to hit the open market behind Emmanuel Sanders and Amari Cooper, who is likely to be re-signed by the Cowboys before the beginning of free agency. Frankly, you could make the argument Anderson is the second-best option considering Sanders’ age and recent injury history.

Whether or not the Jets are the ones writing the check, Anderson is going to emerge from the 2020 offseason a very rich man. If he wants to continue to drive his price tag up, all he has to do is ride the momentum from his complete performance against the Raiders for the rest of the season.

Jamal Adams’ continued dominance among 4 takeaways in Jets’ Week 11 win over Redskins

Jamal Adams added three sacks to his 2019 total and continues to show the NFL why he’s the best safety in the league.

The offense clicked, the defense looked unbeatable and the Jets finally put together their first complete game of the season against the hapless Redskins. The win also marked the first time the Jets won back-to-back games since Week 6 of 2018.

Aside from a few bad turnovers, everything worked for the Jets in this game. Sam Darnold and Jamal Adams looked terrific, and players like Ryan Griffin and Bless Austin stepped up in big ways on a team riddled by injuries. It’s not much to beat one of the worst teams in the league, but putting up 34 points helps with morale for the rest of the season.

Here are four takeaways from the Jets’ win.

(Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports)

Sam Darnold’s career game

This was the best game of Sam Darnold’s career. He picked apart the Redskins defense, found his receivers easily and made some tremendous throws on the run in classic Darnold fashion. He finished 19-30 for 293 yards and a career-high four touchdowns but also threw a signature interception off his back foot and into coverage. 

Darnold continues to regain his confidence against putrid defenses but needs to clean up the mistakes that have plagued his career. It’s always encouraging to see him light up the stat sheet but not when he adds in some potentially-costly turnovers. Luckily, his interception only led to a Redskins field goal, but against a better offense, those turnovers will inevitably turn into touchdowns.

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