"The armies separated; and, it is said, Pyrrhus replied to one that gave him joy of his victory that one more such victory would utterly undo him."
– Plutarch
Yesterday was the definition of a Pyrrhic victory. Much as we might not want to do it, it's time to look back at the game that the Jets played yesterday in Miami and wonder … what the hell happened and what was the cost of winning? I don't know that the Jets won this game so much as the Dolphins lost it. Without Reggie Bush and with two Dan Carpenter misses … yeesh … the Jets sure looked to have fallen into that win. Still, a win is a win and the Jets are now 2-1, 2-0 in the division and right back where they need to be, but it's hard to take much confidence from the game that the Jets just put together especially when you consider that they might (or might not) be out Darrelle Revis for the remainder of the year.
Moment of Redemption — The "moment of redemption" storyline didn't exactly play out for Sparano, Santonio, Sanchez or much of anyone else. The defense carried the day with LaRon Landry's pick-six play most notably, but a pall hangs over the defense today with the Darrelle Revis injury.
Maybe He Should Have Stayed Home? – It's all Monday morning quarterbacking at this point, but there was wisdom in keeping Revis out one more week. With the WRs that the Dolphins have, there was little reason to push Revis back for the game. Revis was cleared, stated he was playing, and he did play — up until that non-contact injury that took Revis out for the remainder of the game. If Revis' injury is in fact an ACL tear as was rumored last night, then it might be a long time before the Jets get him back. All we can do now is hope that it's a fairly minor tear and something that he can recover from in short order. Revis' reaction yesterday would seem to betray that hope … but at this point it's all we have left.
The Snooze Button Didn't Help – This past week Rex Ryan laid off his team after a tough loss. Ryan's plan was to let the Jets players start their practice later in the day, stay hydrated and be as rested as possible for the game. Whoever came up with that plan should be fired, because it was a terrible plan. The Jets looked out of synch last week in Pittsburgh and looked much the same much of the game in Miami. Light a fire under these guys, Rex, please.
Elementary My Dear Holmes — Mark Sanchez is missing Dustin Keller and his completion percentage is an indication of that. Right now, Sanchez's completion percentage stands at an unimpressive 50.5% so far for the year — the Bills game has been the aberration. Good thing Holmes had such a good day. Up against an inferior cornerbacking unit, Santonio took full advantage of the opportunity, racking up almost 150 yards on nine grabs, not to mention the countless penalties for first downs he seemed to get yesterday. Hill had another catchless day, but Kerley pitched in with two big catches one for the longest play by the Jets from scrimmage and another for a touchdown.
Settling In — The defense looks to be coming together and had a good day against the Dolphins. Now granted, it was against the Dolphins. David Harris had eight tackles to lead the team, Kenrick Ellis had a nice forced fumble and of course the Landry play was a hug momentum swinger for the Jets. The defense is going to need to be opportunistic if the offense can't be as consistent as the team needs them to be.
Feeling a Little Greene — Shonn Greene has done what he's always done in September: not much. While he never carried the ball in his rookie year, he's yet to average more than four yards a carry in September since then. Right now Greene is averaging a woeful 2.8 yards per carry for the season … expect Bilal Powell and Joe McKnight to start getting more carries very soon since the bell around this bell-cow's neck seems to be dragging him down.
