By Brian Bohl
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — As they filed out of Giants Stadium, the Jets could have taken pride knowing they will not lose this Sunday. Not even this team can mess up a bye week, with the roster getting an extra seven days to contemplate a 1-8 start and six-game losing streak that should be used in a textbook as a primer on the numerous ways to lose an NFL game.
The misery continued with a 23-20 loss to the Redskins in overtime, negating any positive momentum Kellen Clemens generated in his second career NFL start. Clinton Portis finished with 196 yards, part of a 296-yard effort produced by the entire Washington team.
Against the Bengals, the Jets put up 31 points but surrendered 38. Against the Bills, the defense clamped down and allowed just 13 points. Too bad the offense mustered just a field goal in possibly Chad Pennington’s last start with the franchise. In the latest debacle, Clemens demonstrated poise and efficacy in throwing for 226 yards and no interceptions, only to see the front line of Shaun Ellis, Dewayne Robertson and Kenyon Coleman get manhandled repeatedly at the line of scrimmage.
Overall, when Washington kicker Shaun Suisham connected on the last of his five field goals to win it, the result epitomized the season: a competitive effort that came up short.
“The first part of the season here, we’ve lost five games by seven points or less,” coach Eric Mangini said. “That’s a tough situation. But it’s encouraging in the sense that those games are close, and if we can improve, if we can make some strides like we did last year during the bye, then some of those will turn in our favor.”
Regardless of the final win total, monitoring the development of the young players remains the only incentive for a frustrated fan base. The announced Meadowlands crowd of 76,663 was too exasperated to boo when Suisham’s kick barely cleared the cross bar in the extra session. Groans and murmurs replaced vitriolic jeers, and the only emotion from the crows coming earlier when they cheered Clemens before his first drive.
“It was a good experience in general,” Clemens said. “We had a good week of practice. It was a pretty solid game. It’s just so frustrating to battle so hard for four quarters and an overtime period and then just come up short.”
After looking calm against the occasional Redskins pass rush, Clemens will be the starter the rest of the season barring injury or a steep regression. His ascension over Pennington is part of a youth movement currently providing the only incentive to stay interested in a lost season. The Jets will likely finish with a top-five draft pick, yet they won’t need to plug any major holes at the skill positions.
Clemens is only in his second season, making the 24-year-old part of the future. Thomas Jones continues to endure a nightmarish season as the feature running back, yet he signed a long-term contact in the offseason and isn’t going anywhere.
The Jets own one of the NFL’s top receiving tandems in Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery. On defense, rookie linebacker David Harris has 34 tackles in his first two starts. Meanwhile, 2007 first-round pick Darrelle Revis continues to show improvement from the cornerback spot.
This team is not devoid of talent, so the sensible option might be to trade down to get more draft choices. The Jets don’t need a quarterback or running back—positions most teams target with a top-10 selection.
Instead, Mangini could finally get the true nose tackle to plug into his 3-4 defense later in the first round. Dwayne Robertson has never adjusted to that role since the coaching staff moved the base defense from the 4-3 set beginning last season. Jonathan Vilma’s also struggled in the scheme before going down with a knee injury, though Harris’ strong start could make the former Pro Bowl linebacker trade bait this offseason.
The extra picks could also be used to fortify the offensive line if a veteran free agent can be found to replace the hole left by Pete Kendall’s departure. Ironically, Kendall’s work at left guard for the Redskins helped beat his former team, opening up holes for Portis by preventing Coleman from getting any penetration into the Washington backfield.
The Jets don’t need a full overhaul, just some improvements to a few key spots. Perhaps a few changes could be the difference in those seven-point games.