Robert Malone gets a punt blocked
Tim Tebow
Offense
It really could not have gone much worse for Tony Sparano in his first year as offensive coordinator. The unit was terrible, starting with the horrendous play of quarterback Mark Sanchez (246-of-453 passing, 2,883 yards, 13 TDs, 18 INTs), who committed 26 turnovers. The Jets finished 30th overall in total offense.
The Tim Tebow experiment was a total disaster. Sparano never integrated Tebow (32 rushes, 102 yards, 6-of-8 passing, 39 yards) into the offense like Rex Ryan promised he would.
The running game, which finished 12th in the NFL, had its moments. Shonn Greene (276 rushes, 1,073 yards, 8 TDs) and Bilal Powell (110 rushes, 437 yards, 4 TDs) split the running back duties more and more as the season went on.
The receivers were a nondescript group after Santonio Holmes suffered a foot injury in the fourth game of the season. Jeremy Kerley (56 catches, 827 yards, 2 TDs) had the best year of the group.
The offensive line was shaky. It started off slow, then seemed to find a groove after the bye week. The group gave up 11 sacks in Week 16, though. Poor Greg McElroy.
Expect big changes on this side of the ball this offseason. F
Defense
Ryan came into the season talking about having a top-five defense. It looked like a ridiculous statement midway through the season, but a strong performance down the stretch left them eighth in the NFL.
Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine lost his best player in the third game of the season when CB Darrelle Revis tore the ACL in his left knee. CB Antonio Cromartie (35 tackles, 3 INTs, 13 passes defended) raised his game without Revis and made the Pro Bowl.
Safeties LaRon Landry (99 tackles, 2 INTs, 8 passes defended, 4 forced fumbles) and Yeremiah Bell (89 tackles, 2 PD) were huge upgrades for the Jets from what they had in 2011. Now, the question is whether they will be back.
Muhammad Wilkerson (70 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 FF) emerged in his second season as a force up front. First-round pick Quinton Coples
(5 1/2 sacks) showed promise at the end of the year.
The linebacking corps needs an overhaul. Bart Scott, Calvin Pace and Bryan Thomas are likely gone. The Jets need to get younger and faster.
The defense allowed too many big plays this year, giving up four rushes of 40 yards or more, the fourth-most in the NFL. They were 26th in the league against the rush.
Many times it was a “bend but don’t break” defense allowing teams to drive to midfield before they stopped them. The Jets need an absolutely dominant defense to win with their offensive limitations right now. They didn’t have that this year. B-
Special teams
Mike Westhoff’s final season did not go as planned. The retiring special teams coordinator had his worst year on the job. The Jets had a ton of miscues on special teams, making Westhoff’s last year a tough one.
The Jets gave up two blocked punts for touchdowns, a kickoff return for a touchdown, a punt return for a touchdown, fumbled a kickoff return that resulted in a touchdown, fumbled a punt return and had three field goals blocked.
The positive was Nick Folk (21-of-27 FGs, long of 54), who was extremely consistent this year. Tebow provided some interest early with fake punts but did not play personal protector after injuring his ribs in November. Kick returner Joe McKnight (27.5-yard average, 1 TD) was bothered by an ankle injury for most of the season. Punter Robert Malone (45.8 average) was a nice find right before the season. Jeremy Kerley (10.9 average, 1 TD) set a dubious NFL record with 36 fair catches. D
Coaching
Woody Johnson spared Rex Ryan on Monday from getting the ax, but the case could be made for dumping Ryan. This year’s team won two consecutive games only once, lost its final three games to sub.-500 teams and had a ton of embarrassing moments on its way to 6-10.
The Jets lost six games by 17 points or more. They had three humiliating home losses — to the 49ers, Dolphins and the Patriots, when they allowed three touchdowns in 52 seconds. That falls on Ryan.
Tony Sparano was an awful fit. He showed no creativity and ran an offense that should have come with leather helmets.
The best coaching job was done by defensive backs coach Dennis Thurman. He lost Revis in Week 3 and still had a strong secondary. If Mike Pettine leaves, as expected, Thurman should be promoted to defensive coordinator. D