JFTD Monday Matchup – Miami Dolphins

It’s make or break time for the Jets.  We could all see it coming, and were just hoping we could get through those first 4 games 2-2.  Heck, I even read and heard some fans would have been happy with 1-3!  But alas my friends, here we sit at a rosey colored 3-1 and…wait… can you see it ahead…?  The soft part of the schedule is upon us!

I think we keep our passionate fandom focused just on this season, it is perfectly acceptable to be excited about this part of the schedule – MIA, BUF, OAK, MIA, JAX – 5 very winnable games for our team.  But you and I both know we can’t shake the sheer terror of last year’s collapse and losses to very bad teams.   Will we be able to take care of business this year?

And so here we sit, a Monday night matchup-up to start it off against the Dolphins.   I have watched a couple of games this year the Dolphins have played, and their running game is tough to handle.  Even though they lost, they held the ball against the Colts for 47 minutes!   While our pass D has been stellar, our run D must improve.  How do we get there quickly…? -Enter Calvin Pace.  Not only is he our best 1 on 1 pass rusher, but he is stout against the run.  Vernon Gholston did a nice job filling in, but it’s obvious he can not hold the edge and come off a block like Calvin Pace. 

QB’s – JETS

We may have to give the edge to most of our competitors in this department throughout this year with our Rookie QB, but not this one.  Mark Sanchez has more starts with (4) and has shown flashes of brilliance and toughness.  Chad Henne did a good job handing the ball off last week against Buffalo, not sure how we’ll handle our aggressive D this week.

RBs – DOLPHINS

They not neccessarily have more talent  than we do, especially with Sean Greene ready to burst on the scene, but this is more award to the Fins because of their scheme.  They have evolved the wildcat a bit since introducing it against the Pats early in the season last year.  They run the QB off the field a lot this year, and they will put 4 RBs on the field to create confusion – and it has worked very well.

WRs – JETS

We will need to let Braylon Edwards play a few games before we crown him a stud, but we win this one by default.  The Fins have the opposite problem we do now, all slot guys and a very unrealiable #1 receiver in Ted Ginn.  He is a sloppy route runner with bad hands, especially at key moments in the game.  Braylon Edwards has had his share of the dropsies, but he also had 1300 yards and 16TD’s in one season – even if Cotchery can’t suit up – gotta give the edge to the Jets.

TE’s – JETS

With Braylon Edwards running deeper routes, this could be the start of something big for Dustin Keller.  Anthony Fason is a nice player, but he’s a slow block-first Tight End.  Keller has improved his blocking and is a dangerous weapon ready to explode.

O-Line – JETS

With Jake Long’s recent struggles at LT, the Dolphins could be in for a long night of blitzing off the strong side from LB’s Calvin Pace and Bart Scott.  John Abraham absolutely RAN OVER him a few weeks back and he also showed signs of weakness in speed rushers against the Colts.  While our O-Line has played well below our standards, edge goes here to the Jets who are just more consistant at this point then the Fins line.

Defense – JETS

Can’t argue with this one – with a young secondary and over-confident, loud mouth line backing core the Fins D could be in for a long night.  The Jets have shown they can stop the run and are stellar against the pass.  This is the first time this season they are getting a crack at an inexperienced QB and their mouths must be watering.

KEY TO THE GAME

The Key Match Up in this game is NT Kris Jenkins vs. The Miami Run game.  A key part to the wildcat is the counter and the dive, and if Jenkins can shut down the middle, the Jets will be ready on the outside.  I also expect Rex to move Jenkins around, especially when the Fins line up with their Unbalanced line Wildcat set.  They take their LT and move him over to the Right side and he lines up outside the RT.  More beef on one side.  Stick Jenkins in between them and you will force them to double team him, taking away the effectiveness of having your two big Tackles right next to each other.   It won’t be an easy task but if the Jets stop the run and force the dolphins to Pass, we could see turnover city and a possible easy victory for the Jets.

JFTD prediction

It will take a while to grab the lead, but when we do, there will be no turning back.

JETS 20  Dolphins 9

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