Just Offensive

It's too easy to blame Mark Sanchez or the anemic offensive line. The Jets offensive problems lie in a repetitive pattern of history, constantly hiring the wrong man for the wrong job at offensive coordinator.

It hasn't always been awful, just mostly awful. Charlie Weis had three good years when the Jets had briefly changed their identity under Bill Parcells from 1997-99, and Paul Hackett actually had moderate success working with Chad Pennington in the Herm Edwards years from 2001-04.

But if you're a Jet fan, the list below will inspire nothing but seething anger at all the years of miserable play-calling and brain-dead clock management. Years of our lives that have been thrown away on a collection of has-beens and never-will-bes.

Joe Walton 1981-1989

Walton was actually a good offensive coordinator in 1981 & 1982, although that just happened to coincide with the NFL debut of Freeman McNeil. Once Walton was promoted to head coach, it was a disaster. For years, the fans chanted "Joe Must Go!" and management didn't listen.

After his second year as head coach, the offensive coordinator duties were unloaded on...

Rich Kotite 1985-1989, 1995-1996

Kotite saved Walton's job at first. Then he gradually took the Jets offense down the tunnel to hell. And for good measure he was rehired as the worst head coach in Jets history. In 1995 & 1996, the Jets were 4-28.

After a brief search on the internet, I found the picture that all Jet fans would cover their dart board with, the only picture living on the web of great minds Walton and Kotite together.

Bruce Coslet 1990-1993

He was hailed as a visionary after great success as the Bengals OC in the late 80s. But after 4 non-winning seasons in the dual role of Head Coach & Offensive Coordinator, he was shown the door. That paved the way for the one-year fiasco that was the Pete Carroll era, a few years too early.

Coslet returned to his assistant role with the Bengals until David Shula was fired, then he drove the Bengals into the ground too. His career record as an NFL Head Coach: 47-77.

Brian Schottenheimer 2006-2011

"Schottie, you suck," said Mark Sanchez on HBO's Hard Knocks, after Sanchez called a preseason game-opening drive for a TD.

Personally I thought Schottenheimer was awful. I know he got stuck with Brett Favre, and a rookie Mark Sanchez, but somehow the team succeeded despite him. He was a classic game-planner that would rather trick you than just beat you. Thank goodness the Jets had a punishing RB like Thomas Jones who had a couple of brilliant seasons in that stretch.

Tony Sparano 2012-

Sparano got dealt a bad hand too. A few years ago, he had success running the Wildcat with the Dolphins. But since then the gadget offense, as any fad in the NFL, was figured out and dismantled. But the word came down from up high (no pun intended) to involve Tim Tebow.

Early in the season, the results were mixed. But later in the year, all it did was take Sanchez out of rhythm and bring any semblance of cohesion in the offense to a grinding halt.

Does he deserve to stay? Rex Ryan? Sanchez? Tebow? Does anyone?

Others

Who could forget one-year wonders like Ray Sherman (1994), Ron Erhardt (1996), Dan Henning (2000), or Mike Heimerdinger (2005)?

This is the problem with the Jets and their offensive coordinators: they mostly hire retreads, and when they don't they hire guys who have to justify their existence by being fancy.

My only advice, whether hiring an offense-minded head coach, or just a new OC, please do not hire Andy Reid, Norv Turner, or Todd Haley.

Find a guy who's hot, innovative, on the way up, and throw a bunch of money at him. Like they do in college.

The Costliest Win

Only in football: the best player on the field, maybe the best player in the league gets no action. It's lonely on Revis Island, but a top corner takes away a top offensive weapon and takes away a quadrant of the field. It allows a defensive-minded coach like Rex Ryan to construct an entire defensive scheme around him.

In the most violent sport, Darrelle Revis got the dreaded not-contact knee injury yesterday, which makes every pretense of being a torn ACL. Like when you saw Mariano Rivera's knee buckle shagging flies in batting practice, you know how that wound up.

So that obviously hangs over the Jets' overtime victory in Miami yesterday. But there are only 16 games in a season and every win counts. The Jets looked terrible, but they're 2-1.

The offense was stymied. The "ground & pound" run game hasn't materialized yet this season: 88 rush yards for the game, and 22 of those were in OT. That means you're relying on Mark Sanchez, which is a risky proposition.

Sanchez can look great when he has time and timing, but he is prone to horrific mistakes. The ledger sheet tilts to the positive (how can it not with 4 road playoff wins?) but sometimes you have to watch through your fingers which are gripping your face.

The defense wasn't good either, though they were missing Revis for most of the second half. They gave up 185 rush yards, allowed an 80-yard TD drive in the 3rd quarter, and let rookie QB Ryan Tannehill take the Dolphins right down the field for the tying field goal at the end of regulation.

The difference was special teams. Kicker Nick Folk made all 3 attempts. He's 6-for-6 on the year, and has been quietly reliable for 3 years now. Punter Robert Malone had 6 punts for 45.7 and dropped 4 inside the 20.

Mike Westhoff's unit also managed to establish Tim Tebow, running him from punt formation for 5 yards on a 4th & 3 on their own 25. A ballsy call that led to a Field Goal.

The game ball goes to Jeremy Kerley, who had 3 nice punt returns, a 66-yard catch & run, and the go-ahead TD reception with 3:01 left in regulation.

And despite the uneven performance, offensive coordinator Tony Sparano gets to look himself in the mirror knowing he is 1-0 against the team that fired him.

Where the Jets go from here is anyone's guess. It truly is one game at a time as the overall gameplan may have to change significantly without #24.

Green Day!

"2.0" is the new overused update description. HBO's The Newsroom was all centered around their new mission and "NewsNight 2.0." I can't tell you how many referred to The President's most recent convention speech as "Obama 2.0." I even relaunched this site after 20 months off and casually dropped a "Backtime 2.0."

How would The New York Jets 2.0 work out with Tim Tebow in the mix? Well, they had hired Tony Sparano as offensive coordinator to make sure everyone was on the same page, and make the best use of both quarterbacks while constantly switching offenses and changing tempo. I identified this as the key to their season on August 3.

And after a Jets preseason that yielded no victories and only one touchdown, it didn't look too promising. Not that it meant anything, but there was certainly nothing pointing to what we saw today.

I'm not keeping score by the final score, as impressive as 48-28 was. I grade on whether the offense was seamless, were there mistakes?

And by mistakes I don't mean the Sanchez pick on the first drive where he scrambled and made an ill-advised flip that turned into a deflection INT on the sideline (that could have been overturned).

By mistakes I mean illegal procedures, delays of game, broken plays, or anything else that can be attributed to confusion on the offensive side. Sparano gets an "A."

There was one delay of game within 2:00 remaining in the first half that turned a 3rd & 3 into a 3rd & 8. They still kicked the FG to go up 27-7 at the half.

In the 4th quarter there was one procedure call, and then a delay related to the Tebow shuttle when the game was well into garbage time.

Sanchez was brilliant and used all his receivers. Three Jets corners had picks in one-on-one coverage, and Antonio Cromartie took his to the house. (I could have done without the somersault into the endzone, but if he does 16 of those this year, who am I to gripe?) And Jeremy Kerley returned a punt for a TD as well.

Tebow was a non-factor but a presence. The Steelers will obviously have to prepare for him next week, and they don't need to be reminded about Tebow after he ended their 2011 season in the playoffs in Denver.

The performance wasn't perfect. The Jets D had some problems tackling C.J. Spiller in the open field, but I have the feeling they won't be the last team in 2012 to say that.

And the Jets never really flexed their muscles in the running game. We'll have to wait for next week for Shonn Greene Day.

Addition By Addition, Tony Sparano Edition

Bringing Tim Tebow to the Jets was a head-scratching move at first. However unreliable, the investment in Mark Sanchez was significant. The only way it could work would be to utilize Tebow's special talents without it being a Quarterback controversy sideshow.

Enter former Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano as Offensive Coordinator, who helped Miami overachieve in his stint there. It's because the offense was unconventional, but mostly because everyone was on the same page. They would go from standard offense to "wildcat" to "spread" within series, and defenses had a hard time adjusting on the fly. One one play Chad Henne would be at QB, then Pat White, then Ronnie Brown taking a direct snap.

This is where football coaches make their money, to gain tactical advantages. But the key, again, is for everyone to be on the same page. The Jets have a smart, veteran offensive line so that's not going to be a problem. Tebow obviously will get it. Even Sanchez should be able to keep his head in the game. But the monumental task in front of Sparano is to somehow find a way for those selfish, overpaid, knucklehead Wide Receivers to be on board.

When Tebow comes charging in, whether it be at QB, Fullback, or Tight End, the defense will need to react while the Jets act. That's pressure. Not to mention using Tebow on punt packages means that every 4th and 5-or-less will be an opportunity for the Jets and a headache for their opponent.

I can't stress this enough - coordination is the key. It would never have happened under former OC Brian Schottenheimer, whose offense was rarely on the same page in 2011. That part is addition by subtraction.