It’s clear who is most blamed for the Jets’ brutal weakness

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CHARLOTTE, NC The Jets opened the season with a 19-14 loss to the Panthers on Sunday. Here are some thoughts and observations of the game:

1. The Jets’ pass protection must have sounded familiar to Sam Darnold, who stood across the sideline on Sunday. It was the same old story for the offensive line. They fought against blitzes and stunts. They seemed out of sync with each other. They gave way to many free runners in the quarterback. All of this led to Zach Wilson getting fired six times and hitting four more times. Without Wilson’s quick feet, it would have been nine or 10 sacks.

There are many places to lay the blame for this failure. But it starts with general manager Joe Douglas. When he was hired in June 2019, he made it his top priority to win on the line of scrimmage. The Jets are still being pushed around on the line of scrimmage. Douglas had a long honeymoon here. He arrived at the end of 2019, so he wasn’t blamed that season. Adam Gase and Sam Darnold took every bullet for 2020. And the fingerprints of former GM Mike Maccagnans were still all over the list during those years and his mistakes became more and more obvious.

Zach Wilson tries to escape the Panthers passing rush on September 12, 2021.

But it’s over. Gase is on a golf course. Darnold is a panther. And the statute of limitations for blaming Maccagnan has expired. Douglas had two draft and two free agent periods to tackle this lineup, especially the offensive line. No one is saying he should have built a Super Bowl contender around this time, but shouldn’t the offensive line be better? He used two first-round picks on the line and signed numerous free agents, including the starting cross, right guard and right tackle on Sunday. Simply put, this is handwork by Douglas. Right now, it doesn’t look good. It’s too early to judge rookie Alijah Vera-Tucker, but he’s had a rough start, allowing six pushes, according to PFF. Last year’s first-round pick Mekhi Becton had an unstable training camp and had a few tough times on Sunday before injuring his knee. When it comes to Connor McGovern, Greg Van Roten, and George Fant, ask yourself, do you want these guys to be newbies in 2022? Probably not. That’s all you need to know. And Douglas signed Morgan Moses in June, which seemed like a good move, but Moses couldn’t even beat Fant in camp.

Douglas’s failures on the offensive line were Sunday’s story and are expected to be in other games this season. Wilson’s protection must be paramount. The Jets seemed unable to do so on Sunday. This needs to be corrected quickly.

Mekhi Becton is helped off the pitch after suffering a knee injury. Getty Images

2. With all the emphasis on poor pass protection, we lost a bit on Sunday just how bad the Jets were at directing the ball. Throughout the offseason we heard about the Shanahan offense Mike LaFleur would use and how it is race based. On Sunday, the Jets averaged just 2.6 yards per rushing play. It’s not going to do it. It’s hard to blame the backs. They got hit as soon as they touched the ball. According to PFF, the Jets were on average 0.2 yards to contact per race. The Jets used the committee approach to run with Ty Johnson, Tevin Coleman and Michael Carter. The longest run of the day was 12 yards by Johnson.

3. Robert Saleh made his first major decision in the game in the second quarter, facing a fourth and a 1 at the Panthers 42. It initially looked like Saleh was going to hit him. But he took a time out and then returned the offensive to the field.

I loved Saleh’s decision to go here. The Jets were down 3-0 at the time and needed some momentum.

What I didn’t like was the play call. LaFleur handed the ball to Tevin Coleman on a slow developing play and Coleman exploded in the backfield. The Panthers recovered the ball and Darnold threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Robby Anderson in the next play.

I don’t understand why the coaches don’t have more imagination on the fourth and the court. The NFL is all about the short pass game now. Surely LaFleur had a better game on his call sheet than that. Get Wilson in motion and allow him to have a run / pass option on this game. Hit the tight end. Anything but a slow-developing racing game.

4. Denzel Mims’ situation is downright strange. Mims only played three snaps on Sunday. He caught the only pass thrown at him over 40 yards. So why doesn’t he play more? It does not mean anything.

It’s clear that LaFleur and possibly wide receivers coach Miles Austin don’t trust him. It was evident in training camp when Mims was racing with the third team. Looks like Mims might be a square peg trying to fit into a round hole with the new coaching staff.

Denzel Mims didn’t see much action in the Jets’ loss to the Panthers.Bill Kostroun

Even though the Jets’ coaches don’t fully trust Mims or feel he isn’t the best road racer, Sunday was the day to let him play. Jamison Crowder and Keelan Cole were both absent. For all of Mims’ flaws, there is no denying his ability. You can’t tell me that Braxton Berrios or Jeff Smith are more talented than Mims. The Jets offense did nothing for two and a half quarters. Don’t you think a talented wide receiver on the pitch could help? Instead, the Jets didn’t put him in the game until three minutes were left and voila, he made a big play.

Coaches have favorites and guys they don’t like. But LaFleur must give Mims more luck. The guy has some skills that the Jets’ offense needs.

Revealing statistic

The Jets allowed six sacks in the game. It was the fifth time they have allowed at least six sacks in a game since 2019. It had only happened five times between 2010-18. It shows how far the offensive line has fallen off the cliff.

Surprising number of shots

Ty Johnson led all running backs with 35 snaps (54%). Tevin Coleman had 17 and Michael Carter had 16. I didn’t expect Johnson to be in the lead.

Game ball

Kicker Matt Ammendola did not attempt to score from the field but arrived as a emergency kicker after Braden Mann injured his left knee in the first quarter. Ammendola punted for 65 yards and pinned the Panthers twice inside the 20.

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