00:00So the Jets, they made a change at quarterback this week, but they still came up short on Sunday as they fell to the Ravens 23 to 10 in Baltimore. So let's talk about gang green. We're going to do it with the executive producer of the Maggie and Perloff show on the Infinity Sports Network. He is also a host with WFAN. It's my guy. EJ Stewart joins me now. EJ, how are you doing after this latest Jets loss?
00:23I mean, it's more of the same, right? Again, another just lost another losing season and a lot of much of the same. We had a different quarterback out there thinking there would be a different result. Unfortunately, Jets still lose. So here we are again. Here we are again. But this was an interesting game because it felt like a tale of two halves to me, EJ, where the Jets, they actually looked and dare I say this pretty dominant in the first half, but they only led seven to three at halftime. Then they only scored three points in the second half.
00:51So what did you like about what you saw from gang green in the first half? And where did it go wrong for them in the second half?
00:58Let's talk about John Mechie, a guy who they actually ended up picking up in those trades that they did at the trade deadline. A lot of was talked about what they gave up in terms of star players and Williams and sauce Gardner and what they were getting back in draft picks. But John Mechie has been a guy that's come over and played quite well. He scored the touchdown in that first half. And I think he was a bright spot in that first half of the Jets,
01:21as you mentioned, did really control the game. And then you had Tyrod Taylor, who was doing essentially what we have been asking Justin Fields to do.
01:27We were not asking him to be prime Patrick Mahomes or prime Dan Marino, just simply deliver the football to the guys that are wide open and just make the right reads.
01:36Justin Fields just would not get rid of the football. We saw Tyrod Taylor, even though he almost threw a pick on like his first or second pass.
01:43He did get rid of the ball a lot quicker, did hit the checkdowns when they were there.
01:46And the Jets were able to move the football. I think the problem in the second half was you, the Ravens offense, was going to kick it more into high gear.
01:52And the Jets defense, that I thought played really hard, started making some of those boneheaded penalties that we've seen from the Jets earlier this season.
02:00They started to bite them in the behind in the second half. Tyrod Taylor started taking some sacks.
02:05And that's how you saw the league kind of get out of hand.
02:07And I thought Aaron Glenn's decision to go for it on fourth down, a little aggressive, even though I know they're a team that's, you know, essentially out of a playoff race, really nothing to play for.
02:17But in a game that I think you got to coach the game that you're in, there was no reason just to be that aggressive.
02:22That gave the Ravens a short field and were able to allow them to score, I believe, a field goal at that point.
02:27And once the Jets went down two scores, there was no chance they were coming back.
02:30Yeah, it's really tough with the way the offense has been for them to come back.
02:33Like, I'm with you. You like the aggressiveness, but you wonder, did that sort of take your team out of the game with the way the offense is going?
02:40Now, look, you mentioned Tyrod Taylor, who, when you look at what he did in this game, right, threw for 178 yards and a score to go along with a pick in Baltimore.
02:49Do you have any more thoughts on his performance overall?
02:52And I guess I'll ask him this, like, how did the offense look with him under center in comparison to Justin Fields?
02:57What did you think about that?
03:00Well, it looked more like a real NFL offense, right?
03:02I mean, like, wow, a quarterback can drop back to make a pass and deliver the football to a wide receiver or a tight end or a running back, and that guy can go out there and make a play.
03:13So, in many ways, it looked a little more professional than the Jets have looked quite frankly outside of the Cincinnati blip we saw where Justin Fields had the best game of his, maybe of his career.
03:23Outside of that, it looked like a real NFL offense for the most part.
03:25The problem was the Jets just aren't able to really, you know, consistently create explosive plays.
03:31And when you're constantly trying to get points and score touchdowns by 1,000 paper cuts as opposed to some big gashing, big, you know, explosive plays, it's going to make things difficult.
03:45And the Jets, because they don't have that explosive ability, weren't able to score touchdowns.
03:49I thought Brees Hall seemed like he tried to put team ones back in the fourth quarter.
03:53He had that costly fumble.
03:54I do wonder what happens if he's able to get into the end zone on that drive.
03:58And maybe he got a different game, but Brees has had a problem with fumbles.
04:01We saw it come up here on Sunday, and that was a curtain for the Jets.
04:05But in terms of Tyrod Taylor, I think the offense looked better, but at the end of the day, he's still an average quarterback.
04:10At the end of the day, he's still probably a backup in this league.
04:13So, in order for the Jets to really see what a Tanner Angstrom offense and what the vision of Aaron Glenn wants to do with the Jets offense come to fruition, it's not going to happen as long as they're trotting out the Tyrod Taylor and Justin Fields' total world.
04:26Well, that is understood for the Jets offense.
04:28It did look a little bit better, but still a ways to go.
04:31Now, you also mentioned the defense, EJ.
04:33They did play well for the majority of this game.
04:35I talked about this in the first half.
04:37And I think when you look at this overall with this team, they competed.
04:40The Jets, they're now 2-9, but what do you make of the effort from this team as they continue, the effort the team continues to try to make, I should say, under first-year head coach Aaron Glenn this late in the season?
04:51What do you make of their effort that you've seen from them over the last couple of weeks?
04:56Yeah, I think that's the one thing you probably hold on to.
04:58Right now, I want to caution that we do have essentially another month or so of this season.
05:02So, the Jets have plenty of time to quiet, quit, loud, quit, however they want to quit.
05:07But at this point, they have not quit, which I think is, if you're looking for some bright spots in this first year with Aaron Glenn, is as bad as this first season went with all those early season losses, the team hasn't given up.
05:20The team is still fighting.
05:21The team is still playing hard, which suggests that the team does buy into whatever Aaron Glenn is selling.
05:26Now, I'm very curious to see what a 2-13 or 3-11 Jets team looks like in a couple of weeks when the season is really down the road.
05:35But going into Baltimore, Baltimore desperately needs that game, and I think they fought hard.
05:39I think they did get a little help in the fact that Lamar Jackson clearly looks a little hobbled.
05:45He didn't seem himself.
05:46He couldn't explode or run the way we're accustomed to.
05:48So, I think that helped the Jets' defense.
05:50But they played with confidence.
05:51They played with physicality.
05:52And they showed up in a way that I think that Aaron Glenn would be proud of.
05:56So, if you're taking something away from this stretch of game games we've seen from the Jets where they've won a couple, they've competed,
06:02is that this is our team that's putting under Aaron Glenn.
06:05And you've got to hope that with a better roster and maybe some young talent next year that you'll see a team that's more competitive consistently.
06:11That is the hope for the New York Jets.
06:13You're right.
06:13They have been competing.
06:14That is a positive sign if you want a takeaway following another Jets loss as they drop to 2-9 on the season.
06:20They fell to the Ravens in Baltimore 23-10 on Sunday.
06:24That is EJ Stewart.
06:26Check him out.
06:27Executive producer of the Maggie and Perloff show on the Infinity Sports Network.
06:29Also a host on WFAN, doing great work there.
06:33EJ, I wish we talked more after wins.
06:35That does not happen for us a lot this season.
06:37But always good to talk some Jets football with you, my friend.
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