00:09so many of the juicy storylines heading into week one for the Jets surrounded a possible
00:14comeback tale for gangrene quarterback Gino Smith or head coach Aaron Glenn bouncing back
00:20in year two which many Jets fans want to see but if you're looking for the most encouraging
00:24takeaway from the Jets season opener look you got to start with the guys clearing the way
00:29in the 23 to 10 win over the Titans in Nashville my biggest takeaway was the offensive line and how
00:35much easier this offense can function when that group sets the terms and just for some context
00:41here pro football focus they rank this offensive line 21st entering the season they like the
00:47potential of the Jets young tackles that means old-fashioned new and arm on membu but they still
00:53had questions about the interior when it came to this offensive line now look no one game ever
00:59establishes an identity but the performance by gangrene's offensive line well it was a pretty
01:05nice introduction in week one the Jets running game it looked pretty damn good Brees Hall ran for 102
01:10yards and a touchdown on 22 carries Braylon Allen added 40 yards on 10 attempts and check this the
01:18Jets held the ball for more than 38 minutes and the sequence that best captured their approach and
01:24dominance in the trenches was a drive that practically needed its own intermission 19 plays 15 runs 11
01:32minutes and 48 seconds off the clock in the second quarter what we saw there folks was an offense going
01:39back to the ground game again and again with enough success to keep possession alive now here's the thing
01:46that drive ended with three points off of Jason Sanders 33 yard field goal and while it's disappointing it
01:52matters because despite all of that work the offense still needs to produce more points especially
01:58against better competition but the ability to sustain it well that's something to build on we also have
02:04to give some love to the protection as well and look you know Geno Smith appreciated the time that he
02:11had
02:11to throw the ball in week one the Jets QB finished 19 of 24 for 215 yards no sacks just
02:18one quarterback hit
02:19allowed in this contest now those numbers especially the zero sacks they aren't exclusively an offensive
02:25line stat the quarterback's decisions the play calls and the other blockers they all contribute to
02:30this but that's an excellent collective result and for me personally that's where this performance
02:36exceeded expectations the combination of running well enough to control possession while keeping the
02:41quarterback that clean well that was great to see if you're a Jets fan in the season opener
02:47now let's keep the September enthusiasm in check we got to pump the brakes people we don't have
02:53enough evidence here to call this an elite offensive line at this point don't do that we've got one
02:58performance against one opponent not that good and the question is what happens when the Jets fall
03:03behind in games when the defense knows that they have to throw when an opponent changes its pressure
03:08looks and tests their communication those answers still have to come for this Jets team so let's pump the
03:15breaks but if this group can make Sunday's play repeatable then the benefits could reach throughout
03:22the entire team a productive run game could create more manageable third downs and give Frank Reich
03:27more options here reliable protection could give Geno Smith more opportunities to work through his reads
03:33and sustained possessions could give the defense valuable time to rest on the sideline that's why the
03:40O-line's development matters so much here it could give the Jets a foundation that they can lean on when
03:47other parts of the game get a bit messy the challenge now is to stack performances and turn more of
03:53that
03:53control into touchdowns but after further review the biggest reason of fielding courage about this Jets
04:00offense might be the five guys up front and on Sunday they gave the Jets something worth building on
04:06you
04:10you
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