We are back with another TOJ New York Jets film breakdown. Check out previous editions right here. On to the #tape…

The Good

Despite occasional struggles with consistency catching the football and a still underdeveloped route tree, Robby Anderson is proving himself to be a legitimate starting receiver in the NFL. Despite a less than desirable quarterback situation throughout his short career, Anderson is one of the better vertical receivers currently in the NFL and is showing elite skills outside the numbers.

On his third touchdown of the year, Anderson is able to easily to beat Desmond Trufant, one of the league’s top cornerbacks, off the line of scrimmage. This is an excellent set-up and flashes Anderson’s foot speed. Trufant cannot even get a hand on him and once it turns into a foot race, Anderson is always going to win.

Later in the game, Anderson utilizes a similar move on Robert Alford. He doesn’t dance as much early in the route because once Alford fails to get his hands on him, Anderson is simply able to out run him and then make a fantastic diving catch.

Finally, the Jets are able to take advantage of defenders playing off Anderson by placing him in the bunch and getting him a free release on this short crossing route. This is a minor thing but instead of running out of bounds, Anderson cuts back inside and is able to pick up 4-5 more yards. He has quietly shown improved YAC ability this season, which is a part of his game he must continue to build on.

Clutch Woes

Simply put, the Jets offense turns into a clustef*ck when the game gets close in the 4th quarter. Here is three examples.

On a 2nd and 10 with the Jets driving, they have a vertical route open at the bottom of the screen but quarterback Josh McCown needs to let the ball fly on the third step of his drop, instead he holds it too long and takes a sack that knocks the team out of field goal range.

On 3rd down later in the quarter, the Jets are trying to hit Jeremy Kerley on a short crossing route. He fails to get separation and the pocket collapses around McCown as both the Jets tackles are badly beat, forcing him into an inaccurate attempt.

On the final drive with no timeouts left, the Jets call all short routes, instead of taking advantage of Anderson having one on one coverage at the bottom of the screen with no safety help rolled over. Even if this was the call in the huddle, the route should be checked at the line knowing the situation, as the Jets have a genuine chance here for a big play. The worst thing you can do is dump it off in the middle of the field for a short gain, which killed about 25 seconds for 9 yards.

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Photo Credit: NewYorkJets.com

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