(Neil Miller/Sportsday Wire)
Because of their quarterback situation, the New York Jets know they have to play penalty-free football if they are planning on winning this year.
On Sunday coach Todd Bowles concentrated on penalties and how to eliminate them from the Jet playbook.
“I told the referees to call anything if the wind blows so we were trying to emphasize penalties,” Bowles said. “Some of it was exaggerated, but we have to get a point across for the penalties. We’ll take a look at the film and we’ll teach off that all week. They were moving around pretty good for just having a game a night and half ago.”
Look, they are going into the season with Ryan Fitzpatrick behind the center. Although they are giving No. 14 all the support in the world, they know he’s not the type of player that wins games on his own. It’s going to be a team effort.
Even Fitzpatrick knows that and that’s his goal this week against the Giants.
“I think eliminating penalties and eliminating the three-and-outs,” he said on Monday. “Getting out there and getting some productive drives. Having more of our drives end in points. I think that will be the main goal. That will be a nice little challenge for us once we start looking at them (New York Giants), another new defense, new challenge, new things that we can work on in terms of timing versus different coverages. We have a day off tomorrow and then we’re excited to come back and work.”
Fortunately for the Jets, Fitzpatrick has experience working with offensive coordinator Chan Gailey during his time in Buffalo. Although he’s familiar, Fitzpatrick does see some differences.
” I think the creativity really comes out on third down and in the red zone,” Fitzpatrick said. “Again, it’s a game-to-game type offense and so I think that’s yet to be seen. We’ve done some stuff in practice a little bit. Having game planned our defense a ton and some of those situational periods we’ve used the big body of Brandon (Marshall), (Eric Decker) Deck doing his stuff. I think we’ll see that once the season rolls around – how different we’re going to be. But, we certainly have different athletes and different players here than when we were in Buffalo.”
Speaking of his receivers, he Jets quarterback is getting used to playing with Marshall and Decker and hopes that both of them will jell with him.
“I just think it will continue to get better the more reps we have,” he said. “A lot of that we’re trying to speed everything up. But, everybody talks about the preseason and injuries and all that, for me some of it’s going to be helpful to get those game type situations with these guys and start working on those throws and being able to run a play during the game and not have it happen exactly the way we want and then come out here and try and have them run the route and me make the throw the way it needs to be made.”
Other than that, the third preseason game is on Saturday so there are some goals for the week.
“Does it have many implications in terms of what’s going to happen during the season?” he said. “I don’t know. We’re still trying to run our base stuff and not game plan a ton, all those different things that go into it. But yeah, when we’re out there playing it’s important to be out there trying to build on (our) confidence, trying to look sharp, trying to build on the rapport with the receivers and the tight ends and the running backs. I think every time you’re out there you want to put your best foot forward and be successful. To me, these games matter in the sense that, we’re out there trying to get better on every snap. The outcome right now doesn’t matter, other than everybody being healthy.”
And of course, cutting out the penalties.
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