New York Jets Film Breakdown Q&A | Week 3 at Indianapolis Colts

Sam Crnic answers questions surrounding the New York Jets’ blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts using All-22 film.

When fans thought it couldn’t get any worse, it got worse. The lack of execution, toughness and overall energy could not have been more pathetic than what was seen on the field.

After the first half, the New York Jets looked like a football team, at least a semi-competitive one, still only down 10. In the second half, it was abysmal to every extent.

With the recent focus of the Jets fanbase surrounding Adam Gase‘s job security, there’s too much at hand to simply tank the season. Sam Darnold has to find the franchise quarterback within himself. There has to be growth within the offensive skill positions to build upon for future years. Quinnen Williams needs to prove why he was worth the third overall pick. Joe Douglas needs solid pieces to further advance the rebuild.

While firing Gase after tonight may generate hope in the fans’ eyes, what will it actually do? With or without Gase, Darnold is left without a truly successful offensive coach to supplement a breakout year. Regardless, the Trevor Lawrence buzz is starting to heat up.

I’ll be answering questions from Week 3’s utter disaster against the Colts using All-22 film. As always, hit me up on Twitter (@sam_crnic) with any questions or concerns about the latest Jets embarrassment.

How did Chuma Edoga perform during the game?

With the absence of Fant due to injury, Edoga got the start at right tackle against the Colts. Despite the sophomore jumps some offensive tackles in the 2019 draft class are taking, Edoga remains inconsistent at best in both the pass and run game.

A third-round pick in 2019 under Maccagnan, Edoga showed some flashes of excellence in his rookie year with the hope of improving his frame and technique into 2020. One game into his second year, there are still obvious holes in his game that need to be cleaned up before the Jets can feel confident starting him.

In the passing game, Edoga allowed a couple of brutal pressures (like the play above) but held his own at times, as he does here.

Off the snap, Chuma explodes up the arc with quick feet and a quality kick-slide. His right foot easily gets enough depth here, as Edoga maintains half-man and knee to crotch to win the corner versus Al-Quadin Muhammad‘s pass rush. Muhammad attempts to use power by punching Edoga’s chest with both arms and forcing his weight into the USC tackle. Chuma plants his feet to use as an anchor to maintain balance throughout the bull-rush and gives Sam ample time on the right side to find a target.

This is the improvement in hand placement the Jets wanted with Edoga. With his hands just below Muhammad’s pads and not narrow or wide, Chuma renders the pass rush ineffective. While Edoga isn’t slow off his stance, he struggles to gain enough depth on his initial kick-slide like previously stated. This is a great example of the tackle Edoga can eventually become, yet he’s far away from any kind of consistency in pass protection.

Regarding the run game, Edoga has enough natural power to succeed without the best technique. Without technique although, there’s never any kind of consistency. Despite a couple of nice blocks in the run game against the Colts, it’s worth taking a look at his mistakes in this area.

It’s a stretch run to the right, led by Edoga. Off the snap, Edoga is fine out of his stance but the issue lies in the footwork. As he plants his right foot on the first step, Chuma barely covers any ground. He does a retreatal step backward which causes him to lose ground on Denico Autry, giving the defender leverage to attack the ball carrier and setting the edge. Edoga creates no movement on the front side and Gore is forced to cut back.

My advice to the Jets: gradually transfer Edoga to the offensive guard position. His footwork as a tackle is not improving at a desirable pace, yet the power and technique are there. Similar to Cameron Clark transferring from tackle to guard after being drafted, Frank Pollack and the Jets’ staff should seriously consider pushing Edoga to guard.

Thanks for the question, @P0lynice_JPx23.

Regarding Sam Darnold’s second interception (in the Colts’ end zone intended for Lawrence Cager), what went wrong?