The Jets are 3-3, in third place in the AFC East, and are coming off a demoralizing loss to the Oakland Raiders. Their quarterback, Brett Favre, has also been under scrutiny this week for allegedly sharing information about his former team, the Packers, with the Lions, a division rival.
And then there are the concerns that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, perhaps taking after his father's run-only "Martyball" strategy, has gotten too conservative in his game-planning. This hasn't been a season-long concern; the Jets did put up 56 on the Cardinals in Week 4, and have scored 20 or more points in four of their six games. But managing just 13 points against the Raiders, an outfit that had allowed 27 points per game previously, raised some questions.
Schottenheimer, who was lauded for his play-calling during the 2006 season, his first as the coordinator, and the last time the Jets made the postseason, is unfazed by New York's lack of production; specifically, his decision to give the ball to running back Thomas Jones on the first two plays of the Jets' three overtime possessions, instead of rely on Favre's arm.
Schottenheimer told the Star-Ledger that "I really don't put too much stock into it ... I really don't have time. ... I don't get caught up in the criticism."
Which is the politically correct answer. There was also the little issue of Favre struggling to complete passes to his own teammates. He threw what could've been a game-deciding interception to Raiders cornerback DeAngelo Hall late in the fourth quarter, and badly missed his intended target several times during the extra period.
While it's easy to point to Schottenheimer as the culprit, some of the blame has to fall on Favre. Luckily, the Jets face the lowly Chiefs this weekend. Of course, if New York falls to Oakland and Kansas City in back-to-back games, there will be more than enough blame to go around come Monday.
