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Jets Are Heading In The Right Direction With Rex And Mornhinweg

By Tyson Rauch

Contrary to popular belief the sky is not falling and the New York Jets ship is not sinking. Yes, Gang Green experienced a terrible meltdown against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday. But no, the season is not over as this is only week 3 of a 16 game NFL season and the Jets have displayed several positive attributes, not to mention hold a 1-1 record.

In Rex the players trust

New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan is receiving a tremendous amount of scrutiny for his team's performance in the second half of Sunday's game against the Packers. The offense went into a shell, while the defense was being sliced up like swiss cheese.  Then add in some sideline miscommunication and stupid penalties and you have a beat writer's dream: a team full of headlines.

The fact of the matter is that these types of performances tend to happen to every team in the NFL at some point in the season. Just look at the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night football. It is how a team responds to these types of breakdowns that defines the success of the organization. Rex Ryan is a good football coach, one that the players trust. This belief in Ryan goes a long way in terms of building resiliency and character. The New York Jets players will not quit on Rex Ryan and that is exactly what you need from a team that is trying to incorporate several young players.

Marty ball

It did not take long for Jets fans to sour on offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and his play calling. Following Sunday's loss to the Packers many want Marty run out of town due to his game plan in the second half. While there were some questionable calls made, including the mind boggling inclusion of Michael Vick into the foray, the fact remains that Marty Mornhinweg is a solid offensive coordinator. Lost in the translation of the loss is the fact that the offensive line was struggling and the Jets were without their best wide receiver, Eric Decker, due to injury. Also lost in the mix is the fact that the Jets still had a chance to tie up the game late in the fourth quarter.

You cannot treat a game plan like you are playing a video game. There are several moving parts when calling an offense, and for the most part Marty Mornhinweg does a good job of handling them all. Mornhinweg, along with quarterback coach David Lee, have done an excellent job mentoring Geno Smith, and that should not go unnoticed either.

The bottom line is that when it comes to analyzing an offense, don't be too quick to judge a coordinator after only 2 games. There is a good chance that you will see this unit improve as the season progresses.

No quit in Geno

While the loss to the Packers still stings, the one positive that can be taken away is the play and mentality of Jets quarterback Geno Smith.  The second year signal caller has a refuse to lose mentality and is emerging as a leader of the team. With the team falling apart around him, Smith still fights to rally his team and threw what should have been a game tying touchdown. Even after the touchdown was called back, Geno tried his best to regroup and move his team down the field. This is exactly what you want from a quarterback that you are hoping to build your offense around.

Let the season play out

It is ridiculous to call for massive changes after only two weeks of the season. The fact of the matter is that the New York Jets have enough talent to play with any team in the NFL. Yes, the team has some holes, but so does a good portion of the rest of the league. The key for the Jets will be to clean up their mental mistakes and to make adjustments based on lessons learned in the first two weeks. At this point you should give Rex Ryan and Marty Mornhinweg the benefit of the doubt to accomplish that. Ryan has proven himself to be a quality head coach and Mornhinweg is arguably the Jets best offensive coordinator since Charlie Weis.

Take a look at the big picture Jets fans, it is not as bad as you think.

For more Jets news and updates, visit Jets Central.

Tyson Rauch is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.

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