Redskins @ Jets: Five Questions with Gang Green Nation

A big thanks to David Wyatt from Gang Green Nation who gave us some great answers to our questions this week.  Read and learn about the New York Jets.

1.  The Redskins and Jets are two of the better teams in the league this year in the trenches. How do you see the battle of the lines going in this game and why?

More From Our Team Sites

New York Jets

Follow

This is going to be one tough test, the Jets have really made great strides in their pass protection, and Chris Ivory is running as well as he ever has. The defensive line is a dominant unit and we're about to welcome Sheldon Richardson back, so It's only going to get better. Although the Redskins have a very good offensive line, I do think we'll be able to get pressure on Cousins. On the other hand the Jets offensive line is playing better than I expected but when you get as much pressure as the Redskins do without blitzing, there are going to be problems. I think we'll get to Cousins and I think you'll get to Fitzpatrick, who opens the lanes for the run game will determine who walks away with the W.

2.  I'm reading about comparisons between Chris Ivory and Marshawn Lynch and Brandon Marshall saying Chris Ivory is the best RB in the league. Why?

Brandon likes to talk up his teammates and there is nothing wrong with that. I don't agree that Ivory is the best RB in the league but he's definitely in the conversation. He runs hard and he runs tough he has good feet, good burst and enough speed to get away. The Lynch comparisons come from the fact that it usually takes more than one defender to bring him down and if you try and arm tackle him, you'll be watching him run off into the distance. Ivory is running as well as he ever has and this is his year to really introduce himself to the national stage. I have great faith in his ability and facing a tough opponent in Washington is the perfect chance for him to show he deserves to be in that conversation.

3.  The Jets passing offense (24th in ypg) has been a work in progress this season despite having two of the better WRs in the game in Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. The Redskins defensive front has been very good at applying pressure on opposing QBs and the pass defense is currently ranked #8 in ypg. Does this concern Jets fans?

This is where I have a problem with statistics. I don't feel as though we've had a massive problem moving the football, a lot of the time we've got ahead early and we've pounded the ball with Ivory, so we haven't needed to throw the ball that much. When we've needed to throw the ball, we've connected with Marshall and Decker and before he got injured, Chris Owusu too. It'll be a good test for us, as I respect the Washington defence a great deal, but a lot of stats are circumstantial and without context it's hard to put them into perspective. Do the Jets have the best passing offense in the league? No they don't. Can they move the ball through the air when they need to, yes they can.

4.  Ryan Fitzpatrick hasn't been great this year (25th in yards, 30+ in completion percentage, t-5th in INTs, 32+ in passer rating). Is it as simple as Ryan just not being a good QB or is there more to it than that with the Jets offense as a whole? Why has he struggled (especially considering the quality WRs)?

Fitzpatrick has been a little hot and cold, but he is as advertised. He takes some chances, on occasions he moves the ball well, and on other occasions he struggles. He's had good pass protection so far this year and he's had a run game to carry a lot of the load. The Jets are never going to win if Fitzpatrick needs to throw 50 times a game, but if establish the run, then Fitz does enough to put points on the board. The interceptions are a problem, and that's something that needs addressing but I'm not overly worried by the rest of his game. I wouldn't use the term game-manager because he takes too many chances to be one of those, but we win based on other aspects of our offense.

5.  Give us a player from each side of the ball who may be impactful, but flies under the radar nationally.

Is it too easy to say Chris Ivory here? I don't think he gets the national recognition that his play deserves. The Jets offense really runs through Ivory, Decker and Marshall, it seems the latter two get a lot of attention, so I'm going to go with Ivory for this one.

Defensively I'm looking at our first round draft pick from this year, Leonard Williams. He hasn't really got the pass rush moves down yet, but he is a fantastic run stuffer. Against Washington we're going to need to stop the run and force Cousins to put the ball in the air against the likes of Revis, Cromartie, Gilchrist and Pryor. Williams will go a long way to ensuring that happens. We've stopped 13 3rd down conversion attempts in a row now, and that's mainly due to them putting opponents in 3rd and long.

BONUS!:  How do you expect this game (and the rest of your season) to go?

It's going to be a close game, but sitting at 3-1 and being the home team, we have to be confident. The defense has done enough for us to win every week and I think it'll be the same this week. I can't see it being a high scoring affair, but I think the Jets will take it 17-10 and if we can keep our momentum and keep improving them there is no reason why we can't finish the season with a play-off spot.