The New York Jets have spent much of the season searching for the consistency that turns competitive performances into victories. Unfortunately, too often, they have fallen short just inches before the finish line. Being close has offered little comfort, particularly when the offense has struggled to finish drives and put enough points on the board.
Offensive coordinator Frank Reich isn't looking past those shortcomings. With the Jets preparing to face the Buffalo Bills, Reich offered a candid assessment of where the offense stands midway through the season, acknowledging that some areas have been productive while others remain well below the standard needed to win consistently.
His comments also carried an important distinction. Improving doesn't
necessarily require a complete overhaul. Reich believes the difference can come from getting several smaller details right, something the Jets have yet to do often enough.
The Bills present a difficult assignment for any offense, particularly with their ability to generate pressure off the edge. Reich recognized the talent across Buffalo's defensive frontbut believes the Jets have the personnel to compete with that challenge.
“I mean they all can rush. They all they're all good players, particularly those two edge players can get after you. We feel like we [have] good edge players as well. So it's good on good, and for us as an offense, the whole key is always [when] you go up against any defense, you want to if we can be efficient and explosive. If we can mix the run and the pass and the play pass, take our shots, run a control game, run the football," Reich said. "That's how you neutralize a good defense.”
Reich's answer puts the emphasis on keeping Buffalo from dictating the terms of the game. A one-dimensional offense gives a defense more freedom to attack, particularly when it has edge rushers capable of disrupting the pocket.
Establishing the run, creating opportunities through play-action and taking advantage of chances downfield would give the Jets a better chance to keep the Bills' pass rush from becoming the defining factor.
Reich was equally direct when evaluating his own unit. The Jets have shown they can move the football, but that production hasn't consistently translated into points. The red zone remains an obvious problem, and Reich acknowledged that the offense has too many areas where its performance needs to improve.
“You look at it, [and] we're halfway through the year. We have done some good things, but we've obviously done things that aren't good. Red zone hasn't been good. We're not scoring enough points," Reich said. "There's things that there's important metrics that offensively we'll rank pretty high at. There's important offensive metrics we'll rank low at, and then there's some that we'll rank right in the middle. And what we're trying to do, winning is in the margins. It's in the small [things]. It''s the accumulation of little decisions, little plays, calling it, sequencing it, game planning it, executing. Just getting incrementally better. I mean, we these are been almost all close games, and so we got to find ways to get that 1% better to put us over the edge.”
That final point is particularly important for an offense that has struggled to turn close games into wins. Reich isn't suggesting that one adjustment will suddenly solve everything. He's pointing to the cumulative effect of better decisions, sharper execution and improved play-calling, all of which can determine whether a promising drive ends with a touchdown or another missed opportunity.
The margin for error is getting smaller, and the Jets can't afford to keep treating incremental improvement as something that will eventually happen on its own. Reich has identified the areas that need attention. Now the offense has to turn that assessment into results, particularly when opportunities to score are there for the taking.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Frank Reich offers honest assessment of Jets offense before Bills clash
