Buccaneers: Knowing your enemy week 10 – New York Jets

As the Buccaneers prepare to take on the New York Jets Sunday, we took some time to get to know the Jets a little better with Paul Esden Jr. of The Jets Zone.

As the 2-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers prepare to take the field against a Jets team that has surprised many, I had the opportunity to speak with Paul Esden Jr. of The Jets Zone Podcast to get to know the opponent a little better and get his thoughts on the upcoming match-up.

What do you believe is the most effective way for the Jets’ offense to attack the Buccaneers, whose run and pass defense have both under performed this season?

Really it has to be a balanced attack. Against the Atlanta Falcons in a monsoon the Jets got away from the running game and veteran Matt Forte ripped the offensive coordinator (John Morton) after the game from straying from the game plan. It can’t be a coincidence the next week the Jets pounded the rock and that led them to a dominant victory over the Buffalo Bills. Forte’s surgically repaired knee has been giving him problems this week and my gut says he’s not going to play which means the responsibility falls on Bilal Powell and rookie sensation Elijah McGuire. That will open up a surprisingly above average passing game led by Josh McCown.

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Josh McCown and Ryan Fitzpatrick both have the opportunity Sunday to stick it to their former teams. Which quarterback is going to emerge as the top performer?

I know Tampa Bay paid some money for McCown after his marvelous season with the Chicago Bears and he didn’t really deliver, and maybe I’m biased, but the way Fitzpatrick exited with the Jets is just something so much worse. This is a team that hasn’t made the postseason since 2010 and Fitzpatrick flirted with this team and brought them to the brink in 2015 in a win and you’re in scenario and had a choke job in Week 17. I think he’s going to want to show the Jets up and by trying too hard will force several mistakes that the opportunistic Jets defense will take full advantage of. While on the opposite side of things McCown is captain consistency. He doesn’t force the ball, he takes what is in front of him. But has shown a live arm for the deeper passes and has made some plays with undrafted star Robby Anderson.

The Jets are certainly a surprise team in 2017 and after last Thursday’s defensive dance fest, they’ve become social media darlings. How excited have Jets fans become about this team after expecting the worst this season?

It’s confusing. This team was prognosticated to go 0-16. Only one team in NFL history has ever accomplished that feat (2008 Detroit Lions). I predicted this team to win three games all year and during this stretch they’ve had a three game winning streak. So this team has been puzzling. The talent is there and they’re getting a lot of unexpected help from their dynamic rookie duo in Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye. They’ve had a few hiccups but overall have played phenomenal this season. It’s been a lot of fun to kind of ditch the tanking talk and just enjoy the moment and maybe, just maybe the Jets have a magic playoff run in them.

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With Mike Evans and Jameis Winston both out Sunday, is there anyone on the Bucs’ offense that still has you worried?

DeSean Jackson is the guy I’m keeping an eye on. The Buccaneers have struggled to use him properly but when maximized I know what this cat can do. There’s a reason he has the nickname ‘Action Jackson’ anytime the ball is in his hands he can make magic happen. So despite the lack of stat success, I know what he’s capable of and he’s certainly someone I have circled on the scout sheet to keep an eye on. Especially with the recent rash of injuries to the Jets’ secondary.

Finally, who will come out as the winner when all is said and done?

The Bucs come in at 2-6 and the Jets are 4-5. The only teams the Bucs have beat are awful (Bears 3-5 and Giants 1-7) and the Jets have had three heart breaking losses to teams they could’ve would’ve and maybe should’ve beat. I think this is a game the Jets should dominate quite frankly. Without two of the Bucs biggest stars, the Jets have no excuses in this game. I expect the Jets to win this game by at least 10 points. It’s a road game and this team is 1-3 on the road this season, so nothing is guaranteed, but the Jets should win this one 35 to 21.

I had the opportunity to appear on Paul’s podcast, which you can listen to here;

This game isn’t going to be what many of us thought is was going to be, as David and I spoke about with former Pewter Plank co-expert Alan Schechter – now covering all things New York sports at The Empire Writes Back – on the most recent episode of Walking The Plank, which you can also hear below.