Best Of Jets on WFAN: Frank Reich’s Shotgun Meltdown and Aaron Glenn’s Halftime Confusion

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

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Evan Roberts (0:07)

Let me apologize, I may apologize for waking up on Friday and having optimism that the Jets could actually go to Foxboro and beat the New England Patriots. That's number one. Number two, there are so many things I'm agitated about in terms of how the Jets lost this game to New England. But let me start with Frank Reich. Let me start with his unhealthy infatuation with third end shorts or fourth end shorts and calling run plays from shotgun. This is something Frank has done numerous times and he could sit there at his podium and explain, well, you know, statistically, it's 76% effective when it's not effective with you.

It's not effective with this team, with this personnel, because the Jets lost this game multiple ways. And it kind of started with opening drive, marched down the field, sure, they settled for a field goal, but nice, appealing opening drive.

Tiki Barber (1:02)

Yeah, thank you, Tim Patrick.

Evan Roberts (1:04)

Thank you for screwing that one up on what was a very borderline pass interference that wiped away an Omar Cooper touchdown.

Tiki Barber (1:10)

Right.

Evan Roberts (1:11)

As frustrating as it was, still a good drive, though it should have been better. But on the third and fourth drives, they got stuffed on fourth and ones.

Three times, Frank Reich went to his magic book of let me call a run play when I need one yard from a shotgun. And all I could think about was Boomer from last week mocking what some guy in the elevator told him.

Gio Benitez (1:35)

Tell Frank Reich to stop running third and fourth and short from the gun.

Evan Roberts (1:38)

Well, you should have told him, Boomer, because he ain't listening to the numbers in front of him.

SPEAKER_1 (1:44)

So maybe he'd listen to you.

Evan Roberts (1:46)

Now, I get-

Tiki Barber (1:47)

Why do fans know that? Why does a random fan in the elevator, and you, know that that's not going to work?

Evan Roberts (1:54)

Because we watch it every week!

Tiki Barber (1:56)

It's hilarious, and especially when it's Isaiah Davis.

Evan Roberts (1:59)

Yeah, they tried one with Isaiah Davis, two with Braylon Allen, and then on the second fourth and short situation, they run a keeper, a tush push with Geno Smith, and this is where I'll get on the personal, I'll get on the players. If you're Geno, what are you doing?

You're going down long before you got the yard.

Tiki Barber (2:18)

Yeah.

Evan Roberts (2:18)

I don't know if you can walk me through what the hell happened on that, but the Jets lost this game multiple ways.

They did it themselves. That's what really annoys me. I feel like they lost this game more than the Patriots won this game. So between Frank Reich's just utterly stupid, I have to call constant third and fourth and shorts run plays from the shotgun, to Geno Smith going down way too early, pause. Like I don't understand it.

Tiki Barber (2:44)

I don't, I'm trying to figure out what Geno's doing. It's like he's not, it's like he's afraid of getting hit in the head because he ducks his head. He puts his head basically like underneath his center's legs.

Evan Roberts (3:00)

Well short.

Tiki Barber (3:01)

Yes.

Evan Roberts (3:01)

It was a long yard they needed to get it.

Tiki Barber (3:03)

And by the way, if he just goes through body forward without dipping his head down so he falls to the ground, he easily gets a first down. But the center's not covered. There's three techniques on either side of the center, which is outside the guard. All he's got to do is walk forward.

And you know what's interesting is you go back to the third down, the shotgun. Remember we had this conversation early in the season, week two or maybe it was even week one. No, I think it was week two. It was one of the games they lost.

Evan Roberts (3:32)

It was the Green Bay game. Yes. It was the fourth in short. It's when he started this crap.

Tiki Barber (3:37)

When they had the tight end off the line of scrimmage. And yes, it was Luke Van Ness. Luke Van Ness just reacted underneath the tight end. I forget which one it was. Ruckert, I think. And he basically blew it up from the back side.

That's essentially what happened again on this third in short, is the tight end is so laid off the ball that the edge rusher just crushes Christian Ellis, just crushes Brice Hall or Isaiah Davis right when he gets the football. This is the third one. And so I get what Frank Reich is saying from a, this play can work. We're running a zone read, the quarterback is putting in the belly of the running back, and he has the option to keep it and he never does, but he should because if he does, the cornerback is basically in the offensive line as well. Gino Smith runs for eight yards, right? But either way, they're running the zone read, but they don't have tight ends that are capable of blocking the edge. And so it feels like it's the same issue over and over.