John Morton took a page out of the Roberto Duran playbook.
With the Jets getting overwhelmed by the Broncos last Sunday in Denver, the first-year offensive coordinator waved the white flag. Down 23 points in the fourth quarter, he all but said “no mas” — the famous phrase Duran uttered in 1980 during his second fight against Sugar Ray Leonard — by calling for a number of running plays designed to kill the clock.
“Listen, the game was out of hand,” Morton said Thursday. “I didn’t want some bad stuff to happen. So at that time, I don’t like saying ‘no mas,’ but it was time to get out of there. They kicked our butts. Sometimes that just happens in the National Football League.”
Late in the third quarter, backup quarterback Bryce Petty replaced Josh McCown, who was lost to what was later diagnosed as a broken left hand, and the Jets were struggling to block the Broncos, managing 100 total yards and giving up four sacks. Over three possessions, the Jets kept the ball on the ground for eight of their final 12 plays. Morton merely wanted to “run it and just get out of there.”
“Listen, we were behind, we didn’t have a chance,” Morton said. “I mean, they’re just dropping back in coverage and we’re just going to be throwing and forcing balls. I didn’t want that. I didn’t think that was fair.Call it whatever you want, I just thought that was the right decision.”
Jets coach Todd Bowles seems more concerned with the Saints ground game than he is with Drew Brees’ aerial attack. In Mark Ingram and rookie Alvin Kamara, New Orleans boasts one of the best rushing attacks in the league, fourth in the NFL at 135.5 yards per game.
Ingram has run for a team-high 971 yards and nine touchdowns, while Kamara has amassed 608 yards and seven scores on just 87 carries, good for a gaudy 7.0 average yards per rush. Kamara, a third-round pick from Tennessee, has also caught 62 passes for 639 yards and four scores, while Ingram has 46 receptions for 298 yards.
“I think they’re the best one-two punch in the league right now,” Bowles said. “There’s not much difference between the two. They both catch the ball, they’re both great in space, they both block, they both break tackles.There’s no drop-off with one or the other in the ball game.”
Running back Matt Forte (knee) was held out of practice for the second straight day. Running back Elijah McGuire (ankle), safety Rontez Miles (hamstring), defensive tackle Steve McLendon (hip), linebacker Bruce Carter (groin), right guard Brian Winters (abdomen/ankle), long snapper Thomas Hennessy (concussion), and cornerback Morris Claiborne (foot) were all limited. Cornerback Rashard Robinson returned to practice after having an excused absence Wednesday.