Braylon Edwards Demonstrates Usual Composure After Loss

Despite committing a couple of his trademark agonizing drops in the postseason, Braylon Edwards put forth decent numbers in the AFC Championship, though almost entirely on the strength of an 80-yard catch and run for a touchdown. Even though he was targeted several times in the second half, Braylon didn’t record another catch the rest of the game. Whatever the Jets could accomplish through the air in the second half was mostly the result of Jerricho Cotchery making a great sideline play.↵↵So naturally the ever-understanding Edwards is carping about the offensive approach following the Colts victory, claiming the team “didn’t have the same attitude in the second half”. True enough, the Jets jumped to a 17-6 first half lead on the strength of two deep pass plays, one of which was a gadget option pass. Once they were burned twice, the Colts obviously and sensibly keyed on those deep passes. One would think this would make things easier on the run game, but it didn’t. Shonn Greene’s injury didn’t do New York any favors with that approach.↵

↵↵But then Braylon saw what happened when the Jets had to open it up and rely on the pass late in the game - they turned the ball over to seal it. The obvious path to success for the Jets was to jump to a multiple score lead, then grind out enough long drives and hold strong on defense. They accomplished that first item, but Greene’s injury coupled with a lack of a pass rush in the second half doomed the remaining two. In retrospect, Braylon can grouse that the Jets could have kept their foot on the pedal, but more likely than not, that would have caused them to unravel even faster.↵

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