 |
| NFL Columns |
|
| Search |
|
|
|
|
| Draft Sim ID |
|
| Daniel Trosi. 6th July, 2010 - 9:10 pm
 First in the NFL in points allowed per game (14.8).
First in the NFL in yards allowed per game (252.3).
First in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (153.7).
First in the NFL in TDs allowed (26).
First in passing TDs allowed (8).
To many, the numbers put up by the 2009 Jets defense are jaw-dropping. Gaudy, ridiculous, filthy, mind-blowing. You name the adjective and it?s been used to describe New York?s league-leading defensive unit during year-one of the Rex Ryan campaign.
Still, Bart Scott isn?t impressed.
To the veteran linebacker and fiery on-field antagonist of the NFL?s most dominant defense, there?s still plenty of room of improvement.
?We can be thirty percent better,? said Scott, speaking at the team?s open minicamp practice. ?I mean, there?s so many different things?We had so many mistakes on film with miscommunications and things like that. So if we can just tighten things up and not have those errors, we?ll be fine. But I think when you add the type of the talent that we brought into this team, I think it?s going to be explosive.?
Explosive? 30 percent better? That?s a downright frightening concept to offensive coordinators around the league. But it might be a dead-on hypothesis.
One of the most overlooked and undervalued moves of Gang Green?s busy offseason may have been the acquisition of troubled corner Antonio Cromartie from the San Diego Chargers.
The 26-year-old was regarded as one of the NFL?s premier shut-down backs after an impressive Pro Bowl season in 2007. Since then, Cromartie has battled injuries, legal troubles and questions regarding his effort. The change of scenery to the Big Apple could be exactly what the doctor ordered for Cromartie.
Alongside the league?s most dominant cornerback, Darrelle Revis, Cromartie has a chance to reestablish himself as the perfect complement to Revis. At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Cromartie has the size, strength and length to bang with bigger receivers who could potentially cause a matchup problem (at least on paper) for the smaller Revis.
Scott agrees that Cromartie?s freak athleticism and size will prove to be a tremendous asset to the Jets secondary.
?He?s a tremendous athlete,? he said. ?A lot of range. Strong, fast, tall? He?s about 6-3, but he?s long. I call him ?Stacey Augmon?. He?s 6-2, 6-3 but he?s got the wingspan of probably a 6-5 guy.?
Joining Cromartie in the secondary are Jets first-round draft pick Kyle Wilson and free-agent signing, safety Brodney Pool. The 5-foot-10, 195 pound Wilson out of Boise State figures to play a major role in his rookie season, already slotted in at the starting nickelback position by head coach Rex Ryan.
Wilson?s physical style of play will most certainly aid him at the professional level where he will be lined up against some of the league?s top slot-receivers on a weekly basis.
One weakness in the secondary for the Jets last season was an inability to matchup against the quicker slot receivers on the inside. Never was this issue more obvious than in the Jets? 30-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in last season?s AFC Championship Game. New York had no answer for the speedy and shifty Pierre Garcon who burned the Jets? secondary for 153 yards on 11 receptions. A player of Wilson?s caliber, widely regarded as the top-cover corner on the collegiate level last year, should help negate receivers like Garcon and Wes Welker on the inside.
Battling against veteran teammate Jerricho Cotchery throughout minicamp, Wilson has earned high praise so far.
?Legit man, he?s legit,? says Cotchery. ?When he puts it all together, he?s going to be something special. The thing that impresses me the most is how he gets in and out of his breaks. It?s impressive.?
?He?s ready to go now. I?ve given him every look possible right now up until this point. He?s just been soaking it in. The toughest thing for a cornerback coming into the league as far as technique is being able to see different routes. We run a variety of routes in the NFL and if you haven?t seen them; it?s going to take a while for you to get a good feel for the routes. I?ve been running every route possible. I?ve been giving him every move, every different type of look and release. I?ve been giving it all to him and he?s been responding pretty well to them.?
The 6-foot-2, 210 pound Pool, coming over from the Cleveland Browns, figures to be a systematic over his predecessor at the free safety position, Kerry Rhodes.
Rhodes never flourished the way Ryan?s coaching staff believed he would in their aggressive, playmaking system. Pool figures to be a better fit in Ryan?s defense as he has never been one to shy away from contact, recording 50 tackles, 4 interceptions and a sack in only 11 games last season. In five more games, Rhodes recorded only 3 interceptions and no sacks in 2009.
The Jets closed out their offseason shopping-spree by agreeing to terms with long-time Dolphin nemesis, linebacker Jason Taylor. While at 35, Taylor is no longer the premier pass-rusher he once was, he definitely still has the talent and motivation to give the Jets unit a boost.
One of the other pressing weaknesses of the Jets? defense in ?09 was their inability to establish a consistent pass-rush, ranking 18th in the NFL with only 32 sacks on the season. Most of the season, Ryan relied on exotic blitz packages and sending down defensive backs into the box to try to get some semblance of pressure.
The addition of Taylor (42 tackles, three forced fumbles, seven sacks in ?09) and the return of mammoth defensive tackle Kris Jenkins will force opposing front-sevens to pick their poison, allowing more Jets to get into the backfield and cause havoc.
With a bulked-up secondary and an improving pass-rush, the sky seems to be limit for this Jets defense in 2010. The same can?t be said for offenses around the league. |
