SECONDARY COMES FIRST
Jets must have it covered vs. potent Pats
SINCE THE LOSS of Darrelle Revis in Week 3, really only one facet of the Jets defense has been up to snuff: pass coverage. Even while missing its greatest weapon, the Jets secondary has been remarkably strong.
In the three games since Revis was lost for the season with an ACL tear, the Jets have allowed an average 200 passing yards per game. Compared to the rest of the league over the course of the season, that would make Gang Green tied for third-best.
A large part of the recent success has to be credited to new No. 1 cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who has elevated his play since the loss of Revis. Cromartie limited elite Texans receiver Andre Johnson to just one catch for 15 yards in Week 5, with the lone reception coming when Cromartie was not covering him. The Jets haven’t allowed top receivers such as Johnson or Reggie Wayne to hurt them in recent weeks, but the Patriots provide a new and greater challenge on Sunday. It’s not that any one Patriot is necessarily better than Wayne or Johnson — instead it’s the sheer volume of dangerous players who have to be covered. From Wes Welker to Brandon Lloyd to Rob Gronkowski, if the Jets’ secondary really can continue to dominate without Revis, Sunday afternoon will be the time to prove it.
“We’re not going to shut them down,” Rex Ryan said. “Nobody’s going to shut them down. Obviously, you’ve got to do a good enough job to get them off the field.”
“I feel like this is going to be our biggest challenge of the year,” said nickel cornerback Ellis Lankster. “For us as a secondary, yes.”
Ryan said all five eligible receivers are going to have to be covered for the Jets’ defense to succeed, due to the Patriots’ depth at pass-catching positions. “Across the board from left to right, it is going to be a challenge,” the coach said.
That’s the key: Sunday afternoon the onus falls less on Cromartie and more on the Jets’ other defensive backs. Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine echoed comments made by Cromartie earlier this week, saying the secondary has improved its onfield chatter.
“I think the defensive backs, as a group, have really taken it upon themselves, and the communication has become a lot more two-way than oneway,” Pettine said. “In the past they waited for the safety to make (a formation check), whereas now a lot of the time it’ll come from the corner first.”
While the entire group will need to be on top of its game plan, perhaps no one will need to step up more than Kyle Wilson. The starting cornerback, who moved up in the depth chart following Revis’ injury, has performed admirably since taking over, but hasn’t had to deal with a No. 2 receiver along the lines of Welker or Lloyd.
“You don't know where the ball's going to go. (Tom) Brady spreads the ball around,” Wilson said. “You really have to do your job every single play.”
Particularly given how capable tight ends Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are in the passing game, the Jets will likely switch around the assignments. The Jets acquired safeties LaRon Landry and Yeremiah Bell in the offseason, essentially to better handle the Pats’ productive tight ends.
“It doesn’t matter who’s in front of me,” Wilson said. “It’s all about what I do. If I do everything I need to do right . . . I’ll always take care of myself.”
Twitter.com/SethWalderNYDN