TO SHELL & BACK
Brandon Shell sat on the sideline staring straight ahead after Sunday’s 24-17 loss to the Patriots.
The Jets right tackle had been beaten by New England linebacker Dont’a Hightower for a sack on the game’s final series. It was not his only miscue of the day. The second-year player from South Carolina had also given up a pressure to a blitzing cornerback on a fourthand-1 play and was flagged on a hands-to-the-face call.
Now, he sat alone, reflecting on the game.
“I wasn’t satisfied with my play that last series,” Shell said Thursday. “I kind of felt like I let my team down. I take ownership of it, but I have to put that behind me and keep pushing and have a better week this week.”
This week, Shell gets the unenviable assignment of trying to block Jet killer Cameron Wake. When the Jets and Dolphins played four weeks ago, Wake beat Shell for a sack and three quarterback hurries.
“Cameron Wake is a great pass rusher, a great player,” Shell said. “He has speed and power. He has it all. I’ve just got to be on top of my game playing against him. He’s one of the elite rushers in the league. When you get those guys, you’ve just got to go out there and play hard.”
Shell is learning on the job. After starting the final three games of his rookie season last year, Shell won the starting right tackle job out of training camp. He has had an upand-down season so far. He did a good job of blocking Raiders