Jets Have Second Best Defensive Line in League ? ? ?

[kelly]

 -- Former New York Jets coach Rex Ryan sounds envious of his old team's defensive-line talent.

Ryan loves defensive linemen -- he drafted three in the first round while coaching the Jets -- and he admitted Tuesday their current cast is better than any of the lines he assembled from 2009 to 2014."Oh, God," the Buffalo Bills' coach said on a conference call with the New York media. "They had seven sacks (in the opener) and, oh, by the way,Sheldon Richardson never played. Golly. I thought it was good when I was there."

Richardson missed the opener because of the one-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal-conduct policy, but he'll play Thursday night against the Bills. Ryan was the Jets' coach when they drafted Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson. They also drafted Quinton Coples, but no one wants to own that pick because he was a bust.

Ryan gushed about Leonard Williams, whom the Jets chose last year with the sixth overall pick.

"They drafted that other kid," he said of Williams. "You guys know darn well you would've killed me if we would've drafted that kid. It would've been, 'Well, it's just about the defense.' No, it was about the best player and they certainly got one of the best players right there.

"(He's) a big monster."

Williams recorded 2.5 sacks in the opener, putting him only one sack shy of his rookie total.

>     http://www.espn.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/63115/bills-coach-rex-ryan-on-jets-dt-leonard-williams-a-big-monster

[Beerfish]

The Redskins did us such a monumental favor.  I couldn't believe my ears when they took Brandon Scherff.

[ylekram]

McLendon really impressed me. I originally looked at the signing and the losing of snacks as a loss. maybe not a loss but a lesser. but it appears that whatever the line loses in run stuffing, it gains that much more in "go get em and slam em". I hope he can continue his pace thruout the season

[ylekram]

as far as Williams performance goes, I don't think any of us are surprised. all you had to do was watch his college tape and just had to realize it was just a matter of time

[kelly]

On 9/13/2016 at 3:48 PM, Beerfish said:

The Redskins did us such a monumental favor.  I couldn't believe my ears when they took Brandon Scherff.

agreed !.. i Luv the BPA ( Best Player Available ) plan  

 

 

 

 

cheers ~ ~

[kelly]

— Sheldon Richardson's list of individual NFL accomplishments is impressively long for a player entering his fourth season. 

In 2013, he was voted Defensive Rookie of the Year. In 2014, he brought the quarterback down eight times. In 2015, he was voted to the Pro Bowl. 

Yet when analysts compile lists of the best defensive linemen in the league, they often omit Richardson's name. Fair? Probably not, but the Jets' defensive end doesn't care.

"I still feel like I'm slept on," Richardson told NJ Advance Media by his locker Monday. "It's fine. I don't mind being the underdog."

It would be a bit of an understatement to say the Jets' defensive line is loaded. When the unit takes the field, Richardson is part of a three-headed monster of immensely talented— and young— men up front. There's the 26-year-old Muhammad Wilkerson, a Pro Bowler in 2015 with 37.5 sacks on his resume. There's the 22-year-old Leonard Williams, the No. 6 pick in the 2015 draft who looks primed for a breakout season this year.But of every player on the defense — linebackers and safeties included— Richardson may be the most athletic.At 6-3 and 294 pounds, there's no denying he has strength. But Richardson is not just some brute. He combines it with speed and agility possessed by few at his position. Back in 2014, he nearly ran down Vikings receiver Jarius Wright on an 87-yard, game-winning touchdown.

On the replay, Richardson runs stride-for-stride with Wright —who ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the 2012 NFL Draft— for nearly 20 yards.Few could blame Richardson if he used his God-given skills for personal gain and to be the guy. But with the Jets, Richardson isn't always the one making the plays. Sometimes he does, sometimes it's Wilkerson, Williams, or someone else altogether. Richardson will set the stage for them, and they return the favor."I feel like I make other guys around me better," Richardson said. "That's just me. That's how all of us on the defensive line feel. We can all make plays off each other. If we don't make the play, others on this defense will. I want to make it easy to play behind me."

When asked for whom he feels are the best defensive linemen in the NFL, Richardson is quick to rattle off three names— Wilkerson, the Texans' J.J. Watt, and the Dolphins' Ndamukong Suh. Most critics feel Watt is, hands down, the best in the game.This season is Watt's sixth in the NFL. In 82 career games, he has brought down the quarterback an astounding 76 times. He's the only player in NFL history to have multiple seasons of 20 or more sacks. He had 20.5 in both 2012 and 2014. 

While Richardson said there's no denying Watt's talent, he believes the Texans' game plan inflates some of those numbers.Houston lines Watt up against the offense's worst lineman. By the fourth quarter, that lineman eventually breaks down, and Watt reaps the rewards. If another Texans' pass rusher starts to have success on another offensive lineman, Watt will switch to that side of the field.It's a smart tactic, Richardson said. Watt's "their guy," so he gets "freedom" like that. Richardson doesn't have such freedom on the Jets' defense. He makes plays in other ways. Unfortunately for No. 91, that sometimes means fewer sacks. And fewer sacks means less recognition. 

"People in the media only care about sacks," Richardson said. "I'm an all-around defensive lineman. I stop the run, and get after the quarterback.

"His first two years in the league, [Watt] had 137 tackles, which is amazing. I had 144. But you've never heard about that because no one cares about tackles. They don't."Richardson may not get the praise he deserves from national media outlets, but there's no denying those around the league and everyone in the Jets locker room know what he's capable of.

Bills head coach Rex Ryan offered high praise on a conference call last week. When asked about playing the Jets' defensive line, Ryan mentioned Richardson's name before adding, "Oh God." Moments after a 2.5-sack performance against the Bengals, Leonard Williams took credit away from himself to talk about Richardson's impending return from a suspension the next week."We're getting Sheldon back," Williams said. "We've seen what we can do without him, and we know that we can do more with him."   

Richardson knows how good he is. So do his teammates, coaches and many around the league.As for those that doubt him? Feel he's nothing more than a product of an impressive defensive scheme? "I don't give a damn what people think of me," Richardson said. "I'm just here to play ball."

>      http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/09/jets_sheldon_richardson_still_feels_hes_slept_on_b.html#incart_river_index

[HessStation]

The no sacks was the most depressing part of last week. Esp none for Williams. 

[Jetmech]

It's simple the talented DL hasn't come up with many clutch stops. During Rex and last season there weren't many stops when they needed one.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

[GandWFan]

It seemed like the DLine was move concerned with containment and staying in lanes that an all out, balls to the wall pass rush.  The strategy worked, but they hit on a few long ones because of it.  Still, I never felt like we were not in control of that game.

 

 

 

[no psls]

Best defense means nothing if you don't outscore the other team !!!

[kelly]

• 
  Sheil KapadiaESPN Writer

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The Seattle Seahawks knew going into this season that they had a chance to get off to a good start.Last year, the team started out 0-2 and struggled to find an identity until the second half of the season. This time around though, they're looking to go 3-1 before a bye in Week 5.

It hasn't always been pretty for the Seahawks, and Russell Wilson will once again be dealing with an injury (MCL sprain). But if they can knock off the New York Jets, they'll be feeling pretty good about themselves after the first month of the season.

To help get a scouting report on the Jets, here are six players to watch, courtesy of ESPN’s Jets reporter Rich Cimini.

~ ~   DT Leonard Williams : He leads the Jets with three sacks, already equaling his rookie total from last season. Williams, drafted sixth overall, is a star on the rise. He can play multiple positions on the defensive line, but he mostly lines up over a guard. He has a scary combination of size (6-foot-5, 302 pounds), power and athleticism. With Williams, Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson, the Jets have one of the most talented defensive fronts in the NFL.

rest of above article : 

>     http://www.espn.com/blog/seattle-seahawks/post/_/id/22213/seahawks-face-test-against-leonard-williams-jets-defensive-line

[kelly]

The New York Jets ran into a good defense in Kansas City and you saw what happened. It was something out of the Marty Mornhinweg playbook, as they failed to score a touchdown for the first time since Nov. 24, 2014. (Scary flashback: That was the 38-3 loss to the displaced Buffalo Bills in Detroit.)Hey, it happens sometimes in sports. Those defensive guys get paid big bucks for a reason, and they can easily disrupt your favorite team's mojo, as the Chiefs did to the Jets. Guess what? The Jets face a bunch of strong defensive teams in the coming weeks.

In order : The Seattle Seahawks (No. 1 in fewest yards allowed), Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 14), Arizona Cardinals (No. 9) and Baltimore Ravens (No. 2).

This could be a murderous stretch for Ryan Fitzpatrick and his BFFs, Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, who haven't been able to recreate last season's chemistry on a consistent basis. At a time like this -- in the midst of a stretch like this -- the Jets need their defense to carry the flag to Halloween.They need their talented defense to not only keep them in games, which it will do, but to win them on occasion. To win games, it has to make big plays -- and therein lies the problem. For all their defensive success over the past decade, the Jets come up short in that department. It's baffling.The Jets haven't scored a defensive touchdown since Oct. 20, 2013, when safetyAntonio Allen -- covering Rob Gronkowski -- intercepted Tom Brady and took it to the house at MetLife Stadium. Since then, they've gone 44 games and close to 2,800 defensive plays without a score, the longest drought in the NFL. Heck, even the stinking New Orleans Saints have scored once over that span.

"It's been a long time," Allen said Wednesday. "We've got some catching up to do."

During the time between that pick-6 and now, Allen has recovered from an Achilles' tear and has changed teams twice. In football years, 2013 is like the 1990s in the regular world.The Jets have too much talent on defense to be mired in that kind of slump. They have two of the highest-paid players in the sport, Darrelle Revis andMuhammad Wilkerson. They have a top-5 defensive line, led by Wilkerson,Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams. They have a fearless safety, Calvin Pryor, who should be making more impact plays than he does.

Don't get me wrong, the Jets do a lot of nice things on defense. They can stop the run as well as anyone and, except for an occasional home-run ball, they play good situational football. But where are the momentum-changing plays? Why can't they steal and score? Why can't they be like the Cards, who have a league-best 15 defensive touchdowns over that 44-game stretch?

"As a defense, we take great pride in being the best defense on the field that day," defensive tackle Steve McLendon said.

Based on that measure, they're one out of three. Not good enough.To stay in the playoff hunt, the Jets have to at least split the next four games. Realistically, they can't count on the offense to score 30-plus points every week, not against this schedule. It's time for the defense -- still the backbone of this team -- to assert itself in a splashy kind of way. The phrase "pick-6" shouldn't be exclusive to the opposition.

>              http://www.espn.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/63455/jets-defense-owns-one-of-the-most-baffling-droughts-in-the-nfl

[kelly]

Where has the pass rush gone ?

The Jets' defensive line was the best in the NFL after the first week of the season. No questions asked. 

The unit mauled Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton. They pressured him on near every dropback. They sacked him seven times. Even more impressive, they did it without Sheldon Richardson, who was serving a one-game suspension. 

Since that game, though, the unit has been quiet. Silent. Even with Richardson back in the fold, they have just five sacks Weeks 2-5.Do they suddenly stink? Eh, not necessarily. Teams are making it impossible for the likes of Leonard Williams, Muhammad Wilkerson and Richardson to beat them.

Let's take a look at what the Steelers did this past weekend to counteract the Jets' effective pass rush. 

The Steelers were in the shotgun, essentially, the entire game 

Mike Tomlin is not an ignorant head coach. He knew, heading into this game, if he let quarterback Ben Roethlisberger take five-step drop after five-stop drop, the Jets would murder him. So, one of the ways the team gave him extra time was by putting him in the shotgun.Roethlisberger was under center just four times on Sunday. That's right. Of his 47 pass attempts, just four came when lined up directly under center. This gave Roethlisberger an extra two steps to start on his dropback, which helped slow the rush. 

The Steelers hit the Jets with a ton of quick passes early

The majority of Roethlisberger's passes were thrown out of the shotgun formation on a three-step drop. Which, essentially, is a standard five-step drop for quarterbacks.But Roethlisberger was almost robotic in how quickly that ball was out of his hand. Almost as soon as his back foot hit (as shown in photo below), he was releasing the ball. What this meant is that if the Jets wanted to get in his face, they had about two seconds to do so. 

In the first half, this was the case on near every dropback. Even in third-and-long situations, he dumped it off short to live to fight another down. 

And when they didn't, the Jets got there

It was rare that the Jets got pressure on Roethlisberger. By my unofficial count, I had a guy in his face just eight times. On each of those plays, though, it happened when Roethlisberger didn't get the ball out of his hand to the first read.When he had to pump fake and hold onto the ball that extra second, the Jets were on top of him. Very similar to how they got to Dalton. 

When the Jets tried to counter, it gave Roethlisberger extra time

In the second half, the Jets attempted to counter defensively to stop the quick throws. They did this in two ways, neither of which worked.

The first method : The defensive front began jumping and putting their hands in the air once Roethlisberger hit his back step. It's an old-school trick defensive linemen use all the time — if you can't get there, bat it down. Realizing this, Roethlisberger waited for the jumping defenders to land, then put the ball over their heads. 

The second method, also ineffective, was by rushing fewer people, and dropping more into coverage. Roethlisberger also realized this, and simply let his five offensive linemen block the three defensive linemen, and waited for a receiver to break open — a big red flag for the secondary. 

By the numbers

NJ Advance Media tracked (unofficially) each of Roethlisberger's dropbacks, including those negated by penalty. Here's what we found.It's not that the defensive line was awful against the Steelers, they just weren't given an opportunity to get to Roethlisberger. The ball was out of his hand too quick. 

• 1-step drop: 3
• 2-step drop: 6
• 3-step drop: 31
• 5-step drop: 12
• Roll-out: 1
• Under center: 4
• Shotgun: 49

>       http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/10/where_has_the_jets_pass_rush_gone_film_review.html#incart_river_index

[kelly]

The Jets’ Three Coordinators Address the Media

The Jets defense has dealt with its ups and downs thus far in 2016, sacking Bengals QB Andy Dalton seven times in the season opener and allowing a league high eight receptions of 40-plus yards. Defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers said the defense as making “great strides,” as his unit only allowed two 20-plus yard receptions last week against Pittsburgh, but there are still things that need to be tightened up.“Slight things. What happened is we tried to take away the deep ball and they started hitting us with some underneath,” Rodgers said. “It was more yards after the catch with three or four yard passes. That hinders your pass rush and everything trickled down from there.”

With the news of WR  Eric Decker  heading to the IR, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey recognizes the challenges ahead, saying it will take a “group effort” to fill his void. The group Gailey is referring to includes a trio of rookie receivers —  Robby Anderson ,  Charone Peake  and  Jalin Marshall , who fully participated in practice for the first time since suffering a shoulder injury against the Chiefs.“What you have to do is you have to put them out there and play them. I think you have you to put them in a position to try to be successful and then evaluate from there and take the next step,” he said. “It’s a step-by-step process. It isn’t he can do this, I know he’s good at this, let’s just go do this all the time. Because they have to multiple type players, they just can’t be one dimensional. So it’s going to be a step-by-step developmental process with each one of them. Find out what they do well and get them in the right spots.”

Special teams coordinator Brant Boyer said his unit has made one or two mistakes a game that have hurt the team. His group needs to be on its A-game this week as the Cardinals’ have one of the most impressive special teams corps in the league.“They’re really good. They got some great returners who are very, very fast. As a matter of fact, some of the fastest that have come into the league the past couple of years,” Boyer said. “They’ve got one of the best, if not the best, all-around special teams player in [Justin] Bethel in my opinion. Calais Campbell with field goal blocks, Patrick Peterson. I mean you can go down the line and name a bunch of people that they have, they’re a really good unit. It’s going to be a big challenge for us.”

>    http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-7/Rodgers-Defense-Making-‘Great-Strides’/4d4f8216-f0c6-435c-94db-b7aff6f65e76

[ASH1962]

On ‎7‎/‎8‎/‎2016 at 9:25 AM, kelly said:

NFL.com : Jets Have Second Best Defensive Line in League

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com ranked the top defensive lines in the NFL. The Jets fared unsurprisingly well, ranking only behind the Rams.

The Jets' defensive line is so good that it can lose one of football's prime run-stoppers in Damon Harrison and still rank as our top 3-4 defensive lines. Richardson slashes and burns like a player 50 pounds lighter. It is no surprise Rex Ryan used him as a goal-line back in 2013 because it always looks like Richardson is playing downhill.

Wilkerson always looks like the smartest, most complete lineman on the field. He is the rare pass rusher that often picks up his sacks by reading the play in front of him and reacting. If the Jets need to roll with Geno Smith for a season just to save cap room to pay Wilkerson all the money, they should just let Ryan Fitzpatrick walk. Williams should soon be part of the top starting trio in football, while Jenkins could be a sneaky steal for depth. This line forms Todd Bowles' best defense against a sophomore slump.

 

Rosenthal doesn't even mention Steve McLendon. McLendon is probably the fourth best lineman on the roster, but he could end up being a sneaky value signing. He won't play at the same level as Harrison, but he can give this team quality snaps, which combined with an improvement out of Williams might be enough to take the unit to the next level.

There also has been some buzz around 2015 seventh round pick Deon Simon. Dom Cosentino posted an article with defensive line coach Pepper Johnson praising Simon. When combined with the praise Simon got from Mike Maccagnan mentor Charley Casserly earlier in the offseason, one might wonder whether the Jets are really excited about his potential. The comparison people will likely make is the one Casserly made. Harrison was also an unheralded small school prospect who didn't play in year one. It isn't fair to expect Simon to become Harrison, but if he could become a decent rotational guy for cheap, it would be a win for the Jets and make their depth better.

>     http://www.ganggreennation.com/2016/7/7/12113898/nfl-com-jets-have-second-best-defensive-line-in-league

LMFAO

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOLOLOLOLOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOLOLOLO

[kelly]

There are so many issues to tackle on the New York Jets, this week's question focuses on the underachieving defensive line.

@RichCimini #jetsmail in retrospect, have the Jets over-invested in the D Line ?

@RichCimini : It certainly appears that way, based on the current results, but each so-called investment was a sound move at the time. By that, I'm referring to the re-signing of Muhammad Wilkerson and the drafting ofLeonard Williams and Sheldon Richardson.

Everybody was praising the Jets for locking up Wilkerson (including me), so I'm not going to second-guess the decision. What can you say? He's playing poorly -- or "sh----," as he told me last week. His ankle injury (residual soreness from offseason surgery), which has him listed as questionable for Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, is a most curious situation. He told Newsday he has been playing in pain for two weeks, but the coaches evidently don't believe it's that big a deal because they're playing him 96 percent of the snaps. They say there has been no drop-off in his game, which is a ridiculous statement. Anybody can see he's not the same player he was last season. I have a feeling there's a lot more to the story.

Bottom line : Wilkerson and Richardson, who's playing for a new contract, have combined for only two sacks. That's mind-boggling.

Getting back to your original question, I don't think they over-invested, but they invested in players with the same skill sets. There's not enough diversity. Their four-man line consists of four defensive tackles, includingSteve McLendon. It's hard to rush the passer with four defensive tackles. They're using Richardson in different ways (inside and outside linebacker), but they're taking him away from what he does best -- the 3-technique position. He's a very good interior player, but JAG (just another guy) as a 300-pound outside 'backer.

The question is, how do they address it going forward? They can't cut Wilkerson, who signed a five-year, $86 million contract before training camp. His 2017 base salary ($14.8 million) is fully guaranteed, so he's not going anywhere. Williams, of course, is staying put; he might be the most talented player on the team. That leaves Richardson, who has a fifth-year option for 2017.

If the Jets want to move on from Richardson, they'd have to do it this offseason. There would be a market for him, although it wouldn't be as robust as you might think. Opposing GMs are concerned about his off-the-field issues, I'm told. They can't wait to trade him in 2018, when he'd be eligible for the franchise tag. As we saw with Wilkerson, it's almost impossible to trade a tagged player.

I'd have no problem with it if they sell off Richardson. They need to start investing in other positions.

>        http://www.espn.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/64161/jets-defensive-line-not-providing-enough-bang-for-the-buck

[kelly]

THROW, DON'T RUN, ON THE JETS' D

Per ESPN Stats & Info, the Jets have allowed eight completions on passes traveling at least 30 yards in the air, tied for most in the NFL with Cleveland. That includes a league-high five touchdowns allowed on such throws. Meanwhile, the Jets are the NFL's second-best in rushing yards allowed (74.1), and their six rushing yards allowed to the Ravens last weekend was a franchise record.

 

> http://www.espn.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets

[kelly]

-- On Wednesday, Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson did what they should've done on Sunday: They stood before reporters and admitted they screwed up. It was Damage Control 101 for the New York Jets.Wilkerson confirmed he skipped a walk-through practice and showed up late for multiple meetings. Richardson said he overslept last Friday and reported 20 minutes tardy for a team meeting, insisting it was his only lateness of the season.Wilkerson showed more remorse than Richardson, but his confession sounded rehearsed. Richardson acknowledged he made a mistake, but he came off as flippant, saying, "It's blown way out of proportion. I know me missing the first quarter is not blown out of proportion, but it's a meeting. That's all it is."

Their words would've sounded more genuine had they been delivered before the PR people and agents provided the talking points, but neither player wanted to talk Sunday after serving a one-quarter benching in Miami.Whatever. It's over. We're not about to create a "tale of the tape" to rate their mea culpas.

While they behaved selfishly and immaturely, showing no regard for the team concept, it's important to remember they didn't break the law. They didn't commit a felony. They deserve to be criticized, not vilified. What matters now is how they respond.This is Wilkerson's second trip down this road. A year ago, he served a one-quarter benching for the same reason (late for a meeting) and responded with one sack in that game and three sacks the following week, en route to his first Pro Bowl selection. He parlayed that into a five-year, $86 million contract.

That Wilkerson hasn't been seen in a long time, perhaps because he's hampered by the residual effects from his surgically repaired ankle. He may not have the physical capability to dominate, but he can be a good teammate and act like a leader while he gets healthy.Richardson doesn't have an injury alibi; he's just having a bad year -- only 1.5 sacks in eight games. Going back to last year, he has five sacks in his last 16 games. That won't help him land that $100 million contract extension he's seeking. That's a pipe dream, of course, but he can improve his value with a strong finish. It'll make him more marketable when the Jets return him to the trading block after the season.

Richardson said he learned "a hard lesson" by being benched.

Oh yeah ? Prove it.

>       http://www.espn.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/64709/now-its-time-for-sheldon-richardson-mo-wilkerson-to-back-up-their-words

[The Crusher]

I'm late.  Did I miss anything?

[whodeawhodat]

we talkin bout practice??? not a game, practice???

[Beerfish]

We don't have a top 15 dline right now the way they are being handled.  A combo of bad charter, underachievement and sh*tty coaching.  We should be going against the norm and talking with the Bills to try and trade one of these guys,

[JustInFudge]

4 hours ago, The Crusher said:

I'm late.  Did I miss anything?

Nothing much.  Just we moved you from NT to OLB. 

[The Crusher]

17 minutes ago, JiF said:

Nothing much.  Just we moved you from NT to OLB. 

LOL. Bravo !!!

[drdetroit]

0 pass rush and we don't even play the run well anymore

 

other than that it's great

[kelly]

Rich CiminiESPN Staff Writer 

Jets defensive-line coach Pepper Johnson, who speaks to the media only three times a year (the minimum required by the league), refused to answer any questions today about his players. This was his only media obligation during the regular season. Two of his players, Sheldon Richardson and Mo Wilkerson, were benched for one quarter two weeks ago for disciplinary reasons. The Jets want their players to be accountable and here's an assistant coach refusing to fulfill his media responsibilities. Nice.

 

>      http://www.espn.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets

[kelly]

— After bizarrely refusing to speak with reporters during the Jets' bye week — as he is required to do by NFL rules — defensive line coach Pepper Johnson finally talked Monday.

And he said something curious: He believes his defensive line is playing better than it did in 2015. 

Really? 

"They're playing very well," Johnson said. "These guys made me defensive line coach of the year last season. I think they're doing better this year."

While Leonard Williams has been impressive this season (six sacks), Muhammad Wilkerson (2.5 sacks) and Sheldon Richardson (1.5 sacks) have underwhelmed.

Plus, Wilkerson and Richardson were suspended for one quarter against the Dolphins because of tardiness problems. 

Last season, Williams had three sacks, while Wilkerson and Richardson had 12 and five sacks, respectively.Against the run, the Jets' defense ranks third in yards per carry allowed this year — same as last year. This season, the Jets rank 23rd in the NFL in sack percentage, compared to 17th last year. 

Johnson on Monday declined to address Wilkerson and Richardson being suspended. 

"You know I'm going to pass on that," he said. "It's a matter to take up with that guy." 

He was referring to Jets coach Todd Bowles, whom he had mentioned by name earlier in his answer. 

Did Bowles tell him he had to fulfill his media obligations? 

"I don't like 'told,'" Johnson said, adding that Bowles did strongly encourage him to speak with reporters, even though Johnson believes there is no point to it. "I think it's all a waste of time, but I have to come here. So I'm just fulfilling my obligation."

Anyway, why does Johnson believe his line is playing better in 2016? 

"Because I don't look at stats," Johnson said. "It's what I'm asking for them to do, what we're trying to get accomplished in the game of football. This is the same crew that got me awards last year, and I don't see them doing anything different."People are playing us different, which is smart for them. I would play us different if I were running somebody's offense. I wouldn't want to get attacked by these guys. That's what's going on. I have to understand the game. I've been around it for 30 years." 

How can the Jets' defensive linemen counter this? 

"It's hard," Johnson said. "It's hard for the position that I coach. It's easy to take the defensive line out of the game. You can throw passes quicker. You can run the ball outside away from us. People take us out of the game."You only can do so much. That's what we're trying to do. I can't really talk about being so satisfied with our room because we're trying to take the team on our shoulders and carry everybody and carry ourselves and do our jobs first. And we're still losing ball games. It's not enough. We need to do more. I think we're doing what we're capable of doing." 

Johnson was an assistant coach with the Patriots from 2000-13, so he is used to winning. The Jets are 3-7 this year. 

"We've won three games this year, so it's hard to be satisfied with anything that we're doing," Johnson said. "It's hard coming to work, given the circumstances, that we're not seeing Ws. It's hard to be happy about our individual room or happy about a certain player when you've just won three games."I'm used to winning. I am not used to losing. Losing ball games, and still coming to work and trying to figure out ways how to muster up a win is kind of difficult, being an assistant coach. It's hard kissing my grandkids and being happy, because I've always ate, drank, slept football — and during the season, that's what it's all about. Losing ball games is not good. It affects my life." 

>     http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/11/pepper_johnson_says_jets_defensive_line_doing_bett.html

[Kleckineau]

 

Jets Have Second Best Defensive Line in the league ? ? ?

 

Third best line in Jersey

Giants

Rutgers

Jets

[kelly]

The Jets defense did something in the team’s 22-17 loss to the Patriots Sunday that very few units in the NFL have done this season — slow down New England’s offense.The 22 points surrendered was the Patriots’ lowest output since QB Tom Brady’s return from suspension in Week 5. In Weeks 5-11, New England was on a tear, averaging 32 points and 414 yards per game. Brady also finished with a season-low 89.2 passer rating compared to his average of 123.3. He dealt with a lot of pressure early and often, especially from DL  Leonard Williams .

“He gets the ball out fast. Even though I was in his face a lot, he still gets the ball out,” Williams said. “Overall, our goal was just to get him off of his spot. He’s more of a pocket passer, so once we get him moving a little bit, he’s not as good a passer. There were a few times I got some pressures on him and he tried to get rid of the ball and it was incomplete.”

DL  Sheldon Richardson  helped set the tone early as he knocked Brady down on the first two plays of the game, both resulting in incompletions. In the first half, the Jets held the Patriots to 152 total yards, the second-fewest Brady and his unit have registered in the opening 30 minutes.The Jets and Pats went into intermission locked in  10-10 dogfight that featured three lead changes. New England ended up with 377 total yards, its third fewest since Brady’s return. One of the primary reasons for the Green & White’s defensive success: they were effective in situational football on third down and in the red zone.

The Jets held Brady and company to seasons lows of 29% on third down (4 of 14) and 40% inside the red zone (2 of 5). To put things into perspective, entering Week 12, the Patriots had converted touchdowns in the red area at a rate of 70.4% with Brady under center and also had converted at least 50% of third-down plays in five of their last six games. The Jets defense has been heating up lately inside the 20 with their backs against the wall. Since Week 9, the unit leads the league in red zone defense, holding opponents to a 25% (3-12) conversion rate.

However, the Patriots scored when it mattered most. Down one point with 5:04 remaining in the game, Brady led the visitors on a nine play, 83-yard touchdown drive capped off by a Malcom Mitchell touchdown in the back of the end zone. That score gave New England a 22-17 lead that they would not relinquish.“Zero coverage. We have to protect the inside,” CB  Darrelle Revis  recalled of the touchdown play. “There was no middle safety on the field. We protected inside and they ran out-routes  —  great execution by those guys, seeing what coverage we were in. They basically executed better than we did on that play.”

Despite the defense’s strong performance to slow down perhaps the top offense in the league, the players lamented about a game that was close to having a different ending.“We just have to learn how to finish,” CB  Buster Skrine  said, who tallied three total tackles. “As a team, we have to finish. Every game we played this year it has come down to the wire, and we’ve been letting them go. As soon as we learn how to finish, we’ll be dangerous. But for now, we’re not finishing and that’s why we’re 3-8.”

“Toe-to-toe isn’t good enough for us,” S  Marcus Gilchrist  said. “We want to come out victorious. We didn’t do the things that we needed to do to come out with a win. Regardless of toe-to-toe, it means nothing without a win.”

>     http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-7/Jets-Defense-Stood-Tall-In-Tight-Loss-vs-NE/5948a00b-57e9-472b-bb01-20d33f8826f7

[Bugg]

On 11/23/2016 at 6:35 AM, Kleckineau said:

 

Jets Have Second Best Defensive Line in the league ? ? ?

 

Third best line in Jersey

Giants

Rutgers

Jets

Monmouth. Rowan, FDU, Bosco, Bergen Catholic, DePaul....the  Jets are waaaaaaaaay down there.