Jets vs. 49ers – Week 4 Preview

[JetNation]

The San Francisco 49ers come to town after a bad loss in Minnesota last week. Powered by a shut down defense and a much improved offense, the 49ers are going to be a tough test for the Jets this weekend. San Francisco leads the overall lifetime series 9-2.

Offense

San Francisco made major improvements to their receiving core this offseason. Signing veterans Randy Moss and Mario Manningham has helped bolster last year’s “manage-the-game-let-the-defense-win-it” philosophy. They now have 4 weapons in the passing game in Moss, Manningham, Michael Crabtree, and Vernon Davis. Frank Gore has rushed for 264 total yards and is averaging almost 6 yards per carry. The Jets defense has struggled so far this year at stopping the run, and Gore is the best back they’ve seen so far.

Without Revis, Kyle Wilson will have to cover Manningham or Crabtree when Antonio Cromartie is on Randy Moss. It’s going to be a tough assignment for the corners, but the guy who raises the biggest risk is Vernon Davis. He’s a tight end with wide receiver speed. He’s their #1 deep threat in the passing game and the Jets struggled against the tight ends like Scott Chandler and Anthony Fasano (who aren’t nearly as fast and explosive as Davis).

49ers offense vs. Jets defense ADVANTAGE: 49ers

Defense

San Francisco’s defense is the staple of their team. Led by Navorro Bowman and Patrick Willis, the 49ers have speed, size, and strength making it one of, if not the best defenses in all of the NFL. Aldon Smith is a relentless pass rusher who already has 2.5 sacks this season. Their linebackers are solid and fast and play with a lot of emotion. Two of their most underrated players are their safeties, Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner. Both guys are hard hitting safeties but very good cover guys as well.

There are two weaknesses in the San Francisco defense that the Jets need to exploit. The first is the interior defensive line. The two defensive tackles, Justin Smith and Ray McDonald. Smith has been very good the past few years, but he’s 32 years old and seems to have lost a step. McDonald is a guy that tends to pick a side on running plays and if he chooses the wrong side, the Jets may be able to get their offensive line up to the second level (linebackers) and have a little success running the ball. The only other weakness in San Francisco’s defense is CB Tarell Brown. He’s a risk taking corner that Sanchez and Holmes may be able to exploit. Carlos Rogers is solid at the other corner, and if his job this week is to cover Holmes, Schilens and Kerley may be Sanchez favorites this week.

49ers Defense vs. Jets Offense ADVANTAGE: 49ers

Special Teams

San Francisco has two of the best kickers in the league. Andy Lee is their punter and he’s averaging 46 yards per punt.

David Akers is 5-5 on the year with a NFL record 63 yarder.

The returners are Kendall Hunter and Kyle Williams(who fumbled twice vs. the Giants in NFC Championship game last year).

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[JetNation]

San Francisco 49ers to watch:

1. #85 TE Vernon Davis- Rex Ryan said early in the week that he believes Vernon Davis is the best TE in the league. At 6’3″ 250lbs Davis is faster than a lot of receivers in the league. The combination of strength, size, and speed will be very difficult for the Jets to cover. David Harris and Bart Scott aren’t fast enough to stay with him, but the Jets safeties aren’t big enough (not even Laron Landry), to cover Davis. It’s assumed that Landry will cover Davis on most pass plays. He’s too big for a nickle corner to cover. The Jets may use Demario Davis also in obvious passing downs to help on Vernon Davis. It would be a tough task for a rookie, but he’s the only linebacker with the speed to stay with Davis.

2. #99 DE Aldon Smith- Smith made a name for himself last year recording 14 sacks, and has 2.5 already this year. He’s 6’4″ 260lbs. He is a guy who has an endless motor and a knack for finding the opposing quarterback. The offensive tackles of the Jets need to play their best game to block Smith. The Jets may also use extra backs or TE Konrad Rueland to help stop Smith and the rest of the pass rush of the 49ers.

3. #25 CB Tarell Brown- Brown is a risk taking corner who can be beat. Double moves last week vs. Minnesota had him spinning around and losing track of his receiver. If the Jets can get Holmes on Brown, Holmes can have a very big game. It’s not going to come easy with the pass rush and athleticism of the 49ers defense, but short quick routes can be effective.

[slats]

Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow Warm Up By Throwing Ball In Direction Of One Another

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012 | ISSUE 48•40 | MORE SPORTS NEWS IN BRIEF

NEW YORK—In an interview before today’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, Jets head coach Rex Ryan described how quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow's typically warm-up by throwing passes in each other's general direction. “Mark usually chucks a couple balls over Tim’s head, and then Tim throws a few that either fall way short or sail shakily out of bounds,” said Ryan, who explained that the exercise helps the quarterbacks settle into their comfort zones. “If they establish a rhythm in warmups and start getting the ball in approximately the right area, it really helps them avoid intentional grounding penalties on the incomplete passes they throw during the game when it counts.” At press time, Tebow and Sanchez were working on their agility by running to retrieve all the balls that had rolled under sideline benches.

Yeah, it's an Onion article...