Jets Weekly Review

[Steveg]

Jets vs. Jaguars film review: Muhammad Wilkerson continues to emerge; run game stays strong

By Conor Orr/The Star-Ledger The Star-Ledger

on December 12, 2012 at 12:30 PM

The weekly review was a little late this week thanks to the return of former Jets wideout Braylon Edwards. With no media access today, though, it allowed for some extra time to dig in to some interesting trends we're seeing develop, namely the play of Muhammad Wilkerson, the third down defense and the run game.

It wasn't all pretty, with more ball security issues popping up, but Rex Ryan still considered it a "beautiful" victory.

Here's the good, the bad and the ugly from Sunday ...

TROPHY ROOM

1. Muhammad Wilkerson: Wilkerson credits defensive line coach Karl Dunbar with being the ultimate technician, especially when it comes to hand placement on an offensive lineman. One of the biggest changes in Wilkerson’s game this year seems to be the way he’s making it tougher for an offensive lineman to control him by being more evasive with his hands and more forceful with his movements. You can see that especially on the series of three straight third quarter plays where Wilkerson gets either a hit or a sack on Chad Henne. On first down it’s a great inside rip on the left guard. On second, he goes back to the same well (Wilkerson said after the game it was something he noticed on film) and pulled the inside rip move again. (Another side note: We get the benefit of seeing a portion of practice every day, so when watching Dunbar teach the rip move in basic drills during practice, it’s cool to see how identical Wilkerson’s looks to the slow-motion practice example.) On third, Wilkerson and Quinton Coples pull a twist and cross at the line, giving Wilkerson enough room to use his speed and power to push to the QB.

2. Shonn Greene // Bilal Powell // Jets offensive line: If we had to boil down most of the group’s collective performances into one series, the final drive of the third quarter comes to mind. Powell carries the ball SEVEN times in a row, six of which were between the A and B gaps. Some random observations from that series: Austin Howard has to pull from the tackle spot and get upfield over Matt Slauson on the other side of the center on the first play and does a nice job on a very difficult maneuver (he actually does this twice in seven plays, both successful blocks). Brandon Moore does a nice job of keeping the offensive line motivated after the only no-gain on the drive, allowing the drive to push forward. And Powell is showing some serious moves over the last few weeks. On the counter play, a 7-yard gain on the second play of that series, Jacksonville has a defender coming off the edge that could easily blow the run up but Powell puts on a nice fake and gets himself outside.

As for Greene, don’t overlook a game with 3.9 yards a carry and 25 or more yards after first contact. Ryan talks about the way he wears down opponents ad nauseum, but in games like Sunday’s, there really is a tangible effect. Having Greene with a lead is a huge asset despite his insistence on searching for contact first in lieu of a juke that could break a play open.

3. Garrett McIntyre: Sometimes one play can change the course of a game and his interception-forcing hit on Henne on the third-and-1 from the Jets 11-yard line in the first quarter absolutely turned the game in the Jets’ favor early on. The most impressive thing about the play is that McIntyre is about eight yards away from Henne when he decides to abandon the edge responsibility and take a run at the quarterback. He closes that distance in 1.7 seconds according to an unofficial iPhone stopwatch timing and blasts Henne while his head his turned, forcing the ball to pop up. McIntyre, despite not being an every down player, is finding his niche as a pass rusher with games like this one and Pittsburgh showing his ability to get into the backfield.

4. Mike Pettine and Rex Ryan: Let’s step back and look at the third down defense over the last two weeks. Yes, it was against Ryan Lindley and the Cardinals and an injury-riddled Jaguars team. That being said, the mix of personnel and coverage schemes have been nearly flawless. We break some of the most important ones down here…

FIRST QUARTER:

Third-and-2 on Jets 25: Jets are rushing six here and got a great push up front from the defensive line to stop Montell Owens for a gain of 1.

Third-and-1 on Jets 11: Jets bring eight, including McIntyre from the outside who makes a huge hit on Henne that results in an interception.

SECOND QUARTER

Third-and-6 from the Jaguars 29: The Jets look like they’re going to rush six but end up dropping half into coverage. Eric Smith, who looks he’s blitzing, falls back and gives way for Yeremiah Bell to crash hard and force the incompletion.

Third-and-1 on the Jaguars 13: Another short yardage stop here. There’s eight players to the football immediately, and that’s not even including Bart Scott who was in the general area. This stalls another drive and forces a field goal.

Third-and-5 on the Jaguars 45: Very similar to the third-and-6 look from above, this time forcing Henne to check down to Jordan Todman for no gain. A nice tackle by Calvin Pace open-field.

Third-and-10 on the Jaguars 43: The Jets rush six if you include a delayed blitz from the secondary. This speeds up Henne again and forces him to gamble on a long pass to Justin Blackmon, who is covered tightly by Antonio Cromartie.

THIRD QUARTER

This began a series of four straight four and outs for Jacksonville:

Third-and-1 on the Jaguars 20: We’ll chalk this one up to a bit of a knucklehead move by the Jacksonville coaching staff here (why not run the ball here?) The fake toss doesn’t fool many on the defensive front, though, and the D-line stays committed to the pass. Henne forces one to Blackmon that falls incomplete

.

Third-and-3 on the Jaguars 33: Scott kicks it off with good pressure from the edge, prompting the throw from Henne. The play is sealed by an excellent open-field tackle by Cromartie, who wrangles the shifty Jordan Shipley to the ground in the open field.

Third-and-10 on the Jaguars 23: For all you Madden players out here, this blitz has the feel of the “Engage Eight” that you use when you’re angry at the CPU (I know, I know). There are two separate twists – one from Scott and David Harris and another from Wilkerson and Coples. Six men rush and all of them are in the pocket by the time Wilkerson gets the sack.

Third-and-11 from the Jacksonville 10: This has the “Psycho” look with Coples as a wandering down lineman. Around the line of scrimmage, there’s Harris, McIntyre, Coples, Pace, Smith and Bell. Bell, Smith and McIntyre are the only ones who end up rushing and still cause enough pressure to flush Henne from the pocket (Coples nearly sacks Henne with his foot). Harris does a great job of staying home and chasing Henne down when he tries to scramble.

FOURTH QUARTER

Third-and-6 from the Jaguars 42: Smith and Antonio Allen bring pressure from the weak side and, again, make Henne throw a pass he’s not comfortable with (it’s also well behind Kevin Elliott).

FILM ROOM

1. Mark Sanchez: Both Sanchez and Jeremy Kerley make this list because of the fumbles. The Jets went into full-scale re-teaching mode after the Patriots game in order to preach ball security. Ryan mentioned the strip sacks in a separate category, but still as a huge issue this season. As Ryan described it, it’s a combination of the offensive line and quarterback’s responsibility when it happens. In this particular offense in the second quarter, Sanchez has the ball for less than two seconds before Jason Babin makes contact. Sanchez does see him coming because you see a flinch just before contact. In that time period, though, he doesn’t make enough of an attempt to secure the football against his body or with another hand. From where I’m sitting, this seems easy although when Babin is coming at your blind side from a sprinter’s stance, it’s probably one of the hardest split-second actions a quarterback needs to make. Still, there is a pattern that exists with Sanchez and these strip-sack fumbles and something needs to change.

As a passer, Sanchez was sturdy and efficient. The one throw he needed to make was, obviously, the 37-yard hit to Jeff Cumberland in the fourth quarter – a play that wasn’t as easy as it looks. Aside from dropping it just inside the two safeties, Sanchez has to get enough air underneath the ball to avoid Paul Posluszny who is dropping back in zone coverage as well.

2. Jeremy Kerley: For receivers and running backs, RB coach Anthony Lynn employs a three-point pressure system – none of which were in play when he fumbled the ball in the second quarter. His heart is in the right place, looking to make a play in a game where the Jets could desperately use one, but he was likely scared straight after seeing Dwight Lowery take it back for the touchdown before it was overturned. Down the stretch, the Jets' season could hinge on a critical turnover, so it’s a play that will no-doubt be in heavy rotation on Thursday.

BY THE NUMBERS:

100: The Jaguars red zone scoring percentage before the McIntyre hit and Scott interception. Their first red zone turnover all year.

11: Turnovers for the Jets in their last three games.

19: Turnovers for Sanchez on the season.

45: Turnovers by Sanchez since 2011, tied with Philip Rivers for the most in the NFL during that span.

496: Of Greene’s 883 yards have come after contact, according to Pro Football Focus. That’s 15th best in football.

2: Third down conversions allowed in the last 2 weeks.

24: Straight games the Jaguars have not scored an opening-drive touchdown.

EXTRA POINTS:

Bryan Thomas can still bring it from the outside linebacker spot from time to time. Check out the Owens run on second-and-2 with 12:17 to go in the first quarter. Owens is right at the marker and Thomas comes in and stands him up. Most impressive: Eben Britton, the Jags left guard, comes up from behind Owens and tries to push him over Thomas, but the outside linebacker manages to create a surge and force them both down.

The Guy Whimper tight end-eligible route in the first quarter was one heck of a sell by the former Giants offensive tackle. After faking the down block, he does a great job of getting out into open space for his second catch of the year.

One of the things that I saw a handful of times that goes unnoticed is the way Bell and LaRon Landry will come up and jam wide receivers on run plays or pass plays where those receivers aren’t primary reads. After a while you can see it slowing some of them down.

For not being a blocking tight end, Konrad Reuland has done a heck of a job making an impact on the run game. He’s consistently showed up on film during big runs this year making some key blocks.

We saw a couple Josh Scobee jerseys in Jacksonville; something I didn’t understand until Joe McKnight didn’t return a single kick on Sunday.

[JiFtheOracle]

Jets vs. Jaguars film review: Muhammad Wilkerson continues to emerge; run game stays strong

By Conor Orr/The Star-Ledger The Star-Ledger

on December 12, 2012 at 12:30 PM

The weekly review was a little late this week thanks to the return of former Jets wideout Braylon Edwards. With no media access today, though, it allowed for some extra time to dig in to some interesting trends we're seeing develop, namely the play of Muhammad Wilkerson, the third down defense and the run game.

It wasn't all pretty, with more ball security issues popping up, but Rex Ryan still considered it a "beautiful" victory.

Here's the good, the bad and the ugly from Sunday ...

TROPHY ROOM

1. Muhammad Wilkerson: Wilkerson credits defensive line coach Karl Dunbar with being the ultimate technician, especially when it comes to hand placement on an offensive lineman. One of the biggest changes in Wilkerson’s game this year seems to be the way he’s making it tougher for an offensive lineman to control him by being more evasive with his hands and more forceful with his movements. You can see that especially on the series of three straight third quarter plays where Wilkerson gets either a hit or a sack on Chad Henne. On first down it’s a great inside rip on the left guard. On second, he goes back to the same well (Wilkerson said after the game it was something he noticed on film) and pulled the inside rip move again. (Another side note: We get the benefit of seeing a portion of practice every day, so when watching Dunbar teach the rip move in basic drills during practice, it’s cool to see how identical Wilkerson’s looks to the slow-motion practice example.) On third, Wilkerson and Quinton Coples pull a twist and cross at the line, giving Wilkerson enough room to use his speed and power to push to the QB.

2. Shonn Greene // Bilal Powell // Jets offensive line: If we had to boil down most of the group’s collective performances into one series, the final drive of the third quarter comes to mind. Powell carries the ball SEVEN times in a row, six of which were between the A and B gaps. Some random observations from that series: Austin Howard has to pull from the tackle spot and get upfield over Matt Slauson on the other side of the center on the first play and does a nice job on a very difficult maneuver (he actually does this twice in seven plays, both successful blocks). Brandon Moore does a nice job of keeping the offensive line motivated after the only no-gain on the drive, allowing the drive to push forward. And Powell is showing some serious moves over the last few weeks. On the counter play, a 7-yard gain on the second play of that series, Jacksonville has a defender coming off the edge that could easily blow the run up but Powell puts on a nice fake and gets himself outside.

As for Greene, don’t overlook a game with 3.9 yards a carry and 25 or more yards after first contact. Ryan talks about the way he wears down opponents ad nauseum, but in games like Sunday’s, there really is a tangible effect. Having Greene with a lead is a huge asset despite his insistence on searching for contact first in lieu of a juke that could break a play open.

3. Garrett McIntyre: Sometimes one play can change the course of a game and his interception-forcing hit on Henne on the third-and-1 from the Jets 11-yard line in the first quarter absolutely turned the game in the Jets’ favor early on. The most impressive thing about the play is that McIntyre is about eight yards away from Henne when he decides to abandon the edge responsibility and take a run at the quarterback. He closes that distance in 1.7 seconds according to an unofficial iPhone stopwatch timing and blasts Henne while his head his turned, forcing the ball to pop up. McIntyre, despite not being an every down player, is finding his niche as a pass rusher with games like this one and Pittsburgh showing his ability to get into the backfield.

4. Mike Pettine and Rex Ryan: Let’s step back and look at the third down defense over the last two weeks. Yes, it was against Ryan Lindley and the Cardinals and an injury-riddled Jaguars team. That being said, the mix of personnel and coverage schemes have been nearly flawless. We break some of the most important ones down here…

FIRST QUARTER:

Third-and-2 on Jets 25: Jets are rushing six here and got a great push up front from the defensive line to stop Montell Owens for a gain of 1.

Third-and-1 on Jets 11: Jets bring eight, including McIntyre from the outside who makes a huge hit on Henne that results in an interception.

SECOND QUARTER

Third-and-6 from the Jaguars 29: The Jets look like they’re going to rush six but end up dropping half into coverage. Eric Smith, who looks he’s blitzing, falls back and gives way for Yeremiah Bell to crash hard and force the incompletion.

Third-and-1 on the Jaguars 13: Another short yardage stop here. There’s eight players to the football immediately, and that’s not even including Bart Scott who was in the general area. This stalls another drive and forces a field goal.

Third-and-5 on the Jaguars 45: Very similar to the third-and-6 look from above, this time forcing Henne to check down to Jordan Todman for no gain. A nice tackle by Calvin Pace open-field.

Third-and-10 on the Jaguars 43: The Jets rush six if you include a delayed blitz from the secondary. This speeds up Henne again and forces him to gamble on a long pass to Justin Blackmon, who is covered tightly by Antonio Cromartie.

THIRD QUARTER

This began a series of four straight four and outs for Jacksonville:

Third-and-1 on the Jaguars 20: We’ll chalk this one up to a bit of a knucklehead move by the Jacksonville coaching staff here (why not run the ball here?) The fake toss doesn’t fool many on the defensive front, though, and the D-line stays committed to the pass. Henne forces one to Blackmon that falls incomplete

.

Third-and-3 on the Jaguars 33: Scott kicks it off with good pressure from the edge, prompting the throw from Henne. The play is sealed by an excellent open-field tackle by Cromartie, who wrangles the shifty Jordan Shipley to the ground in the open field.

Third-and-10 on the Jaguars 23: For all you Madden players out here, this blitz has the feel of the “Engage Eight” that you use when you’re angry at the CPU (I know, I know). There are two separate twists – one from Scott and David Harris and another from Wilkerson and Coples. Six men rush and all of them are in the pocket by the time Wilkerson gets the sack.

Third-and-11 from the Jacksonville 10: This has the “Psycho” look with Coples as a wandering down lineman. Around the line of scrimmage, there’s Harris, McIntyre, Coples, Pace, Smith and Bell. Bell, Smith and McIntyre are the only ones who end up rushing and still cause enough pressure to flush Henne from the pocket (Coples nearly sacks Henne with his foot). Harris does a great job of staying home and chasing Henne down when he tries to scramble.

FOURTH QUARTER

Third-and-6 from the Jaguars 42: Smith and Antonio Allen bring pressure from the weak side and, again, make Henne throw a pass he’s not comfortable with (it’s also well behind Kevin Elliott).

FILM ROOM

1. Mark Sanchez: Both Sanchez and Jeremy Kerley make this list because of the fumbles. The Jets went into full-scale re-teaching mode after the Patriots game in order to preach ball security. Ryan mentioned the strip sacks in a separate category, but still as a huge issue this season. As Ryan described it, it’s a combination of the offensive line and quarterback’s responsibility when it happens. In this particular offense in the second quarter, Sanchez has the ball for less than two seconds before Jason Babin makes contact. Sanchez does see him coming because you see a flinch just before contact. In that time period, though, he doesn’t make enough of an attempt to secure the football against his body or with another hand. From where I’m sitting, this seems easy although when Babin is coming at your blind side from a sprinter’s stance, it’s probably one of the hardest split-second actions a quarterback needs to make. Still, there is a pattern that exists with Sanchez and these strip-sack fumbles and something needs to change.

As a passer, Sanchez was sturdy and efficient. The one throw he needed to make was, obviously, the 37-yard hit to Jeff Cumberland in the fourth quarter – a play that wasn’t as easy as it looks. Aside from dropping it just inside the two safeties, Sanchez has to get enough air underneath the ball to avoid Paul Posluszny who is dropping back in zone coverage as well.

2. Jeremy Kerley: For receivers and running backs, RB coach Anthony Lynn employs a three-point pressure system – none of which were in play when he fumbled the ball in the second quarter. His heart is in the right place, looking to make a play in a game where the Jets could desperately use one, but he was likely scared straight after seeing Dwight Lowery take it back for the touchdown before it was overturned. Down the stretch, the Jets' season could hinge on a critical turnover, so it’s a play that will no-doubt be in heavy rotation on Thursday.

BY THE NUMBERS:

100: The Jaguars red zone scoring percentage before the McIntyre hit and Scott interception. Their first red zone turnover all year.

11: Turnovers for the Jets in their last three games.

19: Turnovers for Sanchez on the season.

45: Turnovers by Sanchez since 2011, tied with Philip Rivers for the most in the NFL during that span.

496: Of Greene’s 883 yards have come after contact, according to Pro Football Focus. That’s 15th best in football.

2: Third down conversions allowed in the last 2 weeks.

24: Straight games the Jaguars have not scored an opening-drive touchdown.

EXTRA POINTS:

Bryan Thomas can still bring it from the outside linebacker spot from time to time. Check out the Owens run on second-and-2 with 12:17 to go in the first quarter. Owens is right at the marker and Thomas comes in and stands him up. Most impressive: Eben Britton, the Jags left guard, comes up from behind Owens and tries to push him over Thomas, but the outside linebacker manages to create a surge and force them both down.

The Guy Whimper tight end-eligible route in the first quarter was one heck of a sell by the former Giants offensive tackle. After faking the down block, he does a great job of getting out into open space for his second catch of the year.

One of the things that I saw a handful of times that goes unnoticed is the way Bell and LaRon Landry will come up and jam wide receivers on run plays or pass plays where those receivers aren’t primary reads. After a while you can see it slowing some of them down.

For not being a blocking tight end, Konrad Reuland has done a heck of a job making an impact on the run game. He’s consistently showed up on film during big runs this year making some key blocks.

We saw a couple Josh Scobee jerseys in Jacksonville; something I didn’t understand until Joe McKnight didn’t return a single kick on Sunday.

Good stuff. Some interesting little tid bits in there.

Greene's yards after contact is impressive.