Jets may have found the QB nightmare they’ve searched for ~ ~ ~

[kelly]

Maybe this is the pass rusher Gang Green are looking for.

The last time the collective eyes of Jets Nation were on Lorenzo Mauldin, he was unconscious, facedown on the MetLife Stadium turf in the season-opener. But Sunday, it was Mauldin who put the quarterback on the ground three times, the rookie that showed he might be the edge rusher the team has lacked for so long.“It felt great. I just told myself before coming in the game I’m long overdue,’’ Mauldin said after the Jets’ 28-23 victory over the Jaguars. “It’s time for me to actually go out and show the coaching staff and show Jets Nation what I’ve got.’’

What Mauldin showed was what the Jets expected to see when they used a third-round pick on him in May. Gang Green sacked Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles a half-dozen times, and hurried him 14 more. Mauldin was credited with his first two career sacks and four hurries, both team-highs.

“Mauldin in particular had a breakout game,’’ David Harris said.

“I just had the same mindset going into each third down: Just go get Bortles,’’ Mauldin said. “My role is being able to go get the quarterback, run off the edge on third down and get to Bortles. Get to any quarterback, really … I’m going to be me. I rush the passer. I have a fast motor. Don’t give up on any play, that’s my mindset.’’Mauldin made plenty of plays. On third-and-12, he split a sack with Leonard Williams to end Jacksonville’s opening drive. He teamed with Sheldon Richardson to take down Bortles on third-and-7 on the Jaguars’ first drive of the second quarter. And when Jacksonville got the ball to open the second half, Mauldin got around the edge for his first-ever solo sack, stalling the Jaguars’ march on the Jets’ 40.

“It was good to see [Mauldin and Williams] come in and make some plays,’’ Jets coach Todd Bowles said. “He played third down. They threw the ball a lot and we were able to get our packages in a lot for him.”It was a breakout performance from a player who has suffered a concussion in the Sept. 13 opener, and been mired on the bench behind ineffective Quinton Coples.“I’ve always been told once you get one sack, more are going to come afterwards,’’ said Mauldin, who had an epiphany in last Sunday’s loss to the Raiders. “I just told myself — along with [outside linebackers] Coach [Mark] Collins — just run off the ball. That’s what I do best: Run around the edge.

“Now I’ve found myself in order to rush the passer. I had to study more than I was before to come out and do what I do, what I was drafted to do. … If you play slow, you’re going to get caught up. If you play fast, who knows what’ll happen.’’

Demario Davis added: “The coaches brought him in to pass-rush. That’s what he is for us, and he fulfilled his role [Sunday].’’

>  http://nypost.com/2015/11/08/jets-may-have-found-the-qb-nightmare-theyve-searched-for/

[Integrity28]

I love this player.

Also the line about "if you play slow" and needing to study more. This is what Gholston was incapable of, he couldn't absorb this sh*t into his brain to make it turn into instinct. Mauldin understands that study, becomes instinct. 

Very good sign.

Watching him play, I couldn't help but think: this is the type of "all over the place" linebacker the Steelers or Ravens usually find.

I truly hope this weekend was just the tip of the iceberg.

[kelly]

I love this player.

Also the line about "if you play slow" and needing to study more. This is what Gholston was incapable of, he couldn't absorb this sh*t into his brain to make it turn into instinct. Mauldin understands that study, becomes instinct. 

Very good sign.

Watching him play, I couldn't help but think: this is the type of "all over the place" linebacker the Steelers or Ravens usually find.

I truly hope this weekend was just the tip of the iceberg.

agreed !.. 'bout time  

[Ken Schroy]

The kid was smiling ear to ear on the interview with Jeane Coakley on SNY. I'm happy for him and I'm VERY happy for us. The kid gets it. I said yesterday that maybe he could be our Von Miller. Maybe.....

[jetsons]

Can anyone post "Gifs" of the pass rushes he was involved in yesterday, not just the sacks but the QB pressures also... would like to get a real good look at the kid, see what he might become.

[kelly]

Heading into this season I was really excited to see what kind of damage new New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles could do with the absurd collection of talent on his defense. If there was one persistent question about this defense it was this: would they ever find a true edge rusher so they wouldn't have to blitz quite so much?

When I say a true edge rusher I don't mean a guy like Mo Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson or even outside linebacker Quinton Coples. All three of those guys can power their way to a win around the edge on occasion. I mean a cat who could consistently win with speed and finesse moves around the corner. That seems to be the one thing that has been missing from the Jets defense for a few years now. They could get away with not having a speed rusher, but life is much easier for everybody involved because the less a team has to blitz to get pressure, the fewer risks they have to take.

After Sunday's win over the Jacksonville Jaguars it looks like the Jets just might have found their man. Lorenzo Mauldin came up with several big plays that limited the Jaguars and helped the Jets win. That is why I'm naming him my Hoss Of The Week for Week 9.

* * *

This spring the Jets invested a third-round pick in Louisville outside linebacker/edge rusher Lorenzo Mauldin. Up until this last game, Mauldin's rookie year hadn't been anything to write home about. He was active for seven out of the first eight games, but he was only credited with five total tackles on the year before Sunday. I don't imagine the Jaguars were all that wary of Mauldin before Sunday. They should have been.More important than just his production -- which was pretty damn good -- was the way in which Mauldin got to the quarterback against the Jaguars. Most of the other pass rushers on the Jets are power rushers who try to run through the offensive linemen. Maudlin utilized his athleticism to run around them. He seemed especially adept at dipping and ripping from the left edge of the defense. His ability to bend on a few of those rushes was also impressive.

Mauldin was credited with two sacks for the game, but he was actually in on three of them, earning a half a sack on two occasions.

The first sack that Mauldin earned a half credit for occurred with 9:43 left in the first quarter with the Jaguars having driven all the way down to the Jets' 22-yard line, facing third-and-12. The Jets decided to blitz up the middle. Mauldin, who was lined up as the left edge rusher, was supposed to get up the field in a hurry for containment. Initially, he did get up the field while his teammate, safety Marcus Williams, blitzed the gap just inside of him, but when Mauldin saw Blake Bortles sidestep the unblocked Williams, he made a spin move to fall back inside of Jeremy Parnell's block. Once free of Parnell he dove into Bortle's legs to try to take him down.

At almost that same exact moment a now-recovered Williams also hit Bortles up high, and that's how both of them got partial credit for the sack. That forced the Jaguars to kick a field goal to open up the scoring for both teams on the day.The Jets again dialed up a blitz on the second sack where Mauldin earned half a credit. The Jaguars were at the Jets' 45-yard line with 12:30 to go in the second quarter, facing a third-and-8. This time Mauldin lined up again as the left edge rusher. He was able to turn the corner on Parnell by coming off the ball hard and dipping his shoulder down low just as Parnell tried to punch him with his hands. With Parnell's hands high up around his neck instead of his chest, where they were supposed to be, Mauldin was able to employ an effective rip move as he turned his hips toward the quarterback to escape off Parnell's block.

While all that was going on, Demario Davis was busy faking a blitz before the snap. Then he faked like he was dropping after the snap before actually blitzing inside. He evidently deserved an Oscar for that performance because everybody just let him run free. He and Mauldin arrived almost simultaneously to take down Bortles again.(I do realize they gave Richardson the other half of the sack and not Davis, but as far as I can Davis and Mauldin got there before Richardson. That stat will get changed after film review.)

That sack killed any chance of the Jaguars getting a field goal out of that drive and forced them to punt while the score was already 14-3, Jets.

The third time around, Mauldin didn't need any help as he took Bortles down for the first full sack of his career.By the 9:43 mark in the third quarter the Jaguars had scored a touchdown of their own to pull within four points of the Jets. They drove all the way down to the Jets' 40-yard line before facing a third-and-8. Mauldin was again lined up as the left edge rusher. This time he rushed standing up instead of with his hand on the ground. He didn't get quite as good a jump off the ball since he wasn't in a three-point stance, but he still did a good job of sinking his rip on contact with Parnell.As soon as he got the rip going, Mauldin also started turning his hips toward the quarterback. We are talking textbook technique here by Mauldin who ended up beating Parnell up the field. Even though he got past Parnell, Mauldin was also past the level of the quarterback. In order to actually cash in on the win, Mauldin had to turn the corner sharply so he could catch Bortles from behind. Once he had him in his sights, Mauldin practically dove into the back of Bortles' legs to make sure he didn't get away.

If you were only going by the stat sheet, you might think Mauldin's big day ended there. It didn't. He also ended up getting a pressure and a hit on Bortles with 10:27 left in the fourth quarter on third down -- with the Jaguars all the way down to the Jets' 17-yard line -- that helped limit them to another field goal.

There was still one more big play for Mauldin to be involved it.It didn't show up on the stat sheet, but go back and see who that was getting pressure on a scrambling Bortles as he threw his second and last interception of the day with 54 seconds left in the game. Yup, that was Mauldin again. The Jaguars were still down five points and had to score a touchdown in less than a minute. Not impossible, but certainly not easy either. Any threat was totally eliminated on the first play of the drive thanks to some great hustle by Mauldin.

Now it is true that Parnell isn't exactly a world beater, but I certainly didn't see any other Jets player getting as much pressure when rushing him as Mauldin got on Sunday.And hell, Mauldin only got burn on some passing downs.On a day when the Jaguars simply refused to go away, Mauldin stepped up and had by far his biggest game as a pro, a game the Jets sorely needed from him. In the process, he may well have shown the coaching staff that they finally have that true edge rusher. Even if that doesn't ultimately end up being the case, for at least one game this season Mauldin was everything the Jets could have possibly hoped for when they drafted him in the spring.

>         http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/11/11/9703210/new-york-jets-lorenzo-mauldin-week-9-sacks