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Dan takes an in-depth look at the Jets defense . . .
The Jets continue to struggle with outside runs.
And it didn’t take long for them to get gashed against Miami – actually it was the Dolphins first offensive play.
Reggie Bush ran for 36 yards off right tackle. The whole football world knows that Bush doesn’t love running between the tackles, and likes to go outside, so it’s surprising the Jets allowed this to happen on the first play. One player who had a legitimate chance to stop Bush early in the run was Antonio Cromartie in the right flat, but he overran the play.
Late in the first quarter, Bush ran for 11 yards off tackle to the left side.
The Jets have been a very good inside run defense this season, and we saw that on the Dolphins second run – Sione Pouha stopped Daniel Thomas after just a gain of one. Late in the first quarter, on the Dolphins possession following the Darrelle Revis Pick Six, on the first play of that drive, Mike DeVito stopped a Thomas run up the middle around the line.
Kenrick Ellis did some nice things in his first action. Early in the second quarter, he did a terrific job of getting low, and stopped Daniel Thomas for a loss of two. The Dolphins were on the one, so this play was big because it pushed them back to the three, and they were forced to throw on third down, and it was incomplete. Ellis also stopped Bush for a loss of two on a run off right tackle in the middle fo the second quarter.
Marcus Dixon hit Moore as he threw in the third quarter, and the pass went astray, and this ended a third quarter drive.
Let’s turn to the linebackers.
One thing is abundantly clear about the transition from Bryan Thomas to Jamaal Westerman at outside linebacker; Thomas is a better run defender, and Westerman is a better pass rusher.
On the Dolphins second series, Westerman hit Matt Moore as he threw, and the pass fell incomplete in the end zone to TE Anthony Fasano. On the Dolphins last offensive play of the game, Westerman sacked Moore to end the game.
But Westerman needs to improve as a run defender. Early in the third quarter, Westerman was manhandled by LT Jake Long, and Thomas ran for a gain of 15 behind the big tackle.
David Harris finished with only two tackles, but he had a four impressive plays. On the Dolphins third series, Harris stopped Thomas for no gain. Late in the game, Harris blitzed up the middle and crushed Moore as he threw, and this led to a pick by Darrelle Revis.
Early in the third quarter, Harris hit Moore as he threw, causing an incompletion to H-Back Charles Clay. Late in the first quarter, Harris broke up a pass to Clay over the middle that ended a Dolphin possession.
Calvin Pace was very active.
Late in the first quarter, Moore dumped a pass to Bush in the right flat, and Pace stopped him in his tracks, and the play gained just one yard. In the middle of the second quarter, Pace blew up a Bush run in the backfield, and Ellis cleaned it up for a loss of two (this play was mentioned earlier).
Pace chased a scrambling Moore out of bounds in the middle of the third, and was given a sack on the play because it lost yardage.
Pace stopped Thomas for no gain on a mid-fourth quarter run. Also mid-fourth, Pace sacked a scrambling Moore.
Bart Scott forced a fumble on Thomas early in the second, but the Dolphins were able to recover. Scott did a lot of kamikaze work in this game – blowing up defenders, allowing others to make plays.
Late in the first half, Aaron Maybin chases Moore toward the sideline, and stripped the ball, and it went out of bounds. This happened again on the Dolphins last drive. Maybin isn’t very good at shedding blocks in a conventional pass rushing situation, but when the play breaks down, he’s a good run and chase player.
Darrelle Revis had two picks, one Pick Six, but Brandon Marshall did have a decent game against the Jets.
On the Dolphins second series, Revis forced them to kick a field goal when he broke up a pass to Marshall in the end zone. But, on this second series, Marshall and Moore tricked Revis into thinking they were going deep, but the wideout cut the route off at 20 yards, and Moore hit him with a back shoulder throw, that gained 20.
On the third series, Revis had the Pick Six.
Late in the first quarter, Marshall beat Antonnio Cromartie for a gain of 46 down the deep left. He could have gone all-the-way, but he lost his balance as he was running and stepped out of bounds.
Early in the second quarter, Revis and the Jets lucked out a little. Moore threw a quick slant to Marshall in the front of the end zone, and he dropped it. It wasn’t a perfect throw, but it was catchable.
Marshall beat Revis on a crossing route for a gain of 14 in the middle of the third.
So while Revis had two Picks, including the Pick Six, he actually gave up more plays than he usually does.