Content available exclusively for subscribers
There is an ideal way to defend Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray.
“When you play Kyler Murray, your two defense ends can not run past the quarterback,” said a former NFL executive. “They have to force you to step up in the pocket. And your two defensive tackles have to push the pocket back. Now that the book is out on.”
This could be a problem for the Jets, as their edges too often rush past the quarterback upfield.
In their win over Houston, Texans QB C.J. Stroud ran for 59 yards, and the week before, Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett combined for 57 yards.
The Jets’ tendency to run past quarterbacks could play right into Murray’s hands.
You see while Murray is a great athlete, a dual-threat QB who can beat you with his arm and legs, he’s only about 5-9, so he has a hard time playing strictly from the pocket, so he likes to make plays on the run, whether it’s running, or moving out of the pocket so he can see better to make throws down field.
So Jeff Ulbrich needs to find a way this week to get away from the “all gas, no breaks” approach, and play a more disciplined defensive line approach where defenders avoid running past the QB . . .
Garrett Wilson had two amazing one-handed catches on touchdowns against Houston illustrative of his rare talent.
And while he deserves a lion’s share of the credit for these amazing grabs, Aaron Rodgers also deserves some credit.
The first touchdown, a crossing route to Wilson, was about a seven-yard pass, and after the one-handed grab, Wilson ran it in from the 14-yard line.
This was not an easy pass. Jalen Pitre had very tight coverage on Wilson, and Rodgers essentially threaded a needle, throwing it just out of the reach of the safety who might have been going for a pick. It was a great throw not a lot of quarterbacks would have made, because it seemed too risky.
And then on the other TD catch, which will probably go down as one of the greatest in NFL history. It was on a third-and-19 from the 26-yard line, so the Texans had a lot of people back, and there was a lot of congestion in the end zone.
While the catch was other-worldly, the throw was fantastic. Yes, Wilson had to do most of the heavy lifting to make this play successful, with his one-handed grab and staying in bounds, but Rodgers put it in a perfect spot.
Before Rodgers, the Jets had a string of mostly young quarterbacks who just didn’t do a lot of “throwing guys open.”
The string of young signal-callers generally needed to see the receiver open first and then threw it.
All season long, Rodgers has been throwing Jets receivers open, who probably would have looked covered to the young quarterbacks.
So the point here is simple, both catches were incredible, but the throws were not far behind . . .
This just in – Davante Adams is an elite route-runner.
On two huge catches in his game, he beat young defensive backs with brilliantly executed “stutter and go” routes.
On a four-and-one late in the third quarter, Rodgers saw cornerback Kwame Lassiter in single coverage on Adams on the left sideline and hit the receiver for a 17-yard gain.
Then on a 37-yard TD to Adams in the fourth quarter, he beat Pitre with the same move.
Rodgers is doing a great job of taking advantage of whoever is in single coverage, Wilson or Adams, and throwing to that player.
This was the vision the Jets had when they teamed these two players together. It actually took a couple of games to truly get this going. It should continue against an Arizona team that is average at cornerback and might be without a starter, Sean Murphy-Bunting, who is nursing a neck injury.
However, at 3-6, it might be a little late for this offensive passing dream team of Rodgers to Wilson-Adams to help dig the Jets out of the hole they created.
Especially if their run defense doesn’t improve.
November 5, 2024
Premium will return by 9:30 pm (or sooner).
