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There is no excuse for the Jets’s embarrassing run defense against the Steelers, but when it comes to the pass defense breakdowns, especially in the second half of this game, their secondary was devasted by injuries, with two corners (DJ Reed and Michael Carter) and three safeties (Chuck Clark, Tony Adams and Ashtyn Davis) out. Reed, Carter and Clark were inactive for the game due to injuries and Adams and Davis got hurt in the game.
And this led to a lot of confusion on the backend, and two fourth-quarter plays are illustrative of that:
Early fourth, with two backup corners on the right side, Brandon Echols and Kendall Sheffield, there was a communication breakdown on a combo route TD to WR Van Jefferson (son of the Jets WR coach Sean Jefferson).
Also in the fourth, WR Calvin Austin started out right in a bunch formation, and after the snap, cut across the field to the left uncovered and caught a pass that went for 37 yards. There seemed to be some confusion between Sheffield and Sauce Gardner on who was supposed to cover Austin.
I’m not sure Russell Wilson has just miraculously transformed himself back to his vintage Seattle form after three rough years in a row (one in Seattle and two in Denver) – some blown coverages afforded him a number of easy throws.
Not making excuses, just talking reality. There is no excuse for the Jets’ anemic run defense, but as for the pass defense, having five players out, is far from ideal for any team . . .
As for the run defense, whoever the coach is next year, the Jets need to change their run defense philosophy. There is only so much they can do with their current scheme and personnel midseason.
And I don’t blame Jeff Ulbrich, even though he was the defensive coordinator the last three plus year, before taking over as Jets head coach two weeks ago.
He was doing what the former head coach wanted, and this all gas and no break approach, with guys running around and “straining” as they like to say, leads to a lot of players out of position.
Another problem is the former coach, who is a great guy, believes in people, beyond what the films is telling him. That hurts the culture and needs to change. The great coaches never let personal relationships and sentimentality get in the way of personnel decisions. You have to go with the film, not your heartstrings.
How many times did we hear the term “elite human” about players in Florham Park over the last few years? That is an admirable trait, but if that player is getting gashed against the run over and over again, they can be the Dalai Lama, but they have to be replaced.
This blind loyalty needs to end and that is something Ulbrich can start doing immediately.
The film don’t lie.
And this scheme needs to change. Hey, Pete Carroll, who helped invent it, even moved on from it his last couple of years in Seattle.
Ulbrich was a hell of a middle linebacker for San Francisco – a tackling machine. He knows what good run defense looks like, and it’s not this. I do think he can fix it, but there is only so much you can do in-season when it hard to blow up the playbook and the roster . . .
Speaking of run defense, the Jets signed massive DT Leki Fotu in the off-season to help fortify this problem, but he has had a hard time staying healthy. His missed the first five games with a hamstring injury, and seemed to get hurt again in the Jets loss to Pittsburgh. He was limping leaving the locker room at Acrisure Stadium.
On the injury front, Allen Lazard seemed to hurt his shoulder at Pittsburgh, and was wearing an ice bag on one of his shoulders leaving the locker room.
Guard Alijah Vera-Tucker can’t get a break on the injury front. We all know his injury history the last two years, and in Pittsburgh, he was the victim of friendly fire from a teammate in the first quarter leading to an ankle injury. On the Breece Hall TD run late in the first quarter, guard John Simpson was entangled blocking DT Isaiah Loudermilk, and actually had a nice block, but toward the end of the play, Simpson fell to the ground, and rolled into Vera-Tucker’s ankle.
At first when you hear ankle, you think it could be achilles. Remember, when Aaron Rodgers got hurt in Week 1 of the 2024 season, at first it was called an “ankle” injury.
But seeing Vera-Tucker after the game, with no boot or wrap on either ankle, and walking around the locker room, kind of makes you think, this is strictly an ankle.
October 23, 2024
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