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In a PC society, sometimes it’s hard to state the cold hard facts. It can make you come across as negative and a doomsayer, but as a reporter you need to avoid falling for hype . . .
Marcus Williams is better than the Jets’ starting cornerbacks in one regard.
He’s got a lot more quick twitch, and he breaks on passes better.
This is of the utmost importance in the NFL.
I will give you two perfect examples of how Williams is better at breaking on passes than the two starters.
After taking over for an injured Antonio Cromartie in the third quarterback against Jacksonville, Williams ended a drive with a terrific PD on Allen Hurns on the short left side to end a series.
Then on Sunday in Houston, late in the game, on third-and-six, T.J. Yates threw an out to DeAndre Hopkins on the right side, Williams broke on the ball perfectly to break it up.
Revis and Cromartie still have their good moments, but father time has robbed them at little of their quickness to jump routes with the ball in the air.
A perfect example of this with Cromartie was in the third quarter against Houston.
Cromartie tried to jump a route, and Cecil Shorts caught the ball and gained 35 yards on a short pass. This should have been short reception, but Cromartie tried to go for the pick, and didn’t have the quickness to do it, and Short was off-to-the-races. Bowles was very unhappy Cromartie did this. He said he would have preferred for him to play it safe – let him make the short catch and just tackle him.
Look, I’m tired of criticizing Revis and Cromartie. I really am. However, I’m trying to make a simple point – don’t make too big of a deal if one of them has to miss a game. Williams isn’t now a downgrade, and it regards to breaking on passes, he’s an upgrade.
“No Darrelle Revis (concussion) at Jets practice today. Looks like the Dolphins will get a break Sunday,” tweeted Bart Hubbuch today.
I know this might be considered sacrilege, but I don’t think the Dolphins are getting a huge break.
You guys saw Revis in Houston, and the Buffalo game when Revis gave up two important four-yard receptions on a pair of important third-and-two situations.
Williams isn’t much of a downgrade, and perhaps not a downgrade.
And remember, Williams had a huge pick against the Dolphins in London to ice the game. It was a fantastic play in the end zone, one of best pass coverage plays, if not the best, of the Jets’ season.
I’m just keeping it real folks.
I don’t deal with perception. I try to deal with reality.
Early in the Jets-Houston broadcast, Rich Gannon, who is a solid game analyst, said, “Kevin, if I’m a quarterback against this Jets’ defense, I know the strength of their secondary are their two corners. A Hall-of-Famer Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie. I want to work inside. I want the matchups against the Jets linebackers and safeties today.”
Yes, going after the Jets linebackers isn’t a bad idea, but this perception of the Jets corners is a perception that is derived from the past, not the present.
And sometimes you wonder if Todd Bowles is living in the past in terms of his perception of the Jets high-priced starting corners.
Bowles said last year when I asked him why he’s staying with Cromartie that the cornerback earned it “over the years.”
No, no, no. You don’t earn an NFL starting job “over the years,” you earn that by what you can do NOW.
I think the ideal scenario for the Jets is for Revis, when he comes back, to start opposite one of the Jets young, faster corner like Williams or Dee Milliner.
Going old at both positions was/is a big mistake.
But I think Bowles knows how sensitive Cromartie is, and doesn’t want to devastate him.
And as I wrote in the last issue of JC Magazine, Revis should move to safety next year where his lost step won’t matter, and his instincts would make him great back there. Also, he’s a willing tackler. On that play he got concussed he showed great toughness and courage coming up to tackle the running back very aggressively . . .
The name on the injury report that is most significant is not Revis, but Nick Mangold, and I will tell you why.
With Ndamukong Suh in the middle of the Dolphins’ defensive line, the Jets desperately need Mangold to man the middle. Aside from his great line calls and his leadership of the line, he physically matches up much better with Suh than Wesley Johnson, who isn’t a particularly big center.
Johnson, who is just around 300 pounds would get pushed around by Suh. Mangold will be able to hold his own, for the most part (Suh is always going to make some plays, obviously).
And it looks like Mangold, and his injured hand, are going to play on Sunday.
This is huge for the Jets
November 27, 2015
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