SB Nation - Lito Sheppard

Lito Sheppard to Return Sunday

John B — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:37 -0000

Lito Sheppard says he's playing against the Jaguars on Sunday.

Lito Sheppard was especially giddy when I spoke with him. That's because the starting right cornerback proclaimed this is the week he returns to action, which coincidentally comes against the Jacksonville native's hometown team.

"I’m back; I’ll be back this week," he told me before offering up an unsolicited shout out to his old stomping grounds, "Duval County!"

Sheppard has missed five of eight games this season, including the last two against the Raiders and Dolphins after re-aggravating a quad injury suffered in the Week Two win against the Patriots. So the training staff wanted to make sure Sheppard was fully healed before he attempted to returned again.

Not exactly earth shattering news. It seemed like an extra week off would cure an injury like this. Rest is the best balm.

It will be good to get Lito back in action. Dwight Lowery has played well in his place, but all hands need to be on deck next week to try and shut down New England's high flying attack. It's good that Sheppard will get a game under his belt before then and not have to make his return in Foxborough.

John's Midseason Jets Awards

John B — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:08:54 -0000

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I'm giving my choices for team awards at the halfway point.

MVP: Darrelle Revis

What can you say about Revis this year? The guy has literally cut the field in half for opposing passing attacks. He's completely shut down Andre Johnson, Randy Moss, and Terrell Owens. You can probably count the number of plays he's looked bad on one hand. This blitzing defense leaves corners on an island. Revis seldom has any help. That makes the job he's done even more impressive. It's a lot easier for this coaching staff to take chances when it knows Revis will blanket his man even if the offense picks up a blitz.

Offensive Player of the Half-Year: Thomas Jones

TJ had a bit of a slow start, but that was due in part to teams stacking the box against a rookie quarterback and his line struggling a bit early. He led the AFC in rushing a year ago, and he's on pace to put up even better numbers this season. Now opponents are stacking the box because they have to. Jones' play is going to be a major asset for Mark Sanchez the rest of the season.

Defensive Player of the Half-Year: Revis

Rookie of the Half-Year: Mark Sanchez

There's not a ton of competition here, but Sanchez has been far better and looked way more polished than I expected. He's had two real stinkers against the Saints and Bills. He had one game where he didn't have to do anything against the Raiders. The other five games were all good to very good performances. There's room to improve, mainly in protecting the ball and not locking on to targets. At the end of the day, it's not easy to even be 4-4 with a rookie starting quarterback. He's one of two rookies to beat Bill Belichick. The other, Ben Roethlisberger, has a pair of Super Bowl rings. He led his team from behind twice in the fourth in a hostile venue on national television against the Dolphins a few weeks ago. Sanchez looks like the real deal.

Coach of the Half-Year: Rex Ryan

This award is a competition among coaches on the staff. Mike Westhoff may have gotten this before last week, but Rex has earned it. He's really transformed this defense. A year ago, one of my biggest complaints was the talent on the defense not being utilized properly. No such complaints this year. The Jets are giving up the second fewest yards in the league and the fourth fewest points (and this includes points off special teams and turnovers; it would be even better if we're talking about defensive points), and Rex's well designed schemes have been terrific. He's also instilled a sense of confidence in this team. Sometimes he'll end up with egg on his face for his swagger if the team doesn't perform, but for the first time in a while you get the impression the Jets are expecting to win every time they take the field. He made great adjustments for the second meeting with the Dolphins after they ran all over him the first time. He can improve in his game management, but overall I've been very impressed. This team has built a strong foundation for the long haul with a promising quarterback and a brilliant defensive mind as head coach.

High Point of the Half-Year: Win over New England

I think this win was from a mental standpoint as good as three wins. The Jets talked all week. They went in expecting to win. They kept Tom Brady out of the end zone, off the scoreboard in the second half, and held him under 50% completing the ball. I always got the impression under Herm Edwards and Eric Mangini the Jets were hoping to beat the Pats when the teams played. This time, the Jets expected to win. It was something of a catharsis game. The Pats are a great team. They'll surely beat the Jets in the future, but I get the impression we'll remember this game as the one the Jets finally asserted themselves as legitimate challengers. There was no backup quarterback like last year. You have to love the way the media has played this win off as the Pats not being sharp at the beginning of the year. The reason they weren't sharp was that the Jets outexecuted them.

Low Point of the Half-Year: Loss to Buffalo

You could argue last week's game against Miami. It's surely frustrating to loss a game when the other team can't move the ball on you all game, and their defense can't stop you in the second half. Regardless of whether the Dolphins end the year with a winning record, though, they're a plucky team and a tough out. This loss to Buffalo was totally inexplicable. The Bills had a backup quarterback and lost to Eric Mangini's Browns the week before, even though Cleveland's starting quarterback was 2 for 17. I don't care that Mark Sanchez threw 5 interceptions. They couldn't stop the Jets on the ground, and New York had a 10 point second half lead. Two horrible penalties in overtime really cost the team.

Best Offseason Move: Trading Up for Mark Sanchez

The signing of Bart Scott deserves consideration, but this move was a franchise changer. The book has not been written on Sanchez, but it looks promising. A miss there by Mike Tannenbaum sets the franchise back for years. It doesn't look that way right now. The Jets look like they have a quarterback, and that move could set the team up to contend for a long time.

Worst Offseason Move: Trading for Lito Sheppard

The book on Sheppard is that he's talented, but he can't stay on the field. That's why the Eagles never gave him the big deal he was seeking. That's played out so far this year. While Lito has looked good, he's played in under half the games. Not only that, but Dwight Lowery, a cheaper internal option during the offseason, has looked good in his place. I'm not giving up on Lito. Don't take it that way. It's just if the Jets had known this, they probably consider holding onto the Draft picks and the money from the new contract and just hand Lowery the starting job.

Most Improved Player: Sione Pouha

One thing that stuck out to me even before Kris Jenkins' injury was how much better Pouha was playing at the point of attack. Last year, he was consistently losing matchups, and the run defense took a hit once Jenkins left the field. This year, Pouha has been much stouter and done a good job demanding double teams. If he continues to improve the rest of the way, this team still has a chance to do things this season. His play is a credit to the coaching staff. Rex was known for the way he maximized the output of his stars in Baltimore, but there's been a stark improvement in the play of guys like Pouha, Mike Devito, and Eric Smith (and the development of Jamaal Westerman) with this new regime.

Most Disappointing Player: Kerry Rhodes

Kerry was supposed to play the Ed Reed role on this defense. He was supposed to be all over the place making plays. Jim Leonhard taking over making calls was supposed to free him up. I can't remember too many impact plays Kerry has made this season. In 2006 and 2007, he was a play making machine. He hasn't been the same guy since he got his contract.

Agree? Disagree? What awards did I miss? Let me know below.

The 2010 Draft - Where We Stand in Chart Form

Jeremy Bolander — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:37:57 -0000

[Editor's Note: This is a draft order chart based completely off of the current standings. Tiebreak rules were used to establish order of playoff teams, and then playoff "wins" were awarded to the team with the best record, or whomever came out ahead in tiebreaks. For those who are wondering, Denver topped Indy in the #4 tiebreak scenario, "strength of victory" (.504 to .305). Obviously, this chart will change drastically from week to week, and I will update it as time permits to keep us abreast of developments.]

#	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
1	TEN	STL	TB	¹⁰TEN	STL	TB	TEN
2	TB	⁷NE	STL	TB	TEN	STL	TB
3	STL	TB	TEN	STL	¹⁷CLE	TEN	STL
4	KC	CLE	KC	CLE	KC	CLE	²⁶MIA
5	CLE	KC	CLE	KC	CLE	KC	CLE
6	DET	DET	DET	DET	DET	DET	DET
7	WAS	OAK	¹⁰~~WAS~~	OAK	WAS	²¹CAR	WAS
8	OAK	WAS	OAK	WAS	OAK	²³MIA	OAK
9	SEA	CAR	MIA	SEA	¹⁸KC	MIA	SEA
10	MIA	SEA	CAR	MIA	SEA	CAR	MIA
11	¹SF	MIA	⁹PHI	CAR	¹⁹KC	SEA	CAR
12	BUF	BUF	BUF	BUF	BUF	BUF	BUF
13	SF	BAL	CHI	JAX	SD	SF	BAL
14	SD	SF	BAL	CHI	JAX	SD	SF
15	JAX	SD	SF	BAL	CHI	JAX	SD
16	²DEN	⁶NE	SD	SF	BAL	CHI	JAX
17	BAL	⁵TB	JAX	SD	SF	BAL	CHI
18	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU
19	DAL	PHI	DAL	PHI	^13,11NE	²²BUF	DAL
20	PHI	DAL	PHI	DAL	PHI	DAL	²⁸NE
21	NYJ	NYJ	NYJ	NYJ	¹⁶CLE	NYJ	NYJ
22	ARI	GB	ARI	GB	ARI	GB	ARI
23	GB	ARI	GB	ARI	GB	ARI	²⁵GB
24	NE	NE	⁸OAK	NE	¹⁴TB	NE	²⁷NE
25	ATL	⁴KC	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	²⁴STL
26	NYG	PIT	CIN	NYG	PIT	CIN	NYG
27	CIN	NYG	PIT	CIN	NYG	PIT	CIN
28	PIT	CIN	NYG	PIT	CIN	NYG	PIT
29	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN
30	IND	IND	IND	IND	IND	²⁰PHI	IND
31	NO	NO	NO	NO	¹⁵PHI	NO	NO
32	³SEA	DEN	DEN	DEN	¹²DET	DEN	DEN

First round

1. Carolina to San Francisco. Carolina traded its 2010 first-round selection for San Francisco's 2009 second-round selection (43rd overall, used to select Everette Brown) and its 2009 fourth-round selection (111th overall, used to select Mike Goodson).

2. Chicago to Denver. Chicago traded its 2010 first-round selection, its 2009 first- and third-round selections, and quarterback Kyle Orton to Denver for quarterback Jay Cutler and a 2009 fifth-round selection.

3. Denver to Seattle. Denver traded its 2010 first-round selection for Seattle's 2009 second-round selection (37th overall, used to select Alphonso Smith).

Second round

4. Atlanta to Kansas City. Atlanta traded its second-round selection to Kansas City for tight end Tony Gonzalez.

5. Chicago to Tampa Bay Chicago traded its second-round selection to Tampa Bay for defensive end Gaines Adams.

6. Jacksonville to New England. Jacksonville traded its 2010 second-round selection and its 2009 seventh-round selection to New England for the first of New England's 2009 third-round selections (73rd overall, used to select Derek Cox).

7. Tennessee to New England. Tennessee traded its 2010 second-round selection to New England for the third of New England's 2009 third-round selections (89th overall, used to select Jared Cook).

Third round

8. New England to Oakland. New England traded its third and a conditional pick to Oakland for defensive end Derrick Burgess.

9. Seattle to Philadelphia. Seattle traded its third-round selection in 2010 and its fifth- and seventh-round selections in 2009 (137th and 213th overall) for Philadelphia's third-round selection in 2009 (91st overall, used to select Deon Butler).

10. Washington (forfeit). Washington will not have a third-round selection in 2010, as it used a third-round pick in the 2009 Supplemental Draft to choose defensive end Jeremy Jarmon.

Fifth round

11. Dallas to Denver. Dallas traded its fifth-round selection to Denver for guard Montrae Holland.

12. Denver to Detroit. Denver traded its 2010 fifth-round selection and a 2009 seventh-round selection (#235 overall, used to select Zack Follett) to Detroit for a 2009 sixth-round selection (1st selection in round six, #174 overall, used to select Tom Brandstater).

13. Denver to New England. Denver traded its fifth-round selection to New England for defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith and New England's seventh-round selection, which was later traded back to New England.

14. New England to Tampa Bay. New England traded its fifth-round selection to Tampa Bay for tight end Alex Smith.

15. New Orleans to Philadelphia. New Orleans traded its 2010 fifth-round selection and a 2009 seventh-round selection (#222 overall, later traded to Indianapolis) to Philadelphia for a 2009 fifth-round selection (#164 overall, used to select Thomas Morestead).

16. New York Jets to Cleveland. New York traded its fifth round pick, as well as a conditional third-round pick, WR Chansi Stuckey, and LB Jason Trusnik, to Cleveland for WR Braylon Edwards.

17. Tampa Bay to Cleveland. Tampa Bay traded its 2010 fifth-round selection and its 2009 second-round selection to Cleveland for tight end Kellen Winslow II.

18. Carolina to Kansas City. Carolina traded its 2010 fifth-round selection to Kansas City for defensive end Tank Tyler.

19. Miami to Kansas City: Miami traded its 2010 fifth-round selection to Kansas City for quarterback Tyler Thigpen.

Sixth round

20. Indianapolis to Philadelphia. Indianapolis traded its 2010 sixth-round selection to Philadelphia for a 2009 seventh-round selection (#222 overall, used to select Pat McAfee).

21. Oakland to Carolina. Oakland traded its 2010 sixth-round selection and a 2009 seventh-round selection (#216 overall, used to select Captain Munnerlyn) to Carolina for a 2009 sixth-round selection (#202 overall, used to select Brandon Myers).

22. Philadelphia to Buffalo. Philadelphia traded its 2010 sixth-round selection and 2009 first- and fourth-round selections to Buffalo for tackle Jason Peters.

23. Washington to Miami. Washington traded its 2010 sixth-round selection and 2009 second-round selection to Miami for defensive end Jason Taylor.

Seventh round

24. Atlanta to St. Louis: Atlanta traded its 2010 seventh-round selection to the Rams for Tye Hill.

25. Green Bay to New York Jets (returned): Green Bay traded its 2010 seventh-round selection and quarterback Brett Favre to the Jets for the Jets' 2009 third-round selection. The Jets acquired this pick as part of the conditional agreement of the trade in which Favre's performance resulted in the Packers receiving the Jets' 2009 third-round selection, coupled with Favre retiring after the 2008 season. However, this pick has been returned to the Packers.

26. Kansas City to Miami: Kansas City traded its 2010 seventh-round selection to Miami for Miami's 2009 seventh-round selection.

27. New England to Denver (returned): New England traded its 2010 seventh-round selection and Le Kevin Smith to the Broncos for their 2010 fifth-round selection. Denver then traded the selection back to New England for offensive lineman Russ Hochstein.

28. Philadelphia to New England. Philadelphia traded its 2010 seventh-round selection and wide receiver Greg Lewis to New England for New England's 2009 fifth-round selection.

Conditional/Undetermined

29. Carolina to Cleveland: Carolina traded a conditional 2010 selection to Cleveland for DT Louis Leonard.

30. Jacksonville to Tampa Bay: Jacksonville traded an undisclosed 2010 draft choice to Tampa Bay for quarterback Luke McCown.

31. Kansas City to Miami: Kansas City traded an undisclosed 2010 draft choice to Miami for offensive linemen Andy Alleman and Ikechuku Ndukwe.

32. New England to Baltimore: New England traded a conditional 7th round 2010 draft choice to Baltimore for LB Prescott Burgess. Burgess was placed on the Patriots' practice squad, but was claimed by Baltimore after their game against the Patriots, thus nullifying the trade as Burgess did not meet the condition for playing time.

33. New York Jets to Philadelphia: New York traded a 2009 fifth-round selection and a conditional 2010 selection to Philadelphia for CB Lito Sheppard. Depending on Sheppard's playing time in 2009, the selection could be in the second, third, or fourth round.

34. New York Jets to Cleveland. New York traded a conditional third round pick, as well as a fifth round pick, WR Chansi Stuckey, and LB Jason Trusnik, to Cleveland for WR Braylon Edwards. The third-round pick can become a second-round pick based on Edwards' performance with New York.

35. San Diego to Houston: San Diego traded an undisclosed 2010 draft choice to Houston for defensive lineman Travis Johnson.

Jets 38 Raiders 0: Back on Track

John B — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:36:11 -0000

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All is well again. The Jets are back over .500. They finally got a win on the West Coast and totally dominated their opponent. Sure, it was an opponent that couldn't have looked less dangerous, but a win is a win in the National Football League. It sure beats losing to the Bills (or the Raiders a year ago). The Jets can go into next week's showdown with the Dolphins feeling good about themselves.

More after the jump.

The Good:

Commitment to the Run: Some of us have been begging Brian Schottenheimer for over a year to just use his terrific stable of backs and his big offensive line and just pound opponents with the ground game. All it took was a rookie quarterback meltdown to finally deliver it. I love the 55-15 run to pass ratio. In future weeks, not every team will be as outclassed up front as the Raiders. That disparity will have to go down. It's just nice to see the Jets finally focus on the ground game. The tendency in the past has been to start putting it up when things don't click early. Today it was a bit of a struggle early, but the Jets kept with their gameplan of pounding it and eventually worked into a groove and wore Oakland out up front. The end result is a second consecutive game with over 300 yards on the ground.

The Offensive Line: Just a dominant performance up front one through five. The guys had holes to hit all day long. Things are finally clicking for this unit with a physical opponent coming up.

Shonn Greene: For whatever reason, some talented rookies don't get a chance to shine until the team has no choice. I think back to a pair of promising inside linebackers the Jets had earlier in the decade. Jonathan Vilma couldn't sniff the field until Sam Cowart got hurt. Ditto David Harris three years later until Vilma went down. Enter Greene. Shonn looked really good in limited action prior to today. The coaches still wouldn't give him much playing time. Today Leon Washington's injury forced the Jets to play Greene. The result? 19 carries, 144 yards, and 2 touchdowns. He looked like a complete runner. He showed he had the vision and burst to hit the holes, the power to break tackles, and a second burst running away from defenders that frankly took me aback. The book on Greene is that he's a power runner. I know the opponent stunk, but we have something special on our hands.

Thomas Jones: Struggled early but got stronger as the game went on and wore the Raiders out. A second straight big outing, 121 yards on 26 carries.

David Clowney: We're seeing this guy mature as a receiver. The knock on him has always been he's a one trick pony, a guy who can run the vertical route. What I saw today really impressed me. He showed a lot of intelligence breaking off his route on a third down when the Raiders brought heat on Mark Sanchez. He run a good comeback route on one of his receptions. He made a great adjustment on the football on his long touchdown reception. This is a guy who is improving in front of our eyes. With Leon Washington out, the Jets need to find a new homerun threat. This could be an answer.

Wallace Wright: For the first time, this is not for his special teams play. He had a pair of catches and looked pretty quick in short space out of the slot. A possible replacement for Chansi Stuckey?

The Fake Punt: Three for three this year. This was clearly the Jets scouting out the Raiders and Oakland not correcting what it's been doing wrong. There was no way that was ever going to fail the way the Raiders just immediately released down the field, not even looking at the punter. Give the quality control coaches a game ball.

Calvin Pace: Nice to see Pace being the difference maker this defense needs him to be. 7 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. As teams use more maximum protection schemes against their blitzes, the Jets are going to need guys to win one on one matchups. Pace is going to play a big role. It's great to see him swatting when the quarterback leaves the ball exposed. His strip sack on the first play was huge. It seems like the Raiders just resigned themselves to a long day after that.

Darrelle Revis: He's in here every week. He dominated his assignments and had a great interception.

Dwight Lowery: It looks like he's passed Donald Strickland on the depth chart, and it's easy to see why considering all the plays he made when the ball came in his direction. The Jets have to be thinking twice about the Lito Sheppard trade given Sheppard's inability to stay on the field and Lowery's return to his early 2008 playmaking form.

Total Defense: There were some outstanding individual performances, but the defense pitched a shutout. Three of the four turnovers were forced by intense pressure. Always great to get the other quarterback benched.

The Bad:

Leon Washington's Injury: As great as it was to find out about Shonn Greene, there had to be a better way than losing Leon. He's going to be missed big time, especially next week. He always gives the Dolphins fits.

Howard Green and Sione Pouha: And I could put the other defensive linemen there. They weren't getting off thier blocks well enough and allowed too many big runs. That's scary with a physical offensive line and the Dolphins up next week.

Bart Scott's Injury: What's a guy that valuable doing on the field with 3:00 left in a 38 point game?

Mark Sanchez's Antics: I know a lot of you will disagree with me, but I really was upset with what I saw out of Mark Sanchez today. You stunk last week. The team took the keys from you. Stop showing up your opponent by throwing the ball through the goal post after a 3 yard run in open field or eating a hot dog on the sidelines. Show some respect for the other team. Act like you're totally focused. You still have a lot to learn. You're not good enough yet to be doing that stuff.

Other Thoughts:

The next time you call an NFL player greedy for complaining about his contract, think of Leon Washington. Leon did everything right. He didn't hold out. Now because of his serious injury, he may very well lose out. I know. He's making way more than you are or I am. We're not also playing a violent game for a living that will affect us for the rest of our lives at a position when a career span is under 10 years.
Nice touch pouring the Gatorade on Bill Callahan. Great to see Rex leading it. It's stuff like this that makes the team love its coach, and it's why I believe these guys are going to keep battling for him. Keep the faith with our coach.
Braylon Edwards' hidden effect was shown today. He was constantly drawing double teams, opening things up for David Clowney. Look out for Jerricho Cotchery once he gets better.
This was the original formula, pound the ball, let the defense dominate, and don't ask too much of the quarterback. It's kind of a credit to Sanchez it took the Jets this long to get to it. He showed he was capable of handling more up to last week.

Great way to bounce back. The Raiders weren't much of a test. In fact, they seemed content handing the Jets the game. Still, a nice confidence builder heading into the Miami game.

New York Jets Pass Defense vs. Buffalo Bills Pass Offense

John B — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:00:20 -0000

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Rex Ryan was livid with his defense after last week's game. This could not have been a very pleasant week of practice for Jets defenders. By the time Sunday comes, they are going to be livid, looking to take out their frustration. Enter Trent Edwards. In what many termed a make or break year for the young quarterback, Edwards has not gotten the job done. He has 5 touchdowns against 6 interceptions and owns a 71.1 quarterback rating. He has checked down a ton. The Bills have one of the league's top receiving duos in Terrell Owens and Lee Evans. Even so, running back Fred Jackson's 20 receptions are 8 clear of anybody else on the roster. There's a reason Edwards wants to dump it off, though. Buffalo's offensive line has given up over 3.5 sacks per game.

The return of Lito Sheppard will be great news for the Jets. That means one member of the Evans-Owens duo will inhabit Revis Island, while the other will match up with Sheppard. Evans is more of a big play threat so my money's on him drawing Revis, which will leave Sheppard against his former Eagles teammate. In any event, the Bills have had a tough time getting it to their two receivers, both of whom are on pace for less than 50 receptions, and this has been against lesser corners.

The young offensive line has had problems, and starting right tackle Jonathan Scott might miss this game injured. Jamon Meredith, a rookie from South Carolina, would start in his place. He would be the third rookie starter on this line along with tackles Eric Wood and Andy Levitre. The crowd has been a major factor at the Meadowlands in the 2 home games this year, more than in recent memory. The Jets are going to throw looks at these youngsters they have never seen, and they haven't been that great as it is. It seems like a great opportunity to attack and force mistakes.

I'm sure the Bills have watched tape of the Dolphins last week. They saw how Miami ran screens against the Jets and will try to get Jackson the ball. Jackson's a fast and elusive runner. Linebackers and safeties need to do a better job tackling and staying with their assignments than they did on Monday.

The bottom line is this is a battle the Jets should win. The Bills' passing game has been ugly all year since they inexplicably fired their offensive coordinator in preseason. That was a panic move that bred instability. Now it seems as though they will scrap the no huddle offense they have not used to success this year. Huddle or not, this is likely to be a problem area for them.

Rex Ryan Press Conference Note- 10/09/09

David_Wyatt — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:38:31 -0000

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Ok so I'm just going to dive straight into the notes from the conference:

Donald Strickland and Jerricho Cotchery did not practise today. Cotchery's hamstring is still bothering him, but Ryan definitely not ruling him out. However he is not 100%
Kerry Rhodes (knee), Lito Sheppard (quad), Damien Woody (foot), David Clowney (personal reason), all were limited
Larry Izzo (hamstring), Jim Leonhard (knee), Bryan Thomas (wrist) were all full participation.
It's a possibility that Cotchery doesn't play, but he expects him to play
Bad games are going to happen, has been pleased with Mark Sanchez's performance so far this week. Just going out and being himself. Not going to be perfect the rest of the season. Will bounce back and Mark is ready to bounce back
Calvin Pace is all over the place, embarrassing his team mates like he always does.
Happy with the offensive line, need give opponents credit. Opponents are putting a lot of guys in the box trying to stop the run, hoping that he can pop a couple. Dolphins not given up a run of 20+ yards. Looking forward to the match-up.
Thinks that Braylon will help spread the field and help the run. When Edwards is covered he is open.
Jay Feeley is a pro, outstanding kicker. Not easy to kick in the Meadowlands but the conditions don't bother him.
When asked how Edwards looked he said no comment, except he is a decent receiver.
Had to give up a lot for Edwards, two really good players that he admires a lot. Had to be a special player to trade those guys. Thought it was a good opportunity and commented on how good a job Mike Tannenbaum does.
This game counts a game and a half. Huge game, were not coming in tip-toeing, coming in with the maximum effort to win this game. Going to give them everything we have.
Game is not about revenge or anything else, it's about whatever it takes to win a game. Got to beat the division rivals. About as big a game as it gets.
All three backs are 25 touch capable, but we are looking to do what's in the best interest of winning, if that means running it 45 times a game then that's what we will do.
Shonn Greene is 100% back and healthy.
Going to try and get Leon Washington the football. Get him as involved as possible he is one of the biggest explosiveness.
Can't remember there being too many 3-4's when he came in the league. People switched because the best teams were running a 3-4, but teams will play a defence that fits there players.
Wilcat is a 'pain in the tail'. Takes time and preparation. Have to be prepared, takes practise time, they may or may not run it. He's not flinching about the prospect of facing it, and the message is that we will be ready.

Wasn't a very long conference, around 10 minutes or so, and not a great deal was covered, I guess the important note to come out of it all was the injury status of the players.

New York Jets Pass Defense vs. New Orleans Saints Pass Offense

John B — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 13:15:12 -0000

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This is not the kind of game where you want two of your top three cornerbacks out. That is just the challenge the Jets will face against the Saints. Lito Sheppard and Donald Strickland will both miss this one. That means plenty of Dwight Lowery and Drew Coleman. Darrelle Revis is probably going to be up against the leading receiver on New Orleans, Marques Colston. Colston's an excellent receiver. When all is said and done, he'll probably replace our own Wayne Chrebet as the greatest wideout ever to come out of Hofstra (if he's not there already). He's also not Andre Johnson or Randy Moss. There's a good chance the Jets can take him out of the game.

It's tough to say how eliminating the top target of the opposition will throw the Saints off. It's going to cause some sort of problems for the Saints. They have an excellent vertical target in Devry Henderson. It's not clear either Coleman or Lowery has the speed necessary to cover him one on one. To make matters worse, the slot man for the Saints, Lance Moore will be back. Lowery can stay with his man in a short burst. He's probably best to cover the slot. Coleman is very unrefined. I would give him safety help on Henderson's vertical routes and live with his struggles underneath.

Former Giant Jeremy Shockey is off to a fast start at tight end. Reggie Bush for all of his faults is a dynamic receiver out of the backfield. Eric Smith has been doing great work in subpackages underneath. I anticipate him playing plenty against both in coverage.

The most important task will be getting pressure to Brees. As we discussed two weeks ago, great quarterbacks will kill you if they get time. It's the job of the defense to make them uncomfortable. The Jets have a coach dedicated to getting to the quarterback. If the Saints block six, the Jets will send seven. If the Saints block seven, the Jets will send eight. If the Saints block eight, the Jets will send nine. Brees is going to get hit. The question is how consistently the Jets can get to him early. There's no room for error because this offense is a big play offense. The Jets will get to him, but if they don't get to him quickly enough, it's going to be a long day.

Strickland and Sheppard Unlikely to Play Sunday

John B — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:00:50 -0000

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Bad news out of Florham Park. Lito Sheppard and Donald Strickland are probably out Sunday. So much for the hopes raised by not signing a free agent corner.

Playing the run-oriented Tennessee Titans without two-fifths of your starting secondary is one thing. Facing Saints quarterback Drew Brees with a banged-up defensive backfield is quite another.

That’s what the Jets will likely be doing Sunday. Cornerback Lito Sheppard (quad) and top-notch nickelback Donald Strickland (ankle) missed their second straight day of practice Thursday and neither is expected to play on Sunday at New Orleans.

"They were iffy, especially Strickland," said coach Rex Ryan Thursday. "Lito looks like he’s coming around. He was running today."

Ugh. Even if they do play, having them at less than 100% is a bad thing against these receivers.

Do you think Dwight Lowery and Drew Coleman can step up?

NY Jets @ New Orleans Saints: Interview with the Enemy

Saintsational — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:00:58 -0000

We are now only two days away from the big kickoff this weekend. Yesterday our guest was Jimmy from Music City Miracles, here to try and help us get a better understanding of what we can expect from the Jets defense. Today, we've got the SB Nation's Jets blogger himself, John B from Gang Green Nation, to answer a few questions and give us his informed perspective. Let's take a look at what John B had to say about the battle of the undefeated.

CSC: The Saints and Jets are probably the two hottest teams in the league right now and somewhat to the surprise of many. Is the Jets success for real or will it begin to falter and crumble at some point?

GGN: I think it's for real. There was a lot of talent on the roster. As long as everybody stayed healthy, it was eventually going to come together. I'm really surprised how soon it's happened with a rookie quarterback and a new defensive scheme. As Mark Sanchez grows more comfortable with the pro game, and the defensive players get more experienced in the system, I'm hoping the play gets even better.

CSC: Are there concerns regarding the health of the Jets secondary? Will they be up to the challenge of facing Drew Brees?

GGN: One starter, Lito Sheppard, and the nickel, Donald Strickland, missed last week's game. If they can't go Dwight Lowery, who started the first half of last year as a rookie, and Drew Coleman will take their place. It sounds like the team is optimistic about them playing. The Jets worked out a couple of corners this week but didn't sign anybody, which some take to mean Sheppard and Strickland will play. I feel comfortable with Lowery in the lineup if he has to play. Not so much with Coleman. At the end of the day, though, the Jets want to make Brees get rid of it before the receivers have a chance to get open. The secondary will matter, but not as much as the pass rush.

CSC: What makes the Jets defense so good and what does Rex Ryan have to do with that?

GGN: There's a lot of talent on the unit, but two players in particular stick out. The first is Kris Jenkins. He's a force of nature on the defensive line. The Jets blitz a lot. It's tough to find enough blockers to pick up those blitzes when you need 2-3 guys on every play just to try and keep Jenkins in check. The second is Darrelle Revis. The blitzing leaves corners on an island. Revis manhandled Andre Johnson and Randy Moss, arguably the two most talented receivers on the planet in the first two weeks. It's easy to be aggressive when you know you have a guy like Revis there in case the opposition picks up the blitz.

More than anything, Ryan brings an attack mentality that was missing under the old staff. The Jets have had success because they get to the quarterback. The funny thing is the sack numbers don't look that great, but they've held Tom Brady and Kerry Collins under 50% in the past two weeks because they've applied consistent pressure and forced early throws.

CSC: How has Steve Weatherford been working out for you guys?

GGN: It feels like the Jets had about twenty punters in camp. They ended up making two changes between the preseason finale and regular season opener. Weatherford didn't do a great job last week. He only averaged 36 on his kicks and shanked one in crunch time.

CSC: What do you think the Jets need to do to defeat the Saints?

GGN: I'll give two simple keys. The first is get to Brees. They need to force him to get rid it before he wants, before his receivers get open. They need to hit him early and often so he's not comfortable in the pocket.

The second is the Jets need to run block better than they have this year so far. There are four first round picks on that offensive line. They turned Thomas Jones into the AFC's leading rusher last season. It's time for them to assert themselves. The Jets need to control the clock and keep that offense off the field.

CSC: Care to make a prediction?

GGN: I don't love doing predictions. I think it will be a close game. If it was in the Meadowlands, I'd like the Jets. I think the Saints have a slight edge in the dome.

Lito and Strickland Good to Go?

John B — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:12:44 -0000

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That's what Rich Cimini speculates:

The Jets didn't announce any cornerback signings today, which means they're optimistic that Lito Sheppard (quadriceps) and, possibly, Donald Strickland (ankle) will be ready for Sunday's track meet ... er, football game in New Orleans. The Jets worked out ex-Raven Corey Ivy and ex-Jet Justin Miller last week as part of the contingency plan.

His theory makes sense. You don't want to head down to that dome shorthanded in the secondary. If neither was going to play, you'd think the Jets would have a lot of interest.

Good news if it's true. Miller's shown us his best position is return man. Ivy doesn't strike me as much better. He's Abe Elam as a corner. He's a good blitzer, run defender, and hitter. His issues are in coverage. The problem is a corner's primary job is to cover receivers.