I guess I'll give my opinion on how to beat The Pats. If you all think Steve Serby fell short. Tell me what you guys think.
1. Watch the matuchps &
tackle with authority: Majority of the Patriots success came when they were able to match a linebacker/lineman on a speedy RB or WR. With this they were able to get plenty of YAC. Danny Woodhead & Mike Devito = 35 yard gain.
Make sure that you hit & hit hard when you do. There were a lot of arm tackling in that last 45-3 game, but I was encouraged to see how they flocked to the ball with attitude and intensity during the Colt game.
2. Blitz your S more than your LB. Two of the Jets 3 sacks during the 35 -3 game from the safety position. James Ihedibo & Eric Smith both got to Brady on a safety blitz. Safety's are faster than LB's and would be more apt to get to the QB than blitzing a David Harris or a Bart Scott. Use those two to cover the short to intermediate completions. Use Cromartie shallow center and Revis deep center.
3. Allow the underneath completions for short gains but prevent the yards after the catch. Too many times, the Patriots receivers got side to side with a Jets CB. Jets DB's have to keep WR in front of them. Perfect example would be the Aaron Hernandez 35 yard completion. Dwight Lowery allowed Hernandez to get next to him in open space. Aaron juked right...went left and was wide-the-hell-open. Need to keep people in front of you and have good timing on your pass breakups.
4. Stop the run!: I can't stress this enough. Part of the success of the Colts game was to force Manning into running plays; running plays which, for the most part, were not successful. If the Patriots become one dimensional, all the better for the Jets.
5. Woodson-ize Revis: When Charles Woodson won DPOY last season...he did so because he did more than just cover the wideout. He blitzed the QB & got sacks, he gambled a lot and got a lot of INT's and Pick 6's. Rex deploys Revis as just a cover corner. If there is ever a point when the QB doesn't look in his direction...that might be a good time to blitz. Rex would be wise to have Revis cover a particular zone of the field rather than blanketing a wideout because of his superior timing and pass defense techniques. It'll be interesting to see how Revis is used.
6. Use 5 down lineman at times. Even in a spread offense use Jason Taylor, Sean Ellis as the ends. Trevor Pryce, Mike Devito, Sione Pouha in the middle. In a 5 on 5 O-Line vs. D-Line battle the Jets will be able to collapse the pocket a lot faster as a result. Use three LB's for the mid to underneath throws, one deep safety and Cro & Revis middle to deep zone areas.
That's what I have for the defense....now how about that offense.
1. Put Santonio Holmes in the slot instead of Cotchery at times. As far as speed is concerned, Santonio has the most on the Jets. He should be used in the slot more often than wide left or wide right. His quick cuts and change of direction would cause a problem for his defender...whomever it may be.
2. Use Shonn Greene in the passing game more often. Shonn Greene is a load to tackle most times. He may not have the wide open speed that LT has...but he will be a tough down for only one defender. Part of the appeal of LT is that he can catch the ball very well and opponents know it. Opponents aren't expecting Shonn Greene to catch a pass ten yards down the field...but that surprise is just what will make it effective.
3. Punt the ball effectively/play field position. Jets punter Steve Weatherford averaged 30 yards per punt in the 45-3 game. Far different than the 39 yards per punt average during the regular season. That's almost a first down right there. The more the Jets punt the ball inside the 15 yard line the better the chances they have.
4. No turnovers!
5. Start to build Sanchez's confidence with short throws early and have the distance of his throws increase during the game. Slants, skinny posts, short in-cuts, and the like should be the choice of operation for the first portion of the game. As the game goes on and Sanchez gets into a rythym...then he should get into the 25+ yard passes in the air.
6. Long, time consuming drives. Peyton Manning had 3 possessions in the 2nd half, and although he scored on all of them they were only FG's. It is imperative to give Brady as few chances as possible.
7. Protect Sanchez. In the last 3 games Sanchez has played (not counting Buffalo) he's only been sacked twice. It is doubtful that the Patriots will be able to get to him without a blitz.
For a team as a whole...there is only on piece of advice I have to give: Withstand the Patriot surge! There will be a quarter in which the Patriots try to get a lot of points. They do this to protect their young defense and have the offense of the opponent be one dimensional. Jets must withstand it and play through it.
I kinda wrote a lot didn't I?
