win against the Colts. They forced turnovers galore
Authentic Blake Cashman Jersey , got a couple of key red zone stops, and made plays when they needed to. Despite those accomplishments, they still allowed far too many
points to a depleted, talent-deprived offense that dropped a bunch of passes.
What happened?Let’s take a look at the numbers!Previous editions: Pre 1, Pre 2,
Pre 3, Pre 4, W1-DET, W2-MIA, W3-CLE, W4-JAX, W5-DENRULESThe coverage numbers
include only legitimate targets into the general area of a receiver/defender;
throws in which a defender in coverage was directly involved the outcome.
Throwaways and deflections at the line are excluded.The stats for each
individual are that of the quarterback’s passing numbers when targeting the
individual’s matchup. A player could receive coverage credit even if a teammate
finished the play. For example, against Denver this season, Morris Claiborne
tipped a pass in this direction that ended up being intercepted by Marcus Maye.
I credited Claiborne with that interception.Penalties and pass breakups counted
are only those accumulated in coverage. Penalties/PBUs picked up on blitzes, or
penalties tackling another player’s responsibility, are not included. PBUs and
INTs in the box score are not exclusive to one another.“Burns mitigated by
opponent miscue,” or “miscues” (M) are included in charting to attempt to knock
defenders who benefited from an egregious error by the offense (drop, horrible
throw) and give perspective to the validity of their raw stats. A defender can
still register an interception or incompletion to his credit on a miscued
play.First, here’s a look at each targeted player’s total numbers in coverage
against Indianapolis.Next, let’s take a look at the coverage numbers broken down
by individual player-vs.-player matchups and man coverage vs. zone coverage.
Opponents who saw targets lined up both inside and outside are listed twice.Some
takeaways from the numbers:Make no mistake - the Colts offense did everything it
could to make life easier for the Jets secondary. Drops were abound, one of them
leading to a pick six (though Jamal Adams made a good play on that snap and I
did not credit him with a miscue) and most of them on potential first
downs.Morris Claiborne had tight coverage on Ryan Grant and made a nice play on
the ball to create the Avery Williamson interception, and also showed nice
hustle and awareness to collect the eventual pick six created by Adams. However,
he had a rough day otherwise, as he was bailed out on two drops, one of them a
should-be 50+ yard gain for a potential touchdown, and allowed a few other first
downs including a touchdown. He’s had a nice start
Blake Cashman Jersey Boys , but is starting to really tiptoe the line.Darron Lee continues to stay quiet. He was late getting to the sideline on a first down
allowed out of the backfield, but picked off his third pass of the year and
stopped a few plays short.Rough day for Adams. The pick six play was a nice job
taking advantage of a mistake, but otherwise, it was worst day in coverage in
terms of yield. He was beat twice on the Colts’ first scoring drive in man
coverage, first by Eric Ebron for 18 yards and then by someone named Mo Alie-Cox
for 34 yards. It looked like shades of 2017, as Adams first was overpowered and
tripped and then got overagressive and beat over the top. On the bright side, if
in a bad game he still made as many plays as he did, that’s a great sign.Darryl
Roberts and Parry Nickerson struggled in relief and were major reasons for the
Jets’ struggles in this game. They combined to allow 3 touchdowns, while they
were lucky not to be targeted for a few more potential big plays. All 3 of those
looked to be in zone coverage, where both players had issues with their
reactivity and Nickerson in particular seemed to have some problems
understanding his assignments. The Jets are going to be in big trouble with
these two playing extended reps as long as Trumaine Johnson and Buster Skrine
are out, even though those two have struggled. The Vikings receivers are
absolutely not going to drop passes like the Colts did. Roberts is simply a
backup-quality outside corner, while Nickerson is going through his harsh rookie
bumps you’d expect from a sixth-round pick.FILMLet’s start off with a bit of a
goofy play at the end of the game. This is the final play from scrimmage run by
the Colts, with the Jets up two scores.Todd Bowles pulls a rabbit out of his hat
and drops 333-pound Mike Pennel into coverage. He actually does somewhat of a
decent job covering the initial crossing route towards the middle but obviously
has no chance to react and break on the next crosser, Chester Rogers, who takes
the short pass and scores as Nickerson is caught way out of position cheating
inside for some reason.In this clip, we see the Colts score their third
touchdown of the game, cutting the Jets lead to one score early in the fourth
quarter. He sticks with his matchup in the slot towards the middle while the
tight Eric Swoope sneaks into the back corner. Lee looked to be responsible for
the hook zone, so it seems like Nickerson should have passed off that inside
route and played the corner route.This next play is the second touchdown of the
game by the Colts. The Jets had just scored on a fake screen and downfield throw
to a tight end, and the Colts come right back with the same concept.I think
Darryl Roberts is the main culprit here. He’s responsible for the deep area of
his part of the field. He bites hard on the screen fake and the slot receiver
blows by, leaving Marcus Maye alone with two wide open receivers. Andrew Luck
simply gets to pick the throw he likes better, and he takes Ebron up the
seam.This play was the Colts’ first touchdown of the game, culminating a very
quick 75-yard drive in 2:25.It’s a simple cover 3. Claiborne inexplicably sits
hard on Chester Rogers’ curl hoping to play the ball. He should have picked up
Marcus Johnson and left Rogers to be picked up underneath by Nickerson. Instead,
he lets Johnson run free uncovered as Nickerson was expecting him to be picked
up.Nathan Shepherd is a player who is possibly the lead candidate on the roster
for least discussion among fans relative to playing time. And that’s for good
reason, as he has struggled thus far to make an impact. However, I noticed one
quietly key play from him.On this play, Nickerson is toasted by Rogers up the
seam. There is a ton of separation there for a big play to be made. Thankfully
for the Jets
Youth Joe Namath Jerseys , Luck can never arrive to the read, as following the play fake and screen pump fake, he is forced to scramble due to pressure by Shepherd.
As you’ll see in the second half of this clip, he gets in a quality rip move on
the right guard to penetrate the pocket.Let’s look at the interceptions,
starting with the pick six on the second play from scrimmage. Ultimately, this
only happens because of a blatant drop by Marlon Mack, but Jamal Adams put in a
strong effort on this play to take advantage of the mistake. Blitzing off the
edge, he gets strong contact on Mack, who is blocking before leaking out for the
pass. The timing between Luck and Mack is thrown off a bit by Adams’ pressure,
as Luck hesitates a bit on the throw and places it slightly high and outside.
Adams doesn’t overpursue looking for contact on the QB and quickly recovers to
Mack, in perfect position to tip the loose ball to Claiborne.It all happens
because of a lucky bounce that might not even happen again should the Colts run
this play 100 more times, but Adams’ effort and instincts helped maximize the
results.I did credit Claiborne with an interception in this game, but ironically
it was not the play he scored a touchdown on. It was the play below - Claiborne
opens up outside, but makes a nice recovery to the dig route by Ryan Grant to
tip the ball up for Avery Williamson to grab.While Darron Lee continues to be
frustrating to watch in run defense, he continues to make up for it with
efficient play in coverage and an improved frequency of big plays. Here, Luck
makes a rare post-snap vision mistake. Lee lines up at outside linebacker and
fakes a blitz before dropping into coverage. Luck doesn’t recognize it and tries
to hit a crossing Rogers (who beat Nickerson), throwing it right into the hands
of Lee, who makes a very athletic grab.You want to see Lee round out his overall
game to prove he can be a core piece long-term, but in the meantime, he’s making
enough big plays and doing enough in coverage to balance out his weaknesses,
something he was not doing over his first two years.Here is a look at the team
coverage numbers through six games.On the whole, a big takeaway from me is the
Jets have become an increasingly zone-heavy team. Trumaine Johnson’s absence has
played a role in that, but they seemed to be going in that direction even when
he was in the lineup.It’s a good approach to play the bend-but-don’t-break
mentality that has grown popular in the increasingly offense-friendly NFL, but
it’s heavily reliant on forcing turnovers and winning the red zone. The Jets
have done a solid job overall so far, but they need to get a lot better with
their zone coverage to maintain above-average defensive play. Marcus Maye
potentially missing more time is not going to help with that - it’s time for
Todd Bowles to do some serious coaching with this unit. Over the next month or
so, we’ll be looking at each of the Jets’ draft picks and undrafted free agent
signings in detail. We continue today with a breakdown of their final
pick
Joe Namath Jerseys Stitched , Blessuan Austin.T..."Over the next month or so, we’ll be looking at each of the Jets’ draft picks and undrafted free agent signings in
detail. We continue today with a breakdown of their final pick, Blessuan
Austin.The former Rutgers cornerback is listed at 6’1” and 198 pounds and was
selected by the Jets in the sixth round. Austin was an honorable mention all-Big
Ten selection in 2016 after a season where he was second in the conference and
eighth in the nation with 14 pass break-ups. However, he only played five games
over the last two years due to injuries.BackgroundAustin is a local product who
was a three-star recruit coming out of high school. He committed to Rutgers
ahead of the 2015 season and saw plenty of action in his freshman year,
recording 31 tackles, three passes and an interception although he didn’t make
any starts.His next season was easily his best as he moved into the starting
line-up and racked up 43 tackles, 14 passes defensed and an
interception.However, his 2017 season ended prematurely due to a season-ending
injury and then history repeated itself in the first game of his senior year.
Over the two seasons, he had 15 tackles and two interceptions in five
games.Austin could have taken a redshirt year and returned to school, but opted
to enter the draft instead. He was invited to the scouting combine but only did
the bench press because he was still recovering from his injury. He did drills
at his pro day, but was still not 100 percent and may not be in time for camp.
The Jets selected Austin with the 196th overall pick in the sixth round.Now
let’s take a look at what Austin brings to the table, divided into
categories.Measurables/AthleticismAs noted, Austin wasn’t healthy for his
combine or pro day workouts. Even so, he was able to manage 15 bench press reps
at the combine and a 35” broad jump and 123” vertical at his pro day. He only
ran 4.65 but then reportedly ran 4.56 in a private workout closer to the
draft.As a high school recruit, he apparently ran a 4.4 40-yard dash and had a
40-inch vertical. He also ran a 3.83 three-cone drill. If that’s accurate, it’s
extremely impressive because only seven combine participants since 1999 have
bettered that, most of which have been good NFL players (including the likes of
Champ Bailey, Deion Branch and Brandin Cooks).Whether he still has that
athleticism after his injury issues is another matter, but he still has
excellent size and length, albeit with a slim build.UsageAustin has primarily
played on the outside in college, with most of his reps over the last three
seasons being at right cornerback. He played both sides as a freshman though.In
high school, Austin also played some free safety as well as also contributing on
offense at quarterback and wide receiver.Coverage skillsAustin is a cornerback
with good length that he uses well. Jamaal Westerman, a former Rutgers player,
has compared Austin to his former Jets teammate Antonio Cromartie.His
athleticism is evident from his film as he moves fluidly, has the explosiveness
to burst towards the ball for a disruption and can stay with his man deep or on
a crossing routes.At times Austin was initially beaten at the snap, but
displayed excellent recovery speed
Youth LaDainian Tomlinson Jerseys , as shown on this play.After his freshman year, where he got beaten for five touchdowns, his coverage numbers were extremely
solid. Over the final two years, he gave up just six catches in 14 targets, with
the longest play being only 24 yards.Ball skillsIn his only full season, Austin
had tremendous production in terms of breaking up passes, as he was in the top
10 in the nation. However, he said himself that he wanted to turn more of those
disruptions into interceptions. Over his last two seasons, he had two
interceptions and one pass break-up in five games.Austin ended up with four
interceptions for Rutgers - one in each season - but shows on this play that he
locates the ball early and tracks it well in the air.His experience as a high
school receiver should enable him to cash in on any chances he gets to intercept
passes. He displays great hands on this play.TacklingAustin is very impressive
as a tackler, as he closes well and shows good technique. He has a knack of
using his length to bring someone down around the ankles.He improved his tackle
efficiency during his time in college, having had nine of his 16 missed tackles
in his first season. Interestingly only one of the seven missed tackles since
his freshman year came while he was in coverage as he tended to miss them
against the run.Austin only missed one tackle in his five games over his last
two years. However, he will need to avoid plays like this where he throws a
shoulder rather than wrapping up his man.He forced one fumble at Rutgers, but
that was in his freshman year.PhysicalityAustin was employed a lot in press
coverage and generally does a good job, although there are a few things he needs
to clean up technically. One is that after the jam, he will occasionally be a
step late to follow his man, allowing early separation. The other, as shown on
this play against Dante Pettis, is that quickness can prevent him from getting a
clean jam.Generally speaking, Austin will compete for balls well at the catch
point, although on this play he was outmuscled and allowed his man to break away
from him, then compounded the error by not being strong enough to prevent him
from scoring.When tackling he’s not necessarily a big hitter, as he usually
focuses more on technique.Run defenseAustin is a willing run defender who has
made plenty of stops against the run during his career, including three tackles
for loss.On this play he shows good range in pursuit and makes a solid tackle,
although as noted above he did miss some tackles against the run.BlitzingSince
he played on the outside, Austin rarely blitzed in college, but was credited
with two quarterback sacks. However
LaDainian Tomlinson Jerseys Stitched , he did run blitz from time to time when there was no receiver on his side of the field.Special teamsAustin hasn’t
been used that much on special teams with the vice role on punts being his
primary contribution. He’s seen limited action as a gunner and on punt
coverage.Austin had some good contributions on special teams including a tackle
after a botched snap on a field goal. He also had two special teams tackles in
2016, showing some potential in punt coverage.He had one special teams penalty
in 2017, when he was called for a face mask penalty on a
punt.Instincts/IntelligenceOn Austin’s film there were a few examples of him
getting caught out in traffic on wide receiver screens, including one where he
didn’t anticipate the slot receiver blocking down on him.However, he shows good
instincts against the run and in zone coverage and on this play, he anticipates
and reads the play early, giving him time to get off the block and make a
stop.AttitudeAustin obviously has a lot of toughness to overcome the injuries
he’s had to get to this point and his coaches have said he has a short memory in
terms of letting mistakes affect him. He was also starting to show maturity and
leadership over the past few years and has no off-field concerns.He is an
extremely confident player, as evidenced by his recent comments that he wants to
become the best ever to play the position or to emulate his idol Richard
Sherman.He’s been a disciplined player on the field with only five defensive
penalties in his career, three of which were in 2016. He was called for
defensive holding on his only penalty over his last two seasons.InjuriesInjuries
are a major red flag for Austin, as he suffered a torn ACL in 2017 and then
re-injured it in 2018.Had it not been for the injuries he was headed towards
being an excellent prospect. NFL.com’s Chad Reuter said he would have been a day
two pick and ESPN’s Mel Kiper had him ranked as the fourth best senior
cornerback heading into the 2019 season.Scheme FitAustin is regarded as a player
who can play in multiple systems and his profile meets the criteria for the sort
of cornerback Gregg Williams likes to find a role for.Initially, though, he
might have to spend time on the PUP list and it seems most likely he’ll be
someone the Jets expected to contribute more next year.ConclusionsThis is a
high-risk pick due to the injuries Austin has had, which could prevent him from
ever realizing his potential or create durability issues once he becomes a
contributor.However, from his film, you can see why the Jets made this pick.
Austin is very impressive and, if not for the injury issues, would be the sort
of prospect the fanbase should be very optimistic about.These days, it’s not
unprecedented for NFL players to overcome those kinds of issues in their past,
so this pick has a chance of being an excellent coup for the Jets. Austin
definitely has the potential to become a starting cornerback at the NFL level if
he can get healthy and hasn’t lost a step.Whether he can be the best ever to
play his position is another matter, but Austin is talented enough that the
sky’s the limit for him if he remains healthy. However, as we have seen so far
from Jeremy Clark, there’s no guarantee such a player will realize his potential
once he’s able to get on the field.
