Link: Solidifying the Line
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Tom Graham has a nice feature up on ESPN.com about the Jets offensive line and a conversation he had with D’Brickashaw Ferguson.
Ferguson noted the competition will be better this year. The Jets have not only the seventh-toughest schedule based on 2008 records, but they also will encounter some of the most prolific sackmasters: Joey Porter and Jason Taylor twice, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, Julius Peppers, Mario Williams, John Abraham.
“We didn’t face that last year,” Ferguson said. “It puts added pressure on the unit, on the line, on individuals to perform because it doesn’t matter what perception is; it’s reality. At that game, if you’re not doing well, you haven’t done your job.”
Ferguson made marked improvement in 2008 but as he points out, he wasn’t facing some of the best pass rushers in the league like he will be this year.
I do think he’s cut his teeth enough now to be ready to take on this type of a schedule, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see his sacks allowed numbers jump up some because of it.
I do think that there are two other factors that might come into play here as well.
New Quarterback — Last year Brett Favre was sacked 30 times. Favre hasn’t been sacked that many times since 2000. Just like there’s a chemistry between QBs and WRs, there’s something similar for QBs. Another example would be Matt Cassel, who was sacked 47 times with the same line that Brady was sacked only 21 times the year before. So, any time a a new line and/or QB are forced to get used to each other, it’s going to take time for both to get a feel for each other. When it’s a young QB that number can go even higher.
Extra Blocker — The Jets still haven’t demonstrated that they have a dependable in-line blocker yet. Yes, they’ve acquired Martez Milner and Kareem Brown seems to be catching on, but just like Damien Woody at Tackle last season, we don’t know what to expect and I think that could be bad for D’Brick. Baker helped a lot in pass protection on the left side, and the difference could be very noticeable this year.
19 Responses to Link: Solidifying the Line
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Brad says:
The main difference with the pats- brady and cassell was with brady, if u applied pressure and didnt get to him – he was going to throw a TD or some other big play. When u throw in cassell or any youngster at QB with little experience that hasnt proved themselves to make u pay when bringing the extra man in on the blitz ; teams are going to be bringing the heat to the rookie- challenging the rookie with pressure. Thats what teams did with Cassell and will do to us next year no matter which one of our QB’s are QBing. Our WR’s dont scare anyone and Rex has told the league to expect a run heavy offense from the Jets, so guess what- every team we face will be stacking the box and bringing the heat/blitzing. It could be a very tough year for the Jets offense?
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Zartan says:
Brad, you saying that says that you have little to no faith in Sanchez who i think is a playmaker and the reason i like him. To a lesser extent , you dont like clemmens either.
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Le'Sean Roberts says:
It would have been nice to see our 2nd first round pick that year go up against John Abraham; D’brick we be facing him though.
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spentmiles says:
Hmm. I don’t remember KC fairing too well against a stacked box and heavy pash rush.
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The Ed(itor) says:
Today is one of the days that was supposedly open to JETS fans to watch practice. Hopefully you didn’t get up to earlyto drive to FP to watch practice because the JETS cancelled the fans watching due to the weather. If the JETS are so concerned with about their fans sitting out in bad weather, why didn’t they dome their new stadium?????
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BubbyBrister/shovelpass says:
…Or provide ponchos to that Denver debacle last year?
Don’t forget about Aaron Schobel twice…D’Brick’s nemesis…he struggles against such a bull-rush…
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Zartan- All im saying is that neither are proven in the NFL yet- meaning most teams will be aggressive- stacking the box, blitzing often. This could make it even more challenging for our QB and offense as a whole.
I wanted clemens starting last year so we could of seen what he could do in a full season with a compotent OL and healthy WR’s. I like sanchez, but really dont know enough about him. His height is a concern especially because he slouches in the pocket when he throws the ball, plays smaller than he is- but i like his mobility, but coming out of college early and not very experienced is also a major concern. Love his work ethic and how he gathers players together to learn and practice.Last year teams had respect for our WR’s and QB becuase of Favre, cotchery and coles. Now no coles and no Favre- our opponents wont be afraid of our offense from the point of view of getting burned deep. The fear of getting burned deep causes teams to keep an extra defender out of the box. this wont happen this year intil our WR’s and QB prove that they will burn teams if they stack the box. If we get Burress, that changes the whole dynamics of our offense!
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SackDance99 says:
Bassett,
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. There’s no correlation between a good blocking TE and a good running game. The Giants have been a top rushing team now for several years. But, it wasn’t because of Shockey’s or Boss’s blocking. With LT, San Diego had one of the most potent running games this decade. Gates is a lousy blocker. KC had Priest Holmes and LJ and were among the lead leaders in the rushing game, but Gonzo is a mediocre, at best, run-blocker. Baltimore had a potent running game and has been very good this decade, but Todd Heap is not a good run blocker. In fact, most of the top TEs are primarily pass-catchers; yet, many of their teams are very good rushing teams. IMO, OL continuity and a good blocking FB (and the Jets have both) are much more important than TE blocking for a good running game.
An interesting test case this season will be Atlanta. Last season, Atlanta’s TE was a run blocker (several no-names, including Hartstock). This season they’ll have Gonzo. I don’t expect a big tail off in their running game (unless they have OL injuries) because a pass-catching weapon at TE can open up the running game, too. I think the need for a blocking TE is a myth (bring in a tackle eligible for short-yardage), just like the need for a “tall” WR (separation is the key, whether through height (like Larry Fitz) or speed (like Steven Smith)).
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ramble914 says:
The Ed,
I don’t think its a case of the Jets worrying about the fans getting wet, as much as it is about not being able to fit them (the fans) into the indoor practice facility.
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hank/naples says:
SD99:
Interesting comment and unless you’re having a separate conv. w/Bassett, I fail to see where he says there is a correlation for a good running game between a TE and RB. Bassett’s comments were between a QB and a TE on sacks.
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ian says:
i agree with bubby/shovel pass: d’brick will do better against freeny and speed rushers than against stronger DE’s like schobel and seymour, and perhaps mario williams.
also: sackdance seems to have skimmed, rather than read basset’s post. with that said, i’m not sure how much a TE helps in pass protection either. how often does TE stay in? i think the RB/FB is more important in pass protection than TE. presumably, that is one area where TJ would be much better than green.
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Harlan Lachman says:
Brad’s points are well taken. New QB and non all pro WR and a strong running O should tend to scare most fans excited by passing.
OTOH, the Ravens, realizing this last year, threw a lot of long passes and not just on 3rd down. The idea was as long as they were not going to pass their way consistently down the field, and with a Good D able to to deal with not so great field position, why not be more audacious and throw it up for grabs.
Ryan saw how far a rookie Qb went with that approach.
I expect to see a lot more long tosses this year, regardless of the Qb, especially if the D holds up as many of us hope.
harlan
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DSmizzle says:
SD99:
I have to disagree on the issue of blocking TE’s.
Yes, its not an absolute necessity for a great running game to have a good blocking TE, but its also not a necessity for a great running game to have a great LT or RT.
A great blocking TE is a plus for a running game, period. Even if you can get by without one.
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Mike S. says:
Ferguson is over-rated and gets beat way too often… if Rex Ryan doesn’t light a fire under his butt we will need to keep a blocking TE or back in to give him help on the left side.
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Jimmy Shnoogen says:
His name is Tim Graham, as I’m sure you know very well… little typo tho.
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hank/naples-
Bassett used the term “in-line blocker” which usually connotes a run blocker because a pass blocker steps back from the line of scrimmage. The second sentence about Brown and Milner seemed to build on the initial sentence to say that they are unknown quantities as “in-line blockers” and then he used the conjunction “and” to make an additional point about helping Brick with the pass rush. At least, that’s how I interpreted Bassett’s point (so, Ian, I actually didn’t skim Bassett’s post). I do not think that he was limiting his comments to pass blocking because, as Ian points out, the TE usually goes out for a pass on passing downs and, the Jets during Schott’s tenure have used the TE as a pass catcher almost more than any other team in the NFL.
DSmizzle,
I respectfully disagree. Great pass-catching TEs are rarely good run-blockers and there have been many great rushing teams that used the TE primarily as a pass catcher. An extra blocker is nice, but that can adversely affect the passing game. The Jets have a great FB lead blocker. IMO, the only reason the Jets would need a run blocking TE is in short yardage to spread the defense out. Keller is such a weapon as a pass catcher that the OLB will usually cover him and the DE will chuck him. That occupies 2 defensive players without Keller trying to block.
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Harvlis says:
I think D’Brick does a very good job, at his position. I have said this before but, many of the sacks that Favre took were as a result of the formations and play calls. This season, we are supposed to be going back to the motion offense that we employed in 2006. That should keep defenses off balance and give D’Brick the advantage he needs, in order to hold his man. OC’s have to pay attention to great pass rushers and plan their games around them. That would include having the FB and the TE help out on certain plays. Hence, the reason we could use a solid blocking TE. I believe that any TE you use should have the ability to catch the ball, as you always want to maximize your offensive options.
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God forbid we have an injury to our starters on the Oline.