It’s Not Just the Coverage, It’s the Blitzing Too
Just a reminder that with Wes Welker healthy, things will be different for the Jets. Not just because Tom Brady has another receiver, but because it will help him avoid the big hits from the Jets blitzers.
While Brady was not sacked, he was hit 21 times, often finding himself running for cover. Edelman stepped in with eight catches for 98 yards, and was targeted 16 times. The since-released Joey Galloway had five catches for 53 yards, and was targeted 12 times.
What Brady could not do is what he’s done so productively before and since: Communicate telepathically with Welker for a sure completion.
This time, blitzing Brady may create more opportunities than it eliminates. Mentally, Welker gleans the pass protection, how much time Brady will have, and where the holes in the defense are.
“You have to understand who’s blitzing and things like that,” Welker said. “You may have to quicken up your route knowing it’s man coverage and they’re blitzing. You have to make sure you’re getting open quick, because the quarterback doesn’t have as much time as he usually does.”
It’s not just the hot route designed for a quick-hitting catch. Welker is also among the league leaders in yards after the catch, as well as one of its most sure-handed receivers.
When Welker went into RFA, I wanted the Jets to get him, and thought it was a great signing/trade for the Patriots. He and Brady are on fire, connecting for more than 90% of their passes during the last month. With that said, Welker’s more a product of the system than anything else. First, he plays with Randy Moss, who always draws the tougher assignment. Second, he plays mostly out of the slot, where he doesn’t have to worry about the sideline most of the time, so his routes are more multidimensional. Third, he’s got Tom Freaking Brady throwing to him.
Tom Brady has always been a fantastic timing QB, and one of the best ever at short-timing routes. Without Welker in Week 2, he had to hold onto the ball longer to get it to Edelman, Galloway or Moss, and thus he got hit more. The fact that Welker’s routes are often short and quick, means he can get open quickly on the second or third best corner on an opposing team, makes all the difference in the world. Although it would be nice to mark Revis on Welker, it’s probably not the smartest thing for the Jets to do.
I think that Dwight Lowery or Lito will take the bulk of the snaps against Welker, but Rex Ryan made a point to talk up Justin Miller yesterday, and he’s had real success in the past at covering slot guys. It’s going to be interesting …
29 Responses to It’s Not Just the Coverage, It’s the Blitzing Too
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starz31 says:
darn, I forgot about Tom Brady and his “telepathic” magic.
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Wise Old Jet Fan says:
My memory isnt what it once was but I do not remember Justin Miller having success covering anyone, slot or otherwise.
Cimini says he will be inactive anyway, we will see, they certainly need all the help they can get this week.
In any case, Welker playing, and Jenkins and Leonard missing, changes the complexion of the entire defense. Brady will have a lot more time since Jets will need to account for Welker and can not blitz as much.
Welker will get his catches as usual key is to limit the yac, but I expect the TE’s, possibly even Chris Baker, to have a big day.
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Deven says:
I do love Justin Miller but I agree he proly won’t be able to cover welker, but i also think no one can cover but revis and he will be occupied. Lito and Lowery are gunna need the game of their lives to stop him. We need to get to Brady plain and simple otherwise it could be a long day. I’m huge Jets fan but this week is not having me filled with optimism. We can still hope Rex gets is done.
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brian311 says:
i think the key to the game will be the jets offense, specifically the rush offense. even against the pats, i have faith in our D. i dont see the pats hanging a 40 spot on us. they will surely score 20-30, but i feel as though the D will keep us in the game.
the key will be sustaining drives, even if they dont end up with points. hopefully jarvis green or ty warren dont play. they have been banged up and would weaken an already shaky rush defense. Indy is one of the worst rushing teams in the league, and they were able to run for 5.1 yards a carry vs the pats. bottom line, we need to run the ball and eat up clock
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Davo says:
It’s easy to call Welker a “system player” (especially when very few players leave the Patriots system and flourish elsewhere – name 3?), but the truth of the matter is that he was a great player with the Dolphins before the Pats traded for him. In fact, he did such a great job beating the Patriots when they played Miami that it was a head scratcher as to why the Phins traded him to a division rival in the first place! Maybe they thought a 3rd rounder was a good price, given his production since, I’d say it was pretty cheap.
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cvega says:
P.S. sorry posted this before under the wrong thread:
I love my jets and I have tried to remain positive throughout. And while I do see a lot of good things (mainly for next year if we can get some youth on the D) the sad truth is that this week the Pats will end up 7 and 3 and we will end up 4 and 6. And even more depressing the Dolphins will either fight NE for the division or get the wild card. I’ve tried to remain positive and not get that SOJ feeling, but I can’t help it…the last few weeks have gotten me in that rut. On the positive side, I have suffered the disappointment early in the season, which has enabled me to get on with my life and look to next season and the really good things Rex and Sanchez have done so far and look to do them even better next year. It is actually kind of liberating knowing deep down that the season all but lost, it lessens the disappointment after each loss. I hate to be a downer because I really want to be a team player and root for my guys right down to the inevitable end, and say they will bounce back. But I have been a Jets fan far too long and know the outcome of that…while I will still watch every game. I will be looking to what good they are doing and where we need to improve for next season. Hopefully we don’t burn more draft picks for a “quick fix” player that really doesn’t fix anything. Sorry guys but I just can’t shake that dreaded feeling. I really hope they prove me wrong, I REALLY do!!! But at least for now when I watch the games, I won’t get that gutt wrenching feeling as the clock wears down and we are one play/one stop/one anything away from winning (that all the GREAT teams seem to always make, yet we never do) that never comes.
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Shamik says:
Cheap? The Pats fleecing Miami of Welker was the equivalent of our stealing Braylon. Although Edwards certainly hasnt paid off nearly the way Welker has.
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pretty incredible that the pats got moss and welker – 2 probowl receivers for just a 3rd and 4th round pick.
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Yeah, a 4th rounder for Moss was just proved the senility of Oakland Al.
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Johnny Reefer says:
Give edwards more time .
man, jet fans are so impatient
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JR, I agree. I think Edwards has made a wolrd of difference since he’s been here. He has made some great cathces in some big spots…and look how our running game came alive when he got here.
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Brendan says:
Anyone who is complaining about Edwards must forget that the last time our receivers were talked about was the “6 Feet Under” crew of Chrebet, Coles and Dedric Ward. Chill out and rejoice in the fact we have a big, fast, beastly receiver who can do things only a handful of players in the league can do.
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No one seems to be complaining about Edwards, at least I am not, the statement that he has not paid off like Welker, yet, is fact. But he may.
He is a very good player that I hopefully will keep his nose clean off the field and will be here for a very long time, but they still have to sign him to make the deal worthwhile.
But getting two pro bowl recievers for a third and fourth round pick is yet another reason that franchise is on top year after year, and our Jets are always in chase mode.
We get Lito Shephard and Kevin Barlow, they get Moss and Welker. (before i get killed, yes I know TJ was a great trade and sign), just making a comparison.
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SackDance99 says:
WOJF,
I guess that I’m getting cranky about the “SOJ” mentality. Your statement that Welker hasn’t paid off like Edwards, is after 5 games, false. In fact, Braylon in his first 5 games as a Jet, with a rookie QB, out-performed Welker in his first 5 games as a Pat. And, Welker had a full pre-season and a 3-time Super Bowl winning QB throwing to him.
Welker (first 5 games in 2007):
27 receptions 262 yards 1 TDEdwards (first 5 games as a Jet, 2009):
16 receptions 271 yards 2 TDAssuming Edwards signs with the Jets, I expect him to continue to out-perform Welker because he’s a game-breaker, not a possession guy.
The reason our team is in “chase” mode is simply that Brady was drafted by the Pats and turned out to be one of the greatest QBs of all-time. Getting a guy like Brady with a 6th round pick is like winning Mega-Millions. In the short-term, it allowed the Pats to vastly underpay an all-time great to build a team around him. And, once the infra-structure was in place, the Pats have been very successful in attracting vets willing to play for less than max money in order to be with a perennial winner.
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JesusRevis says:
WOJF,
You chose to name 2 of our less attractive free agent signing & trades in Sheppard and Barlow. Just curious why you did that. If youre point was that the Patriots get better players, and youre going to use Moss and Welker as your argument, then why did you use Barlow and Sheppard for the Jets instead of Jenkins and Edwards, or Pace and Jones?
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I know I hate J Miller but if I see him on the field lining up against anyone let alone Welker I am going to cry….not like Rex emotional crying but tears of disgust and sadness
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WOJF
I get more and more confused with you bud. I feel that Jesus and SD99 made all the points needed for your statement.
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WW85 says:
The biggest criticism I can make is that the Jets made it too easy for the Pats to get Moss. We should have at least bid a 3rd rounder for him so the Pats wouldn’t have gotten him so cheaply. I realize he was never coming to the Jets, but did we have to watch it happen?
It was a long time ago, but it always got under my skin.
Edwards was a great trade so far.
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WW85,
The Jets had Santana Moss, a good vertical threat, and traded him for Coles, a YAC/possession guy before 2005. Now, why did the Jets do that? IMO, the Jets decided that Chad’s diminished arm could not fully utilize a vertical player like Santana. So, why a couple of years later (and more miles on Chad’s arm) trade for Randy Moss? There’s no way that Chad could get the ball to Randy deep on a regular basis. He would’ve been the most expensive decoy in the NFL. I’m not bashing Chad, he had his skills, but slinging the ball 40+ yards to every part of the field wasn’t one of them post-2004. Also, there’s no way Al Davis trades with the Jets.
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Wes Welker and Braylon Edwards are two entirely different style WRs. You really can’t compare the two. Welker has Moss taking away top CBs and coverages. Plus he’s playing out of the slot.
Braylon vs Moss would be a better comparison. Same style of play. Moss is more proven and is an eltie WR, no question. But thats the style of game Braylon shares most.
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At the time of the deal, we had more holes than a needing an elite WR.
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starz31,
WOJF compared Welker to Edwards. You’re correct, the proper comparison in terms of their position would be to compare Moss to Edwards, but that comparison would be entirely unfair to Edwards after 5 games, with a rookie QB and no pre-season. Plus, Moss had an historic 2007, with 23 TDs, an NFL record. Matched against that, unless your name is “Rice” and the QB throwing to you is named “Montana” or “Young”, every WR will come up short.
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How come no other teams tried trading for Moss? The Patriots acquiring Moss for a 4th round pick was the best trade in sports history. I’m not complaining that the Jets didnt sign him, because I agree with the reasoning that SackDance just posted, but how come no other teams were interested?
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starz 31,
Here’s a comparison for you.
Edwards (first 5 games as a Jet, 2009):
16 receptions 271 yards 2 TDMoss (first 5 games with Cassel in 2008):
19 receptions 253 yards 3 TDPretty close, huh? And, like I keep saying, Edwards had no pre-season with the Jets and has a rookie QB throwing to him. Edwards’ start with the Jets has been fantastic and the only hiccup was the fumble (I can’t kill him for the 2-point because that was a horrible throw).
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Thanks SD99, that is a fair comparison. But I think we can agree that Randy Moss is an exceptional WR, has been his entire career, except for his vacation in OAK. Braylon has the talent, he just needs to be more consistent. But one thing I’ll say, Randy Moss is ridiculous, the guy will catch anything thrown to him.
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JustAGreenGuy says:
You mean anything thrown to him, unless he has to go over the middle or play for the Raiders.
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starz31,
Look, Moss has been in the NFL a long time and has cemented himself as one of (if not) the best vertical threats in history. But, Moss was lucky and joined a solid team with a very good and productive offense. His QB as a rookie was Randall Cunningham, IMO, one of the most underrated QBs of all-time. Edwards joined the Browns, a team without any offense and he had a revolving door of mediocre (at best) QBs. All I’m saying is that maybe we haven’t seen Edwards at his consistent best and, if he can play at his 2007 level consistently, then he may not be Moss, but he’d be a top 5 NFL WR. He, like Moss, just needs a consistent and accurate QB to prosper. And, Sanchez to get to that consistent level needs Edwards.
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WOJF wrote:
“No one seems to be complaining about Edwards, at least I am not, the statement that he has not paid off like Welker, yet, is fact. But he may.
He is a very good player that I hopefully will keep his nose clean off the field and will be here for a very long time, but they still have to sign him to make the deal worthwhile.”
Where am I wrong? I indicate he may pay off like Welker, it is too soon to tell, do I not? I never compared the first five games, I am talking long term. Welker has gone to the pro bowl in a Pat uniform, when Edwards does the same we can compare.
Unlike the Welker deal, EDWARDS IS NOT SIGNED a very important fact that is being ignored by everyone, and the true point of my first comment.
For this deal to pay off they must get him under contract, and he must continue his choir boy act.
The Jets gave up two picks for an unsigned player with off the field issues. Past gave up one pick for Welker, who was signed and a proven good citizen who has morphed into a pro bowler, and one pick for Moss.
As for Jesus points that somehow shoot me down, there is no freaking way anyone can compare any of the Jets sign and trades, or anyone other teams for that matter with the Moss/Welker combo.
Jenkins, Edwards, Jones (for which I gave kudos), Pace??
C’mon, you can’t be serious comparing those trades to Moss/Welker.
And its not like the Patriots havent made other deals that compare favorably with those players.
Its not all Tom Brady, Sack, they won two more games than the Jets last season without Tom Brady in case you did not notice.
My roommate is a Dolphin’s fan. (He may be retarded, but he pays rent) Last night he turned to me and said whoever is playing the Pats better win. I told him we were and he said thats fine you guys aren’t a real threat to us anyway.
In few words, We’re barely division relevant. Our only division win is against the Pats and winning helps the Dolphins. I think this is the season low point.