Disclaimer: All analysis was taken from the TV coverage, so at times it may have been hard to identify players or what was happening, because I was limited by their footage. However, I have tried to be as accurate as possible and apologize for any inaccuracies or omissions (which I am happy to correct).

After the jump, I look at the performance of some of the defensive backs from the Panthers game. Please add your own insight in the comments. There is much more to come later today.

Darrelle Revis: Since Revis made headlines by shutting down Steve Smith in this game and also picking off two passes (one for a touchdown), I did not focus closely on him. Of course, his coverage work was exemplary, but he did manage to find time to make a diving open-field tackle on the edge.

Eric Smith: Naturally, one of the more interesting stories from Sunday was the performance of Eric Smith, who was starting in place of the benched Kerry Rhodes. Here’s what stood out:
- Not an ideal start as he was carried for extra yardage and a first down on a 3rd and 11 running play
- Good coverage on first drive forced an incompletion
- It didn’t appear that he was fooled on the fleaflicker. He was in decent position in coverage, but did have his hands on the receiver and was very lucky to get the offsetting offensive pass interference call, unless this happened before the replay began.
- A meaningless late tackle downfield meant that Smith had two tackles in an underwhelming, but more or less mistake-free first half.
- Left the TE open at the first down marker but closed to make a hit as the ball was juggled and fell incomplete. Poor coverage, but a good recovery.
- Made a wrap up tackle downfield but was again carried for a couple of extra yards.
- Made a good tackle on the edge shy of a first down.
- Good hit over at the sideline as Pace, Harris and Scott did a good job of stringing it out
- In a soft zone, he made an immediate tackle as a catch was made in front of him for a modest gain.
- Gave up a big catch in deep zone coverage as Coleman released Jarrett to him.
- Was beaten on deep out but the receiver couldn’t make the catch over at the sideline.
- Had a bad missed tackle on a punt return, which was uncharacteristic for him.
- Came up to make a tackle for a loss after Pace strung the play out well.

Conclusions: A solid 8-tackle afternoon for Smith, who was thrown at more than Rhodes usually tends to be and also spent more time in the box (some of it as Rhodes was employed in coverage when 3 safeties were in the game). Having heard how well he played I was actually a little disappointed, but, while I don’t think his performance was markedly superior to Rhodes’ best games of the season, if you can get equivalent production from a guy earning a fraction of the salary, then that’s a big deal. He thoroughly deserves to keep his job against the Bills.

Kerry Rhodes: Okay, so what did Rhodes do, in his new role as $10m dimeback:
- There was some talk that Rhodes simply walked off the field on Revis’ pick six. However, it was very clear that this was because he didn’t see the interception, not any sign of laziness/ego/whatever. Rhodes had downfield responsibility on the play and immediately turned to look at the bench after the ball was thrown behind Steve Smith. He was not even looking in the direction of Revis when the ball caromed up to him off Smith’s heel.
- The first interception was an errant throw but was a good read and showed off his range. I’m not sure all the safeties on the team could have made that play.
- Rhodes was barely seen in the first half. There were several 3rd and long situations early on where he was not used, but later in the game, he was always in on this situation.
- In the second half, he was sent on a blitz three times. The first set up a sack as he made an inside move and the tackle picked him up, leaving Calvin Pace unblocked. The second, on 3rd and 11, led to an incomplete pass as he took the long way round and got strongside pressure. On the third one, his hit led to an errant throw, which easily could have been Revis’ third pick.
- His 2nd pick was easy, as Delhomme felt the pressure and made a horrible off-balance throw. Rhodes was in for all of that drive as the Jets went to a soft zone late in the game.
- No throws were made to the area he was covering other than the two picks and they rarely ran the ball with him in the game, so he did not get a chance to make any tackles.

Conclusions: It was nice to see him make some plays in this role and he has also earned an increased role in the next game. Most importantly, you cannot criticize him for any mistakes (other than not realizing when Revis picked off that pass).

Drew Coleman: Coleman was another guy I was told to keep an eye on. He had an important role with Lowery and Strickland out:
- It wasn’t a good start, as he whiffed badly on a tackle attempt when the Panthers ran for a first down on 3rd and 17.
- He was then beaten by a TE on an out pattern. He didn’t do much in the first half, overall.
- He made a good hit to jar the ball loose for an incompletion in zone coverage late in the game.
- On the 4th and 14 play, he did have decent coverage, but when the ball was thrown up for grabs, he wasn’t physical enough and kind of lost his balance against the bigger and stronger Jarrett.
- As mentioned above, he released Jarrett to Smith for a long catch late in the game.
Conclusions: There was some good and bad from Coleman, but on the whole, he was picked on a lot less than has been the case in the past. Definitely something to build on. EDITED TO ADD: Apparently, Coleman also had a solid breakup with tight coverage on a play that was edited out of the broadcast I saw.

The Best of the Rest:
I didn’t focus closely on anyone else, but:
- Lito Sheppard had one of his best games as a Jet, with a solid open field tackle on third down.
- Jim Leonhard was productive (10 tackles) and made a tackle in the backfield when he was unblocked off the edge.
- James Ihedigbo gets credit for a pressure on Rhodes’ first interception.

Up next: A look at the offensive line.