New York Jets Problem: Lack of a Pass Rusher

by John B on Oct 4, 2011 11:30 AM EDT

We move on to one of the most cited problems with the Jets, the lack of a guy who can get to the quarterback.

The Problem: The Jets cannot get to the quarterback without blitzing. Nobody can win a one on one. They need to either fool the opposing blockers or just send more than they block. The issue predates Rex Ryan. This has been the case since John Abraham was traded. You cannot complain about the deal. The Jets got the pick they used to take Nick Mangold. A center like Mangold is rarer than a pass rusher. The Jets just have not been able to find one.

Who Is to Blame? Again, Mike Tannenbaum has to take the heat here. There might not have been a DeMarcus Ware style pass rusher available this year, but there were plenty of cheap potential upgrades there in free agency. Matt Roth, Manny Lawson, and Tully Banta-Cain are three. They got outbid for Antwan Barnes. You cannot blame the pursuit of Nnamdi Asomugha either. The Jets surely could have found enough cap room for at least one of these guys even with Nnamdi in the fold. Even more bizarre was the training camp signing of Aaron Maybin, tacitly acknowledging this area needed an upgrade. Instead of going for a good bargain veteran, the team tried to breathe life into a Draft bust.

Viable Options to Fix the Problem: The Bryan Thomas injury might prove to be a blessing in disguise in this area. You hear a lot about the little things Thomas did. Frankly, from watching him play, I think those are overrated anyway. He's an ok cog if you have nobody else. Nothing more. He was not a good pass rusher. Now Jamaal Westerman gets a chance. I am willing to bet he outperforms Thomas and helps the pass rush a bit. It also means more chances for Maybin, who has actually shown some flashes. Banta-Cain is still available, and the Jets could use somebody for depth. One of the biggest knocks on him as a pass rusher was that a lot of his sacks came against Buffalo. That would be an attribute for an AFC East team.

Prognosis: No matter what happens, this should be all right. The Jets coaching staff has schemed around the problem for two years and produced top ranked defenses. Part of it has been the excellent coverage the Jets have both giving pass rushers extra time and allowing Gang Green to send extra men. The exotic looks have created a solid pass rush. The staff has shown flexibility too. At the end of last season, the blitzes were not working so the coaches played more coverage, and with nobody getting open, the rushers had all day to get to the quarterback. It is unlikely anybody mentioned will emerge as a top pass rusher, but any improvement at all helps.

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Comments

Rex should not escape blameless on this one.

I get the whole he is a defense coach and that is why he kinda stays out of the whole offensive game (don’t like that excuse, but I get it). However your a Defensive “mastermind” you coached in Baltimore a team full of defensive hall of famers, are you telling me that you can’t see that you have a lack of talent to play to your style? He should be going out and getting us some pass rush help, the problem is that he thinks we have all we need.

by Vegas Jets Fan on Oct 4, 2011 12:22 PM EDT reply actions

I think there was

A bit of blindness I’m going to kick your A** anyway type of attitude where he didn’t fully examine the team he had, each time you loose a player and chip away at veterans you have to make changes.

"We're not there yet, but we're going somewhere," Johnson said. "And we're going to Brooklyn. We're not going to contract. We're going to Brooklyn."

by Atronic on Oct 4, 2011 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Is Mike T really to blame?

Or have Woody Johnson and most other NFL owners handcuffed GM’s from making big financial moves?

Arm chair GM. Mod/contributing writer at SBN Jets blog GGN.
Archduke of PACOS.
GangGreenNation.com

by Bro Namath on Oct 4, 2011 1:23 PM EDT reply actions

where is your proof/evidence of this?

otherwise its really just a baseless claim.

by PowerBar on Oct 4, 2011 11:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes

This isn’t on Woody. This is purely Rex and Tanny.

"Reality is purely the perception of the individual mind. It follows, that since no two minds are alike, no two perceptions of reality are alike. It further follows, that what reality is to one, may seem complete madness to someone else."

– Yefim Novikov

by joeklecko on Oct 5, 2011 12:41 AM EDT up reply actions

Well I guess the good thing is that

The Jets have a season to work with Maybin that dude looked hungry last game, even when he got pushed down he got up and continued to pursue the QB. There were a couple of times where Maybin wan’t even next o Flacco but he started looking back and wincing based upon a past sack or near sack, I haven’t seen that type of rush since Abraham honestly, even tho we lost good to see something come out of it.

"We're not there yet, but we're going somewhere," Johnson said. "And we're going to Brooklyn. We're not going to contract. We're going to Brooklyn."

by Atronic on Oct 4, 2011 1:27 PM EDT reply actions

Thing I don't understand is that

I could have sworn we still have cap space left?

"We're not there yet, but we're going somewhere," Johnson said. "And we're going to Brooklyn. We're not going to contract. We're going to Brooklyn."

by Atronic on Oct 4, 2011 1:29 PM EDT reply actions

two years ago we lacked a receiver so T went out and go us Edwards. Why cant we find someone to help out our pass rush woes. Not saying there going to be a tremendous player but almost anything is an improvement. That being said i did think maybin looked good and for that matter RP looked huge

by Nick Terp on Oct 4, 2011 1:50 PM EDT reply actions

Tully Banta-Cain

If he was worth it the Jets would of signed him they did bring him in for a workout

by Nu York Fan on Oct 4, 2011 2:50 PM EDT reply actions

Timing couldn't be better

BT done for the year… NE is up next… If they’re going to pull the trigger on him, nows the time.

by Crackback on Oct 4, 2011 3:09 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

didn't he punch a coach in the nose when he was working out here?

And the home of the .... JETS!!!
Now lets get a G-D snack!!!
"You might not like that. You might be very cynical about that. Well, f**k it, I don't care what you think."-Roy McDonald

by Noble_Lance on Oct 4, 2011 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions

really??

by Revenge of the Fallen on Oct 4, 2011 8:06 PM EDT up reply actions

If you want sacks against the Bills...yeah.

by Revenge of the Fallen on Oct 4, 2011 8:05 PM EDT up reply actions

A center like Mangold might be "rarer"

but a stud pass rusher is more important IMO. If you asked me would I trade Mangold for DeMarcus Ware, I’d do it in an instant.

by J-Nasty on Oct 4, 2011 3:20 PM EDT reply actions

Not to say I'd rather have Abraham than Mangold

But those options don’t exist in a vacuum. We could’ve traded up 6 spots to get Mangold from our 2nd rounder as well and have both. Point is, not having a pass rusher is an organizational failure and giving up our last good one was the start.

by J-Nasty on Oct 4, 2011 3:26 PM EDT reply actions

I might be wrong on this but

Didn’t Abraham ask to be traded? If so was it because he wanted a raise and we refused to give him one? I honestly don’t remember ._.

by Exystence on Oct 4, 2011 4:14 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

We Taged him twice if im not mistaken

That was a terrible job of handling an elite player. He wanted to be traded or given a long term deal after being franchise tagged 2 years in a row….someone correct me if im wrong?

by GreenFlight on Oct 4, 2011 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions

I miss Abraham.

He could play OLB in a 3-4 front too. He actually did it his rookie year.

by Rushthepasser on Oct 4, 2011 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions

I think I blame whoever evaluated Calvin Pace as a top LBer to sign with the Jets

by CervezaVerde on Oct 4, 2011 5:36 PM EDT reply actions

I think maybin can be the guy.

He’s still raw, but technically this is his senior year in college. If he can get a few more sacks this season and earn another 1 year deal with us I think that would be a win. Another year in the system, and time in camp to work on real pass rushing technique could be big for us. He got a sack, and almost two sacks on pure athleticism tells me something IMO.

by jets4life24 on Oct 4, 2011 6:35 PM EDT reply actions

he's a featherweight playing a heavyweight bout.

He’s going to get tossed aside if he can’t gain some mass and keep the speed. All he is good for right now is coverage sacks/pressures.

by PowerBar on Oct 4, 2011 11:30 PM EDT up reply actions

All criticism accurate!

All the critical articles are accurate. The main problem is we’ve had these same problems for two years now—and nothing has been fixed. Not one.

In all fairness, Mark takes too much criticism. All quarterbacks make mistakes—rarely do they go through a game without fumbles or interceptions. That’s part of the game. To ask him to be perfect is unrealistic.

Hopefully, Maybin is an upgrade. He looks like he has the speed to do damage. No one else on our team has that unless McKnight plays more on defense. Can he cover RB or TE? Like to see it happen.

I hate to add to our dismay—but you forgot about the LBs. They lack speed and can’t cover RBs on outside runs or pass plays. Without mentioning names, we need serious upgrade there. Is Maybin an answer as mentioned above? Let’s hope so.

by Timxing on Oct 4, 2011 8:05 PM EDT reply actions