Hey folks. It's that time of week again where we break down some plays by the New York Jets from their previous matchup. Unfortunately, as you can imagine, the last few weeks haven't generated many positive plays, but let's see what we can find.
Q1, 1:27 remaining. It's 4th-and-1, and the Miami Dolphins are showing run. They're in 21 personnel, two running backs, one tight end, and two wide receivers. Accordingly, the Jets have six men at the line of scrimmage, and end up sending just four on the right side, creating an illusion of blitz while dropping most into coverage over the middle. Ryan Tannehill looks to his primary read, Brian Hartline, and immediately recognizes that he's beaten Dee Milliner, who missed Hartline when trying to jam him.
However, Tannehill underthrows the ball and Milliner is able to find the ball in the air, which he has done much better with recently. If you're wondering why Ed Reed is late to get to the ball, it's because he's shaded to the left side to help out Antonio Cromartie.
I think this play shows a few things. The first is that Milliner still needs work, which I don't think anyone will deny. However, there are signs of improvement from the first round pick. Since the New Orleans Saints game, he's gotten significantly better at finding the ball in the air and tracking it, while making a play on it. In fact, by my count he's had four near-interceptions in the past two weeks that, if caught, would have changed perception of him considerably. I'm encouraged by his development, even if it is still painfully obvious how much work he has to do.