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Heading into the offseason, many including myself thought the Jets should look to add a top notch pass rusher. The feeling was the Jets had to blitz too often in 2009 as the result of lacking an elite guy capable of getting to the quarterback. It spelled doom in the AFC Championship as Dwight Lowery and Drew Coleman got stuck on an island against Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon to whom Peyton Manning got the ball quickly.
While the addition of Jason Taylor will surely help the pass rush, the Jets focused more on improving their coverage by adding a pair of corners adept at playing man coverage, Antonio Cromartie and Kyle Wilson. On other teams, either could be a number one corner.
Rex Ryan has an attacking mindset. It might not have been realistic to expect him to change his philosophy. He loves to blitz. Now he has three corners when one factors in Darrelle Revis he can stick on an island against any receiving trio in the league. He can attack to his heart's content.
The league's best pass defense just got more difficult to throw against. Some teams build their pass rush up front. They load up their front sevens with guys who win matchups for a living. The Jets are going a different way. They are building their pass rush from the back. If coverage holds, the quarterback has to hold the ball longer waiting for somebody to get open. It asks offensive linemen to hold their blocks for a long time. The odds of somebody getting free are high.