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Aaron Maybin Deserves Extra Snaps This Week

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I expect the Jets to focus on shutting down the New England passing game this week. This means run stuffers like David Harris, Sione Pouha, and Mike Devito will not have much help in the box. The Jets might even dare the Pats to try and run the ball. New England had good success on the ground during the first meeting this year between the teams, but I think the Jets would be happy to take their chances with somebody other than Tom Brady trying to make plays for the Pats.

With this in mind, I think we could see a lot of Aaron Maybin this week. Let us not make Maybin into more than he is. He is one-dimensional. This dimension is something the Jets have lacked, though, a guy who can get off the edge to the quarterback.

They are going to have to make Tom Brady uncomfortable to be successful. That means getting to him. Maybin has shown a better ability to get to the quarterback than anybody else the Jets have this year. Giving him extra snaps this week makes sense from that standpoint. The best case scenario would be the Jets showing an ability to get to Brady without blitzing so they can force quick throws and still load throwing lanes with defenders. If Maybin's presence on the field makes the Pats more likely to take it out of Brady's hands and run it, so be it.

Maybin also caused more disruption against Patriots tackle Matt Light last year in a Week 3 game than he did at any other point in his career with the Bills. Light can have slow feet at times so Maybin's burst coming off the edge can give him problems.