Can the New York Jets Contain Torrey Smith?

Torrey Smith was arguably the breakout star of Week 3. In his first career start, he logged 5 catches for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns. This surely grabbed the attention of New York's coaching staff. Can the Jets find a way to stop him?

I think the Jets are better equipped to slow down Smith than the Rams were. Smith did his damage on vertical routes. The book on this rookie coming out of the University of Maryland was that he had blazing speed but was unrefined as a receiver. He can get deep but needs to work on his route running to become a more complete player. He is essentially a deep threat only at this point.

Despite his penalty problems last week, Antonio Cromartie's specialty is using his ungodly athleticism to cover guys down the field. While his game leaves plenty of room for criticism, he is usually pretty solid there. If he cannot go, the Jets have a pretty good alternative in Kyle Wilson. The rookie who looked lost in his first NFL game against Baltimore is long gone. It is difficult to think of one time he has been beaten in the first three weeks. His game is pretty well suited to play Smith. Wilson is good at being physical at the line to prevent a clean release and has been timed in the low to mid 4.3's in the 40 yard dash.

Last week Baltimore found a matchup it liked, Smith against Justin King, and went to town on it. Two of Smith's touchdowns came when King, a guy who is frankly one of the worst cover guys in the league, had no help over the top. I will not guarantee you the Jets will shut Smith down. The line he put up deserves attention. I think the pieces are in place for the Jets to fare a lot better than the Rams did and potentially keep him quiet.