This is kind of a more interesting game to me than it appears to be on the surface.
And I keep wondering "Are the Colts for real?" Or is it just Luck is great and he makes their team look better than they are (or has for the last two years).
I am strongly thinking of laying actual money on the Jets tonight...was thinking about it before reading this...
For six seasons under Rex Ryan, the New York Jets defense played with swagger, a controlled arrogance that emphasized blitzing and an aggressive style of play. And not much has changed with new boss Todd Bowles now running the show in New York.
During the Jets' Week 1 win over the Cleveland Browns, Bowles' defense blitzed on 48 percent of dropbacks. That's a big number -- a monster number -- but it's also a major part of Bowles' resume. The last two seasons, with Bowles as the defensive coordinator, the Arizona Cardinals blitzed on 47 percent of dropbacks. That was the highest mark in the league over that span by nearly 4 percentage points.
In short, Bowles isn't afraid to bring the heat, and he has the talent -- at all three levels -- to continue driving the same identity Ryan established while in New York. They attack up front, challenge receivers and look to put the quarterback on the ground.
With that in mind, let's talk about the personnel Bowles has to work with, look back at the tape from Week 1 and discuss how the Jets can continue to dictate tempo in anticipation of their Monday Night Football matchup against Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts.
The perfect mesh of rush and coverage
In New York, it starts with the big boys up front. Muhammad Wilkerson is a blue-chip player, no other way to say it. He's a legit beast who can win one-on-one matchups. He'll be getting more of those since the Jets drafted Leonard Williams in the first round. The former USC product has the skill set to be a real contributor as a rookie. Add in mammoth DT Damon Harrison and suspended DE Sheldon Richardson (who will return in Week 5), and this group has the depth, size and quickness to cause consistent disruption up front against both the run and pass game.
At linebacker, the Jets have what I call "moveable parts," players who can rush out of the base 3-4 or align in a variety of positions in Bowles' sub-packages. That leads to multiple looks and scripted matchups in blitz schemes to attack where the defensive is most vulnerable (see diagram below). Quinton Coples, David Harris, Demario Davis, Calvin Pace -- they're all tackling machines inside with the speed outside to rush hard.
Courtesy NFL
The true key to Bowles' scheme lies in the secondary. Play blitz-man and tell those defensive backs to hold on tight. And Bowles can do that with a backend that includes Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, Marcus Williams, nickelback Buster Skrine and two safeties who play defined roles for the Jets. Marcus Gilchrist has the footwork and range to play in the middle of the field or drop down in coverage. And strong safety Calvin Pryor, a 2014 first rounder, is playing more downhill, adding to blitz fronts and chipping in against the run.
This rare combination of talent allows Bowles to turn up the heat and play his brand of football, keeping quarterbacks off-balance.
The "zero" blitz
One of Bowles' calling cards is Cover 0, or zero-man, when he sends six- or seven-man pressure. That's an all-out blitz with no help over the top. And with Bowles, it can come at any time, in any down and distance situation.
The idea is to send more than they can block and tell the defensive backs to challenge the receivers. That allows the Jets to attack gaps up front and put the game in the hands of the secondary.
When quarterbacks read zero-man versus the Jets, the ball is coming out hot. That leads to wide receivers running short routes -- slant, hitch, fade or quick out. But given the Jets' secondary and the off-man technique they use in these situations (see diagram below), the defensive backs are in the proper position to drive on the ball and make plays.
Courtesy NFL
There is always a risk when sending zero-man: Miss a tackle in the secondary, and the band starts playing. But Bowles runs this defense without fear just like he did in Arizona. Third and long? It doesn't matter. Here comes the pressure. Better tell your quarterback to be ready.
Setting a trap
Like Ryan, Bowles has a diverse blitz package. And while Ryan's scheme can be more exotic at times, Bowles will mix his man-pressures with some zone looks to set a trap for the offense.
Back in Week 1, the Jets showed a 2-Trap coverage (see diagram below) to counter the tight splits from the Browns and the flat-7 (corner) route. Out of their base 3-4, New York rushed five in this situation with both outside linebackers coming off the edge and the two ILBs dropping in coverage. Doing this gives the Jets two defenders inside the numbers to play a possible middle-of-the-field throw.
In this scenario, it's secondary doing the trapping. The idea is to show the quarterback Cover 2 (two-deep) as the cornerbacks sink hard at the snap to protect the safeties. But it's all a disguise: The cornerbacks are coached to jump any outside-breaking route, while letting the safety pick up the vertical (corner route). On this particular play, the scheme put Revis in a position to drive downhill on the flat route from the tight end.
This is just one example, but it speaks to Bowles' ability to show the offense something pre-snap before taking it away quickly. And he does it by creating chaos for the quarterback with pressure. Yes, zero-man is always going to be identified first in Bowles' system, but this Jets defense is much more multiple than that.
You can bet the Jets have taken a hard look at the Colts-Bills tape from Week 1 as they prepped for Luck & Co. In that matchup, the Ryan-coached Bills gave the Indy quarterback a variety of different looks up front, brought plenty of pressure and locked down receivers in the secondary. The Buffalo defensive backs played out of their minds and were consistently in a position to attack the ball. Inside breaking routes, hot reads, the deep throws -- man, the Bills were ready to play under Ryan.
Can the Jets get the same production from their secondary when they bring pressure? With Cromartie questionable due to a knee injury, New York could be without one of the most natural playmakers in the NFL. The good news for the Jets: Williams, who logged 30 snaps in relief of Cromartie, played good football against the Browns. Yes, the talent outside the numbers with the Colts takes a major jump compared to the Cleveland roster, but I don't expect Bowles to change his game plan.
For the Jets beat the Colts and move to 2-0 on the season, it starts with limiting Luck. That's the story. Get after him and beat up those receivers. With Bowles, that means zero-pressure, some overload fronts and pre-snap disguises that put his guys in a position to make plays. Win up front versus the run game and put Luck in a position where he has to throw the ball under pressure.
Ryan showed them the path to get there with his defense last week. And Bowles' will bring that same identity to Indianapolis on tonight.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/13700009/without-rex-ryan-new-york-jets-defense-continues-bring-heat-nfl
+ 
= 
