Raji
Raji is an explosive force. His ability to get upfield has caused havoc in the running game, and he collapses the pocket in the passing game and makes opposing quarterbacks uneasy about stepping up. Most teams double him. They have to. The Jets have maybe the best center in the game in Nick Mangold and maybe the best offensive line, and they were pulling their guards, so they didn’t double Raji as much. But when they did, he blew it up.
Raji was better than Mangold without question. That’s the kind of performance that can be a ticket to the Pro Bowl.
Raji doesn’t get pushed around — maybe a little at the end of the game against Minnesota. But for a 3-4 defense to be successful, it has to have an anchor in the middle. If your nose tackle is getting driven back, your linebackers have to climb over the top and that gives the opposing running back angles to make plays. The longest gain by one of the Jets’ running backs was 8 yards.
It’s obvious why the Packers moved Ryan Pickett and gave Raji his job. Pickett was good at standing his ground and flowing down the line of scrimmage. What he didn’t have was Raji’s quickness off the ball and ability to penetrate. If the other team’s center and guards don’t get push, their running backs have to change direction sooner than they want. Get the running back off track and he has to find another hole, maybe take a step back, and that allows the linebackers and safeties to get where they need to be. Plus, Pickett was nothing more than a stalemate kind of guy as a pass rusher.
It would be awesome to see all of Raji's hard work on that depleted line get rewarded with a probowl appearance.
