Expect the Jets to run with old-school offense against Vikings
Dec 7, 2014 7:33:43 GMT -5
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Post by kentuckyjet on Dec 7, 2014 7:33:43 GMT -5
Expect the Jets to run with old-school offense against Vikings
By Brian CostelloDecember 7, 2014 | 12:21am
MINNEAPOLIS — There is no truth to the rumor the Jets are wearing leather helmets Sunday against the Vikings.
A week after turning back the clock to old-time football with 49 runs and just 13 passes, the question is: Will the Jets continue to play like Knute Rockne is their coach, or will they return to the 21st century.
It’s going to be fascinating to watch how the offense of the 2-10 Jets operates against a Vikings team that, like the Dolphins last week, is better against the pass than the run. Does that mean another heavy dose of Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory?
“Well, I hope so, but I don’t really anticipate us averaging eight yards a carry,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said this week. “But again, you want to go in with that in mind. And will it open up the passing game? One hundred percent. When you’re able to run the ball, that does open up the passing game. … I don’t feel like apologizing for running for 300 yards. I understand we never won the game, so there’s some questions there. I get that. But for us being effective in the ground game and to that extent, I don’t necessarily understand it.”
The Jets spent the week dealing with jokes and conspiracy theories about their archaic game plan. But it made sense against the Dolphins, and it would make sense against the 5-7 Vikings, too. Minnesota is sixth in passing defense, just 219.1 yards per game through the air, but are 24th defending the run, giving up 123.8 yards per game. With Geno Smith at quarterback and Johnson and Ivory in the backfield, it makes more sense to run again this week — just maybe not 49 times.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is a former defensive coordinator. He surely is planning on seeing a heavy dose of running from the Jets.
“I think they run the ball pretty well and they do some good things with it,” Zimmer said this week. “They had a chance to win [against Miami]. I would assume that they’ll continue to run the ball and play good defense. I know that’s kind of Rex’s deal anyways. It’s like anything else. They had 200 yards in the first half and so, if you don’t get it stopped, it’ll keep coming.”
Marquee Matchup
Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph vs. Jets safeties
The Achilles’ heel of Rex Ryan’s defense always seems to be guarding the tight end. That has been on display again this season, as the Jets have given up 12 touchdowns to tight ends. Rudolph is an emerging talent for the Vikings who could give the Jets major headaches. Rudolph, who missed six games with a sports hernia, has 15 catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns this season.
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Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph will be a handful for the Jets defense.
Photo: AP
The Jets have been playing a ton of zone coverage this year, so one defender may not be matched up with Rudolph. The Jets are expected to continue to rotate safeties like they have the past two games with Dawan Landry, Jaiquawn Jarrett, Calvin Pryor and maybe even Antonio Allen seeing some time. Allen played zero snaps last week, but the Jets have used him in the past to match up with good tight ends.
The Jets need to pay attention to Rudolph, particularly in the red zone, or that tight end touchdown number could grow even more.
4 Downs
Feeling Minnesota: The Jets have not played an outdoor game in Minnesota since 1975, when coach Rex Ryan’s father, Buddy, was still a Jets assistant and the Vikings still were playing at Metropolitan Stadium. The Vikings are playing on the campus of the University of Minnesota this season and next as their new stadium is built. The Jets drew a tough date to face them, getting to play outside in December in Minneapolis.
The forecast for Sunday is for it to be 32 degrees with a wintry mix falling during the game of snow and sleet.
Jets wide receiver Eric Decker grew up in Minnesota and attended college at the University of Minnesota.
“You’ve just got to embrace the cold,” Decker said. “I’m looking forward to it. … It’s nothing I’m not used to, but it’s something I don’t think anybody likes. You just learn to embrace it.”
Rex vs. The Rookie : The Vikings are starting rookie Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback after taking him with the 32nd pick in May’s draft. Bridgewater has played pretty well for a rookie. He has eight touchdowns and seven interceptions and is completing 61.1 percent of his passes.
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Teddy Bridgewater
Photo: Getty Images
Ryan usually feasts on rookies. In their first start against the Jets under Ryan, rookie quarterbacks are 1-8. They have eight touchdowns and eight interceptions with a rating of 64.7. Seattle’s Russell Wilson is the only rookie quarterback to win his first start against the Jets during the Ryan era.
Protection Problems: Part of the reason the Jets went so run-heavy last week was because of their inability to protect the quarterback. They have given up 38 sacks this year, tied for 29th in the league. The Dolphins fierce pass rush was neutralized by the Jets running the ball, but the Jets still gave up two third-down sacks.
The Vikings are fourth in the NFL with 35 sacks, led by defensive end Everson Griffen, who is having a monster year with 11 sacks. He will be matched up with Jets left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, and that will be a crucial battle in the game.
Keep ‘Em In Front: The Vikings are keeping things simple for Bridgewater and not asking him to throw downfield much. He is averaging 6.5 yards per attempt. Only Geno Smith and Derek Carr have been averaging shorter passes among the 28 quarterbacks who have taken 50 percent of their team’s snaps.
Short passes put the premium on tackling for the Jets, who must not let a short throw become a long gain.
“Especially on third down, because you want them to throw it underneath, short of the first down, make the tackle, get off the field,” defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman said. “I feel like we have been tackling better the last three or four weeks then we were.”
Costello’s Call
The Jets gave maximum effort last week and still came up short. I don’t think they’ll have much left in the tank this week, particularly in the cold. The Vikings are not great either, so this should be a close, ugly game.
By Brian CostelloDecember 7, 2014 | 12:21am
MINNEAPOLIS — There is no truth to the rumor the Jets are wearing leather helmets Sunday against the Vikings.
A week after turning back the clock to old-time football with 49 runs and just 13 passes, the question is: Will the Jets continue to play like Knute Rockne is their coach, or will they return to the 21st century.
It’s going to be fascinating to watch how the offense of the 2-10 Jets operates against a Vikings team that, like the Dolphins last week, is better against the pass than the run. Does that mean another heavy dose of Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory?
“Well, I hope so, but I don’t really anticipate us averaging eight yards a carry,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said this week. “But again, you want to go in with that in mind. And will it open up the passing game? One hundred percent. When you’re able to run the ball, that does open up the passing game. … I don’t feel like apologizing for running for 300 yards. I understand we never won the game, so there’s some questions there. I get that. But for us being effective in the ground game and to that extent, I don’t necessarily understand it.”
The Jets spent the week dealing with jokes and conspiracy theories about their archaic game plan. But it made sense against the Dolphins, and it would make sense against the 5-7 Vikings, too. Minnesota is sixth in passing defense, just 219.1 yards per game through the air, but are 24th defending the run, giving up 123.8 yards per game. With Geno Smith at quarterback and Johnson and Ivory in the backfield, it makes more sense to run again this week — just maybe not 49 times.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is a former defensive coordinator. He surely is planning on seeing a heavy dose of running from the Jets.
“I think they run the ball pretty well and they do some good things with it,” Zimmer said this week. “They had a chance to win [against Miami]. I would assume that they’ll continue to run the ball and play good defense. I know that’s kind of Rex’s deal anyways. It’s like anything else. They had 200 yards in the first half and so, if you don’t get it stopped, it’ll keep coming.”
Marquee Matchup
Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph vs. Jets safeties
The Achilles’ heel of Rex Ryan’s defense always seems to be guarding the tight end. That has been on display again this season, as the Jets have given up 12 touchdowns to tight ends. Rudolph is an emerging talent for the Vikings who could give the Jets major headaches. Rudolph, who missed six games with a sports hernia, has 15 catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Modal Trigger
Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph will be a handful for the Jets defense.
Photo: AP
The Jets have been playing a ton of zone coverage this year, so one defender may not be matched up with Rudolph. The Jets are expected to continue to rotate safeties like they have the past two games with Dawan Landry, Jaiquawn Jarrett, Calvin Pryor and maybe even Antonio Allen seeing some time. Allen played zero snaps last week, but the Jets have used him in the past to match up with good tight ends.
The Jets need to pay attention to Rudolph, particularly in the red zone, or that tight end touchdown number could grow even more.
4 Downs
Feeling Minnesota: The Jets have not played an outdoor game in Minnesota since 1975, when coach Rex Ryan’s father, Buddy, was still a Jets assistant and the Vikings still were playing at Metropolitan Stadium. The Vikings are playing on the campus of the University of Minnesota this season and next as their new stadium is built. The Jets drew a tough date to face them, getting to play outside in December in Minneapolis.
The forecast for Sunday is for it to be 32 degrees with a wintry mix falling during the game of snow and sleet.
Jets wide receiver Eric Decker grew up in Minnesota and attended college at the University of Minnesota.
“You’ve just got to embrace the cold,” Decker said. “I’m looking forward to it. … It’s nothing I’m not used to, but it’s something I don’t think anybody likes. You just learn to embrace it.”
Rex vs. The Rookie : The Vikings are starting rookie Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback after taking him with the 32nd pick in May’s draft. Bridgewater has played pretty well for a rookie. He has eight touchdowns and seven interceptions and is completing 61.1 percent of his passes.
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Teddy Bridgewater
Photo: Getty Images
Ryan usually feasts on rookies. In their first start against the Jets under Ryan, rookie quarterbacks are 1-8. They have eight touchdowns and eight interceptions with a rating of 64.7. Seattle’s Russell Wilson is the only rookie quarterback to win his first start against the Jets during the Ryan era.
Protection Problems: Part of the reason the Jets went so run-heavy last week was because of their inability to protect the quarterback. They have given up 38 sacks this year, tied for 29th in the league. The Dolphins fierce pass rush was neutralized by the Jets running the ball, but the Jets still gave up two third-down sacks.
The Vikings are fourth in the NFL with 35 sacks, led by defensive end Everson Griffen, who is having a monster year with 11 sacks. He will be matched up with Jets left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, and that will be a crucial battle in the game.
Keep ‘Em In Front: The Vikings are keeping things simple for Bridgewater and not asking him to throw downfield much. He is averaging 6.5 yards per attempt. Only Geno Smith and Derek Carr have been averaging shorter passes among the 28 quarterbacks who have taken 50 percent of their team’s snaps.
Short passes put the premium on tackling for the Jets, who must not let a short throw become a long gain.
“Especially on third down, because you want them to throw it underneath, short of the first down, make the tackle, get off the field,” defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman said. “I feel like we have been tackling better the last three or four weeks then we were.”
Costello’s Call
The Jets gave maximum effort last week and still came up short. I don’t think they’ll have much left in the tank this week, particularly in the cold. The Vikings are not great either, so this should be a close, ugly game.