(Photo: US Presswire)
By Ryan Alfieri, Editor
If you have followed my work over the years, you would know that there are few bigger Darrelle Revis fans than myself. Not only do I believe that he is the best defensive player in the game, but he will eventually go down as the best cornerback in NFL history.
Still, as good as Revis is, Keller’s absense hurt the Jets more on Sunday, and here’s why:
Offensively, the Jets came out of the gate hot, scoring ten points in barely over a quarter of play. Sanchez was poised, the receivers were getting open, and the line was holding up in protection.
So what happned to prevent the Jets from scoring any more points throughout the entire game?
The answer really is simple: the Jets’ receivers could not get off press coverage. Pittsburgh is more known for being a zone, off-corner team, so the fact that the Jets could not get off press coverage against a team that rarely utilizes the technique is troublesome.
So what does Dustin Keller have to do with this?
If Keller was in the game (and fully healthy), the Steelers likely would have used more than one safety or linebacker to cover him over the middle. As a result, the Steelers would not have been able to use the 2-deep man schemes they were using.
The downside to using press coverage is that once the receiver gets off the press, they usually are able to gain quick separation because of the aggressiveness of the corner right off the line. However, by being able to keep two safeties deep, the Steelers could use press coverage all game long without having to worry about giving up a big play.
Again, using press coverage all game long is very uncharacteristic of the Steelers, but why would they stop using it if it was being so effective?
Blame the receivers (namely Stephen Hill) for not being able to free themselves, but the Jets could have used motions or screens to get the Steelers to back off, but they simply did not make any adjustments to free up their receivers.
Therefore, while Revis was sorely missed on third downs for the defense, the loss of Dustin Keller doomed the Jets simply because they were not able to make any kind of adjustments to what the Steelers were doing on defense. Now, after being dominated by a zone-coverage team in the press, expect the Jets to see a lot more press coverage from future opponents after they take a look at this tape.
Tags: Dustin Keller, new york jets, Pittsburgh steelers
Keller has been Sanchez’s security blanket for some time. Without Keller, Sanchez is not as effective. I think part of the problem is that Greene and Connor are below average receivers, which puts significant pressure on the wideouts, couple this with an inability to run the ball and you have an ineffective offense. A possible solution is getting Powell and Mcknight into the backfield rotation. Neither of these guys are Sproles but there may be some improvement in the passing game.
As for the wideouts, Holmes needs to step as a number one receiver, I counted 3 drops, and three bad routes.. As for Hill, he is a rookie , not many rookies start at WR… IMO you need to rotate with Schilens, create a competion for reps, and slow the learning curve down for Hill
That is a very good point. Using McKnight would free up some space in the middle.
Remember that keller is in a contract year, will be looking for 6million a year in 2013…The Jets under a tight cap will let Keller walk. You may see Fazano next year… The development of Cumberland at the TE is crucial to the Jets future, getting an effective third down back is important.
Tannenbaum took a lot of heat for not getting a blocking TE, but
Rulend is better than Matthew Mulligan, certainly smarter
I gotta disagree here. Keller has to be the future, Cumberland is disposable. Mike T. will find a way to bring him back.
The Jets are very frugal when it comes to TE’s , ask Chris Baker. Keller has a great relationship with Sanchez, his route running is above average, but his speed and hands are only average, and of course his blocking is considerably below average. There is a question of whether DK is a good fit for a Sparano offense. The jets are in desparate need of playmakers but the 2013 CAP is tight, it will get down to bucks. So far Cumberland seems like a JAG, he still getting over the achilles injury of last year, but the guy has an upside, unlike our good friend Dustin