OLB- Victor Hobson- 91 total tackles, 6 sacks, 1 INT, 2 passes defended, 2 Fumble recoveries and 1 for a Touchdown. (Hobson is 6 Feet tall and weighs 250 pounds) OLB- Bryan Thomas- 74 total tackles, 8.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. (Thomas is 6 foot 4 inches tall and weighs 266 pounds) ILB- Eric Barton- 97 total tackles, 3.5 sacks and 1 pass defended. (Barton is 6 foot 2 inches tall and weighs 245 pounds) ILB- Jonathan Vilma- 109 total tackles, 1 INT, 4 passes defended, and 1 fumble recovery. (Vilma is 6 Foot 1 inch tall and weighs 230 pounds) Before I make any comments I want to start off by saying that our defense would be LOST if it weren't for these four men...(and Kerry Rhodes) Thomas has been great against the run and the pass as he has provided a great number of sacks. Barton has been a great vocal leader and has made his share of plays on the QB with a fair amount of sacks. Hobson has also added his tough tackling and consistent pressure and sacks all year long. Vilma has been a great mind for the defense to have as he does nothing, but study and review film. He led them all in tackles, but never seemed to make any big plays at all for the New York Jets. I understand that he put alot of the guys in position to make plays, but why wasn't he making any? No, this is not another trade Jonathan Vilma thread so breath easy. My question really is why has Vilma been so invisble all year long? It can't be all because he tells everyone where to be, can it? So again, I just wanted to tip my hat and show my appreciation to the under appreciated Linebacking core the NY Jets have this season and I hope to start up some healthy debate on why all of the other linebackers have each made more plays then Vilma. Go Jets!
Nice post but i would also like to say that the defense is not just made by the Lbs. You have to acknowledge the improvement by Robertson, as well as the effort from Ellis. The CB's have been pretty stable, Andre Dyson has stepped straight into his role and performed exactly like we needed him to. And of course Rhodes does the rest
I was actually thinking about mentioning Dyson along with Rhodes in my post. He has been a huge addition to our team. I don't remember hearing Chris Chambers name once last night and I am willing to bet Dyson was covering him most of the night. Robertson was a big reason for our success on defense too for sure. I didn't mention him simply because everyone is in fact giving him credit for what he has done. Not too much talk about our LB's who have a combined 18 sacks between them!
I think the heart of a 3-4 defense is the DL. You can get by with a plethora of "solid" LBs, but up front, it's hard to be very effective without three very, very good defensive linemen. That's why we've struggled so much against the run. Robertson is adjusting, and von Oelhoffen is terrible. You look at New England, they have two very good players and one elite player, and their defense is great. But I don't mean to take away from what the LBs have done. They've been very productive, particularly Hobson and Thomas.
I agree for sure. Everyone of the three Defensive lineman are in a different stage in their development in the 3-4/careers. Robertson is adjusting like you said and playing darn good at times, Olehoffen has basically come to the Jets to finish up his career and it looks like it may have happened, and Ellis has probably been the most consistent over the course of the season. If we can add to the Dline in the offseason the defense could become elite.
I know we run a diff defense but size wise how does Viloma compar to like ray lewis, urlachre, that mid lb on the fish...etc...oh yah butkas
Our defense is playing so well and improving so much that I think that next year after one more draft and a couple FA signings we could have an ELITE defense.
I agree with Penny. Kimo is just too old. Addressing the D-line (an end) should be a top priority on defense along with a cornerback.
In response to Vilmas lack of plays...if you are talking about sacks, look at how many times Hobson and Thomas are rushing the QB every game. They have rushed 20 times the amount Vilma has this season. Secondly, alot of our LB's sacks have been attributed to coverage sacks (if you havent noticed we dont get to the QB very quickly)..and in these situations watch where vilma is going. He is dropping back all the way to a safety position and running up to stop anything underneath. I think Vilma's play is allowing other guys to step up...just my opinion
Nice post. Good to see Hobson getting some love as some people on this board have wanted him replaced for some time yet I've seen him make some big plays all year long. As for Vilma, I think he's just adjusting to the new system so that's why there's not as many big plays from him. I think there was an article a while back showing Bruschi's (I think it was him) stats from his first year in the 3-4 and they weren't anything special either. I think Coleman, D-Rob and Thomas have all played better too. Ellis hasn't been as dominant but once again he's just had another solid season. Overall the D has shown sparks but at the same time still shows some vulnerabilities. Overall though I think what we've seen should give us hope for the future and with a few tweaks here and there we could have a pretty damn good D
Vilma has been in coverage most of the year, which explains why he doesn't have many sacks or tackles near the line of scrimmage. But he should have more than his one pick, which was off a tip. Can't explain why he doesn't have the big plays, but the D is playing well, so I don't really care how he plays.
Coleman has been around the ball alot more in the past few weeks and has started to play closer to his rookie level. I like the safety combo of Coleman, Rhodes and Smith who always seems to be making a strong tackle when he's in the game. This offseason a corner oppossite Dyson should be a priority. I like Barrett but he's more than likely cut. I usually like the nickel back to be a good tackler but Justin Miller and Drew Coleman are more cover corners. If it can happen i'd rather Barrett at the nickle and Coleman cut or buried on the depth chart. I love the way Hobson has been playing and talking alot of trash, but if the team is going to take it to the next level he's going to have to become more of a role player. Ideally he's more of a run stopper on 1st down and 2nd and 3rd and short with a pass rushing 'tweener oppo Thomas.
Miller is a very good tackler...probably a better tackler than covering. Alot of people say Barrett would be cut, but I would be sad to see him go. I always thought that he played very well for us.
I'm with you on Barrett though I thought his first year was his best for the most part. He's slipped a bit since then though he should have enough talent to be coached back up. He's solid against the run and while not the fastest DB he can cover pretty well. Just needs help over the top from time to time like most DBs.
Additionally, Vilma finally had an 'impact' game vs Miami. No, he didn't have a sack, a fumble forced, a pick or anything, but he made 4 or 5 huge plays at or just beyond (in either direction) the LOS. There were quite a few times where plays looked like possible 1st downs or decent games, and Vilma flew in and made a play. It was the first time all year that he PHYSICALLY was a difference maker for this D...
I agree with that for sure. I have no BIG problem with Vilma I just want to see him make some more plays out there even if it is just making clutch tackles. Hopefully he can make some plays in our defense Sunday and whatever playoff game(s) we play in...
Miller is really an awful tackler. He has missed so many this year which is why we put in an actual good tackler in Poteat. I've seen some potential in Miller's coverage especially in the Miami game with that big break up on the go route. He played the ball perfectly.
