The Defensive Line Thread

No, but Ngakoue wouldn't get anywhere near that number this year with the Jets with the rotation they employ. They can't afford him, and as valuable as pass rushers are, there has to be a reason why 5 straight teams let him walk in FA or traded him.

There's also the roster to consider. They can't keep Ngakoue, Lawson, JFM, Huff, Johnson, Clemons and McDonald. Who are they going to cut?

 

Rodgers at QB means that the Jets are going to score a lot of points (hopefully.) Playing with a lead most games means the other team will have to go to the air more in order to catch up. That's when our pass rush guys, which now includes a promising rookie McDonald, should excel because even if someone should sneak by the D and score, we now have the O to get those points back quickly. Defense is easier to do when you play with a lead. The Jets were #3 against the pass last year and we should expect even better this season. It also means we don't have to concern ourselves with the run as much because the opposition can't waste time running the ball if they're trailing. It's actually, the reverse of the way the Jets have been playing football the last decade due to the deficit at the QB position. It should be fun to watch.

 

Spot on!

 

I don't see, as the season goes along and injuries start to occur, the run-stopping depth needed to dominate down the stretch, and worse, I think we do not have the players to handle the run right now, which means Miami, New England and Buffalo will continue to dominate since they have linemen that can handle weak interior d-linemen. Maybe Rodgers helps the defense which I have read on here so often, but that only works in non-division games and holidays, to be a championship team you need to be able to stop the run, to squash opponents hopes and force them to try their hand through the air. That is how the Saleh defensive blueprint was designed, but the plan requires the players to carry it out. I am not saying we can't win games with Rogers, I am saying we can't win enough or go deep into a playoff run without run stoppers.
According to the Jets site, Clemons, Franklin-Myers, Jefferson, Lawson, Mack, Smart, Spencer, Williams, Woods and Huff are the DL currently on the roster. Outside of Wiliams who could play any position along the line and dominate, everyone else is either a pass-rusher primarily or an unknown.

 

Clemons is pretty good against the run, dont sell him short, but your concerns are valid.

Fortunately theres a lot of time before week 1, we could see some upgrade there before they take the field. Teams often will cut or trade one-dimensional run first D-lineman for the younger pass rushers when push comes to shove with the roster crunch in late August. So maybe we get a veteran who comes in for that reason

 

You are assuming we will be behind the power curve in the game in the 4th quarter allowing them to use the run more often. I would argue than we have a better running game than the competition, so we should be setting the standard and we should have the lead more often than ever before. So rushing the passer will be huge. Further, Wood is neither an unknow nor primarily a pass rusher but an absolute beast run stuffer that will fill the rotation on first downs or running plays. Clemons is no slouch against the run and in penetration. . The best defense for us is when the offense is on the field on long, sustained drives.

 

I don’t understand how you can call Woods, a 10 year vet with consistently strong grades, an “unknown”.

 

As LAJet and King Roach pointed out, things aren't as bleak as you think. Woods is a stud vs the run, and Q is no slouch. Clemons is good, perhaps very good vs the run, and he will probably play inside more this year since he's up to 290 lbs. I'm sure that he didn't add that extra weight to help him on the outside. Jermaine Johnson is very good vs. the run. Mack and Smart aren't going to make the team, and neither may Solomon Thomas. We should get better play from both the safety and LB positions this season.

 

Excellent point about JJ, he is damned good against the run, be it from the RB or the QB. I keep forgetting that aspect of JJ.

 

That "disappointing" showing is mostly due to very poor safety play (especially missed tackles) and inconsistent linebacker play (some very bad wiffs from Quincy). With Clark starting and Tony Adams playing more their safety play is likely to improve significantly. Quinnen and woods are solid against the run and they have some edge players (JJ, JFM, MacDonald) that are also solid against the run. Their DL itself was very solid against the run.

 

Fun article.

What i took away:

JFM is a very good DE against the run… Clemons might be even better

JFM - Woods - Q - Clemons

I have 0 concern with our line against the run

 

it will be a miracle if Woods is healthy and playing for the Jets in November/December

 

Admittedly, that's a concern. He'll be 36 this season, although it appears he has played in most of the games the last two seasons.

I remember an interview Saleh gave shortly after being named coach. He said his defensive philosophy is based on the ability of his defenders to "fill and occupy spaces" as a play develops, which requires speed and agility. This explains why he has guys like Sherwood and Nasirildeen, obvious safeties, playing LB. He obviously had success as a DC in SF, otherwise he wouldn't be here. Last year the Jets were 3rd in pass defense (the more important facet) but 16th in rush defense which is opposite of what you would expect of the Jets. For me, I like to have big bodies up front (Damon "Snacks" Harrison was one of my favorites.) However, with Rodgers, I feel the defense doesn't need to be great, but it has to be able to keep the other team at bay. I don't think anyone will be comparing this D to the '85 Bears, but it should be more than adequate.

 

I appreciate the article from Nania and kind of showcases my concerns. Obviously Woods wasn't signed yet, but I do not view him as a legitimate, season-long answer at that weight and age; that's why I don't bother mentioning him.
The lines are where teams dominate, the O-line should be in much better condition with or without Rogers. This is the connection that fans should be making; rather than "Rogers will make the D better" which is not a realistic way to think, nor how Championships are won. I think he is better than anyone on the roster last year, but he wouldn't have stopped teams moving down the field at will towards the end of the season because the def could only stop the long pass consistently.
The Jets ran a prevent defense for most of the field, the Jets don't get many turnovers either which typically come when a team is desperate to score. Also think about the failure to consistently stop teams on 3rd downs.
From my point of view, the defense lets people move freely from their endzone to a little past midfield and then tighten up there because of their average run stopping ability.
If this team is serious about a Championship, they first need to shore up both lines, and the O-line looks deeper and more talented. The D-line is the problem for sure. They need at least one more healthy, young run stuffer who will last a season. I am not sure if they have that or will be able to get one at this point, but they should be scouring the wire at cuts to find one or two dudes.

 

I disagree. Woods is totally legitimate. IMO it's silly to think otherwise, regardless of his weight and age. Over the last 5 seasons, he has missed only 6 games. and he has played every game in two of those seasons.

Rodgers is already making the D better in practice. Ullbrich said it himself. He said that he had introduced some new wrinkles to the D and Rodgers has already exposed the weaknesses of those wrinkles. He will also make the D better, because we will have a lead more often and opposing teams won't be able to run the ball down our throats and will have to pass more often. Championships are absolutely won with great QB play. You couldn't be more wrong imo.

Prevent defenses are for losers. That and the fact that our offense couldn't score is why we lost. I think we'll see more TOs this year for several reasons. One, we should have a better pass rush this season, with Johnson having a year's experience in the D (and he should get more snaps). Two, with Lawson being another year removed from his achilles injury, with Huff proving that he deserves more snaps, and with the addition of more speed in McDonald, we should be able to get more pressure on opposing QBs which shuold result in some TOs. Three, Jefferson is probably a better pass rusher than Rankins and he's definitely better than Shephard. Four, the D is making it more of a point of emphasis this season. Five, opponents should be playing from behind more in the 4th Qtr. this season and having to throw the ball more, which should enable our fresh pass rushers to get home, produce some strip sacks and force some interceptions.

 

One thing I took away from the article that confirmed what I watched in real-time, the backup DTs were awful against the run. I felt the biggest chunks on the ground were given up with Thomas and Sheppard on the field.

I think the Jets actually improved in this are this offseason.

I see the primary DT rotation like this:

William and Woods
Clemons and Jefferson

 

That's a handshake that I approve of.