New York Jets' Ellis-led pass rush has QBs on the run by Dave Hutchinson/The Star-Ledger During the offseason, the Jets signed free-agent linebacker Calvin Pace and drafted linebacker Vernon Gholston to help spark their pedestrian pass rush after watching the Giants chase down Patriots quarterback Tom Brady -- and most every other signal-caller they faced on the way to a Super Bowl title. It turns out part of the solution was already on the roster: Versatile veteran defensive end Shaun Ellis. In a league of copycats, the Jets took a second page out of the Giants' playbook. They sometimes slide Ellis inside on passing downs, which is what the Giants did with defensive end Justin Tuck last season on obvious passing downs. The Jets, out of their 3-4 scheme, don't blitz as much as the Giants did a year ago in their 4-3 alignment. But thanks in part to Ellis, they've gotten to the quarterback 18 times -- tied for second-most in the NFL through the first six weeks and a sharp contrast to last season's 29 sacks. The 6-5, 285-pound Ellis is second on the team with four sacks (behind linebacker Bryan Thomas' 4 1/2), one forced fumble and five quarterback pressures. He's quick enough to get by offensive tackles outside and powerful enough to command double teams inside. "Shaun is rare in what he can do," inside linebacker David Bowens said Wednesday. "He's athletic. He's big. He's explosive. And he's a smart guy. Last year, we put him at linebacker. When an offensive line is game-planning their blocking schemes against us, they have to account for him." And that often opens rushing lanes for Thomas and Pace, who is third on the team with 3 1/2 sacks. Inside linebackers Bowens, Eric Barton and David Harris have combined for 2 1/2 sacks, and nose tackle Kris Jenkins has one. The Jets, who use an array of different fronts and personal packages, often blitz their safeties and cornerbacks. One of the advantages of a 3-4 alignment is that opponents don't know who is rushing and from where. "That's one thing Shaun brings to the defense, his versatility," Pace said. "He can go inside. He can go outside. He's strong against the run. He just makes my job easier. When you have Shaun in the middle, it just helps everybody out. Myself and BT (Thomas) definitely have benefited." Ellis, a ninth-year pro, is the longest-tenured Jet and was voted a defensive captain for the second consecutive year. In addition to rushing the passer, he's stout against the run. He has 14 tackles (three for losses), and the Jets rank third in the league in run defense, yielding just 69 yards per game. Even so, Ellis' contributions always seem to get overlooked. "I guess so, I don't know," said Ellis, 31. "I just try not to worry about it. I just keep grinding and when game-time comes, I just show up." Coach Eric Mangini knows what he has in Ellis, who had four tackles (one for a loss) and a sack during Sunday's 26-14 victory against the Bengals. Mangini, however, was most impressed with Ellis' effort. "I really liked the way (Ellis) finished every single play, the way he came out of what we call the stack, which is the pile, to pursue plays," said Mangini. On Sunday, the Jets pass rush will get after Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who has been sacked 12 times. And the Raiders know they're coming. The Jets "do a ton of stuff," said Raiders coach Tom Cable, a former offensive line coach. "They're incredibly well-coached in that they're doing so much and they do it well and they seem to be getting better and better each week. They're going to be coming from all over the place." Ellis and the Jets defense are finally the hunters. This is one of the best units they've had in years. "This defense is a major improvement over past years," Ellis said. "We're playing well together. We're executing the game plan. We're only going to get better. Right now, we want that goose egg (a shutout)." __________________ __________________
The numbers are excellent so far to this point in the season... but imagine what they would look like if we blitzed more often?
Awesome stuff. The Big Cat should be loved by all, he'll be a Jet his whole life and he's survived 3 coaching changes, and 3 defensive schemes. I'm surprised Hutch didn't have a quote from Tom Cable talking about the exact blocking schemes they are going to use against the Jets, since he already gave away the gameplan on monday.
Didn't they give that to him when he was drafted? Was it after his Pro Bowl season or out of college?... I swore I heard someone say it before on TV/Radio or saw it in the Paper. It just never stuck... Let's bring it back.
Jenkins was easily the team's best pickup this offseason. Better than Favre. He is a godsend for the 3-4, and I hope his career lasts another 10 years!
Me and my friend always call him the Big Cat when we play Madden but I wasn't sure if I heard it before. I just thought it sounded pretty funny. Good shit.
NTs can last up to 31-34 years old, Jenkins is 29. Plenty of time to enjoy his dominance and find a replacement. I'm impressed of how the Jets took a Redskins philosophy in the off-season, but didn't miss on one guy... even Franks was an important signing - he was Favre's playbook translator.
Hey Ted Washington lasted longer than 34 years old... it could happen! EDIT: The difference between the Jets and the Redskins is that the Jets actually desperately needed everyone that they picked up. The Redskins just like flashy players with big names.
I believe his nickname is Big Katt, so close enough. Good to see Ellis get some dap, he deserves it. I admit I haven't given him as much credit as he deserves.
Lets hope Gholston has a strong game against this weak Raiders O-line, I think he will get his first sack come sunday :up:
I think many of us are that weay too. I never think or talk about the BIG CAT but he is an awesome player and a great JET.
I think that's it (maybe drop one 't'). I'm thinking I saw that from either Jets 24/7 from the Herm Edwards days, or from Ellis' personal site (haven't a clue what the link is).
cable mentions that the jets are getting better each week, i hope that trend continues, but one area i think the jets D needs to improve and everyone else here seems to agree is the blitzing. last season rhodes created havoc, this year rhodes has not been as effective and neither is the jets blitz package in general. lot of blitzes getting picked up at the line of scrimmage.
+1 It seems like we're telegraphing our blitzes or something because they get picked up a lot of the time.
