Last year, we were either 12th or 13th in the NFL in sacks, and around there in QB pressures. In a league with 32 teams, that's above average. But I think this upcoming year, barring major injuries in the front seven, the pass rush should improve. I know the secondary is still a giant mess, and has a lot of impact on pass rushing, allowing QBs to throw the ball away quickly, but let's be honest here, there's no way this year's secondary can be worse than last year's, where most games, it felt like we had empty space back there. So even if the secondary is a joke again, it shouldn't impact things too much compared to last year. On the bright side, several things have improved for us in terms of pass rushing. First, I expect Sheldon Richardson to improve in this area. He might not become a dominant pass rusher this season, but given his talent and quickness, and ability to penetrate the backfield, it's not unreasonable to expect him to produce more in this part of defense in his 2nd year. Watching him last year, I think there were certain times when he beat his man, and had a clear path to the QB, but sorta hesitated a bit, probably because he didn't want to blow his assignment and allow the QB to escape through his gap responsibility. Now, with a year of experience, he should be more comfortable with the scheme and what he's supposed to do, and just let his natural horses fly. I also saw Rex or the Defensive Coordinator mention that last year they didn't really have a lot of plays for Sheldon in terms of putting him in a good position to rush the QB, but that might change this year. Likewise, I expect Coples to have a better year. Unlike many people here, I actually thought Coples played very well in the second half of last season, routinely pressuring the QB, if not getting sacks. And that was in a year when he switched positions, had an injury and so on. This year, he's lost weight, and if he stays healthy, I think he can be very productive for us. After 2 years with us, given his laidback demeanor, I don't think he'll ever become a real pass rushing force, but considering the D-Line talent in front of him, he doesn't really have to. If an aging Pace can get 10 sacks behind those guys, Coples could probably get 12-13 in 2nd gear. Finally, last year, all we really had in terms of outside pass rushing were Pace and Coples, who as mentioned had issues early on. This year, we've got potentially four legit outside pass rushers, Pace and Coples again, but now also Babin, and Barnes, who can hopefully come back from last year's injury. So with Richardson's expected impovement, and a much more impressive OLB core, I think our pass rush could surprise some people this year. Of course things like injuries, sophomore slumps and so on could derail all of that, but right now, I am looking forward to watching those guys work.
Coples becoming a force as a pass rusher makes this defense elite - even with the CB problems we have.
The most important part of all this is being able to get pressure without the exotic blitz schemes. Everyone and their mother know that Rex is going to load up the line of scrimmage with defenders, but if he can rely on 5 to get the quarterback that allows him to play the corners off and drop men off the line of scrimmage to the underneath stuff so quarterbacks can't check down right away because they read blitz. This in turn should generate turnovers because of the blitz threat that turns into a wide array of zones from a bunch of defensive backs. This and the threat of Pryor roaming centerfield and crushing guys over the middle should allow the cornerbacks to focus more on the out routes outside the numbers.
I'm surprised about how little I've read fans talk about Babin. He's the type of player that the early 2000s Pats would have signed and killed us with for a couple of years. Yeah, he's on the downside, but he's still a very smart pass rusher and I think he's the real x factor in terms of pass defense.
3rd and long: Pace, Barnes, Babin, Wilkerson, Coples, and Richardson all at the line of scrimmage. That should give some QB's some pause.
I was just watching some video on the LB kid #51, It would take me an hour to spell his name. The kid looks like he's got some skills, anybody know anything about him? What are his chances of making the opening day roster?
Haven't heard much about him out of Jets camp and it's a terribly hard front 7 to make the roster for. But the kid seems high energy with a high motor and relentless on not giving up on a play regardless of missteps from what I've seen from his youtube tapes. Of course highlight tapes don't really tell the whole story. It's good to see that the Jets went after a lot of these high energy and character guys though after previously having the Santonio Holmes of the world on the roster.
Another big advantage is depth. Unlike the Pats losing Wilfork last year or the Jets losing Jenkins in 2009, Rex could lose his starting nose tackle and not miss a beat with Kendrik behind Snacks. Plus Barnes and Babin are like new additions to the team to go along with Coples/Pace. Depth is huge for injury and for rotating players. It'll be nice having fresh pass rushers in the 4th qtr, especially if we have the lead and the other team is in passing formation every snap.
He drove around the edge, dug in, and didn't quit motoring until he hit the QB. It was a really good play. Reminded me a bit of that kid we got from Buffalo a two years back.
Too busy talking about the "crisis at CB". I was excited by the Babin signing. I remember two years ago when he was a major signing on the Eagles "dream team". It will be interesting to see how Rex uses him, I believe he was used as a 4-3 DE so I wonder if he will be used exclusively in 4 down pass rushing situations or as a 3-4 OLB. While Calvin Pace had 10 sacks last year they were more of the cleanup variety as opposed to putting consistent pressure so someone needs to step up at OLB. Barnes contributed as a burst of speed that was sorely lacking last year until he got hurt. Unfortunately with his slow recovery it's tough to expect that this year. Babin will be an important player this year and his signing could very well shape people's perception of Idzik this year.
Babin is a perfect example of Idzik's hold the fort type FA. Solid, above avg player, 1-2 yr contract, relatively cheap. CJ2K is another. Same with Ford. Decker is the only FA that goes above and beyond 'hold the fort', but Decker is a proven, above avg WR in his prime. But back to Babin....yeah. CANT WAIT!
Great post, I'd add to it if I saw something lacking, but I think you've covered every base. Kicking some ass/
Apparently Babin is making a huge impression on the younger guys. IK Enemkpali said that Babin tries to tell them what he does to be so productive and doesn't hold back on useful information. AA still praises Ed Reed for helping him evolve as a player....even if Babin hardly plays...he could help develop the edge pass rush.
Regarding the OP, I rate Coples as the player most likely to make an improved impact this coming season. We should all be very disappointed if he does not. He seemed better as last season went on, and his season long stats were depressed due to injury and learning a new role in the D. He also has indicated he came to camp too heavy to play that new role, and is lighter this year. He's just about got to be a force this year, barring another injury, unless of course he proves to be not worthy of a first round pick. I don't expect that, and Coples alone can improve the pass rush.
