Monday, October 12th 2009
8:30pm, ESPN
by Joe Grinwis
Hey Rex Ryan, Mark Sanchez, Bart Scott, Marques Douglas, Jim Leonhard, Braylon Edwards and other new New York Jets: Welcome to the best rivalry in the AFC East. This is Jets Dolphins week fellas, there is no love between these two franchises and fan bases, just clear hatred.
Question though, who IS Channing Crowder? Why is he talking so much? Does he have a disease? I don’t know. I know who Joey Porter is. I know who Jason Tap Dance Taylor is. I know who Jason Ferguson is. But Channing Crowder? Who? Well I did some research Jet fans and this is what I came up with: An average Inside Linebacker from the University of Florida with zero Pro Bowl berths and zero playoff victories. Clearly he’s accomplished so much that we should all respect him. I don’t think Brian Schottenheimer or any Offensive Coordinator is losing sleep at night thinking “Oh man, we have to go against Channing Crowder!”. Just like his team’s 1-3 start to the season, Crowder is a joke.
Further more, the Jets have to be tired about hearing about the Wild Cat, or as I like to call it, the Kitty Cat. Rex Ryan’s Baltimore defense last season, twice, shut down Ronnie Brown and the Kitty Cat gimmick offense. Without the Kitty Cat, Miami loses a huge part of their offensive “attack”, if you can even call it an attack.
Second year man Chad Henne will make his second career start and this will surely be a wake up call for the former four year Michigan Wolverines starting Quarterback (had to get that Michigan plug in their guys). This is not the Buffalo Bills who have a non existent pass rush (except when they play Miami – six sacks last week) and injuries throughout the defense.
The Jets defense has let up three, count ’em, three, defensive touchdowns in four games this season. Those four games including the high scoring offenses of the Texans, Patriots and Saints. Mr. Henne, you’ve got your work cut out for you. Buckle your seat belt, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. If you see 77 coming your way, just take a knee. We don’t need to see any homicides on Monday Night Football. After all, children will be watching.
Bottom line here is this is a game that the Jets should have no trouble winning. The Miami defense is good, but it is nothing special and now that Braylon Edwards is in house, the Jets will face less and less 8 men in the box, opening up the running lanes for 2008 Pro Bowlers, Thomas Jones and Leon Washington. Mark Sanchez will bounce back from his first true rookie performance in the Superdome.
Key Matchups:
Kitty Cat vs. Jets Defense
As stated earlier, Rex Ryan’s Baltimore defenses contained the Kitty Cat scheme both times the Dolphins and Ravens faced off in 2008. Monday night should be no different. Bart Scott and David Harris, the best 34 Inside Linebacker duo in the NFL, will clog up the holes leaving Brown almost nowhere to go. Chances are we won’t see much of this formation due to Rex’s success against it, but if we do, Miami will have nowhere to go.
Jets Front 7 vs. Dolphins Offensive Line
Yes Miami did get their first win of the season last week against Buffalo but they did also allow six sacks of Chad Henne. Do that against the Jets and you are putting your Quarterback’s health at risk. Calvin Pace returns and will start and Ryan has vowed to not take him out of the game saying “he has four weeks he has to make up for”. Pace is by far the Jets pass rusher so if NFL offenses have thought they’ve seen the best of the Jets defense so far, they havn’t. If the Jets can pressure the second year pro enough, he will make mistakes and the secondary led by shutdown CB Darrelle Revis, will be sure to take advantage of it.
WR’s Braylon Edwards & Jerricho Cotchery vs CB’s Sean Smith & Will Allen
The newly added Edwards brings to the Jets the best big man receiver who can stretch the field since Keyshawn Johnson departed for Tampa Bay following the 1999 season. Cotchery has been a pleasant surprise as the “number one” receiver as he is 3rd in the NFL in yardage. Now he will be able to go back to his more comfortable role as a number two and defenses will not be able to just key on Cotchery. Edwards will start and will demand double coverage often, opening running lanes for Jones and Washington and not to mention the middle of the field for one of the best young targets in the game, TE Dustin Keller.
Prediction:
Jets – 27
Dolphins – 3