Jets Place Cumberland, Turner On IR; Rex Addresses Defensive Issues, Namath

Cumberland placed on IR- Tight end Jeff Cumberland tore his ACL on Sunday and will be placed on injured reserve.  This injury leaves the Jets a bit thin at tight end with Matthew Mulligan backing up Dustin Keller and it would not be surprising to see the team sign a free agent.  In the meantime Josh Baker will be elevated from the practice squad.

Turner to the IR- According to several media outlets the Jets will be placing offensive lineman Robert Turner on the IR.  The Jets were initially hoping that Turner could return by mid-season, so this is a huge blow to the offensive line in terms of depth.  Look for Gang Green to sign a veteran lineman or possibly two to add much needed depth to the line.

Rex addresses defensive issues- On Monday New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan addressed the defensive issues his team had on Sunday.  Here are some of Rex’s quotes courtesy of the Jets.

“Obviously, we want to get that game behind us, but we have to learn from it. What we said yesterday basically holds true. You look at the tape, that old saying, ‘It’s never as bad as you think it is, it’s never as good as you think it is.’ That holds true in this game. We did a lot of good things on defense, I mean there were five three-and outs, things like that. But the thing that really hurt us was we never set the edge. We talked about that, and when you play against an explosive player like (Darren) McFadden, that’s the number one thing you have to do. And so I think that was the biggest disappointment. Obviously he ripped us for that 70-yard touchdown run. He had a broken play where he goes for 30 (yards). They run a reverse, we have three guys there and don’t get him on the ground. So, overall it was not up to our standards by any stretch, and quite honestly there’s only one other time I can remember a game like that happening to me, and (I’ve) coached, what, 15 years in the NFL? So it doesn’t sit too well with me or anybody in this organization and the good news is we get to play Sunday.”

On if he is concerned about his defense…

“No. Like I say, it’s a long season. We’re certainly not starting off with a bang, but I have confidence that we’ll get it fixed.”

On Hue Jackson wanting to ‘bully the bully’ and if the Jets don’t have an ‘edge’ this year…

” I don’t think so. They got around the perimeter a bunch on us. (They) tried a throwback pass, we covered it and the guy outran us for 30 yards. (They) ran a reverse. I hardly think that’s really bullying us. And you know what? Maybe we’ll get a chance to play them again. I hope so.”

On why they replaced Cromartie with Donald Strickland and not Kyle Wilson…

“First off, Kyle, he had some cramps and things, so he was actually out of the game for a little bit. He came back, but at one time, we were like, ‘Ok,’ looking around. It was one of those deals. We’ll see. Strick (Strickland) is an excellent player. That’s why we brought him back. He knows our system. He’s tough, he’s competitive and we can do a lot worse than Donald Strickland.”

My take: Sunday’s defensive performance was pathetic but you have to give Rex the benefit of the doubt that he will get things cleaned up.  Rex Ryan is one of the best defensive minds in the game and I am not buying into the notion that team’s have figured out his schemes.  The Jets played a clunker, nothing more, nothing less.

Rex responds to Namath- On Monday Rex Ryan responded to Joe Namath’s comments that Gang Green was overconfident and lacked preparation.

On whether you can make players overconfident…

“The great thing is I’m confident with our football team. There’s no question about it. I’ve told you this many times, I’ve never gone into a game I didn’t think I’d win. (I) haven’t won them all, but I certainly think we can and will. I’m not going to change who I am because Joe Namath said something. Namath can come in here, and if he can still throw, we’ll have him as a backup quarterback, but you know what? He doesn’t know our team. He’s on the outside. Even though he’s a Jet, and once you’re a Jet, you’re always a Jet, but he’s on the outside. He’s not in these meetings. I think if he was, he’d be shocked with the preparation.”

On Joe Namath questioning the team’s preparation…

“I welcome him to come out here and watch our guys prepare. He’d see a team that, in my opinion, prepares as well as any team I’ve been around. I disagree with him.”

My take: I think it is way too early to be pressing the panic button.  Yes this was a horrible performance by the Jets, but it is only week 3.  The landscape of the NFL changes on a weekly basis and I expect Gang Green to bounce back strong and put up a big time effort against the Ravens.

Tyson Rauch

See Full Bio