Darryl Roberts made strides at cornerback last season and looks to hold down the starting job this season.
There won’t be many Sundays like this one for the Jets this season, so fans should allow themselves to enjoy it. In what may have been the Jets’ best performance under head coach Todd Bowles, several outstanding individual efforts gave Jets fans a glimpse in to what the team has to work with moving forward in regards to the team’s young talent. Such as…
S Jamal Adams- Once again, Adams is proving to be one of the team’s best players despite having played in just three pro games. The rookie was all over the field lining up at safety, cornerback and linebacker, setting the tone on defense as he brought down hard-hitting running back Jay Ajayi for a two-yard loss on his first carry. After not being targeted at all last week, Jay Cutler threw his way only twice on 44 pass attempts, both incompletions. Adams also came away with his first sack and a pass break up.
WR Robby Anderson- With Better quarterback play through his first 19 pro games, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to say that Anderson’s long TD yesterday (69 yards) would have been the tenth of his career, but as it stands, it was just his third. If the Jets ever get there hands on a QB who can throw an accurate deep ball….look out.
CB Darryl Roberts- This may have been the most surprising performance of the day. After struggling all through training camp and the pre-season, Roberts has struggled to even get on the field. Then, against Cutler and the Dolphins, Roberts picked up seven tackles and offered tight coverage consistently, adding a PBU.
DL/FB Lawrence Thomas- Thomas opened some eyes when he came out early on as a blocking fullback and even more so later in the game when Josh McCown hit him for a fifteen yard catch and run that Thomas appeared to have a shot at taking the distance. Playing fullback wasn’t exactly new to Thomas who was recruited to Michigan State at the position and played there as a freshman, as we mentioned here, when he was initially signed as an undrafted free agent.
TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins- Seferian Jenkins didn’t light up the stat sheet (5 rec/31 yards), but he didn’t have to. All the Jets needed from the big man in the middle was to play well enough to be accounted for in his first action of the season following a two game suspension, and he did just that. Especially early on when Josh McCown completed consecutive passes to Seferian-Jenkins, whose five receptions are the most in a game by a Jets tight end since the beginning of time…or at least it feels that way.
WR Ardarius Stewart- With the addition of Jeremy Kerley at receiver, Stewart has seen his reps cut drastically since a solid debut in week one, but he makes the list for making the most of his limited playing time. Steward had just one catch for 24 yards, but it was easily the best catch of the day for a Jets receiver as Stewart laid out and hauled in a one-handed grab on what was a rare off-target pass from McCown.
WR Jermaine Kearse- It may have been his first game without a touchdown since coming to the Jets, but Kearse had another solid day at the office as he came away with 3 receptions for 42 yards. A very strong start to the season for Kearse despite being a last-minute addition to the offense.
DB Terrance Brooks- Acquired late in the pre-season in exchange for cornerback Dexter McDougle, Brooks made his presence felt, picking up a pair of interceptions while tying Jamal Adams for the second-highest grade for any Jets player from PFF.com at 84.
OG Dakota Dozier and RT Brandon Shell- Dozier and Shell get lumped in together here because at first glance, they seemed to play a very similar type of game. We knew gong in that Miami’s defensive line was going to be a handful, and Dozier and Shell looked very bad early on. While neither player was great, they both settled down and fought to keep Josh McCown upright. It may have been ugly more often than not, but the two found a way to get the job done.
Dakota Dozier settled down after a slow start against the Dolphins, filling in well for an injured Brian Winters.
OLB David Bass- Who? Yeah, that’s probably what most fans were saying as Bass, who was signed just a few days ago, managed to show up several times in applying pressure off the edge against Culter while also coming away with 3 tackles for loss. Not bad for a guy most of his teammates would be unlikely to be able to pick out of a lineup.
Honorable Mention:
ILB Demario Davis- No, Davis doesn’t fit in to the “up and coming” category that the Jets are focused on this season and that performed so well yesterday, but you can’t give kudos and not mention Davis, who may have played his best game as a Jet. Davis picked up several tackles for loss and a dozen in all (11 solo) along with a pass defended. Davis also garnered PFF’s top grade for any Jets player at 92.3, and he earned it.
