Inside the Jets vs. Colts Film Room: Defense

JETSerious will bring you inside the defensive film room and dissect plays from the beginning to end…. each and every week.  We’ll look at what the Jets defense did right and wrong for each play.

The Jets faced the Colts on Sunday at Metlife Stadium, and had a very good defensive outing. What made the defense look so dominant? JETSerious will analyze the tape, and show you what’s good!

Enjoy!

First, we’re going to look at the early interception made by Antonio Cromartie. Did someone/something cause the interception? Did Cromartie just make a great play? Let’s dive in and find out…

As Colts WR Reggie Wayne runs in motion, it’s quite clear that he is man coverage with Antonio Cromartie. Andrew Luck is going to try and find Wayne on an “in” route. The Jets are lined up with three down linemen, one being Aaron Maybin (red arrow left). Maybin is going to run a stunt inside, which will eventually force Andrew Luck to roll to his left.

The angle that Maybin takes is a good one. It puts pressure on Luck, forcing him to throw it to Wayne as he rolls to his left. Keep in mind that he is a right-handed QB. That makes it more difficult to throw on the run, as opposed to rolling out to his right.

Reggie Wayne has inside position on Cromartie, and kudos to him for running a solid route. But look at Andrew Luck, and the direction his hips/feet are facing. Underlined in blue, you can see that his waist is facing the sidelines, as he throws across his body. Unless he makes a perfect throw, this is considered to be poor mechanics for an NFL QB.

Reggie Wayne almost makes a one-handed grab, which would’ve been very impressive. But the fact that Luck released the ball at a poor angle, Cromartie then has a chance to make a play on the tipped pass.

Cromartie allows inside position to Reggie Wayne. Although he’s somewhat out of position, he uses great eye-hand coordination to make up for it. It allows him to make a great play on the ball.

Let’s be honest, when Cromartie gets the ball in his hands… look out! He can take it to the house on any given touch. If it weren’t for a personal foul on Aaron Maybin (B.S.), it would’ve been a pick six.

Overall, this play was all about Andrew Luck and his off-target pass. But let’s not forget what we just saw… Antonio Cromatie at his best.

Please turn the page and join us as we break down the second interception of this past Sunday’s matchup…

This next defensive play resulted with an interception by CB Ellis Lankster. He’s located at the left cornerback position, in off coverage. From beginning to end he’s in zone coverage. Lankster is responsible for covering the left corner of the endzone.

Andrew Luck and the Colts come out in a spread formation, which screams out pass instantly. Regardless, this occurs during the 4th quarter when the Colts are trailing big time… so it’s an obvious passing situation anyway.

Aaron Maybin is lined up on the right side of the screen, showing an inside blitz. It’s extremely important that he gets inside position because, similar to the previous play, the Jets are trying to force Andrew Luck to his left.

After Maybin pressures up the middle, Luck is forced to flush out to his left (our right). The d-line stunt on this play allows Muhammad Wilkerson (red arrow) to pressure Luck and flush him out of the pocket.

You can tell how effective this stunt is, mainly because Andrew Luck has to throw across his body. With the pressure coming from Wilkerson, focus on the blue line– which demonstrates poor direction by Luck.

As a QB, it’s important to have your body, hips, and feet lined up with the intended receiver. The black arrow shows the direction in which his throw is headed. When comparing the blue and black lines… you can clearly see that Luck’s body is not parallel with the direction of his pass. This will eventually affect his accuracy, and cause the pass to be off target.

The inside slot receiver is running a corner route. The window for the Luck to throw the ball is open as the snapshot is taken… but you can tell that Luck is just releasing the ball. By the time the ball gets there, the window closes. Ellis Lankster attacks the ball in the air beautifully.

At this point in the picture above, the ball is just arriving. Within the red circle, are two Jets defenders… one being Ellis Lankster. This is a great shot, demonstrating how quick a window can close in real time.

The result? A game clinching interception by Lankster… an excellent play.

If Ellis can continue to play at this level, he will not only help the Jets pass defense up in New England… he will be a great asset. He’ll take a lot of pressure off of our newest Jet CB Aaron Berry. Berry has plenty of talent, but needs time to adjust to our complex defense before getting onto the field. The less pressure that’s on Berry– the better. He’ll be able to ease into the lineup, as opposed to being forced on the field due to poor play by Lankster. But with Lankster playing like he did on Sunday, the absence of Darrelle Revis doesn’t sting (as much). With Cromartie playing the way he is, the Jets can allow Wilson, Lankster, and Berry to get help over the top… giving each a chance to make an impact play.

That’s going to be all for this week’s defensive film session.

Be sure to check back next week, where JETSerious will bring you inside the Jets vs. Patriots defensive film room.

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