Rex Ryan Knows His Defense must Fly to the Football to Stop Doug Martin

Aug 3, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin (22) runs with the ball during training camp at One Buc Place. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

So we have just about made it. The regular season is just about 24 hours away, as is the Jets game against the Buccaneers. It’s going to be an emotional first game, with Darrelle Revis making his return to New Jersey. However, it is certainly one that the Jets can take, especially at home.

The key on defense is going to be to stop Doug Martin. Quarterback Josh Freeman is in many ways like Sanchez, in that he needs a successful running game to open things up for him. Rex Ryan knows that stopping Freeman is not going to be easy:

Like any good back you have to have more than one guy on him. Obviously, he’s a guy who runs hard (and) runs through arm tackles, so we have to make sure that we have a lot of guys flying to the football, getting off blocks and don’t assume one guy has him on the ground. So, we just have to set our edges, we have to have a lot of guys on him, and like I said, don’t assume the guy is down because I’ve seen him run through some pretty good tacklers in this league.

This will be the biggest test for the Jets on Sunday. Doug Martin is the type of player that has given the Jets fits in the past. Players like Darren McFadden have beaten the Jets all by themselves, and Martin is that type of player. If the Jets can keep him under wraps, they have a great chance to win.

If not, it will be a problem.