Jets need to be aggressive on defense in 2017

The New York Jets need to be aggressive on defensive play calls in 2017. More so now than last season due to their revamped secondary.

We know that the New York Jets defensive linemen are good, but their linebackers are showing some things in camp that are good as well. Many accounts from camp have fifth round draft pick, Dylan Donahue, stepping his game up and getting reps with the first team.

The Jets also have good tandems at the safety and cornerback positions. Rookies Marcus Maye and Jamal Adams are solid coverage guys. Adams can cover tight ends or wide receivers, and Maye is good at tracking the eyes of the quarterback in zone coverage.

Morris Claiborne is a shutdown corner who doesn’t create turnovers, but he does prevent his man from getting the football. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed a passer rating of 64.1 when being targeted in 2016. On the other side of the field, they have a turnover machine. Marcus Williams‘ eight interceptions put him among the top defensive backs in the game in the last two seasons.

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Given the improvements the team made and their talent on the front seven, the Jets need to be more aggressive in 2017.

The Jets play a base 3-4 defense, and that means figuring out where the extra rusher comes from becomes problematic for the opposing offense.

Football is the ultimate team game. When a team is more aggressive up front, it allows for the back end to be more aggressive. This can lead to more batted balls, more incompletions, and more interceptions.

More turnovers and possession changes can give the young Jets offense some more time to work together on the field and developing more chemistry during in-game situations. The Jets are young, and they need all the reps they can get. Ultimately, 2017 will be based on the success of the defense as they build the offense.