Jets need to lay groundwork

New York has to get Martin moving early, often

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Posted: Friday January 15, 1999 03:01 PM

If the Jets are going to have a chance against Denver this Sunday, they'll need to establish Curtis Martin as quickly as possible to keep the burden off Vinny Testaverde.

That will be considerably harder to do than it was last week against Jacksonville, which had five defensive players on IR or inactive. Denver had the third-ranked rushing defense in the NFL this season and it held Miami to just 14 yards on the ground and three points. Look for LB John Mobley to have a big day because of the scheme.

The big key to the Jet running attack will be FB/TE Keith Byars. He likes to line up in offensive coordinator Charlie Weis' "bunch set" and wham the defensive tackle, opening up the inside run. When it's time to throw the ball Byars releases in what we call a "star route."

The Jets look for Keyshawn Johnson in one-on-one situations and Testaverde will take advantage of this when he gets it. Denver has given up 28 TD passes this year and CBs Darrien Gordon, who played well last week, and Ray Crockett need to be ready for the best receiving tandem in the AFC.

Wayne Chrebet complements Johnson very well and is the best third-down receiver in the NFL. And if Denver overplays these two on third downs, new addition Dave Meggett has the ability to read coverage, get open and make first downs. He has taken some of the burden off Chrebet and causes Denver more problems.

Bronco defensive coordinator Greg Robinson will zone blitz the running and passing game. Expect to see defensive linemen like Maa Tanuvasa dropping into coverage while LBs and DBs blitz. It could be Bill Romanowski stopping the run or Steve Atwater and Mobley pressuring the QB.

The Jets and Broncos are the class of the AFC. But Denver's run defense will be too much for New York to handle. Look for the Broncos to return to the Super Bowl.

 

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