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Florham Park – The Jets played a lot of reserves against Buffalo, and many of them rose to the occasion. Bart Scott had another quiet outing . . .
Marcus Dixon played extensively since Shaun Ellis, Sione Pouha and Trevor Pryce were rested.
On the Bills first series, Dixon shed G Andy Levitre, and hit RB Fred Jackson in the backfield, but didn’t do a great job wrapping, and the runner gained four yards. He did a great job of getting off the block, but didn’t finish the deal. But you could see his potential on the first part of this play.
On the first play of the second series, Jackson gained four up the middle. Dixon displayed some nice quickness, coming from his end spot, to make s shoe-string tackle on the runner up the middle, and he fell forward.
Mike DeVito caused a fumble on a early second quarter carry by Jackson, but it was recovered by C Eric Wood.
DeVito and Vernon Gholston stopped C.J. Spiller, after a gain of just one, in the middle of the second. Gholston went unblocked on this play coming off the edge.
DE Jarron Gilbert got his first action, and late in the second quarter, he stopped Jackson for a loss of two. He actually was the clean-up man on this one. Calvin Pace blew up the play in the backfield, and led him into the arms of Gilbert.
Speaking of Pace, he had a terrific game. The aforementioned play was just one of many that he made.
Early in the second quarter, Pace went unblocked coming off the edge, and hit the QB Brian Brohm as he threw, and this pass resulted in a Pick Six by CB Marquice Cole.
On the Bills second possession, Pace tipped a pass at the line, but it ended up going right to Bills tight end David Martin, but it was actually for no gain.
In the middle of the second quarter, Jason Taylor jumped over the fullback, and got into Brohm’s face, but the QB avoided him, but ran into the arms of Pace, for a sack.
Speaking of Taylor, he had a QB pressure in the middle of the second, hitting the QB as he threw, and the ball was incomplete on the left side to Johnson. A few plays later, Pace tipped a pass to end the series.
Taylor and Pace combined for a big play in the fourth quarter. Taylor got into Brohm’s face, and the harried the QB, who threw a pick to Pace.
Bart Scott had another quiet game, and he did play a lot. David Harris came out early, but Scott stayed in the game because he felt he needed the work. Scott had just two tackles (one assisted). His only play of note was a QB hit on a blitz. This was his second game in a row with just two tackles. That’s good enough.
Early in the second, Scott was beat for a gain of 13 over the middle on a pass to Jackson.
Jamaal Westerman was finally active, and responded with a tackle for a loss and a fumble recovery. He stopped runner Quintin Ganther for a loss of six on a right side run late fourth. He recovered a fumble off a Drew Coleman blitz, early in the fourth. He also had a tackle on a kick return in the first quarter.
Josh Mauga played a great deal for Harris at ILB, and made some plays. On a run blitz up the middle, Mauga got by Levitre, and stopped Jackson for a loss of two in the middle of the third. Two plays later he ended this drive, with a QB pressure on a blitz, forcing an incomplete pass to WR Paul Hubbard on the short left side.
Granted Pace stepped up after a bad game in Chicago, but keep in mind he was lined up against a journeyman right tackle, Eric Pears, who was actually pulled for another journeyman Mansfield Wrotto, in the middle of the game. Pace tends to take advantage of backup players, but is too often inconsistent against top-shelf tackles.
