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It’s time for the Jets to stop handing people jobs without competition, and this applies to one particular position in the secondary that we get into here.
Welcome to Part II of our look at the Jets secondary in Miami, and looking forward.
After having almost no luck throwing against Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie in the first half, the Miami Dolphins offensive coaches changed their approach in the second half, and it worked.
In the first half, Miami’s talented slot receiver Davone Bess wasn’t involved in the offense. That changed coming out of the locker room at halftime.
On the Dolphins long-scoring drive that went from the middle of the third quarter, into the fourth quarter, they hit Bess four times, going after nickel back Kyle Wilson.
On the third play of this drive, on third-and-nine, Bess beat Wilson for a gain of 17 on the short right side. Wilson missed a tackle in the middle of this play.
Later in this 21-play drive, QB Matt Moore hit Bess for gains of five, six and 10 yards, all on Wilson. The 10-yard gain over the middle was on a third-and-four.
Wilson is a terrific young man who works very hard, but he’s too inconsistent. Remember, a week earlier, he was implicated in the 99-yard TD pass to Victor Cruz.
The Jets need to open up the nickel back job to a competition. For some strange reason, Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum like to hand first round draft picks jobs, whether they deserve them or not. How is this a winning formula?
Wilson is a smart kid with a lot of character, but his route recognition is sometimes a split second slow, and this makes him play a lot catch-up.
Wilson has turned into a pretty good blitzer. Late in the third quarter, on that aforementioned 21-play drive, a Wilson blitz forced Moore to throw the ball away.
If the Jets decide to give Wilson some competition for the nickel back job, a guy who should get some consideration is Ellis Lankster.
You have to give this kid a lot of credit. After bouncing around the NFL and UFL, the Jets were probably his last chance, and he’s made the most out of it.
He’s become a force on kick coverage, and this earned him a new two-year contract, following the 2011 season.
He looked very good in pass coverage during the preseason, and in the Exhibition Games.
Lankster had a good grade coming out of West Virginia, and was a seventh round pick out of the Buffalo Bills in 2009.
Two other players who should be in the conversation if there is a nickel back completion are Isaiah Trufant and Marquice Cole.
As I mentioned in the latest issue of JC Magazine that will be mailed on Monday, it’s time for Rex and Mike to stop handing people jobs, and being afraid to make changes because they don’t want to upset the apple cart. That is no way to run a program.
We will have our third and final section on the secondary on Monday by 11 am. Enjoy the games this weekend.
