Rex Ryan repeats the adage to Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum every year. Mike Pettine and Dennis Thurman, Ryan’s trusted assistants, can also recite it in turn:
You lose games fastest at quarterback and cornerback.
Ryan wrote this into his defensive gospel during his coaching days in Baltimore. When Ryan was hired by the Jets, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome joked he was shipping him up I-95 with a sign “I need corners” around his neck.
It wasn’t far from the truth. Just five other teams in the league match the Jets’ total of 11 defensive backs on their roster, and only three others had 10 defensive backs active last weekend. Flexibility, depth and talent at that position drive the Jets’ defensive scheme and are necessary for this reality: The Jets play the rival Patriots, and their volatile spread offense, twice a year. (continue)
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