newjerseynewsroom.com

BY SAM HITCHCOCK

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

If Rex Ryan could hit the “reset” button for the NFL season like in an EA Sports Madden video game, he assuredly would. The New York Jets found out that their best player, cornerback Darrelle Revis, will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL against the Miami Dolphins in their 23-20 OT win last Sunday.

Revis is the best player at his position, and one of the NFL’s top five players. He can blanket one side of the field, and uses his athleticism, strength and extraordinary anticipation to make big plays against man-to-man coverage versus other teams’ No. 1 receivers. For a team that uses their corners to neutralize quarterbacks while their front seven brings pressure, their coverage becomes nullified with Revis’ absence.

Losing him is an unfathomable blow to a team that has struggled mightily at the start of the season, and now they will face a very angry and motivated San Francisco 49ers team that was recently upset by the frisky Minnesota Vikings. Here are three queries heading into Week 4.

1. How do Rex and the gang replace possibly the best Jet ever?

The Jets without Revis will still play man coverage in their coverage-based defense (Antonio Cromartie takes over the role of best cover man), but may incorporate some zone coverage to ensure teams do not expose Sampson without the beard.

Cromartie has a knack for the spectacular, but also concedes more big plays than Revis (he gave up six scores last season compared to Revis’ one). Opposite him will be Kyle Wilson, the Jets’ previous nickel corner. Wilson is a former first-round pick from 2010, but despite high expectations has struggled in the NFL as he is frequently targeted by offenses and allows receptions when the ball is thrown his direction.

In spite of these problems, Wilson has steadily improved from when he first came into the NFL. He may do better than people anticipate as the Jets’ No. 2 corner because while his ascension has been gradual, his potential has not plateaued. Replacing him in the nickel role will be Ellis Lankster, an undersized corner who previously played in Buffalo and played in seven games for the Jets in 2011 (he has played in all three in 2012).

The rub is that the Jets’ biggest strength was their secondary, but now their Hercules is out of commission. The effects it will have on their defense and offense will be seismic.

2. How on Earth did the 49ers lose, and is this a bad omen for the Jets?

I want to say no, but the answer has to be yes. The 49ers got beaten by a second year quarterback (Christian Ponder) who executed the play action very well, and Minnesota ran the ball down San Fran’s throats with Adrian Peterson assisted by Percy Harvin (who operated best last Sunday in the flat).

Additionally, San Fran made some uncharacteristic mistakes for one of the league’s best teams at discipline and execution. Last Sunday they watched Alex Smith throw his first interception in 250 passes (the quarterback had two-fourth quarter turnovers), they committed too many penalties and had a field goal blocked, and Smith was badly inaccurate delivering the ball, missing Randy Moss on a few throws. Oddly, San Fran was a bit too pass happy in Week 3, calling twice as many pass plays as run plays, including five throws against one rush on their opening drive.

Will that happen again? It is highly unlikely as the Niners love to run the ball (which is what makes it somewhat surprising that they deviated from this on Sunday) and the Jets run defense is currently 28th in the NFL. The 49ers have a massive, physical offensive line and like to use the two-tight-ends package or two backs, a strategy San Fran employs that eventually gets the ball to their best receiving threat with open space, Vernon Davis.

Davis has four touchdowns in three games this year, and is an excellent route runner with scary speed for a tight end. Jim Harbaugh does not call for a lot of long vertical throws from Smith, and the Jets’ 32nd ranked, third-down defense may be a harbinger of the Niners getting a lot of third-and-shorts and using their power-running to get the first down.

The 49ers converted 40 percent of their third-down conversion chances against Minnesota in Week 3’s loss. Can they hit close to 75 percent on Sunday? Frank Gore seems poised for a monster game after coughing up a bad fumble last week.

3. Is there a gambit New York can use to get the victory?

The Jets’ running game is weak, and their strategy of using heavy personnel to overpower teams has not been able to catalyze the running game. Their rush attack is struggling, so this might be a chance to see if quarterback Mark Sanchez can win a game with his passing. He does not have the offensive weapons to hit his targets for big gains consistently, but No. 1 target Santonio Holmes had nine receptions for 147 yards in Week 3, and Jeremy Kerley set up the game-winning score.

So the Jets can make the big passing play to generate just enough offense. Against Miami there was some bad miscommunication between Sanchez and his receivers that will need to be addressed, and the signal caller also had some egregious overthrows. If he can cut down on these, and get better protection than he got against Miami, the Jets may be able to crack 20 points.

Unfortunately, San Fran has an outstanding pass rush (thanks to one of the NFL’s top defensive lines) that allows them to drop seven in coverage and break up any passes. If New York can keep San Fran from dominating possession, and use a Rex Ryan dujour of twists and stunts to help their own rush defense, they may be able to combine their eight-man fronts with “loaded fronts” so that Smith is forced to move out of his comfort zone and try to squeeze the ball into tight spaces, resulting in turnovers.

PREDICTION: The Jets are badly overmatched in this game. The 49ers run the ball well, stop the run well (allow 3.4 yards per attempt), and bring heavy duress to quarterbacks, thanks to some outstanding pass rushers and linebackers (Justin Smith, Aldon Smith, NaVorro Bowman, and Patrick Willis). Harbaugh has to be steaming from the way his team played last week, which does not bode well for the Jets. San Fran will be eager to dominate every aspect of the game. This one could get ugly.

49ers 27, Jets 6