The Jets defense gets its next test tomorrow — consider it the midterm exam.
It comes in a 5-foot-7, 208-pound package with churning legs and deceptive strength by the name of Maurice Jones-Drew. The Jaguars running back is thriving after taking over the starting running back’s job in Jacksonville this season.
The Jets defense has not given up a 100-yard rushing game all year, but Jones-Drew presents a unique challenge because of his size and strength. The Jags hide him behind the offensive line, then he busts through for big gains.
“He’s a short guy, not a small guy,” Jets safety Kerry Rhodes said. “He’s short . . . but he’s a big, powerful guy. He’s got great balance. It makes it tough for one person to hit him on a consistent basis.”
The Jets have stressed tackling all week — something they have done well other than their 31-27 loss in Miami on Oct. 12.
“The biggest thing when you’re playing against him is you have to swarm the ball,” Rhodes said of Jones-Drew. “You have to have multiple hits on him.”
Jones-Drew is in his first season as the featured back for the Jaguars after splitting duties with Fred Taylor for three years. The Jaguars gave him a four-year, $31 million deal in April and he has lived up to it. He leads the league with 11 touchdowns, is sixth in yards with 737 and is averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
If the Jets fail to stop him near the line of scrimmage, they could be looking at his back as he runs to the end zone. Jones-Drew has three touchdown runs of 60-plus yards and two of the five longest runs in the NFL this season.
“I don’t know if you can stop him, you’ve just got to contain him,” defensive end Shaun Ellis said. “He’s a great back. He causes a lot of problems for the defense. He’ll cut that run and he can go anywhere. If the play is designed to go right, he can go left. He’s very smart. You have to gang-tackle him. He has a low center of gravity and keeps his feet moving.
“It’s a tough challenge and I think we’re up for the challenge. We’ll have to just rally to him and everyone just swarm-tackles him. We’ll have to grab him by the legs and take him down.”
With all the attention on Jones-Drew, coach Rex Ryan grew a little testy yesterday.
“I find it interesting that nobody is talking about our back, our Jones,” Ryan said. “They’re going to find out about Thomas [Jones]. They probably need to worry about him.”
The Jets have been using 5-foot-9 Danny Woodhead to imitate Jones-Drew all week in practice. Woodhead might be a similar size, but he can’t duplicate what the Jets will see tomorrow.
Ryan saw Jones-Drew last December when he was the Ravens’ defensive coordinator. The back ran for 78 yards on 23 carries in a loss to Baltimore.
“You’ve got to get him at the line of scrimmage and you’ve got to wrap him,” Ryan said “This has got to be a huge week in tackling. Every week it’s important to tackle, but this one is critical.
“We’ve got to swarm the pile and we’ve got to get him down,” he added. “Sometimes you’ll think you have him and then he’ll squirt out of there and bounce out of there. He’s just has great lower body leg drive and he spins. He’s got great vision, great balance. Don’t assume one guy’s going to get him down because that hardly ever happens to this kid.”