It looks like OLB Calvin Pace will be sideline a little longer than "a few weeks," as Rex Ryan speculated Friday night. Pace will have foot surgery Monday in North Carolina and is expected to miss four to six weeks, ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting.
What does it mean for the New York Jets?
It means Jason Taylor, who turns 36 on Tuesday, will be an every-down player, starting opposite Bryan Thomas. Concerned about their depth at outside linebacker, the Jets are showing interest in free agent Adalius Thomas, sources told ESPNNewYork.com. Unless Thomas is woefully out of shape and/or his agent asks for anything more than the veterans' minimum ($855,000), I suspect this deal will get done in a day or so.
How does a Pace-less defense affect the Jets? As I wrote Saturday, it could hurt the run defense more than the pass rush. Taylor isn't nearly as good against the run as Pace. In terms of the pass rush, Ryan, Mike Pettine and the defensive staff are so good at dialing up blitzes that it shouldn't take a major hit, but one of the reasons why those blitzes are so effective is because of a security blanket named Darrelle Revis. And he's not around, in case you haven't heard.
Ryan's job just got a little harder.
What does it mean for the New York Jets?
It means Jason Taylor, who turns 36 on Tuesday, will be an every-down player, starting opposite Bryan Thomas. Concerned about their depth at outside linebacker, the Jets are showing interest in free agent Adalius Thomas, sources told ESPNNewYork.com. Unless Thomas is woefully out of shape and/or his agent asks for anything more than the veterans' minimum ($855,000), I suspect this deal will get done in a day or so.
How does a Pace-less defense affect the Jets? As I wrote Saturday, it could hurt the run defense more than the pass rush. Taylor isn't nearly as good against the run as Pace. In terms of the pass rush, Ryan, Mike Pettine and the defensive staff are so good at dialing up blitzes that it shouldn't take a major hit, but one of the reasons why those blitzes are so effective is because of a security blanket named Darrelle Revis. And he's not around, in case you haven't heard.
Ryan's job just got a little harder.
Rich Cimini
ESPNNewYork.comRich Cimini, longtime Jets beat writer for the New York Daily News and a Syracuse graduate, covers Gang Green for ESPNNewYork.com.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Rich Cimini
Rich Cimini, longtime Jets beat writer for the New York Daily News and a Syracuse University graduate, now covers Gang Green for ESPNNewYork.com.
Jane McManus
Jane McManus has covered sports in the New York area since 1998, and began covering football just before Brett Favre's stint with the Jets. Her work has also appeared in Newsday, USA Today, The Journal News, The Cincinnati Enquirer and The New York Times.
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TEAM LEADERS
| PASSING | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Mark Sanchez
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| RUSHING | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | ||||||||
| S. Greene | 253 | 1054 | 4.2 | 6 | ||||||||
| L. Tomlinson | 75 | 280 | 3.7 | 1 | ||||||||
| RECEIVING | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | ||||||||
| D. Keller | 65 | 815 | 12.5 | 5 | ||||||||
| S. Holmes | 51 | 654 | 12.8 | 8 | ||||||||
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