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Bob Glauber
Herm stumbles upon perfect architect of defense
November 30, 2004
The search had become embarrassingly long.
One by one, Herman Edwards consulted some of the brightest defensive minds in today's NFL. One by one, they told him they weren't interested.
Gregg Williams. Dave McGinnis. Gunther Cunningham. Ron Rivera.
Tim Lewis was gone by the time Edwards called. Edwards was turned down when he requested permission to speak to Rod Marinelli, who was under contract in Tampa. Dick Jauron found a job before Edwards got in touch.
The only guy left was Donnie Henderson.
Untested. Unproven. Unknown.
After weeks of waiting, Edwards handed his defense to the Ravens' secondary coach in what appeared to be a huge gamble.
As it turned out, Henderson has been a godsend.
The Jets' defense has gone from old and slow to young and fast in the blink of an eye. After an offseason roster overhaul in which linebackers Mo Lewis and Marvin Jones and strong safety Sam Garnes were released, the infusion of young players and the hyperactive personality of the new coordinator have reaped impressive rewards.
Eleven games into Henderson's rookie season, he has turned the Jets into a terrific defense.
Some numbers to back it up:
The Jets have allowed an average of 296.4 yards per game, the seventh-best mark in the NFL.
They have 23 takeaways; only four other teams have more.
They are one of only 10 teams allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete less than 57 percent of their passing attempts.
And the most important stat of all: The Jets are allowing an average of only 15.3 points per game. Only the Ravens and Eagles have allowed less (14.9 for both teams).
While the focus this season has been on the offense, especially since Chad Pennington went down with a shoulder injury against Buffalo Nov. 7, it's really the defense that has carried the team to an 8-3 record, including a 2-1 mark in Pennington's absence.
The fact that Pennington appears ready to return from a strained rotator cuff - perhaps as early as this week - is encouraging. Especially because the Jets' schedule toughens up over the last five weeks.
"It doesn't matter who the quarterback is," Henderson said. "I've been saying, 'You've got to outplay the defense you're playing against.'"
And if the Jets are going to make the playoffs, it's the defense that will carry them there.
Pennington and Quincy Carter have struggled to score points on a consistent basis, but the defense has continually gotten better. Since allowing a total of 52 points in their first two games, the Jets have held all but two of their last nine opponents to fewer than 15 points. That includes the Patriots, who scored only 13 points. And it includes the Jets' last two victims on the road - Cleveland and Arizona, who scored a total of 10 points.
"When you play in those tight games, there's no room for error," Edwards said. "When you go on the road, you can win two back-to-back, you have a defense that allows 10 points in two weeks, you got a chance to win, you really do."
Now you might be tempted to say "big deal," because Cleveland and Arizona are struggling. But Cleveland did put up 48 points against Cincinnati on Sunday. And the Cardinals did beat the Giants two weeks ago in Arizona, even if they did score only 17 points.
So don't take anything away from this defense. It's legitimately good.
And give credit to Henderson for bringing an aggressiveness that was lacking under former coordinator Ted Cottrell, who was fired after last season. The Jets have become a quick-pursuit defense with rookie linebacker Jonathan Vilma anchoring the middle and linemen John Abraham, Shaun Ellis, Dewayne Robertson and Jason Ferguson providing a superior push up front.
The secondary has been better than expected, especially after the Jets whiffed in their attempts to land cornerback Antoine Winfield and safety John Lynch in free agency.
"I think there are questions any time you try something new, but all I wanted was a chance," Henderson said. "I'll always be grateful to [Edwards] for giving me an opportunity. Now it's up to me to take advantage of it."
Entering the season, there was a fair amount of skepticism about Henderson. Some people in Baltimore felt his personality might be too intimidating and confrontational . And his inexperience in calling plays also was a concern. Remember, Edwards had never been a coordinator before becoming a head coach.
Now, in his first high-profile job, Henderson is making the most of his opportunity. And the head coach who failed to attract the bigger names in his offseason search might have wound up with the right guy after all.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/footb...82nov30,0,2627280.column?coll=ny-sports-print
Herm stumbles upon perfect architect of defense
November 30, 2004
The search had become embarrassingly long.
One by one, Herman Edwards consulted some of the brightest defensive minds in today's NFL. One by one, they told him they weren't interested.
Gregg Williams. Dave McGinnis. Gunther Cunningham. Ron Rivera.
Tim Lewis was gone by the time Edwards called. Edwards was turned down when he requested permission to speak to Rod Marinelli, who was under contract in Tampa. Dick Jauron found a job before Edwards got in touch.
The only guy left was Donnie Henderson.
Untested. Unproven. Unknown.
After weeks of waiting, Edwards handed his defense to the Ravens' secondary coach in what appeared to be a huge gamble.
As it turned out, Henderson has been a godsend.
The Jets' defense has gone from old and slow to young and fast in the blink of an eye. After an offseason roster overhaul in which linebackers Mo Lewis and Marvin Jones and strong safety Sam Garnes were released, the infusion of young players and the hyperactive personality of the new coordinator have reaped impressive rewards.
Eleven games into Henderson's rookie season, he has turned the Jets into a terrific defense.
Some numbers to back it up:
The Jets have allowed an average of 296.4 yards per game, the seventh-best mark in the NFL.
They have 23 takeaways; only four other teams have more.
They are one of only 10 teams allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete less than 57 percent of their passing attempts.
And the most important stat of all: The Jets are allowing an average of only 15.3 points per game. Only the Ravens and Eagles have allowed less (14.9 for both teams).
While the focus this season has been on the offense, especially since Chad Pennington went down with a shoulder injury against Buffalo Nov. 7, it's really the defense that has carried the team to an 8-3 record, including a 2-1 mark in Pennington's absence.
The fact that Pennington appears ready to return from a strained rotator cuff - perhaps as early as this week - is encouraging. Especially because the Jets' schedule toughens up over the last five weeks.
"It doesn't matter who the quarterback is," Henderson said. "I've been saying, 'You've got to outplay the defense you're playing against.'"
And if the Jets are going to make the playoffs, it's the defense that will carry them there.
Pennington and Quincy Carter have struggled to score points on a consistent basis, but the defense has continually gotten better. Since allowing a total of 52 points in their first two games, the Jets have held all but two of their last nine opponents to fewer than 15 points. That includes the Patriots, who scored only 13 points. And it includes the Jets' last two victims on the road - Cleveland and Arizona, who scored a total of 10 points.
"When you play in those tight games, there's no room for error," Edwards said. "When you go on the road, you can win two back-to-back, you have a defense that allows 10 points in two weeks, you got a chance to win, you really do."
Now you might be tempted to say "big deal," because Cleveland and Arizona are struggling. But Cleveland did put up 48 points against Cincinnati on Sunday. And the Cardinals did beat the Giants two weeks ago in Arizona, even if they did score only 17 points.
So don't take anything away from this defense. It's legitimately good.
And give credit to Henderson for bringing an aggressiveness that was lacking under former coordinator Ted Cottrell, who was fired after last season. The Jets have become a quick-pursuit defense with rookie linebacker Jonathan Vilma anchoring the middle and linemen John Abraham, Shaun Ellis, Dewayne Robertson and Jason Ferguson providing a superior push up front.
The secondary has been better than expected, especially after the Jets whiffed in their attempts to land cornerback Antoine Winfield and safety John Lynch in free agency.
"I think there are questions any time you try something new, but all I wanted was a chance," Henderson said. "I'll always be grateful to [Edwards] for giving me an opportunity. Now it's up to me to take advantage of it."
Entering the season, there was a fair amount of skepticism about Henderson. Some people in Baltimore felt his personality might be too intimidating and confrontational . And his inexperience in calling plays also was a concern. Remember, Edwards had never been a coordinator before becoming a head coach.
Now, in his first high-profile job, Henderson is making the most of his opportunity. And the head coach who failed to attract the bigger names in his offseason search might have wound up with the right guy after all.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/footb...82nov30,0,2627280.column?coll=ny-sports-print