The Jets' multi-pronged rushing attack earned a glowing endorsement last week -- from defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
He said that the running back by committee approach is "an absolute pain in the ass'' to prepare for and defend because of its complexity and the ever-changing personnel, and the varied running styles the RBs bring to the attack.
"There's something to it, that each guy brings a little something different to it," Ulbrich said of the offense now being fine-tuned by OC Mike LaFleur. "The system itself is the strain. There's this run game that is just, it's scientific. It's so deliberate in the way they do everything and the way they block, the way they climb, the way they scheme you, the way they target you, the whole thing. Their run game is exceptional. But then it's the play-pass that comes off that run game, that's where the explosives lie. Probably less that it's running back committee, it's more the system that's really challenging. The beauty of it is, this is as hard as it gets. For us to see it every single day is great for our defensive development."
As the Jets prepare for their first preseason game -- Saturday against the Giants -- Ulbrich is sending a not too subtle message to DCs around the league: Get ready.
"I would say the major thing, and the one thing that is absolutely critical within that offense as far as I'm concerned is, is speed," he said. "Guys that can really stress the edge. If you can get our guys really overreacting to the run, starting to cross over and go lateral, that's where the play-pass comes to life. Shots down the field, quarterback moving, whatever the case may be, it's really the speed of the guys, and they got that. Three of those, maybe four of those five guys have exceptional speed. Major strain, but it gets us better for sure."
He said that the running back by committee approach is "an absolute pain in the ass'' to prepare for and defend because of its complexity and the ever-changing personnel, and the varied running styles the RBs bring to the attack.
"There's something to it, that each guy brings a little something different to it," Ulbrich said of the offense now being fine-tuned by OC Mike LaFleur. "The system itself is the strain. There's this run game that is just, it's scientific. It's so deliberate in the way they do everything and the way they block, the way they climb, the way they scheme you, the way they target you, the whole thing. Their run game is exceptional. But then it's the play-pass that comes off that run game, that's where the explosives lie. Probably less that it's running back committee, it's more the system that's really challenging. The beauty of it is, this is as hard as it gets. For us to see it every single day is great for our defensive development."
As the Jets prepare for their first preseason game -- Saturday against the Giants -- Ulbrich is sending a not too subtle message to DCs around the league: Get ready.
"I would say the major thing, and the one thing that is absolutely critical within that offense as far as I'm concerned is, is speed," he said. "Guys that can really stress the edge. If you can get our guys really overreacting to the run, starting to cross over and go lateral, that's where the play-pass comes to life. Shots down the field, quarterback moving, whatever the case may be, it's really the speed of the guys, and they got that. Three of those, maybe four of those five guys have exceptional speed. Major strain, but it gets us better for sure."