New York Jets – Stop With 3-4 Labels

The New York Jets are generally referred to as a “3-4″ defense. This description leads to people attempting to fit all their personnel into pre-conceived roles that lack flexibility. Once somebody is a defensive tackle, they have to be a space-eating two-gap player. Once somebody is an outside linebacker, they have to be in a 2-point stance, frequently lining up at the second level and consistently dropping into coverage. This is of course a misconception and something we are going to dig into over the next few weeks here at Turn On The Jets. Using a combination of film breakdown and playbook access, our staff is going to explain the Jets defense to the best of our ability. We are going to go through the different personnel groups frequently used by Rex Ryan, discuss how certain players will be moved around, explain the different fronts, coverages and blitz packages and work to answer any questions you will have. Rex Ryan’s defense is far from a traditional 3-4, mixing in heavy use ...