Flytrap ugly: keen communication and an aggressive new approach have fueled the Jets' defensive turnaround

Sporting News, The, Dec 13, 2004 by Kara Yorio

After Jets quarterback Chad Pennington went down with a rotator cuff injury November 7, it was the adjective most used to describe Jets victories. But Jets defenders don't see it that way. If you want ugly, look at last year's Jets defense.

Last season, the Jets allowed 18.7 points per game. This season, they're giving up 14.6, fewest in the league. Last year's team was older, slower, more conservative and less focused. It ranked 28th in the NFL against the run, 21st overall. The players remaining from that unit were ready for a change. First-year coordinator Donnie Henderson brought it. Now the Jets are in the top 10 in overall in passing and rushing defense.

"I came here with the attitude that I didn't know anybody and they didn't know me," says Henderson, a former secondary coach with the Ravens. "The thing I knew was I had a scheme and I had a lot of good defensive players. So you have a good scheme, and you have good defensive players--how do you get them together? Well, I chewed everybody's butt right off the top. Nobody was off-limits. It was not about who you were or who you are; it was about the play itself."

This defense is aggressive. It has gained a swagger. It will, in Henderson's words, die quickly--on a big play, burned by being aggressive--if it is to die. This team blitzes, even in situations where blitz calls aren't the norm. And so far it's working, due in large part to Henderson and his methods.

Every Thursday, Henderson and his coaches leave the defensive meeting and allow the players to run it. They watch film of the upcoming opponent and shout out thoughts. They figure it out on their own.

Henderson points to communication as key to a unit's success--not just among players, but between coaches and players, too. When Henderson took over, he asked each player to write down what he would run if be had one defensive play and was going to call his own number. He asked what each player thought he did best. And he has worked with those answers. "Let's be honest," Henderson says. "If you think you can beat your guy in doing something, why not let you do that?"

For right end John Abraham, who has thrived under Henderson, it has meant taking the route he prefers to the quarterback. "I don't really like going inside a lot," says Abraham, who is tied for fourth in the league in sacks with 9 1/2. "I like pass rushing. Once someone is put in the position they want to play in, they tend to give a little more effort and play a little better at that position."

When Pennington went down, the defense had to step up, and Henderson wasn't going to wait quietly to see if his players understood that. He talked to them about it.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't," Henderson says. All he would reveal of what he said in those conversations is this: Get the ball back to the offense. Create turnovers. When you have the second-team quarterback (Quincy Carter) playing as the first-team quarterback, he needs more opportunities. Oh, and one more thing: "Bottom line," Henderson says, "if they don't score, you don't lose."

Of course, it would help the defense considerably if the offense would score a little more, too.

"Defenses are protected by prolific offenses," says CBS analyst Solomon Wilcots, a former defensive back. "The only way that defense is going to play better is if the offense (scores more). This offense tends to be horizontal and lacks the explosive plays to get out on top very quickly."

The offense, which had averaged 14.3 points over its previous four games, looked better in a 29-7 victory over the Texans on Sunday. Back after missing three games, Pennington threw for two touchdowns. One went to running back Curtis Martin, who recorded his seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season. Even so, the Jets remain a step behind the Patriots, Steelers and Colts in the powerful AFC. The Jets must score more to compete at the elite level.

Maybe the offense should take a page out of the defense's book and make a few more aggressive play calls. If you're going to go down, go down in flames. It's working for Henderson and the new and improved Jets defense.