Since being hired I wasn’t a fan of Gregg Williams for bountygate as well as his track record. He always tended to have worse defenses as the years went on until he was eventually let go, and the same happened here with the Jets. The 2 things I look for in a successful defense are the ability to create pressure and consistently get to the quarterback, as well as having solid pass protection. These are 2 things that Gregg Williams’ Jets defenses always struggled at. It’s no wonder when Frank Bush became interim DC and the Jets were better at those 2 aspects, their defense looked and played a lot better as well. However, if you look at the Jets defensive players and what their strengths are, you’d see that they were always much more suited for the 4-3 as opposed to the 3-4, and I am going to explain why.
Let’s start with the best defensive lineman/linebacker on the team: Quinnen Williams. Quinnen is a tremendous athlete that can line up anywhere along the defensive line, but if you watch his film, especially last season, he is a much more disruptive presence on the defensive interior. His quickness coupled with his strength gives him a much better advantage over guards than tackles, and his film really shows that. From the end position, he has been okay, but from the tackle/interior position, he has been borderline elite. His stats compared as a defensive end aren’t that good, while his stats compared as a defensive tackle are toward the top of the league. This is no doubt where he belongs.
The same goes for John Franklin-Myers. If you watch the film as well, JFMs best pressures and disruptions come when he is lined up along the interior of the defensive line, not on the outside. Similar to Quinnen, he has strength to power through guards but his agility, elusiveness, and finesse moves are no match for most guards, while tackles can hold him in check much easier. JFM and Quinnen as 4-3 DTs is a deadly duo, and don’t forget we would have Fatukasi, Shepherd, & Phillips as depth and rotational pieces. You also want your defensive interior guys to be good against the run. Luckily, all of the players I mentioned here are.
Kyle Phillips missed last season with injury, but he had a very good rookie campaign in 2019. Phillips actually had 3 more tackles for loss than Quinnen Williams in 2019 as well as the exact same amount of QB hits. Phillips is athletic enough to play the 4-3 DE position, but again if you look at the tape I feel he strives more along the interior. Lined up on the defensive interior, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Phillips has a breakout next season.
Now onto the 4-3 ends. 4-3 ends have similar archetypes to 3-4 OLBs, but usually thrive better with their hand in the dirt as opposed to standing. If you watch the tape of Bryce Huff this season, a UDFA I have raved about since his Cotton and Senior Bowl performances, he has gotten better pressure and penetration when his hand is in the dirt. The same goes for Tarell Basham and Frankie Luvu. If you watch the film, though they can do both, all three do better in nickel and dime formations with their hands are in the dirt as opposed to standing as outside linebackers. The Jets should also find an edge rusher in the draft. My favorite option is Patrick Jones II from PITT, who plays both but also thrives in the end position. In the 3-4, Wake Forrest’s Carlos Basham Jr would not be a great pick, but now in the 4-3, he could be in play as well. He also is a special talent.
When you have 3 standing linebackers as opposed to 4, instead of a middle MIKE & WILL, you now have 1 MLB that does it all. That is unquestionably CJ Mosley, who after having 2 years to rehab and get back to form, should come out gangbusters in 2021. With your 2 outside linebackers in the 4-3, you tend to want guys that are decent to good at the pass rush but also are decent to good in coverage. Basically exactly what Neville Hewitt is.
By transitioning to the 4-3, the Jets are not only better suited for this defense, but have more options of who can line up where, allowing for better and more consistent pressure on the quarterback. Something we haven’t seen the last 2 seasons. With this new formation, as well as other unique formations that Robert Saleh employs, there is good reason for excitement among fans. Time to put other teams quarterbacks on notice, we are coming for them.