Jets believe they'll contain slippery Welker

The DVDs were made months ago, chronicling every route, every broken tackle and every catch-and-run made by Patriots receiver Wes Welker. It's these discs that Jets rookie Kyle Wilson has been studying and scrutinizing, all in an attempt to unlock a mystery that has consistently confounded Jets coach Rex Ryan and his predecessor Eric Mangini.

"I've been watching him for a while now," Wilson said with a smile.

Welker, the two-time Pro Bowl selection who leads the NFL with 354 receptions since the start of the 2007 season, has baffled the Jets' secondary in recent years, always lurking in the open field and striking when least expected. Before he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 17 last season, Welker had 15 receptions for 192 yards - both career and franchise-highs - in the Patriots' 31-14 victory over the Jets on Nov. 22 at Gillette Stadium.

"Sometimes you have one of those days," Welker said earlier this week of that game. "And that was one of those days where I was able to get in a zone and make some plays."

Ryan vows not to let that happen again.

"One thing we've got to do is we've got to hit him," he said of Welker, who did not play in the teams' first meeting on Sept. 20, a 16-9 Jets' home win. "If he's going to catch that many passes, we've got to hit him."

That plan seems simple enough, given the Jets' enjoyment of brazen blitzes and physical play. But Welker is quick, crafty and compact, making him a "matchup nightmare," Ryan said. Somehow, the 5-9, 185-pound slot receiver continuously is able to slip by defensive backs and find a sliver of open space for Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to thread the football.

"He just keeps fighting," Wilson said.

"You might initially stop the route, but he just keeps working and gets open," safety Jim Leonhard said. "So that's why getting to the quarterback and getting someone in Brady's face and making him move is so important. We feel great about our schemes and it's definitely important to put your hands on receivers this week."

But putting hands on receivers is what cost the Jets in Monday night's 10-9 loss to Baltimore. They were flagged 14 times for 125 penalty yards against the Ravens. Wilson and fellow cornerback Antonio Cromartie were the biggest offenders Monday, but both said they plan to be just as aggressive against New England.

With shutdown corner Darrelle Revis expected to track wideout Randy Moss Sunday, that leaves Welker as either Cromartie or Wilson's primary responsibility. It's no easy task, but the Jets are confident they can disrupt Brady's timing and contain Welker.

"I'm just as quick as those little guys," Cromartie said. "I think it's to my advantage, me being 6-3 and [I] can run with anybody on the football field. I can maneuver just as much as they can."

Ryan said Friday that he believed Wilson "had the best man-cover skills in the draft," and the rest of the secondary is equally impressed.

"It's going to be a big challenge for him but I think he's ready for it," Revis said. "That's why he's in this position right now. That's why we drafted him in the first round - to handle situations like this."

The bulky brace on Welker's surgically-repaired left knee apparently hasn't slowed him. He had eight receptions for 64 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots' 38-24 win over Cincinnati last week. And Welker, who had a career-high 1,348 receiving yards in 2009, is hoping his success against the Jets continues.

The last time he failed to record a catch in a game was Dec. 24, 2005 when he played for Miami. But since then, he and Moss each have three straight seasons of 1,000 yards dating to 2007 and Welker carries a streak of 64 games with at least one catch into New Meadowlands Stadium this afternoon.

It's a streak the Jets hope to snap.

"A receiver like that you've got to give him different looks. You can't show him the same thing over and over," Leonhard said. "He's a crafty veteran. He understands different looks and how to beat that, so you've got to mix it up."