Play-action passes proving effective for Mark Sanchez
Jets tight end Dustin Keller had two huge receptions in the Jets' wild-card playoff win at Cincinnati, a 45-yard touchdown pass, and a short screen that he broke for a 43-yard gain to set up the field goal that gave the Jets their final 24-14 lead. Both plays virtually caught the Bengals by surprise because they were set up by the play-action faking of rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, who has proven to be a deft ballhandler.
"With all the naked bootlegs we ran, Keller had two big, big plays off that type of action," fellow tight end Ben Hartsock said. "When you run the ball successfully, that opens up tremendous windows in the passing game."
Keller agreed the Bengals were fooled by the play-action. It's more effective than ever because of the extent to which the Jets have relied on the running game. "Now, we're kind of easing back into throwing the ball a little bit to keep defenses honest," Keller said. "Mark is more comfortable with the offense now."
Hartsock said the Jets likely will start off pounding the run Sunday at San Diego to help Sanchez get settled and into the flow of the game. The idea is to prevent him from getting rattled or overwhelmed early.
Then, they will mix in a small package of pass plays tailored for Sanchez's comfort level, including some of the play-action that worked in Cincinnati. "I think we've done an excellent job in the past month, really, of getting Mark to a point where he is given a set of parameters that he's comfortable with and is able to go through his progressions and have success," Hartsock said. "I think that is why our team has done so well recently."
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