Rex Ryan defends Antonio Cromartie on TD catch
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace (17) makes a catch for a touchdown in front of Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie (31) during the third quarter. (Sept. 16, 2012) Credit: AP
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- In the aftermath of the Jets' loss to the Steelers, Rex Ryan called Mike Wallace's 37-yard touchdown catch midway through the third quarter "a backbreaker." But Monday, the coach offered nothing but compliments to cornerback Antonio Cromartie.
"He had about as good a coverage as you can have on a guy," Ryan said of Cromartie, who kept pace with Wallace down the sideline until the cornerback overran Ben Roethlisberger's throw into the end zone, freeing up the receiver to reel it in.
"He was clearly in control of the situation," Ryan said of Cromartie. "He just kind of misjudged the ball."
Wallace's score was the most glaring example of the Jets' third-down deficiencies in their 27-10 loss Sunday at Heinz Field.
"We made too many mistakes to beat Pittsburgh," said Ryan, who cited the Jets' problems sustaining and stopping drives on third down. "We had our moments, but the third downs killed us."
The good news, linebacker David Harris said, is those mistakes are correctable.
"You just have to go back to the basics," Harris said a day after the Jets allowed the Steelers to go 8-for-15 on third down. "When you have 11 guys doing their job, we're really tough to beat."
Vlad gets new life
Despite the shared reps Sunday between left guards Matt Slauson and Vladimir Ducasse, Ryan said it's not a competition. Instead, he said Ducasse "earned the right" to see more playing time.
"If you have a good football player, you should use him," the coach said. Slauson was awarded the starting job last month shortly after agreeing to a pay cut.
Jet streams
Ryan praised Mark Sanchez's hot start against the Steelers but was disappointed in his inconsistency. The coach said it's on the quarterback and receivers alike to improve their completion percentages . . . Ryan believes safety LaRon Landry is "a target" because of his penchant for hard hits. "People are going to be watching him," Ryan said of Landry, who was flagged twice in the loss . . . Ryan offered no injury updates on TE Dustin Keller (hamstring), LB Bryan Thomas (hamstring) or FB John Conner, who had an MRI Monday on his right knee . . . As of Monday afternoon, Ryan said he hadn't checked on Sanchez following the helmet-to-helmet hit he took Sunday . . . RB Shonn Greene said he didn't suffer a concussion Sunday and is ready to go against Miami.
