Ryan lectures Jets' defense on basics
The Jets' Sione Pouha celebrates his fumble recovery on the Ravens' first offensive play of the game. (Sept. 13, 2010) Credit: David Pokress
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Feeling as if it was time to change the sparkplugs and check the engine, the Jets' defense pulled into the garage Wednesday.
"We went in for a tuneup," tackle Sione Pouha said. "We kind of went back to the basics, I guess you could say retuning, checking our tire pressure and all that, and making sure everything is good in a sense."
The Jets, who have surrendered an average of 27.5 points in their last four games and have been shaky in the secondary, almost took it back to minicamp. They worked on the fundamentals, such as making sure they're utilizing the proper leverage and shoring up their technique.
Rex Ryan even lent a hand, as he said he would, doing something he hadn't all season. He spent nearly an hour leading the defensive meetings discussing the base package, a role usually reserved for coordinator Mike Pettine. Ryan made sure to say it wasn't a swipe at Pettine, just something he thought was necessary with that unit reeling.
"The base defense is what it is and it's almost the same every week," Ryan said. "It's 'Hey, this is what we do, this is how we expect it to be played.' I want them to understand the importance of what we are talking about. These are things we've talked about from Day One since we've been here, so they had to sit and listen to me for an hour, going over base calls that they know.
"But this is one of our staples, this is how we play base things and we've got to get back to it."
Ihedigbo out
Ryan said he's hopeful S Eric Smith (concussion) and T Damien Woody (knee) can play against the Bills Sunday, but he's not sure if either will be ready.
The only player who won't be a go is reserve DB James Ihedigbo, who aggravated a knee injury trying to tackle Devin Hester on Sunday in Chicago. But he vowed he'll play next week in the wild-card game.
"There's no doubt about it," Ihedigbo said. "I'm not missing that game for anything. I'll play if I have to have whatever they have to give me."
