SAN DIEGO – New York Jets coach Rex Ryan would not reveal his plan for All-Pro cornerback Darelle Revis against San Diego, declining to say whether or not Revis will shadow Vincent Jackson
. Ryan joked it would be different if Lance Alworth were still on the field.
Jackson, who has played through a hamstring injury, is one of the most difficult 1-on-1 matchups for a cornerback in the NFL and likely has benefitted from 14 days between games. Still, the starting receiver has caught 23 passes for 408 yards and three touchdowns and is on pace to produce career highs in all three categories.
San Diego’s pass offense and New York’s secondary represents a strength-on-strength matchup, pitting the NFL’s best third-down offense (56.5 percent conversion rate) against the NFL’s best third down defense (28.6 percent allowed).
Revis and Cromartie both are tied for second in the NFL with three interceptions, and the Jets often rely on them to play man-to-man, press coverage, sometimes without help. The strategy helped coin the media phrase “Revis Island” as Ryan often elects to single-cover a team’s No. 1 receiver with his star corner.
“A lot of teams play man. Probably not to the capacity they do. But you just stick to your fundamentals, work on releases (near the line of scrimmage), work on the depth of your routes and try to create some separation and some windows,” Jackson said. “It’s going to be a little tighter for the quarterback, and he understands that, so we’ve worked on that in practice. But it’s preparation like any other week, you know? We see all kinds of looks as receivers.”
Revis made two interceptions Monday against Miami, returning one 100 yards for a touchdown. He leads the NFL with passes defensed on nearly 25 percent of throws targeted to him since 2009.
“They’re an outstanding secondary,” Turner said. “They’re the best in the league in third down defense. That tells you something about the type of players they have. If you’re going to go there, you have to play a lot of man.
“Revis, he looks to me this season like he’s gotten better. He obviously had his best game against Miami the other night. You just have to be smart when you throw over there or if you do throw there.”
Philip Rivers called Revis one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL and compared him to Nnamdi Asomugha, but said he won’t avoid throwing to Revis’ side because Cromartie is one of the league’s best at making interceptions and returning them the other way.
On Rivers’ side is a pair of 6-foot-5 receivers in Jackson (17.7 yards per catch) and Malcom Floyd (21.5) and perhaps a perennial Pro Bowl tight end in Antonio Gates. The group expressed a healthy respect for the Jets’ defense. But San Diego feels confident if its offense executes like they’re capable of doing.
“They have a good passing defense as a whole,” Jackson said. “They do a good job of getting pressure on quarterbacks. Their linebackers do a good job in the passing game and they have a solid secondary. They’re well-coached and we’re just going to have to be very efficient on offense.
“The way we look at it is we’ve got to take care of the ball. When we get our opportunities, take them. Be physical with them. And I don’t see it being any different than any other week.”
The Chargers also strive to continue their progression running the football or using the backs in the passing game. Rivers, too, has sprinkled a few runs into his game this season, giving defenses something else to think about.
Is this the kind of challenge Ryan cherishes?
“Not really. I don’t get excited about facing Philip Rivers, let me tell you that much,” the Jets coach said. “I will say this: I love that dude as a competitor. He can make all the throws. He knows it. He’s smart and he’s tough. He’ll run with it if he has to. Inside of the 10, it’s like he thinks he’s Larry Csonka or something. He is a great quarterback and a great competitor.”
ON TV: Chargers cornerback Dante Hughes appeared on an episode of The CW’s “America’s Top Model” on Wednesday night.
The reality show stars Tyra Banks and features women competing to launch their modeling careers. Hughes was one of four NFL players to make a guest appearance on the pre-recorded episode, including New England’s Julian Edelman, Detroit’s Javid Best and Houston’s Kareem Jackson.
A pair of NFL players combined with girls from the show to form the Red and Blue teams. The winning side’s football players got to split $ 5,000 for their designated charity and each player was involved in a few photo opportunities with the contestants.
BOWLING: Jacques Cesaire, Quentin Jammer and former Chargers punter Darren Bennett will co-host the third-annual JBowl Celebrity Bowling Party on Oct. 24.
The fundraising event, held from 6 to 10 p.m. at Kearny Mesa Bowl, will generate money for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research as well as the Jammer Family Foundation. To purchase tickets or find out more information on JBowl, visit www.proplayerfoundation.org.
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