Tag: Jermaine Johnson

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich should blitz QB Brock Purdy: Jets vs. 49ers

New York Jets DC Jeff Ulbrich must slow down 49ers TE George Kittle and assure that QB Brock Purdy doesn’t catch rhythm on in week 1.

New York Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will be tasked with slowing down 49ers tight-end George Kittle and assuring that quarterback Brock Purdy doesn’t catch rhythm behind their home crowd.

With Jets’ defensive backs Sauce Gardner and D.J Reed on the outside, the 49ers will face a real challenge trying to get the pass game going outside the hashes.  Unlike many of the 49ers’ NFC west opponents, the Jets have the ability to play man coverage.

Ulbrich may be afforded many opportunities to blitz in this matchup and may send linebacker Quincy Williams or safety Chuck Clark in as additional pass rushers. Purdy, while accurate, has shown a history of difficulty versus the more physical defenses in the NFL. Especially when sacked multiple times in a game.

 

49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan loves to use lateral motion and pre-snap cheats to get his skill players in motion. Unfortunately for the 49ers,’ the Jets are much too talented and quick to lose on those generic drag & swing routes we’ve seen from Shanahan in the past. Ulbrich should lean on the physicality and speed of his defense to win at the line of scrimmage and dictate the pace on Monday Night Football.

New York Jets DT Quinnen Williams may increase sack total in 2024

If the New York Jets are able establish scoring leads, DT Quinnen Williams may have more chances to let loose in the pass rush in 2024.

New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams totaled just 5.5 sacks last season. However, a dynamic change in the Jets’ offensive play style may lead to an increase in sack opportunities for Williams in 2024.

The Jets ranked No. 7 in the NFL with 48 sacks last season and Williams wasn’t even the reckoned force leading the team in such category. Defensive end Bryce Huff and linebacker Jermaine Johnson were the catalyst behind the Jets’ pass rush. Williams, often faced with a double team, has however been pivotal setting picks in defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s blitz scheme.

Moreover, with a third-down conversion rate of 25%, the Jets offense practically left its defense out on a limb last season. With an inability to sustain offensive drives, Williams’ and the Jets’ defense spent more time defending the run as last year, as opponents sought to salt games away and dictate time of possession.

Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will be intentional about fixing offensive woes and this may yield an increase in points per game for the Jets. Thus, ff the Jets are able to sustain scoring leads this season, this may force opponents into more passing situations, giving Williams a chance to let loose in the pass rush.

With raised expectations, Jets’ Jermaine Johnson is looking to improve

Jermaine Johnson points to progress and hard work for the New York Jets.

Jermaine Johnson has lived up to expectations during his first two years in the NFL, with the New York Jets defensive end looking to continue his upward climb.

The former first-round pick heads into the 2024 season as one of the stars of a Jets defense that is projected to be among the best in the league. Johnson said that the focus this offseason has been to continue getting better.

And while the Jets have high expectations as they head into training camp this week (expectations that Johnson only helped but raise when talking with the NFL Network last week) the most important thing according to the defensive end is to win each moment.

“I go up. Progress, one percent. I always like to say the slope to progress looks like this,” Johnson said, making an upward motion,” Johnson told the NFL Network last week.

“It doesn’t look like this (Johnson makes a flat motion). If you’re staying the same, you’re getting worse. The goal is to keep getting better and better. My goal is to be everything and then some for my time – do my job and a little bit more.”

 

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Last season in his second season in the NFL, Johnson had 55 total tackles and 7.5 sacks.

Jermaine Johnson on the mentality of the Jets is ‘Super Bowl or bust’

NFL Network interview with Jermaine Johnson ramps up New York Jets expectations.

In a recent interview with the NFL Network, New York Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson certainly embraced the expectations around the team heading into this season.

In a conversation with NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero, Johnson touched on a number of topics ahead of the start of training camp. Several of the topics from Pelissero dealt with the Jets bouncing back from a disappointing 2023 season.

Last year, the Jets finished 7-10, an understandable record given that future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers was lost in the first quarter of Week 1. But the expectation level is once again high for the Jets, especially with Rodgers back and healthy.

Johnson was asked the message he wanted to see in the Jets locker room heading into training camp. He certainly did not throttle down the expectation level.

Super Bowl, or bust, Johnson said.

“1-0 every week. 1-0 every practice. 1-0 every rep. I mean, just take it slow, handle what’s on the plate in front of you. Chop wood, carry water – it’s corny, it’s cliche but it couldn’t be more than the truth. Just look at that. Don’t make things bigger than it is, don’t let the moment be bigger than you. Be bigger than the moment.

“Ball out, be you. We’ve got Super Bowl or bust, that’s kind of how we’re looking at it. That’s how I’m definitely looking at it. With that being said, it’s 1-0 every week, 1-0 every practice, 1-0 every rep.”

 

“Be extraordinary. Be a superstar. That’s what I’ve got in my notebook.”#Jets DE Jermaine Johnson speaks on expectations, Aaron Rodgers and more on The Insiders on @nflnetwork. pic.twitter.com/J7HFqKgJhC

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Last season in his second season in the NFL, Johnson had 55 total tackles and 7.5 sacks.

Jermaine Johnson ready to become ‘apex predator’ in Year 3

Jermaine Johnson channeling his inner Randy Orton.

Move over, Randy Orton, there’s a new viper on the loose and his name is Jermaine Johnson.

In just two seasons, Johnson has already become a leader on the defensive front for the Jets. Johnson record 7.5 sacks in 2023, second only to Bryce Huff’s ten. Huff is now in Philadelphia while Haason Reddick has now joined the Jets. Johnson, however, is locked in and ready to become an “apex predator” in his third NFL season.

Johnson spoke to the media Wednesday and asked about his goals and areas he wants to improve this season. He said his goal is to “really just put (offensive) tackles in a bind, just really dominate everything. That’s kind of where my head is.”

The Jets will have a bit of a different look up front, at least personnel-wise. Besides the Reddick/Huff swap, the Jets also traded John Franklin-Myers to the Denver Broncos. The Jets are hoping for a second-year leap from 2023 first-round pick Will McDonald IV.

But one constant on the unit this season will be the new apex predator for the Jets. Perhaps we can say Johnson may soon be laying some “JKO’s” to opposing offensive tackles.

Photos of Sauce Gardner and Jermaine Johnson in Pro Bowl Dodgeball

Photos of Sauce Gardner and Jermaine Johnson in Pro Bowl Dodgeball

The Pro Bowl Games kicked off Thursday in Orlando, Florida and the Jets had some representation as cornerback Sauce Gardner and edge Jermaine Johnson helped the AFC score a win in dodgeball, giving the AFC three of the six points they scored Thursday. The NFC enters Sunday’s competition with a 12-6 lead.

Here are a few photos of Gardner and Johnson doing their thing and helping the AFC get on the board in Orlando.

Jermaine Johnson heading to Pro Bowl, replacing Khalil Mack

Jermaine Johnson is officially a Pro Bowl player.

Jets edge rusher Jermaine Johnson is heading to Orlando after all. The second-year player was announced as a Pro Bowl addition Tuesday, replacing Khalil Mack of the Chargers.

Johnson was second on the Jets with 7.5 sacks (Bryce Huff led with ten). Johnson also had 11 tackles for a loss and seven passes defended.

Johnson will join defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and cornerback Sauce Gardner in representing the Jets in Orlando for the Pro Bowl games.

Jets’ biggest Pro Bowl snubs

A look at four players on the Jets that had a case to be selected to the Pro Bowl.

The Jets landed two players in the 2024 Pro Bowl Games. Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner are heading to Orlando in February to take part in the various events such as flag football and the tug of war.

However, even with the Jets at 6-10, there are a few players who made a strong case to be selected for the Pro Bowl that came up short. They could still make the roster as an alternate, but for now, they’re left empty-handed. Let’s talk about some of those players here.

Browns, Jets trade pick-sixes in the first half

A pair of pick-sixes in the first half of the Jets-Browns game

There were points aplenty on the scoreboard as the New York Jets played the Cleveland Browns in the final Thursday Night Football game of 2023.

And, each team had a defensive TD, courtesy of a pick-six.

Ronnie Hickman returned a Trevor Siemian pass 30 yards for a score in the first quarter to give Cleveland a 20-7 lead.

The PAT failed.

Jermaine Johnson answered for the Jets, plucking a Joe Flacco pass and taking it 37 yards in the second quarter.

The score cut the Jets’ deficit to 27-14 after the PAT.

Top stars from Jets’ 30-28 Week 16 win over Commanders

Running through some of the top performers from the Jets’ 30-28 win on Christmas Eve over the Washington Commanders.

The Jets were up big, blew it then were up again when it mattered the most: at the end of the game. After holding 20-0 and 27-7 leads, the Jets let the Commanders back in the game, almost giving Washington a Christmas miracle. Instead, the Jets rallied late and Greg Zuerlein kicked a 54-yard to give New York a 30-28 win to move to 6-9 on the season.

Zuerlein is one star from this game but there were a few more. So in the Christmas spirit, we’ll highlight a few stars from Sunday to spread some holiday cheer before the Jets get right back to work to prepare for Thursday’s trip to Cleveland.