The Jets defense proved a lot in Sunday's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, most notably their ability to terminate the run, invade the pocket and lock down receivers. The unit also added one more look to their ever-changing front seven when defensive end Shaun Ellis picked his 6’5”, 285-pound frame up and out of his crouch.

Vote Shaun Ellis for Defensive Player of the Week

“It was just a different configuration of people, a different setup, something that the opponent has to adjust for," head coach Eric Mangini said today of Ellis lining up as a linebacker for a number of plays. "I'm not really sure how you guys classify that. Was that a 3‑4, a 4‑3? It was just something we thought that would be good for this game.”

Ellis used this tactic often, and the rotating front line of Dewayne Robertson, C.J. Mosley, Sione Pouha, Mike DeVito and Kenyon Coleman kept Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger visibly off-balance and uncomfortable all game long.

“We knew from looking at tape if we could get them in those situations, we could take advantage of their offensive line," Ellis said. "Arizona did a good job rushing them. We just tried to mimic that.”

The Steelers picked up just 282 net yards that September afternoon and managed 263 yards on Sunday against the Jets. Roethlisberger had just 195 yards on 15 completions while Willie Parker, the NFL's No. 2 rusher, produced 52 yards on 21 carries — an unimposing 2.5 yards per touch.

“We stayed in our lanes, mirrored [Roethlisberger], just being relentless with second and third efforts,” Ellis said added. “We did a great job staying focused.”

For his efforts, the Jets captain and eighth-year veteran was named defensive player of the week by Mangini. His five tackles and two sacks helped keep the Steelers attack at bay as Big Ben and company scored a season-low one touchdown and 16 points, their second-lowest total on the season.

“We were able to control their running game,” said Ellis, who stripped Roethlisberger and recovered the ensuing fumble in the fourth quarter. “We were able to control it and force them into passing situations, and we knew if we could force them into those situations, we could stop them.”

On that crucial fumble recovery, David Bowens, Ellis’ fellow linebacker, punished Roethlisberger with a bone-jarring hit.

“The game plan was awesome,” Bowens said. “They pretty much had everything down and we knew what to expect. Everybody was on the same page. Our communication was very good.”

It was Bowens’ most productive game since signing on with the Jets this off-season. The ninth-year vet had three tackles and was in on his first sack of the year, splitting a first-quarter sack with Ellis. The big fellow even had a kickoff return to open up the game.

“It’s always good to play, and not just play but contribute positively,” Bowens added. “It takes patience. I understand my role on this team. My number was called this week. It may not be called next week, but whatever the case may be, I’ll be ready.”

“We made up our mind, enough is enough, went out and played a whole game,” said Ellis. “In the past, fourth quarters have been our black spot. We were able to stay after them in the fourth quarter.”

With that explosive Cowboys offense just a couple days away, Ellis won’t be relying on any momentum from this win to spill over into the next couple of days.

“I don’t think yesterday can do anything. They are two totally different teams,” he explained. “Dallas really doesn’t care. To them, we're still 2-8. We've got to go out and play our style of football and see what happens.”

Vote Shaun Ellis for Defensive Player of the Week