On the surface, it looks like it might be another big day for the Jets’ offense. A week after laying a 40-spot down in Miami, they get the Brownies at home and Cleveland’s allowing league lows in 28.2 points and 389.9 yards per game.
“We don’t ever get caught up in the stats. We get caught up in what we see on film,” said offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer Friday. “And what we see on film is a good defense that plays with a lot of energy. They are very opportunistic — I think they’ve had seven straight games with interceptions. They do some things from a ball disruptive standpoint that causes problems. It will be a good test for us.”
Schotteheimer was lauded for his creative game plan against the Dolphins featuring the use of three different players at quarterback — Kellen Clemens, Leon Washington and Brad Smith. The Jets were also without the services of dependable wideout Jerricho Cotchery, who missed the game with a finger injury.
Washington’s first career QB snap came out of the shotgun and the play resulted in an 18-yard scoring run. Smith, who handled three QB reps, had a 19-yard TD reception after he initially lined up as a slot receiver and motioned to halfback.
“You have those in every week and just based on what you’re getting from the opponent determines whether you call this or not,” said the second-year coordinator of the gadgets. “The other thing is when they work, they tend to look a lot better.”
Clemens will make his sixth career start Sunday. He threw for 236 yards last week but was sacked six times. Since being named the Jets’ No. 1 signalcaller, he has been sacked 15 times in four games. Schotteheimer surely would like to see that stat changed, but he likes the Oregon product’s “feel” and instincts.
“There have been plenty of snaps that show he does have the ability to move around and buy some time in the pocket,” Schotty said. “One of my favorite plays last week was the two-minute drive when he got out and sidestepped the rush. It was the play with Joey Porter on the boundary where he was able to get out of bounds and stop the clock.”
In addition to Washington finding the end zone twice against the Dolphins, the Jets were able to celebrate Thomas Jones’ first TD in Green & White.
“The best thing about it was watching everyone’s reaction, how excited everyone was for him,” said a pleased Schotteheimer.
Romeo Crennel runs a similar 3-4 defensive system as Jets head coach Eric Mangini. When asked if that helps with preparation, Schotteheimer took a friendly jab at his boss and then stressed the importance of personnel and matchups.
“I think it adds some headaches because the head coach thinks he knows all what they’re doing,” Schotty said. “When you look at the family it comes from with New England, there is definitely some familiarity with that. I think that does help from a scheme standpoint, but the bottom line is the game is played against people and that’s something you can’t get from the scheme.”
