Brady Cook's NFL higher education continues with his third semester ... er, pro start ... on Sunday against New England at MetLife Stadium.

"They're physical, a sound defense, they know what they're doing," Cook analyzed the Patriots unit he and the Jets offense will be facing. "Their DBs are physical, their safeties are downhill players. Just a really sound defense. They play together. We're going to need to be aggressive. We're going to need to run the ball and create explosives in the pass game. That's what we're going to have to do."

Easier said than done, perhaps especially in NFL grad school. The Patriots, after a few seasons in the league's wilderness following their extended run at the top of the AFC East, the AFC and the football world, are back under HC Mike Vrabel fighting for the league's top prize. Their D in particular is doing things the old Patriots way, coming in ranked seventh in total yards allowed, sixth against the run, 11th against the pass and seventh in points allowed.

It could be a difficult near-final exam for Cook, who in his two starts plus extended action for Tyrod Taylor against Miami has thrown six interceptions to one touchdown, has been sacked 17 times and has a 51.7 passer rating.

But Cook also is also game to put all he's learning to the test against the Jets' and now his division rivals.

"I think I'm handling it," he said. "I think, as a young quarterback, it's important to be critical of yourself. These are very important reps and moments and opportunities for me to review myself and really understand where I'm at and where I need to improve. I think I would be doing a disservice to myself if I wasn't extremely critical of myself right now.

"Obviously that's not pouting, that's not expressing that to anybody else. But behind closed doors, it's taking notes on every single rep and understanding where I need to get better."

His coaches remain confident that Cook will continue to show a decent learning curve. OC Tanner Engstrand said Cook has "gotten his feet wet and he's learning on the job, which has been really good. He's done some really nice things, and he's done some things that we can definitely improve upon. We talk about that and we work on that in practice, and I look forward to continuing to see his growth over this game and going forward."

Engstrand touched on one of those things to grow with his rookie free agent QB — getting rid of the ball in tough spots quicker.

"He's understanding the things we can and can't do on every single play," the coach said. "Just for example, on a third-and-15, we can't take a sack even if we're scrambling out of the pocket. We've just got to throw the ball away. Or if we see a hot, we've got to get the ball out hot, and just some of those things and some of the situational football that we've got to continue to improve upon."

Cook knows exactly what his OC is talking about.

"Yeah, I do. I think there's opportunities to get the ball out quicker," he said. "Whether it's a pre-snap change or a post-snap decision, I always think there is an opportunity to get the ball out. And yeah, I'll leave it at that."

You just know Cook is hearing about his game from all around — coaches, reporters, fans — as he strives to get his first NFL starting win and galvanize the Jets offense for a late-season bump into the all-important offseason. Possibly the most useful advice has come from his fellow TAs ... er, QBs, on the Jets roster with veteran experience, Tyrod Taylor and Justin Fields..

"They always tell me, number one, it's just football. You've played football your entire life, so just go out there and keep playing football," he said. "Then just take what the defense gives you. If it's a checkdown, it's a checkdown. But just keep taking what they give you, use your legs when it's appropriate, and just play ball."

Everyone involved in this seminar is confident that Cook sooner or later will be acing his finals. The Patriots may not be the final game, but it will be a good test of how he's applying all of his notes studying and advice gathering. He showed a little of his critical self-scout when he summed up his and the offense's showing in the 29-6 loss at New Orleans.

"I thought that first half, it was a pretty clean first half," he said. "Obviously, we would like to finish in the red zone when we get down there. Taking two field goals there hurts. We need to get the ball in the end zone. And in the second half, we just need to find ways to push the ball down the field, create explosives and score the football. This game is about scoring points and we didn't score in the second half, so it's not good enough."

"I sense that Brady's going to put forth his best effort regardless," Engstrand said. "And he knows this is a great opportunity for him, just as it is for any of the other players out there. They're always trying to put forth their best performance on a daily and weekly basis, and for the evaluation process.

"I don't think he's necessarily putting more pressure on himself than he needs or undue pressure, I think he's just looking to put himself in a position to seize the moment."