In the wake of their 20 missed tackle performance against the Cardinals, the Jets are returning to basics this week ahead of their game against the Colts.
“Tomorrow, we are going to be in pads for the entire practice,” Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said on Wednesday. “We’re going to get back to fundamentals and basics.
“I did a tackling presentation for the team today, not just the defense. So everybody knows exactly what we’re doing, how we’re attacking it, how we’re going to get it fixed.”
Despite ranking seventh in the league in yards allowed (302.3), the Jets have been struggling with tackling the entire season. According to Next Gen Stats, the Cardinals broke 20 tackles during their 31-6 victory against the Jets and scored on their first five drives.
One of the more critical missed tackles came during the second quarter when the score was 14-6. During a third down play, cornerback Sauce Gardner missed a tackle on Cardinals tight end Trey McBride, and the play resulted in a 17-yard gain and a first down. Arizona eventually took a 21-6 lead on that drive when Kyler Murray found Marvin Harrison Jr. in the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown.
Although Gardner was accountable for missing the tackle after the game on Sunday, he fired back at some of his critics on Monday after posting a few tweets before he deleted them.
One of the tweets Gardner responded to was towards ESPN’s Rich Cimini, who described the missed tackle as “the costliest miss” in a post on X.
“Yup, I’m 100% sure me missing that tackle at the beginning of the 2nd quarter for a gain of 17 yards was the costliest miss, and that is, in fact, what lost us the game,” Gardner posted.
Gardner also went after a Jets fan and content creator after he was criticized for his lack of accountability.
“I tried to address it with the team today,” Ulbrich said about eliminating the outside distractions.
“This game is not easy. It is not easy from any standpoint, physically, mentally, emotionally, all those things. So what is your why to come into this building every day and, and be the best version of yourself and work your butt off and sacrifice like they do on a daily basis.
“Get reconnected to that because if you’re trying to please the outside world, that’ll never happen, you know, So really get back to pleasing the men in this building, teammates, coaches, players, all of us.”
Jets’ defense will face Richardson on Sunday
Entering the week, the Jets thought they would face ex-teammate Joe Flacco this Sunday when the Colts come to MetLife Stadium.
However, the Colts are going back to Anthony Richardson as their starting quarterback, coach Shane Steichen announced Wednesday. Steichen also said Richardson, who was the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft, would remain the starter for the rest of the season.
Just two days ago, Steichen told reporters Flacco would start against the Jets on Sunday after he started the previous two games. Richardson was initially benched in late October after the Colts’ 23-20 loss to the Texans. He asked to come out of the game for one play because, Richardson told reporters after the game, he “was tired.”
Injury report
The Jets’ injuries continue to pile up. Tyron Smith (neck) and Brandin Echols (concussion) each did not practice on Wednesday after suffering injuries against the Cardinals.
Wide receiver Davante Adams missed Wednesday’s practice due to an illness and wrist soreness. Linebacker C.J. Mosley (neck), offensive lineman Jake Hanson (hamstring), and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas also didn’t practice.
Safety Chuck Clark (ankle) had his practice window opened after being placed on injured reserve and missing the previous four games. He has a 21-day window to practice before the Jets will need to put him back on the active roster.
