New York Jets' Putrid Run Defense Is a Sign of Implosion

Rex Ryan has coached his share of poor teams as head coach of the New York Jets, and not just from a record standpoint.

Between quarterbacks running into their own linemen and dropping passes off their helmet, the Jets looked more like a carnival act than a football team at times.

However, as bad as things may have seemed for Ryan's Jets, they have always had one calling card they could count on. The Jets' top-notch run defense has weathered the storms of the Mark Sanchez era, Tebowmania and the struggles of Geno Smith last season.

There are a lot of colorful adjectives that can be used to describe Ryan's teams over the years, but "soft" was never one of them. Ryan is a prideful man, but nothing warms his heart more than pinning his opponents' pathetic run totals on his refrigerator every week as if they were his son's stellar report card.

On Sunday, for the first time in a long time, a defense garnished with Ryan's seal of approval was not just gashed in the running game—it was embarrassed by undrafted free agent Branden Oliver on play after play.

The Jets did not lose 31-0 to the San Diego Chargers because of their inability to stop the run, but how badly they were pushed aside on the ground on such a consistent basis is the most alarming takeaway from the blowout loss.

The Jets were not just bad—they were uninspired and unprepared.

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The mediocre teams that were produced under Ryan's watch have been beaten badly in the past, but effort and preparation were never issues. When they lost, it was because they were simply not good enough—not because they did not care.

These 2014 Jets are different. They are not just undermanned from a talent perspective. They are showing a complete disinterest in the results of the game, both on and off the field.

Linebacker Demario Davis told WFAN 660 that these issues stem from a lack of preparation:

Davis actually foresaw these issues back in training camp. While the rest of the defense was banging its chest about how good the run defense is, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported that Davis saw a unit that was underperforming, clocking in and out like an average nine-to-five worker.

Winning games is hard enough in the NFL, no matter how long you study tape or stay after practice with the Jugs machine. It is flat-out impossible without proper preparation.

Just ask Peyton Manning, but not on his day off—he'll be busy studying for his next opponent.

It took five years, but the disease of ineptitude and settling for mediocrity have finally spread to the defensive side of the ball. This time, Dr. Ryan may not be able to find a cure in time to save his job.

The San Diego Chargers posted 162 yards on the ground, but those numbers do not tell the whole story. In fact, they pale in comparison to when the Jets were gashed for 245 yards on the ground in 2012 against the San Francisco 49ers.

This time, however, the absurd run totals could not be chalked up to a few gimmicky Wildcat plays or a few runs that squeaked through for big gains in what were already lopsided scores.

On Sunday, the Jets were out of position, blown off the ball over and over, and had no regard for containment—even when the game was far from over.

More so than any other aspect of the game, run defense is derived from effort, discipline and commitment. Talent is necessary to beat blocks and make tackles, but even the top players in the world would get gashed on the ground without those three elements.

Armed with three first-round picks along the defensive front, the Jets have the talent to be the best run defense in football by a significant margin. To this point, they have lived up to their billing as an elite run-stopping unit, but they were not able to skate by on talent alone against the Chargers.

The on-field consequences of the Jets' disappointing run defense are the least of their concerns. There is a deeper issue at hand here, as Sunday's results are a direct reflection of leadership and coaching.

This 50-yard run allowed on a 3rd-and-17 run by the Jets is as alarming a play as any in Ryan's tenure as head coach:

These are the types of plays that get coaches fired.

The Jets did spend a long time on defense in a lot of heat, but these plays were taking place in the second quarter when the game was still relatively competitive. Such ineptitude starts long before the game even starts—in the film room and on the practice field during the week of preparation.

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The one-win Jets needed this win a lot more than the once-defeated Chargers did, but the play on the field would hardly reflect that.

Five years after running over the Chargers in the AFC divisional round in that very stadium, it was the Jets who got a taste of their own medicine. As safety Eric Weddle told Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News, the Chargers were a lot more interested in imposing their will on the Jets than vice versa.

"We really wanted to show that we could run the ball against the No. 1 rushing defense," said Weddle.

Ryan is now coaching a team with a more complex and deep problem than he has ever dealt with. Not only is his team bad—it is uninspired. Fixing this type of problem is nearly impossible to do midseason, when routines and standards have already been set.

The only quick way to fix routines and standards is to get rid of those in charge of setting them in the first place.

If Ryan is going to find a way to fix his team in time to salvage the season, he needs to start by ensuring that his team's core values are in order, starting with his run defense. After all, if Ryan's core beliefs are not reflected by his team's play, why bother having him on as head coach?

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