Brandon Marshall vs. Antonio Cromartie: No Darrelle Revis, No Problem for Jets

The New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins are working on a joint feature presentation to be premiered Sunday night.

Sit back and enjoy the world premiere of "Remembering How To Cover Brandon Marshall", a story of a couple with a lot of history, good times and bad times for both. The stars, Brandon Marshall and Antonio Cromartie, both move to the same area at the same time.

What will happen when the two run into each other once again?

There was almost a wrench thrown between them, as Darrelle Revis' status as New York's No. 1 shutdown corner had Marshall's mind thinking of another match-up, but with All-Pro cornerback Revis sidelined with a sore hamstring, Marshall and Cromartie meet again.

Cromartie has tallied two interceptions this year, and took strides last week against the Patriots and Randy Moss.

Much of the chalk talk last week centered around Revis' ability to cover Moss like a blanket over their past four meetings. Cromartie has held Marshall to just 14 receptions for 130 yards and no touchdowns in their past three meetings.

Of course, there was the fourth, and most dated meeting in Week 2 of '08, where Marshall went off with an 18-reception, 166-yard anomaly against his nemesis, scoring his lone touchdown in their past four meetings in the process.

The Chargers weren't exactly stalwarts against the pass those years. Thus, Cromartie's dominance wasn't the doing of an in-your-face defense. The type of defense the Jets just happen to field.

Cromartie has all the physical tools to cover Marshall in much the same way as he has in the past, and now he has the support of a vicious front seven that will prevent him from covering Marshall longer than he's comfortable.

Many analysts are saying that the Jets will win this game, but Cromartie's coverage on Marshall is perhaps one of the most overlooked reasons to support that claim. His top-end coverage on Marshall means the Jets don't have to play it safe on the perimeter in pass defense.

Cromartie may not remember the names of his kids, but chances are he can remember how to cover Brandon Marshall.