Jets vs. Broncos: Gang Green Will Stuff Denver's Gimmick Attack

Steve Young thinks John Fox's gimmick offense is stunting Tim Tebow's development as an NFL quarterback. The current Denver offense "isn't sustainable," according to Young.

Expect the Jets to prove that tonight.

Now, I'm no Ron Jaworski when it comes to breaking down the game. However, if I were coaching the Jets, my game plan would be to load nine in the box, put Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie on an island against Denver's receivers and force Tim Tebow to beat me by passing the ball.

The Jets are decent against the run, giving up 116 yards per game (16th in the NFL) and 4.0 yards per carry (eighth in the NFL). However, those numbers came against offenses that at least attempt balance, not teams with quarterbacks who complete two passes for 56 yards and one touchdown, as Tebow did last week against the Chiefs.

It isn't ideal for the Jets, having only three days to prepare for a road game against Denver's unorthodox rushing attack. Rex Ryan knows just how much of a challenge it will be, as he told Jenny Vrentas of The Star-Ledger:

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The Broncos run a handful of option varieties, Ryan said — read options, load options and speed options — all of which derive from the central principle that the quarterback must read the defense and either keep the ball or pitch it to another ballcarrier. Last week, six different players contributed double-digit rushing yards for the Broncos.

They have run out of unconventional formations, like an empty set, and on traditional passing downs, such as third-and-9, which can be confusing. Ryan said no matter what the Jets see, their approach will be to assume the Broncos are running, and defend the pass after that.

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However, because the Jets have Revis and Cromartie, it is a game plan they should be able to pull off. As Vrentas noted, the key for the Jets will come down to playing their assignments, winning their individual matchups and tackling well. The game will hinge on those basic principles, as Revis reiterated.

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“This is a simpler game plan than we had playing New England,” Revis said. “This is more of us just focusing on our keys, and making sure we just dominate our guy who we are watching.”

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It won't be pretty, but the Jets will come away with low-scoring victory tonight. They have the personnel to load up the box and grind the Broncos rushing game to a halt.