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New York Jets Coverage Stats - Preseason Week 1 Throughout the offseason New York Jets Hats , I went back and charted the Jets’ individual stats in coverage over each week of 2017 (the final numbers can be seen here). Pass coverage is one of the many phases of the game in which statistics are not readily available to aid in analysis. Of course, stats have never and will never tell the entire story. However, they always do a tremendous job of telling a huge part of it and are just another tool that can be used to help evaluate properly without bias or going simply off of blurry memories. So, I’m bringing the coverage series back as a weekly feature throughout the year! Let’s get things going with the Jets’ coverage numbers in preseason Week 1!RULESThe coverage numbers include only legitimate targets into the general area of a receiver/defender; throws in which a defender in coverage were directly involved in the outcome. Throwaways and deflections at the line are excluded.The stats for each individual are that of the quarterback’s passing numbers when targeting the individual’s matchup. A player could have an interception to his coverage credit even if the interception itself was made by a teammate. For example, if Trumaine Johnson tips a pass targeted in his direction and Morris Claiborne comes up with the interception, I would credit Johnson in my charting.I did not apply the same rule to fumbles; I will only count those if forced by the covering defender.“Miscues” (M) are included in charting to attempt to knock defenders who benefitted from an egregious error by the offense (drop, horrible throw).I charted penalties in the offseason series but will not be charting penalties for preseason since the game is being called a bit differently right now to set the tone for some new rules. Will likely bring them back as a category for the regular season.During the regular season I will return to charting the numbers in coverage against each individual opponent, but for the preseason I simply broke it down by position due to the enormous amount of players taking the field on the other side. I’ve also split slot receivers and outside receivers into separate positions.Here are the Jets’ numbers in coverage against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday night. A glossary is available at the bottom of the chart.Some notes from me:Derrick Jones lived up to the hype. He was sound in off-coverage, making well timed breaks on the ball and sticking with his matchups. His most impressive play was on a 4th & 2 goal line fade in which his physical coverage disallowed his matchup to make a play in the back corner of the end zone. The Falcons were 0-for-4 targeting him, though he benefited from one catchable drop.J.J. Wilcox laid some hard hits but struggled in coverage allowing three 10+ yard gains.Kevin Minter made a pair of good plays on the ball.Rashard Robinson was solid, broke and finished on a pair of plays short of the sticks.Not coverage-related, but two interior linemen stood out to me against the pass: Mike Pennel and Foley Fatukasi. Pennel was one the most efficient run-stuffers in the league last season, but flashed with a sack and huge hit rushing up the middle. Fatukasi did as well with a late game strip-sack and a pressure up the middle wiped out by a facemask grab.The Jets played mostly off-coverage in this game, dissimilar from the press that Bowles is likely to employ a lot during the regular season. It was an impressive display on defense, but there was no doubt that the Falcons were struggling big-time offensively with communication and poor QB play.What did you take away from the Jets in coverage? Last week, the Jets claimed edge defender Tarell Basham, a former third round pick, on waivers from the Colts. Today, we’re taking an in-depth look at his strengths and weaknesses.The 24-year old Basham is in his second season having been drafted last year. He played in 15 games last year in a reserve role and registered seven tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. He was the MAC defensive player of the year in 2016 and is the all-time leader in sacks for the Ohio Bobcats.BackgroundHaving been a productive pass rusher in high school, Basham attended military school for a year before attending Ohio University and making an immediate impact as a true freshman. He was eventually a four year starter for the Bobcats, racking up a school record 29.5 sacks. His production improved year on year and he won the MAC defensive player of the year award as a senior in 2016, having recorded career bests in tackles (49) and sacks (11).Basham had a decent performance at the scouting combine, but it was at the senior bowl where he really boosted his stock as he was dominant in drills all week. The Colts eventually drafted Basham with the 80th overall pick.As a rookie, Basham saw action as a rotational outside linebacker and on special teams, but struggled to move up the depth chart. He had some positive flashes, including a couple of sacks, but overall his rookie year was considered a disappointment.In the offseason New York Jets Hoodie , Basham was getting plenty of work with the first unit and seemed to be in the mix for a starting role, but a minor knee injury set him back and he got lost in the shuffle following a nondescript preseason.Basham played in the opener this season, in a situational rusher role, but he only had one pressure and had been inactive ever since. The Jets claimed him off waivers last week.Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Basham brings to the table, based on in-depth research and film study.UsageThe Colts have switched from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defense this year, which is one of the reasons Henry Anderson was no longer a fit for them. However, this is not the case with Basham.In college and high school, Basham only ever played in four man fronts with his hand(s) in the dirt, so he wasn’t really a fit for them as a 3-4 outside linebacker, which explains some of his struggles last year and the optimism that he would show progress in 2018.With the Colts last year, Basham lined up on both sides and played a mixture of linebacker and lineman roles. He didn’t play inside or off the ball very often, but this did happen occasionally.Basham has also said he mostly lined up on the left in college, so playing on the right was an adjustment for him too.Measurables/AthleticismBasham is listed at 6-foot-4 and 266 pounds and has decent length and big hands. However, he might be lighter than that at the moment, because he told reporters in the offseason that he’d slimmed down from about 270 to 250 since the end of the previous year. The coaching staff praised him for getting into better shape than he had been as a rookie.At the combine, Basham had some nice numbers with a 4.7 40-yard dash, 4.45 short shuttle and 119-inch broad jump. However, his three cone drill and vertical jump were below average and his bench press was poor (15 reps).Basham worked out again at his pro day, but didn’t improve on any of his numbers, others than adding an inch to his vertical.MotorBasham is regarded as having a good motor as he works hard in the trenches to battle for position.At the NFL level, he’s yet to play 30 snaps in a game, either in preseason or regular season action, but did play over 70 snaps in a game in his senior year, so he’s shown he can handle a good workload.Run defenseBasham isn’t known for his run defense and his lack of functional strength would be a concern if playing on the line, especially with the weight he’s lost since last year.Nevertheless, he showed some development against the run in college. In his first two years, he only had two tackles for loss against the run, but he had 9.5 in his last two years.In pursuit Cheap Customized New York Jets Jerseys , Basham can sometimes overpursue or react a beat late and has had issues with not getting upfield far enough when setting the edge in the past. He also needs to work on getting off blocks.He makes a solid play against the run here as he shows some good hustle in backside pursuit.Pass rushBasham took his game to the next level in his senior year, as he almost doubled the amount of total pressure he created. However, at the NFL level, his pressure numbers have been modest at best, even in preseason action.Basham has good initial burst and converts from speed to power well. In college he showed off some good pass rush moves, strong hands and an ability to bend the edge.However, at the NFL level, he’s struggled to replicate this success. He seems too eager to engage with his blocker and doesn’t seem to exhibit many counter moves once his initial move is repelled. Of the pressure he has created, much of it has come from being unblocked or beating a tight end.However, as noted, there have been flashes of potential. On this play, against an experienced starter in Jeremy Parnell, Basham’s speed off the edge is too much for the veteran.Basham has a pretty good spin move based on his college film, but he hasn’t used this much at the NFL level.TacklingBasham hasn’t been a particularly productive tackler at the NFL level with just 18 tackles in 23 regular and preseason games. However, he racked up 49 in his best season at Ohio.Missed tackles were sometimes an issue over the years, although he will usually wrap up and finish effectively. However, he will miss the occasional tackle, especially if faced with an elusive player in space.Coverage skillsBasham doesn’t have a lot of experience of dropping into coverage and it shows whenever he’s asked to do it. On this play, a teammate had to tell him to stand up prior to the snap and he made no effort to disrupt the slot receiver’s route while looking very robotic in his backpedal.He was targeted one other time last year, on a play where he dropped way off the line on 3rd-and-long and was able to get in on the tackle shy of the marker.Basham had five passes defensed in college, all from batting passes down at the line.Making reads/instinctsBasham has said he feels most comfortable in an attack-and-react style of defense. There is occasional hesitation in play-action and read-option type situations, but it looks like he did a better job of keeping his eyes up to see the play develop as the season progressed last year.TechniqueBasham has shown some ability to get off blocks at the NFL level, but this has mostly been against tight ends.One thing he does well is extend his arms to get some separation from his blocker, but he doesn’t always translate that into a pass rush move to get off the block.On this play, however, he extends his arms well and displays some power to drive veteran Andre Smith off his spot, gaining an outside leverage advantage. This time, he does get off the block www.jetsauthorizedshops.com , using his right hand to free himself from Smith’s outside arm to complete the sack.PhysicalityBasham displays some good power off the edge and can be an effective bull rusher. However, at times, he will engage his blocker in a battle for leverage rather than making an effort to shed the block.His only penalty at the NFL level was a neutral zone infraction before a punt (on 4th-and-8).Special teamsWith Josh Martin on injured reserve, it would be useful if his replacement could show some potential on special teams and Basham has done that.In his rookie year, he had four special teams tackles in preseason and, although he didn’t carry that production over into the regular season, he did contribute this punt block.Basham has also fielded one kickoff and generated pressure on a field goal attempt.InjuriesInjuries were not an issue for Basham at Ohio, as he played in 50 games over four seasons. In his rookie year with the Colts, the only game he missed was as a healthy scratch, although he did miss a few practices through illness and heat exhaustion.During preseason, he had a minor knee injury, which was part of the reason he fell down the depth chart.Attitude/DemeanorBasham has admitted that, in college, he relied too much on his athleticism. He has found that, at the NFL level, you also need good technique and preparation to be successful.General manager Chris Ballard praised the work Basham had put in during the offseason to get in shape and work on his technique, but obviously this wasn’t enough for him to retain his roster spot.Scheme familiarityAs noted above, Basham is going to be most comfortable in four-man fronts and rushing from the left side with his hand in the dirt. With his struggles against the run, the most obvious use for him would be in subpackages as a situational rusher and that’s how the Colts used him in game one.Anderson’s own success in the new system could make him a useful sounding board for Basham as he integrates himself in the new scheme.ConclusionsBasham was an impressive college prospect with excellent tape, but has been slow to develop at the NFL level. The scheme changes in Indianapolis haven’t helped, but his main issue is that he needs to work on and improve his technique and approach.The Jets can afford to be patient with Basham, whereas the Colts were pretty deep on the edges and already have some development projects with two rookies brought in this year. Ultimately, this should be a fun project for Kevin Greene. However, it might be overly optimistic to expect any immediate success.