Defensive Coordinator James Bettcher -- November 7, 2019
Opening Statement: Coming out of the game, the thing that was really disappointing was obviously how we played in the run game. It put us in some tough second downs, easy first down conversions. We have to do a better job of gap leverage. We have to do a better job coaching in those situations and we have to do a better job executing. I know the question is going to be asked about the third down late in the game or the touchdown before the half. The bottom line is we have to coach better, and we have to play better, that’s the truth. While I’m standing up here, there will not be one second where I’m going to call out a player. We handle things in the meeting room, we coach the heck out of it and I think our players feel a high level of accountability to each other. They are working their tails off, just like I’ve come up here and said the last two to three months. These guys work, and they do not run from anything and they have a high level of ownership. We just have to keep working and the process is you watch things on tape, you evaluate, you identify, you work to correct and you repeat that. That is truly how you get it done, and I like that our guys had a heck of a practice. If you were out at practice, you would see these guys running around competing their butts off and that’s how all things will get fixed and we will turn this and look forward to this weekend and the challenges we will have this weekend. I’m excited to watch our guys play.
Q: The Jets have given up 37 sacks, do you try not to look at numbers like that and stick to the game plan?
A: I think each and every week you look at whatever someone’s strengths are, and whatever their weaknesses are and you build the thoughts of your plan to a degree around that. You build the other part around what your guys do well. Sure, you take a look at it, it’s part of the puzzle in terms of building the plan, then you look at why those things are happening and what can work in our favor in terms of that. Also, what do we do well that kind of builds the whole puzzle.
Q: Did you think your defense would be farther along at this point?
A: I think that no matter where we were at, right now, I would want more, that’s just me. I think there are certainly moments in time, you can’t do this, but you take out two passes against a passer that’s not having a good year but a great year, I think it was 145 (yards) other than those two passes on numerous attempts. Do you just dwell on what wasn’t well? That’s not how you build. You accentuate what you did well, make sure you understand why did we execute something well here, why did we create a turnover here, then you look at the snaps that we didn’t play well on and you compare those things. We came in and we watched approximately thirty snaps of the game on a Wednesday, that’s not something you would normally do. We had 30 snaps pulled out, we watched them, and we coached the heck out of it, our players were locked in on it, that’s how you get better. I think there are some areas that we’re getting better and some players are getting better. We have to keep pressing forward to get the other things out of our game.
Q: Why did you play Corey (Ballentine) in the slot, we didn’t see him in the slot at all this summer?
A: I think Corey’s a guy that’s fast, he’s got speed. The thing I really like about Corey since he has gotten here is you walk around the meeting room and you look at his notepad and this guy is taking meticulous notes. He’s trying to be really locked in. Something that some young players take a while to figure out is the classroom aspect of playing the game in the NFL. I think it was just time for him to get an opportunity. Trying to find a way and where to put him on the field, and that was the position that we felt moved the least amount of people to get him on the field. He deserved an opportunity.
Q: What did you see in the game?
A: I saw a guy that played really fast and had some really good snaps on tape. Then just like a lot of other guys that you could ask me about, there’s the five, six, seven snaps a game we have to coach the heck out of him. He has to understand why the leverage or the technique needs to be played differently.
Q: How is Leonard Williams doing and will you put more on his plate this week?
A: His role keeps growing. Like I said last week, he came in and this guy, he works. He loves ball, he works at it, we were three days in and he was already communicating in our language and already locked in. I’m excited to work with him. We were just having a conversation on a couple things before I walked out here that we are doing this week, he’s already to the point that he can give you the feedback in terms of how it can apply to what we’re doing in our scheme. I’m really glad we have him here.
Q: What can he do to take his game to the next level?
A: I think one thing we need to do is keep trying to find ways to get him one on ones. He had a couple really nice one on one pass rush wins in that game. He can’t lift the quarterback and slam him down, we all know that and he knows that. He had some really nice one on one pass rush wins. We have to work some things to get him some one on one situations. I think he’s a guy that as he continues to improve, the thing that him and I have talked about in his one on one pass rush stuff is building his counter, what is his pass rush counter? This is a guy when you watch him, he rushes long, and he plays as tall as he is and as long as he is. Not all long guys do that. Just kind of building what that counter is off of his rush. We need to help him out and try to give him some one on one opportunities.
Q: How much do you go to him to try to figure out the personnel of the Jets?
A: He’s a smart guy, he has a great perspective. We’ve had, and we will continue to have, those conversations as the week progresses.
Q: Where does Sam Beal fit in?
A: He is going to get his hand in the pile. His role will reveal itself when we get to the weekend. The guy just has to go compete and try to show us he can earn some snaps. I think his role will reveal itself on game day.
Q: Do you think you can get to Sam Darnold with a four man pass rush or do you have to blitz him and can your guys cover well enough if you bring a ton of blitzes?
A: I think having a good balance and mix is going to be important in this plan. Sometimes you bring pressure, and everybody wants to have something schemed up where guys are running free. We got Corey free on the pressure against the Cowboys where we got a hit. You want to try to get them all running free, but at the end of the day, trying to create those one on one matchups that I was talking about, some of those pressures are designed to get three or four guys one on one and try to give those guys a chance to get in one on one pass situations. Then balancing that with whatever the man or zone schemes you want to play behind it.
