If we are to believe Rex Ryan when he says he built the Jets with the goal of enhancing his chances of beating the Patriots, then Quinton Coples was drafted with Sunday’s game in mind.
The Jets took Coples, a 6-foot-6, 290-pound defensive end from North Carolina, with the 16th pick in last year’s draft, a selection seen as a reach by some for a player whose work ethic had been questioned. The last thing the franchise needs is another Vernon Gholston, putting added pressure on Coples to make some kind of impact to calm the skeptics.
An impressive preseason raised optimism, but it has otherwise been a slow birth in the NFL for the rookie still trying to master Ryan’s complex defensive schemes.
“This defense overall is something you just can’t walk into and learn,” Coples said. “You’ve got different plays, difference schemes and different formations, and different personnel groups. At the end of the day you’ve got to get down into your playbook and learn week after week what’s going on.”
He collected his first solo sack and another half sack in the Jets 35-9 win over the Colts last week. Ryan viewed that as progress for a 22-year-old the Jets are counting on to apply the pressure needed to take Tom Brady out of his comfort zone.
“He’s a guy I think is scratching the surface,” Ryan said. “The guy has a ton of ability. He can rush from outside, he can rush from inside. He’s country strong.”
It’s not a stretch to suggest Ryan made his last three first-round picks with the Patriots in mind. Kyle Wilson, taken in the first round of the 2010 draft, was the extra cornerback needed to contend with the Patriots abundance of talented receivers. Ryan also had Patriots on the brain when the Jets took defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson with the first pick in 2011. At 6-foot-4, 315 pounds Wilkerson has the big frame and young legs to shut down the Patriots running game, which has emerged as a threat, averaging 152.3 yards per game.
Coples is being groomed to be a multi-dimensional defender, someone who can attack from different spots on the field.
“We try to do a lot of things with him,” Ryan said. “I think he’s done a good job playing right, left, all over the place. He’s a rare athlete, a guy with great size, speed and strength. We’ll see when it’s all said and done the kind of player he ends up being. But we certainly feel fortunate that he’s on our team.”
Coples collected his first sack on the day he made his first NFL start. They are milestones he won’t soon forget.
“There was a lot of pressure as far as getting the first sack,” he said. “Every defensive lineman is driven to get his first sack. It happened. I’m glad I could do it and I’m ready to move forward.”
His next challenge is Brady and the Patriots’ top-rated offense. It will be his first taste of Jets-Patriots.
“Every game is the same to me as a rookie,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m excited to go out there and compete and get after it. I’m growing each and every day. I don’t feel any pressure. It’s straight forward with me. I’m getting better each day and in do town it will build itself.”
The last time the Jets beat the Patriots was 28-21 in the 2010 divisional playoffs game in Foxborough where they sacked Brady five times. The Jets were swept in both games last season. If we go by what Ryan said, Coples was drafted to be a factor in this game. His job: get Brady.