Jets defensive end Leonard Williams admitted the repetitive questions about the team’s lack of sacks was wearing on him.
Week after week, Williams — one of the most accommodating players on the team and a natural leader — would be asked about the lack of sacks among the Jets’ defensive linemen.
Muhammad Wilkerson didn’t get his first sack of the season until Week 8 against the Falcons, and it took Williams until a 34-21 win over the Bills last Thursday to earn a half-sack.
All year long, the Jets kept saying sacks would come in bunches, and the seven they posted in beating the Bills validates that reasoning. Yet, Williams, in his third season as a pro, said hearing questions week after week about the sackless Jets got old.
“Even though I wasn’t too frustrated, just listening to it affects me a little,” Williams said Thursday. “I’m still young and I’m still learning. Sometimes I would read into it, and I’d have to remind myself or get reminded by a coach or a teammate to zone it out. That’s a part of being younger and still learning the league and everything like that.”
It’s a lesson that should benefit Williams, 23, and the Jets this season and for years to come. Keep doing your job and the sacks will come, perhaps even in bunches.
Give coach Todd Bowles some credit for that. There were times when he seemed in denial, insisting he was satisfied with the performance of his defensive line, particularly Wilkerson, who wasn’t putting the type of pressure on the quarterbacks that most expected.
But over the past two weeks, Wilkerson has been much more active, collecting sacks in back-to-back games. Williams was credited with a half-sack against the Bills, but he was in Buffalo’s backfield for most of the game, stuffing running plays and putting plenty of heat on quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
In addition to the seven sacks, the Jets limited the Bills to 63 yards rushing and forced three turnovers. It’s a performance they hope to duplicate Sunday at Tampa Bay (2-6).
“I think last week’s performance just set the bar as to where we should be as a defense,” Williams said. “We stopped the run. We got after the quarterback. We got takeaways. We did everything that a great defense wants to do. We showed we can do it, so we can progress from that.”
The next bull’s-eye is former Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who will start Sunday for the Buccaneers — replacing Jameis Winston, who is out with a shoulder injury. The Jets insist Fitzpatrick is just another quarterback, but their familiarity with him should help.
They know he’s smart and, if given time, can be dangerous. But if the Jets can apply a consistent pass rush, he is apt to throw something up for grabs. He had 15 interceptions with the Jets in 2015 (his good year), and 17 in 2016 (his bad year).
Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye might be rookies, but they’re better than anybody Fitzpatrick practiced against while with the Jets. With linebackers Demario Davis playing at a high level, Darron Lee rapidly improving, and Jordan Jenkins coming off a week in which he was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week, Fitzpatrick will be a facing a better Jets defense than he practiced against wearing green. Plus, their confidence is sky high.
“The second part of the season has been great for the whole defense,” Williams said. “I’ve definitely been progressing as an individual. But it awesome to see all-round defense and team win like that.”
Maybe Bowles was right. Sacks do come in bunches. More importantly he backed his players during a time when they were under fire. Players won’t forget that.
You get the feeling the Jets are just getting started. Whether it’s a playoff run or building a culture for next season, there’s plenty of growth possible for the once-sackless Jets.