The picture of rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner celebrating the New York Jets’ win over the Inexperienced Bay Packers, with the defender strutting round Lambeau Area with a cheesehead on, is likely to be the lasting picture from Week 6.
However make no mistake, Garner earned that second due to a stellar efficiency on the sector, one which has him among the many prime rookie defenders within the NFL, and bodes properly for the Jets the remainder of this season, and past.
In keeping with charting knowledge from Professional Soccer Focus, Gardner turned in an elite efficiency towards the Packers Sunday. Gardner was focused six instances within the passing recreation, permitting a single reception for eight yards. He broke up three passes on the afternoon, and allowed an NFL Passer Ranking of simply 39.6.
That effort was on show early, as Aaron Rodgers focused him together with his first throw of the afternoon.
It went the best way of the rookie:
Allen Lazard runs a slant route on the suitable facet of the offense, working towards Gardner who stands throughout from him in press alignment. Lazard releases off the road and stresses the cornerback to the skin, forcing the rookie to open his hips to the sideline. That’s when the receiver cuts beneath Gardner on his slant route.
However Gardner not solely adjustments instructions shortly to match the route, however he makes use of his unimaginable size — his 33.5” arms positioned him within the 97th percentile of cornerbacks in line with MockDraftable — as a weapon. As Lazard makes his break, Gardner will get his fingers on the receiver, conserving him in place to make a play on the soccer. Gardner does simply that, utilizing that size to interrupt up the throw.
Take into account this play from the second half, as Gardner breaks on a crossing route supposed for Lazard. The Packers face a third and 1 on this play, and use play-action to try to create area within the passing recreation. It really works, because the Jets linebackers collapse downhill in response to the pretend handoff. Gardner is enjoying off-man right here, with outdoors leverage over Lazard.
That mixture — the linebackers flowing downhill and Gardner conceding the within off the snap — offers the Packers an enormous benefit. However watch the closing velocity from the rookie, and the size on the final second:
Gardner closes down on Lazard within the blink of a watch, and will get his fingers into the catch level to stop the completion.
Emory Hunt, an excellent soccer analyst, typically makes use of the phrase “measurement is just not a ability.” That’s completely right. Simply because an athlete is likely to be tall, or is likely to be huge, is just not proof that they’ve the ability to play a sure place, or play at a specific degree.
However understanding learn how to use your measurement successfully on your place, and making that measurement a real weapon on the sector, is a ability. And it’s a ability that Gardner honed in faculty, and has mastered early in his NFL profession. His size, and the way he places it to work, is a weapon for the Jets protection, whether or not disrupting a slant route or closing down on a crossing route.
Yet one more play from Sunday illustrates this level, but in addition showcases how fluid Gardner strikes for a person of his measurement. On this play he’s once more in off protection, in zone towards fellow rookie Romeo Doubs. Doubs releases off the suitable facet and runs a curl route, however tries to promote Gardner first on a nook route, after which on a corner-post route, earlier than breaking again to the soccer.
Watch how properly Gardner mirrors the route, transferring his ft and hips in sync with the receiver. Then, the size reveals up once more, as Gardner drives again to the catch level and suggestions the move away:
That is elite-level cornerback play, and Gardner’s show on Sunday earned reward from a participant he was in comparison with typically final spring, and somebody who is aware of just a little about cornerback play:
Whereas these performs are actually spectacular, a few of Gardner’s finest work Sunday might need come when Rodgers went elsewhere with the soccer, both by design or as a result of the rookie compelled him to a special learn. On this play from the second quarter, Gardner once more sticks on a crossing route from Lazard, who’s working from right-to-left:
Once more, you see that mixture of size and athleticism, as Gardner mirrors the route together with his velocity — he posted a 4.41 within the 40-yard sprint final winter on the Mix — and makes use of his size to maintain a hand on Lazard throughout the play. He’s not interfering with the receiver, or holding him, however he’s conserving an excellent relationship to him on the route, and if Lazard shortly breaks or adjustments path, that approach offers Gardner an opportunity to shortly match the lower.
Or take this play from the third quarter, because the Packers dial up a slant/flat mixture on the suitable facet of the formation. Rodgers opens to that mixture, hoping to hit Doubs on the slant route due to the visitors created by the idea, however Gardner sticks to Doubs’ hip, forcing Rodgers to look elsewhere:
What does all of this imply for Robert Saleh and the Jets going ahead?
It means they may have their island cornerback.
Gardner has proven early in his NFL profession that the Jets can depart him on an island, in one-on-one conditions towards a group’s prime receiving menace, and belief him to win greater than his justifiable share of matchups. That may be a enormous profit for a protection, permitting them to be inventive with the remainder of the matchups within the secondary.
It additionally offers the Jets the choice of doing what different groups have carried out prior to now, which is taking Gardner and placing him on the group’s second-most harmful weapon, after which utilizing brackets or devoted security assist excessive of the offense’s most explosive receiver. That is one thing Invoice Belichick would do at instances, taking cornerbacks reminiscent of Stephon Gilmore, J.C. Jackson and even Darrell Revis throughout his yr with the New England Patriots, and placing them on an island with the offense’s #2 receiver. Add in a bracket or security assist over the opposite menace, and you’ve got a probably lengthy day for the opposing passer.
Both manner, Gardner has given the Jets protection an enormous increase early in his profession, and with New York sitting at 4-2 proper now, it may imply one thing extra than simply matchups within the secondary.
It may imply a shocking run to the playoffs.