Rex Ryan has gone to great lengths to keep the Jets on top of their game before. He may want to try it again this week.
The coach known for bringing in sleep specialists and resorting to other creative maneuvers has a challenge on his hands going into Sunday in terms of keeping his injury-depleted roster fresh against one of the league's top offenses.
The Patriots' no-huddle offense has been a major weapon this season, with Tom Brady using both his passing ability and the team's newfound rushing attack. When it works, the no-huddle can not only rack up points quickly but also tire out defenses and keep them from substituting players in key matchup situations.
The Jets are learning all about the Patriots' brand of no-huddle this week, with the biggest effect expected to be that they might just get tuckered out.
"With this offense they're running this up-tempo, it's going to put a lot of stress on us," safety Eric Smith told the New York Daily News.
As the Daily News' Manish Mehta notes, the Patriots averaged 81 offensive plays in their first six games — a mark the Jets defense has seen only once this season. The New York defense is usually on the field for 69 plays a game, a far cry from the 94 plays the Patriots ran against the Broncos two weeks ago.
Players get tired from taking so many snaps, and they usually have to take them in succession, with the defense unable to substitute as the Patriots roll down the field. The lack of substitutions could also be a further asset for New England, which has had trouble with several key players on the Jets' defense in recent matchups. If the Patriots can catch the Jets without those players on the field as they run their plays, Brady and company may avoid some of the problems they've had against the troublesome Jets in the past.
Ryan is a creative coach, and he usually has his team prepared. And everyone knows he's not afraid to make his players run a little bit.
This may be the week for more of that.
