This week, cannon-armed Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and the 1-2 wide receiver punch of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery take aim at the Jets. Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports
FLORHAM PARK, N.Y. — Playing on Monday Night Football gives the New York Jets an extra day to prepare for the Chicago Bears. Which is good, because they need it — not only to get ready for the Bears but to get over Sunday’s 31-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Quarterback Geno Smith, deviating dramatically from the usual script, said he was still stewing over the Packers loss until the Jets took the field on Wednesday. The Jets, of course, blew a 21-3 lead and had a potential game-tying touchdown waved off because either offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg or defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson tried calling timeout from the sideline instead of head coach Rex Ryan.
“It stings anytime you lose,” Ryan said Wednesday afternoon. “(As) a competitor, you can’t stand it. I know I can’t, or anybody else. Does it stay with you? Absolutely. But you move on from it and hopefully there’s something about that loss that you can take from and actually improve.”
The Jets got plenty of material in that regard Sunday, when their makeshift secondary was torched for 346 yards by Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who connected with wide receiver Jordy Nelson nine times for 209 yards.
It gets no easier this week, when cannon-armed Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and the 1-2 wide receiver punch of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery take aim at the Jets.
“This kid might have the strongest arm in the league,” Ryan said.
The Marshall-Jeffery tandem is the bigger problem for the Jets, and not only because of their tattered cornerback corps. Marshall stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 230 pounds while Jeffery is 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds, which makes it tough for the Jets to replicate the duo in practice.
“That is a challenge because you don’t have guys that big,” Ryan said. “I guess you can put our tight ends out there, but they generally run better than our guys.
“That is rare and to try to simulate a Brandon Marshall or Calvin Johnson; you’re not going to put (wide receiver Jalen) Saunders out there, you’re not going to put (offensive tackle) Breno (Giacomini) out there either,” Ryan said.
Hmm. Maybe stewing over the Packers game wasn’t so bad after all.
NOTES: Jets WR Eric Decker (hamstring) and CB Dee Milliner (ankle) were limited in Thursday’s practice. They spent the team portion of the workout working with trainers on the side.
