Schematically, what should New York Jets fans expect to see from Robert Saleh, Jeff Ulbrich, and Mike LaFleur?
In addition to establishing a brand-new culture and energy, Robert Saleh will also be bringing a completely new defensive scheme with him to Florham Park, one that he will establish with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. On the other side of the ball, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur is set to introduce a modernized offense in the mold of Kyle Shanahan, one that will look drastically different than the more traditional style of offense that was run by Adam Gase over the past two years.
Whenever a team gets set to make scheme changes, plenty of questions arise.
Offensively, what will the Jets need at quarterback? Is Justin Fields or Zach Wilson the better fit for LaFleur’s offense?
How about the skill positions and offensive line? What do the prototype tight ends and wide receivers for the offense look like, and do the Jets have those players on the team? Will the Jets need a fullback? Up front, do the Jets have linemen who are well-suited to play in the outside zone-heavy rushing attack that LaFleur is likely to employ?
Defensively, what pieces do the Jets need to add to make the scheme change? Can a stand-up outside linebacker like Shaq Barrett or Bud Dupree fit the bill, or should they focus on hand-in-the-dirt ends like Carl Lawson and Romeo Okwara? Do Quinnen Williams, Folorunso Fatukasi, and John Franklin-Myers project well to the scheme? Will the defensive linemen lean more towards one-gapping or two-gapping?
In the secondary, what type of style will the cornerbacks and safeties be asked to play? Do those techniques fit the skill-sets of guys like Ashtyn Davis, Bryce Hall, and Marcus Maye? Will more man-to-man or zone concepts be called? How often will the team play single-high? What will be asked of each safety? Are the cornerbacks going to play conservatively or rely on aggressive press-coverage techniques?
How about linebacker? What type of player do the Jets need to put alongside C.J. Mosley?
Are Jets fans going to see plenty of aggressive blitzing a la Gregg Williams, or will Saleh and Ulbrich call blitzes at a low rate?
San Francisco 49ers savant Oscar Aparicio of Better Rivals joined the Cool Your Jets podcast to answer all of these questions. Oscar previously joined the show to discuss Saleh as a potential Jets head coaching candidate, providing an absolutely phenomenal amount of insight to thunderous applause from CYJ fans. Now, he’s back for a marvelous encore.
***Warning: NSFW language used in limited spots.
