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Jets coach Rex Ryan turned to gallows humor after watching three of his top five defensive backs sit out Wednesday’s practice while the other two limited in what they could do — all because of injuries.
Not exactly the position any defensive-minded coach would like to find himself in with the NFL’s top-ranked offense on tap this weekend.
“You would think I would feel nervous,” Ryan quipped, “but we’re only playing New Orleans, so I’m not really worried about having to cover anybody with Drew Brees (playing).”
Of course, Ryan knows he has a lot of game-planning to do for Brees, the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year who is making a case to run away with the award again this season. Through the first three weeks, Brees has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes (67 of 97) for 841 yards, an NFL-high nine touchdowns, just two interceptions and a league-best 118.1 passer rating.
With Brees at the controls, the Saints (3-0) are first in the NFL in total offense (438 yards per game). They’re first in scoring (40 points per game).
Cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Donald Strickland remained sidelined after sitting out last Sunday’s victory over the Titans with quad and ankle injuries, respectively. Safety Jim Leonhard missed practice with a knee injury.
Cornerback Darrelle Revis (knee) and safety Kerry Rhodes (knee) were limited.
The Jets brought in ex-Ravens cornerback Corey Ivy for a workout on Friday and may sign him if the situation worsens. He knows the defense and could step right in.
Ryan isn’t worrying just yet. Leonhard, Revis and Rhodes are expected to play, but Sheppard and Strickland are iffy.
“I would feel a lot worse if this was Friday,” Ryan said. “I have a feeling we’ll have guys ready to play this weekend.”
The Jets (3-0) will need them. Ryan said the Saints have 15 different personnel packages on offense, making them extremely difficult to defend. Even though Brees’ numbers make it seem as though New Orleans is one-dimensional, the Saints also have the league’s second-ranked rushing offense (170.7 ypg).
“They have a ton of weapons,” said Leonhard. “They have three, four, five wide receivers that are all big-play guys. They have (tight end Jeremy) Shockey and (running back Reggie) Bush and they’re running the ball well.
“And you have Drew Brees pulling the trigger. He’s playing as well as anyone in this league right now. He’s at a whole other level.”
After facing three one-dimensional teams in the pass-happy Texans and Patriots and the run-oriented Titans, the Jets will square off against a balanced team for the first time.
Said defensive end Shaun Ellis: “You almost have to pick your poison.”
Last week, the Bills decided to stop the pass. Brees was limited to just 172 passing yards, which snapped a streak of 22 games of at least 200 yards. But the Saints turned to running back Pierre Thomas, who rushed for 126 yards in the second half and helped the Saints gain 222 yards on the ground in the 27-7 victory.
Still, Brees and the passing game are the primary focus. The Jets, who want no part of a
shootout, may look to jam the Saints receivers at the line of scrimmage and throw off their timing with Brees. They also hope to get to Brees, who has been sacked only four times this season.
“That makes it tough to stick with those speedsters if no one is getting to the quarterback,” said cornerback Drew Coleman, who subbed nicely for Strickland at nickel back against the Titans.
Brees, who passed for 5,069 yards last season (16 yards shy of Dan Marino’s NFL record), has transformed the Saints since arriving in 2006 after five seasons in San Diego. He has thrown for more than 4,000 yards in each of the past three seasons under the aggressive style of head coach Sean Payton.
“He makes good decisions,” said Payton. “He’s so thorough in his work ethic. His ability to decide and deliver is fast. He’s very accurate with the football and does a good job in the pocket avoiding the rush and prolonging plays.”
Although small at 6-0, 209 pounds, Brees has a host of targets. Ex-Hofstra star Marques Colston (6-4, 225) is his go-to guy with 15 catches for 195 yards and a league-high three touchdowns. The speedy Devery Henderson (19.5 yards per catch) and Robert Meachem (6-2, 210 pounds) are home-run hitters, too. And Shockey has two touchdowns.
“It’ll be a good defense against a great offense,” said Jets linebacker Bart Scott. “We’ll see how it turns out. It’s going to be fun.”

NY Jets brace for the offensive firepower of the New Orleans Saints | New York Jets - - NJ.com