The New York Jets lost Darrelle Revis, who Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson called "the best defensive back in the game," two weeks ago for the season.
Johnson still thinks the Jets are "pretty good" at cornerback, thanks to now No. 1 cornerback Antonio Cromartie. Johnson will face Cromartie for the first time when their respective teams face off Monday night.
"I think he has great length as a defensive back. It’s rare that you find defensive backs his size," Johnson told reporters of Cromartie. "A very fast guy. A lot of people don’t really talk about that, but he can run real well. I think he’s a good player.
"A lot of the times he doesn’t receive a lot of the credit that he should receive because he plays with Revis, but I think he’s a pretty good player."
Cromartie's efforts are, in fact, overlooked because of what Revis does on the other side of the field. Since teams avoid Revis at most costs, Cromartie often faces the majority of opponents' pass attempts, and he does a pretty good job.
His job isn't any easier in Revis' absence, though, and the Texans fully expect to see the Jets' defense play the same style of football it did when it had the All-World Revis on the field.
"They’re one of the few teams in the league that can lose a shutdown corner and they have another one, so that’s a great strength of theirs defensively," Texans coach Gary Kubiak told reporters this week. "They can put [Antonio] Cromartie on anybody in football and feel very good about that. I didn’t see them playing any different (last week).
"They’re going to lock you down, they’re going to play man, and they’re going to pressure you as a team. That’s the way they’re built, so I didn’t see anything different from there."
"They’re one of the few teams in the league that can lose a shutdown corner and they have another one, so that’s a great strength of theirs defensively," Texans coach Gary Kubiak told reporters this week. "They can put [Antonio] Cromartie on anybody in football and feel very good about that. I didn’t see them playing any different (last week).
"They’re going to lock you down, they’re going to play man, and they’re going to pressure you as a team. That’s the way they’re built, so I didn’t see anything different from there."
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