BY NICK ST. DENIS
Rex Ryan doesn't need the HBO Hard Knocks camera crew present to throw around words not suitable for standard cable.
All he needs is a reason, and his New York Jets' defense gave him one Saturday night in the team's preseason win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Gang Green's first-team defense allowed Blaine Gabbert to march the Jags on a pair of scoring drives, going 13-of-16 for 165 yards and a touchdown in the process.
“I’m pretty sure there’s going to be some F-bombs thrown around on Monday,” Jets linebacker Calvin Pace said, via the NY Daily News.
The Jets ended up winning by a 37-13 margin, but Ryan wasn't pleased with how his starters performed on the defensive side of the ball. He called out rookie cornerback Dee Milliner for the way he "competed and challenged" on the perimeter and questioned the unit's overall sloppiness.
“It just seemed like, for whatever reason, it wasn’t there (Saturday),” Ryan said. “Poor tackling was a great indication of it. I was a little upset with some of the mistakes we made.”
If the Jets' defense isn't up to Ryan's standard, which is a high one, the team will have no chance in 2013. He's certainly aware of that and will make every effort to fix the issues. He will, however, have to do so without rising defender Quinton Coples for the next few weeks, as Coples sustained a hairline fracture in his ankle.
The Jets' next exhibition contest will be their annual bout with the cross-town New York Giants next weekend.
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