Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich is trying to address the team's biggest defensive problem: tackling.
Ulbrich saw his team miss 20 tackles in Sunday's 31-6 loss to the Cardinals.
He is trying to rectify the situation with some changes in practice this week.
The team wore pads during position drills at Wednesday's practice and plans to wear them throughout Thursday's practice.
Per the collective bargaining agreement, teams are limited in the number of practices during the season that they are allowed to wear full pads.
“If you have 15 minutes left, [positional drills]that would be 14 and a half minutes of tackles,” Ulbrich said. “We're going to go back to basics and basics. Today we did a tackling presentation for the team, not just defense, so everyone knows what we're doing and how we attack. We know exactly what to do and how to fix it.”
Ulbrich said it can be difficult to teach tackling without actually doing it, but he can work with players to learn techniques and fundamentals.
Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, who made a crucial missed tackle against the Cardinals, said he appreciated Ulbrich's presentation but said it was the player's responsibility to make the tackle.
“We know how to approach it,” Gardner said. “You've got to make a tackle. That's really it. You don't really need a presentation. I know where he's coming from when he did that, but we as professional athletes, including myself, of course. You have to be able to make tackles.”
LT Tyron Smith suffered a neck injury in Sunday's loss and sat out Wednesday's practice.
It appears Smith may miss Sunday's game against the Colts.
“They're still evaluating,” Ulbrich said. “They are gathering information, getting more images and more treatments. We hope by the end of this week we will have a clearer picture of his future.”
Rookie Olu Fashanu filled in for Smith in the second half of the game against the Cardinals and will start if Smith is unavailable.
“I thought he played well,” Ulbrich said. “Certainly he had a rookie year. He's going to have some bumps in the road here and there. I thought he showed a lot of promise. He's a guy that I thank God we got because we knew he had the potential. The way he filled in was phenomenal for a rookie. The more he plays, the better he'll get. .”
WR Davante Adams missed practice due to illness.
He also has a wrist injury, but Ulbrich suggested it was just soreness.
Other Jets who did not practice were G Jake Hanson (hamstring), LB CJ Mosley (neck), DT Solomon Thomas (knee) and CB Brandin Echols (concussion).
The following players were limited: RG Aliyah Vera-Tucker (ankle), RT Morgan Moses (knee), CB DJ Reed (hip), LB Chaz Surratt (heel), CB Michael Carter (back).
Safety Chuck Clark has an open practice window and is eligible to return from injured reserve.
