Offense: Cleveland has been pretty good against the run so far in 2010, while allowing some monster days to wide receivers including a 142-yard, three-touchdown performance by Anquan Boldin and a 222-yard, one-touchdown game by Terrell Owens. Rex Ryan has already hinted the Jets are going to be looking towards Braylon Edwards even more than usual, considering how amped up he is to against his former team. Hopefully, Edwards won't psyche himself up too much and rediscover his ability to drop the football. The Jets will have favorable match-ups on the outside but Mark Sanchez will be dealing with confusing looks from Eric Mangini and Rob Ryan, which means they don't want to get too pass happy. Cleveland is only ranked 15th in rushing yards allowed, which is no reason to shy away from the Ground and Pound.
I probably sound like a broken record but again, Shonn Greene needs more carries. This is the time of the year to get him building momentum heading into December. He has been outplaying LaDainian Tomlinson the previous few weeks, who should be having his carries limited anyway so he is fresh for the end of the year. Greene has only received 15 or more carries in two games this year, which is nowhere near enough. Let's see what he can do with17-20 carries this week, along with seeing if Tomlinson can be more effective with 10-12 carries and a few receptions.
The Tiger formation has gone a little stagnant the previous few games, which means it is time to either dump it for a few weeks or throw in some new wrinkles. There are other ways to get the ball in Brad Smith's hands besides him running a quarterback dive or sweep.
It would be nice to see Jerricho Cotchery get a strong game under his belt or at least make a few big catches. He needs to get back in rhythm ASAP, because the Jets will need him down the stretch as a third down weapon.
Defense: The Browns start and end with Peyton Hillis on offense, which means the Jets need to just keep doing what they have been doing against the run all year. If the game falls into Colt McCoy's hands, it will be a difficult task for Cleveland to pull out this game. Cleveland's top pass catcher has been tight end Benjamin Watson and the Jets have been awful at defending the tight end this year, so it will be interesting to see what kind of adjustments Rex Ryan makes to stop him, because Jim Leonhard hasn't been cutting it. The Browns don't have any elite receivers, although Mohamed Massaquoi has some big play capability and Chansi Stuckey is decent in the slot. I wonder if we will see some Darrelle Revis or Antonio Cromartie on Watson in obvious passing downs.
Josh Cribbs is a dangerous player who the Jets must always keep an eye on. He is basically like an enhanced version of Brad Smith in the Browns offense. So far in 2010 he has 198 yards receiving, along with 55 yards rushing and 2 completed passes. I am sure Eric Mangini won't hesitate to empty out the playbook this week against his former team, so the Jets must constantly be wary of their "Wildcat" look and all the trick plays that could be ran out of it.
It would be nice to see signs of life from the Jets pass rush this week. Calvin Pace, Jason Taylor, Bryan Thomas...I am looking at you guys. Rex Ryan, it might be time to mix in a few new blitz schemes because the Jets simply aren't getting to the quarterback enough in 2010.
Special Teams: Two very good units facing off this week. Cribbs is one of the most dangerous returners in the NFL so expect the Jets to kick away from him. I still get worried whenever I see Kyle Wilson deep on punt returns. Jim Leonhard is way more reliable and has actually been more explosive than Wilson back there.