FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- It sounds simple enough: Put constant pressure on Tom Brady, and you have a better chance of beating the New England Patriots.
But the New York Jets know better than to think it's simple.
"Everybody knows that's the formula," Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis said Friday. "Get him off his block, try to move him around and kind of get people in his face. If you don't, he'll go 100 percent on you."
Jenkins will play vs. Patriots
If the Jets want to get after
Tom Brady, they'll need Kris Jenkins. NFL Network's Jason La Canfora reports that the defensive tackle will play, despite being questionable with a back injury. **More ...**
The Jets have seen that firsthand, losing to Brady 12 times in the 14 games they have faced him as a starting quarterback. They also have never beaten Brady in seven games at the Meadowlands, where they will have another shot at him Sunday in their home opener.
"Their line knows that every team is going in with that mindset of trying to get after Brady," Ellis said. "They've done a great job of keeping guys off of him, especially on the drives when they really need it."
Such as Monday night, when Brady rallied the Patriots from 11 points down with two touchdown passes in the last 2:06 to beat the Buffalo Bills 25-24 for his 29th career comeback victory. While Brady looked rusty most of the game, after missing almost all of last season with torn knee ligaments, the Bills sacked him just once.
"I don't think there was a whole lot of pressure on him," Jets coach Rex Ryan said. "I never thought he flinched one bit."
The Jets' defense certainly made things rough for Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub last weekend, sacking him twice and hitting him hard nine times in a 24-7 victory.
"Yeah, I'm glad that wasn't me that I was watching on film, I know that," Brady said. "They got after him. It's a challenging scheme because they blitz everybody. They blitz linebackers, safeties, corners, I mean, everybody comes. You never know where they are coming from."
The Jets want to keep it that way against Brady, who has thrown 17 touchdown passes and just six interceptions against them.
"It's a definite chess match against one of the better chess players in the league," Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said.
The last time the teams played, the Jets won 34-31 at Foxborough, but it was against Matt Cassel. New York is relishing the chance to play Brady again.
"I'm looking forward to him being out there because I do like to play the best, and I like to beat the best," said nose tackle Kris Jenkins, who's expected to play despite being listed as questionable with a sore lower back.
The Jets' defensive line will have some help this week with the return of Ellis, who was suspended for the season opener after violating the league's substance-abuse policy last season.
"It was hard," Ellis said. "I wanted to be out there and help my team. I couldn't be there, so I was just cheering them on. I'm back and I'm glad everything's behind me and I can move forward."
Ellis had one of the more memorable plays in the series for the Jets in 2006, when he sacked Brady and forced a fumble on a muddy Gillette Stadium field to seal a 17-14 win.
"We've just got to get out there, rush the passer, blitz him," Ellis said. "Whatever we've got called, we just have to get it done. Me, personally, I think that we can get to him."
After touting it for months, Ryan unveiled against Houston the aggressive and unpredictable style of defense he brought with him from Baltimore. It lived up to the offseason hype, at least for a week.
"They have a good scheme," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "I think it is very similar to what they did in Baltimore. They tried to put players in similar roles to what they had with guys at the Ravens."
The Ravens faced Brady twice and were effective against him in two losses. In 2004, he was 15-of-30 passing for 172 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and was sacked once in the Patriots' 24-3 win. Three years later, he was 18-of-38 passing for 257 yards, two TDs, an interception and was sacked three times in New England's 27-24 victory.
"We faced them in 2007 and got to them a few times," Pettine said. "They drove the ball down with three minutes left in the game and drove down to score and win it. We've studied that tape along with a bunch of other film of teams that are at least similar defensively to us."
"We're just trying to get after this team," Jenkins said, "and make a statement this year."
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
