New York Jets rookie defensive lineman Quinton Coples is living up to his scouting report. The No. 16 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft was expected to be a disruptive pass-rusher, and sure enough the rookie ranks among the preseason leaders in sacks (three, a half-sack off the pace). He's also tied for the league lead with a pair of forced fumbles.
Coples also entered the league with questions about his consistency and motor, the latter of which drew the ire of head coach Rex Ryan following Sunday night's preseason loss to the Carolina Panthers.
"I wasn't as happy this game as I was previously," Ryan said, via Jenny Vrentas of The Star-Ledger. "I thought he kind of got winded a bit. He kind of had a 'woe is me' when we took out the starters. Hey look, you are still a rookie, you've got to play the whole game and then some."
Coples got the start and was asked to pull double duty because Mike DeVito and Sione Pouha were out with injuries. Ryan's frustration is understandable because when the regular season begins, Coples will play around 30 to 40 percent of the snaps and the two remaining preseason games are good opportunities for the rookie to get some much-needed work.
"He's a rookie. He'll figure it out," inside linebacker Bart Scott said. "He just went through four weeks of long training. He'll realize really what it takes to be successful in this league. We'll get him. It's a process."
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
