D’Brickashaw Ferguson knows he has a target on his back, squarely between the six and zero on his Jets No. 60 jersey.
The second-year left tackle faces his toughest challenge of the season today with Dolphins DE Jason Taylor lining up over him.
For a player who allowed 10 sacks last season and two this year, that’s a daunting task. Consider, too, that Taylor, the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year last season, has 14½ sacks and three forced fumbles in 20 games against the Jets.
“Brick is going to have his hands full,” said backup OL Wade Smith, a former Dolphin.
FB Darian Barnes said, “Brick has a tall order. But Brick is a talented left tackle with incredible mobility and athleticism, and if anyone has the tools to get [Taylor] neutralized, it’s him.”
Taylor had two sacks against the Jets last season, one yielded by Ferguson in the Christmas night game.
“It takes time, especially in that position where you’re facing good rushers every week and getting everybody’s best pitches,” Taylor said of Ferguson’s development. “I thought [Ferguson] came in and did a good job last year. He played very well, and so far this year I think he’s picked up where he left off last year.
“There are always going to be struggles when you have a young guy there. I said it last year and I’ll say it now: He’s one of those guys that’s going to be a good player there for a long time. I have a lot of confidence that he can be what everyone expects him to be at that position and I know he wants to do it.”
Eric Mangini defended Ferguson, whom he said is getting better.
“He plays one of the toughest positions in football,” Mangini said. “He plays against usually the best pass rusher on every single team, and it’s week in and week out. There are no games off. He’s continuing to work at his craft, and you see the fruits of that labor.”
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QB Chad Pennington is 6-1 in seven career starts against the Dolphins. He’s 114-of-186 for 1,322 yards with nine TDs and one INT. … The previous three meetings between the Jets and Dolphins each have been decided by four points or fewer, with the combined margin of victory (all Jets wins) 10 points.
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Dolphins LB Zach Thomas (concussion) will not play today, ending his streak of 165 consecutive games. Channing Crowder will move from weak side LB to the middle.
“It’s big,” Crowder said of the loss of Thomas. “Just his presence and knowledge of the game is really missed when he’s not on the field.”