Brees' blind side concerns

When the Saints placed left tackle Jammal Brown on injured reserve this week, they felt relatively good about their depth at the position thanks to the early-season play of Jermon Bushrod and Zach Strief. Now Bushrod, who has started all three games protecting quarterback Drew Brees’ blind side, is sidelined by an ankle injury.

 

Strief is a fourth-year veteran who has played in 44 career games, including all three this season. But he has just three career starts. The Jets will test Strief every opportunity they get, and coach Rex Ryan’s scheme features a lot of pre-snap movement meant to disguise who is rushing – and from where.

 

“Those guys have been here and we’ve worked with them and developed them,” coach Sean Payton said of Bushrod and Strief after announcing Brown would miss the season. “Both of them have played now in important games and I think that both of them will be ready this week. Both of them played last week in Buffalo, so they both have experience.”

The depth chart is down to just Strief this week, and working a relief role against the Bills doesn’t come close to preparing him for the Jets’ complex pressure packages. If Strief can’t hold up, pressure from Brees’ blind side could well determine the outcome of this week’s only matchup between unbeaten teams.