How the Dolphins’ Deceptive Motion Outsmarted the Jets’ Goal Line Defense

Through much of the year, I have noticed a frustrating issue with the Jets’ defense. The opponent has too easy of a time getting its best wide receiver matched up one on one against a Jets safety.

In Week 14 against the Dolphins, the issue popped up once again at a key point in the game.

On a fourth and goal line play in the fourth quarter with the Jets up by 8, Miami splits two players to the left of the formation. You have wide receiver Tyreek Hill who is matched up against cornerback DJ Reed (red) and tight end Jonnu Smith who is matched up against safety Chuck Clark (yellow).

These are fair fights. Reed is the Jets’ top corner with Sauce Gardner not playing. On a critical snap, you want him covering Miami’s top wide receiver. Meanwhile a safety like Clark is fine against a tight end.

The Dolphins put Hill into a really simple motion.

Hill ends up in the slot. Clark bumps over and ends up on him.

The snap comes. Suddenly Reed is on Smith (purple) while Clark ends up on Hill (blue).

This is a horrible mismatch for the Jets. You can’t cover Tyreek Hill one on one with a safety in such a key moment. Clark has no chance. Hill beats him cleanly, and it’s an easy touchdown.

I don’t know how the Jets are coaching their players to handle a situation like this. Perhaps they are having them switch any sort of motion on the goal line.

If that’s the case, there needs to be some sort of change. It just can’t be this easy for Miami get a Tyreek Hill covered by a safety at a key point in the game. DJ Reed shouldn’t have had trouble following Hill and picking him up. There has to be more effort for him to stick on Hill instead of leaving him to Clark.

If you are a basketball fan, it reminds me a bit of a point guard-center pick and roll. If you aren’t, the concept is similar. Offenses try to force defenses into a switch assignments into unfavorable matchups. Basketball teams usually coach their guys to do everything possible to avoid a switch. A switch only comes as an absolute last resort.

The Jets don’t do much to avoid these unfavorable matchups. We have seen them over and over. This is a defense that’s easy to manipulate into covering a number one receiver with an overmatched safety. Week 14 was only the latest example.