Jets' Jermaine Johnson apologizes for poor effort in opener, vows to improve

New York Jets' Jermaine Johnson. Credit: AP/Seth Wenig

By Al Iannazzoneal.iannazzone@newsday.com Al_IannazzoneUpdated September 14, 2024 11:07 pm

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Jermaine Johnson was disgusted with himself and needed to get something off his chest.

The third-year edge rusher stood up in the Jets’ defensive meeting and said his piece in front of his teammates and coaches.

He said he was sorry for not doing his job well enough in the Jets’ 32-19 loss to the 49ers on Monday night. He apologized for not aligning himself properly and setting the edge against the 49ers, who amassed 180 yards rushing.

“You get embarrassed, whatever, it’s out there. It is what it is. Now how are you going to take it?” Johnson said. “Are you going to be a finger-pointer or a thumb-pointer? And that’s something I take very seriously.

“I stood up, ‘I’m sorry, y’all, I let you all down.’ The edges were not what they should have been on my part. And all I can do is be a thumb-pointer. Look at film, see how I can fix it.”

Johnson wasn’t the only Jets defensive player or lineman who didn’t play well in Week 1 and is looking for redemption Sunday against the Titans. He also wasn’t the only one to hold himself accountable in that mid-week meeting or be “a thumb-pointer,” as he calls it.

It was the first time that Johnson was that outspoken in that setting, though. He’s always been self-critical and harder on himself than anyone else can be, but Johnson’s admission and remorse speaks to his evolution as an important player, voice and leader on the defense.

“This was the first time for sure that I’ve done it on this team,” Johnson told Newsday. “It was for a couple of reasons. Being more of a leader and stuff like that, but another part of it is I’ve just pretty much been consistent, especially in the run game.

“Setting edges? What are we talking about? Alignment? What are we talking about? That’s amateur stuff that I wasn’t on top of. I had to step up and apologize because at the end of the day, who gets blamed for that? The defense gets blamed for that. The defensive coordinator. My position coach. In reality, that’s on me. That’s something I can fix.”

Johnson, who made the Pro Bowl last season as an injury replacement, has been a strong run stopper. He faced a tough matchup, lining up opposite future Hall of Fame left tackle Trent Williams most of the night.

Things might have gone differently for the Jets had Haason Reddick been on the field, but the Pro Bowl edge rusher remains a holdout. Without him, the Jets generated very little pass rush. Tackle Quinnen Williams said, “You have to earn the right to rush the passer. You got to stop the run first.”

The Jets’ run defense actually was better when Johnson was in the game (4.6 yards per rush) than not (5.1 yards). Neither number is good, though. The 49ers, with Jordan Mason rushing for 147 yards, destroyed the Jets with perimeter runs.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich thought Johnson had some good moments against Williams and thinks he will “consistently grow because he pushes himself.” Ulbrich also was encouraged by how Johnson and other players took responsibility. Ulbrich called it “unique.”

“Guys acknowledged it, they stood up and they took it, coaches and players alike,” he said. “Because of that, we have a real opportunity here to grow from that.

“We have a group that points the finger at themselves. Myself included and every coach included. When you have that type of culture, that type of standard and you have that type of accountability, those things don’t get repeated, in my opinion.”

This is an important game for the Jets’ defense to re-establish itself.

They were a top-five unit that kept the Jets in most games during the previous two seasons. With Aaron Rodgers leading the way, the Jets finally have an offense that can put up points. The offense also needs to improve, but the Jets scored three touchdowns for only the third time in 24 games.

Coach Robert Saleh is confident that the Jets’ defensive line and defense as a whole will bounce back Sunday.

“It’s not the first time that we’ve gotten punched in the mouth here on defense,” he said. “I feel like we’ve always responded. They’ll respond.”

The Jets believe they’ve corrected their mistakes and will be ready for Tennessee to try to follow what San Francisco did. Titans offensive line coach Bill Callahan, one of the best in the league for a long time, will have his own wrinkles, though.

Johnson will make sure he’s ready.

“If I just help with my alignment a little more, that’s something I’m capable of stopping and I have stopped,” he said. “I’m a pro football player. I’ve done it at a high level and I know I can continue to, so just put that on me and understand that I’ll get it fixed.”