Monday, October 01, 2001
Monday Night Football
Jets defenders not counting
on 49ers dropping passes again
By BARRY WILNER
AP Football Writer
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — When Terrell Owens, J.J. Stokes and the other San Francisco receivers head downfield Monday night, none of the New York Jets are counting on them being charitable.
Everyone on both sides of the prime time matchup expects 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia to go right back to his big men — even if they betrayed him with so many drops in last weekend's loss to St. Louis.
And Garcia has no hestitation about throwing to them, particularly the always- dangerous Owens.
”"I think it's a one-game situation,” Garcia said of the drops. “On Sunday, something wasn't allowing us to connect. Whether the ball wasn't thrown in the right place or was just missed, we weren't executing properly.”
The Jets are not counting on such mistakes, although their defenders say they'll try to be intimidating. And maybe Owens, Stokes and Tai Streets won't be able to hang onto the ball.
“If you hit a receiver early and keep hitting him, he's bound to start thinking about getting hit when he catches the ball,” free safety Damien Robinson said. “The tendency is for them to get alligator arms and not run full routes. It creates opportunities to get interceptions.”
New York hasn't played a gambling style of defense thus far, but it did force four turnovers in beating New England to even its record at 1-1. The Jets prefer to sit back in a two-deep zone; the 49ers could make them pay for that scheme with the crossing routes and slant-ins that are a staple of their West Coast offense.
Garcia also moves around in the pocket, and that's when Owens and the other receivers become more of a threat.
“They run that offense well and the quarterback is the one who makes it go,” Jets cornerback Aaron Glenn said. “He is elusive and he makes plays. It's important for us to cling to these guys and not let the quarterback take off running.”
Don't look for Garcia to run just because the guys he plays catch with struggled against the Rams. He knows the biggest plays the Niners can make will come from the receivers, particularly Owens. Even with his bobbles, Owens has 12 receptions for 144 yards.
And he has extra resolve heading into Monday night.
“My spirit was never really broken. I wasn't sulking or getting down or having a lack of confidence in myself,” Owens said. “But this was a humbling experience for me, a wake-up call.
“I owe the team an apology. I can honestly say I lost that game for this team, despite what anybody else may say.”
Of course, Owens has won some games for the 49ers, too, and has become their go-to receiver with Jerry Rice now in Oakland. One of his signature routes is over the middle, where the heaviest hits come.
The Jets promise there will be many more of them in this game.
“From the routes he runs, he has to come across the middle,” cornerback Marcus Coleman said of Owens. “We'll try to hit him hard and make him give up the ball or drop it. Maybe they'll be thinking about it if we keep hitting them.
“But I have to think his concentration level will be pretty high and he will perform well.”
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