One of the sub-plots to tonights primetime game on NBC between rivals Miami Dolphins and New York Jets is the return of long time Dolphins legend Jason Taylor to Miami.
Taylor was not re-signed during this past off-season, because of the front offices trust in current Dolphins pass rusher Cameron Wake.
This will be Taylor's first game back ever in Miami where he is wearing an opposing teams jersey, let alone the Dolphins fiercest rival, the Jets green.
Part of the reason that Taylor was allowed to walk to the Jets was because of the trust that the team had in Wake, and also because of Taylor's age.
Let's face it, last year Taylor very rarely showed that he could still play at the high level that he was known for, or even close to it. Miami simply thought that they would be better off taking their chances with Wake, who has a better upside than Taylor does at this point in time.
But with the injury to Jets outside linebacker Calvin Pace, Taylor will be getting the start tonight despite being nicked up himself, with an apparent elbow injury.
It also happens that Wake will be starting in the place of Taylor tonight as well.
So who will have the upper hand tonight? Wake, or Taylor? Old, grizzled veteran, or the young buck?
The Jets have already given up 5 sacks this year, while the Dolphins have gotten to the quarterback 6 times in two games.
Last year, the Dolphins got after Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez from all angles, dominating the interior of the trenches, and rushing the ends.
This is where Wake should benefit. With the emergence of nose tackle Paul Solia so far this year, this allows starting nose tackle Randy Starks to line up as the right defensive end, and get to the quarteback from his old position, where he was elected to the Pro-Bowl. If Solia can manage to draw double-teams, either Starks, left defense end Kendall Langford, or Wake should be facing single coverage.
Also with Starks lining up alongside Solia this gives the Fins the upper hand in the trenches. The Fins love to eat up space, and allow their linebackers to blitz in and disrupt the pocket. Last week Wake was a force against the Minnesota Vikings offensive line, causing a forced fumble in the endzone, and recording a half sack.
So far on the year Wake has been all around disruptive, registering 2.5 sacks, 4 QB pressures, and 3 QB hits.
Meanwhile for Taylor it has been a somewhat promising couple of games so far. Taylor has recorded 10 tackles with one sack and a forced fumble.
Taylor will be lining up against some of the most effective and physical offensive tackles in the game, Jake Long and Vernon Carey.
Last week Long handled one of the top pass-rushers in the league in Viking Jared Allen. I think he should be able to take care of business against Taylor.
But Wake will mostly be matched up against Jets right tackle Damien Woody, who was a former Pro-Bowler. It's safe to say neither player will be going up against slouches tonight, but the Jets offensive line has allowed 7 QB hits, meanwhile, the Dolphins have given up 11.
The trenches are pretty overall evenly matched, which can help Wake or Taylor. I would give the edge to the Dolphins front seven over the Jets because of the all-around depth that the Dolphins possess. This can draw double teams to someone else other than Wake, thus allowing him to sneak in for the sack.
Of course the same goes for Taylor, but in both cases, the offensive lines are very veteraned in the pass rush, and both players will be facing one of the best offensive lines in the league. It will just be a matter of which player can lay down the better one-on-one moves to get themselves into the backfield.
Edge:
I'm going to give the edge to Taylor's replacement, Cameron Wake.
Wake is more of a speed rusher than a bull-rusher, and can flat out beat you around the edge to get the sack. Taylor has seemingly lost a step when it comes to getting around the corner and getting to the quarterback, which was such a big part of his game.
I fully expect Wake to make some kind of a contribution tonight, and should be a disruptive force, just like he has in the previous two games this year.
Predicted Stats:
Cameron Wake: 1.5 sacks, 3 QB Pressures, 2 QB Hits
Jason Taylor: 1 Sack, 1 QB Pressure, 1 QB Hit
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