Jets Country

Broncos Were 'Lost in the Sauce' Against Jets' Gardner

New York's rookie cornerback continues to dominate in the Jets' secondary this season, living up to the hype as a No. 4 overall pick.

Daniel Kelly

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Jets' rookie Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner continued to look like the clear-cut favorite to become the Defensive Rookie of the Year on Sunday. 

The television announcer best summarized his performance against Denver referring to Gardner as "a human blanket." 

I like that description. It's the truth on game film. 

While official word has not come yet if he has done enough to earn his nickname of "Sauce" from his coaches and teammates, he has been nothing short of great so far. 

That is not surprising to me however, as I wrote back in May, Gardner would be the top cover corner in the NFL. 

It was clear studying him at the University of Cincinnati, he was everything a team would want in a lock-down shut-down corner. 

Gardner had these long arms, elite athleticism, and he was super aggressive. 

There will never be another Deion Sanders, but Gardner is the closest I have seen since. 

What reminds me most of Sanders when it comes to Gardner is his super high confidence level. It's the ingredient corners must have in order to be a cut-above. 

Gardner has this unspoken swag about him that says, "I dare you to throw it at me." 

Teams are still taking him up on that dare, but with little success. 

Denver quarterback Brett Rypien was the latest contestant who dared to taste test the coverage taking several shots against Gardner. After one such deep attempt in the 4th quarter, the television announcer said Broncos' receiver Courtland Sutton "Got lost in the Sauce" 

That was a good way of putting it.

In scouting terms, Gardner stayed in phase with Sutton, while maintaining tight inside route leverage. Said in layman terms, Gardner was on Sutton "like white on rice." 

To further put Gardner's spectacular rookie season into perspective, according to TruMedia, Sunday's game against Denver was his seventh-straight game with at least one pass defended, which is tied for the third-longest streak on the team since 2000. 

Gardner did allow one short pass completion against the Broncos, but even then he was right on top of the receiver and made the tackle immediately after the catch.

The rest of the targets went for not. 

While Gardner was super impressive in coverage, there was something nobody is talking about that I noticed while reviewing the game film. 

Gardner provided excellent support on passing and running plays. 

He was quick to come off his coverage assignments to help out and be a good teammate, while setting a selfless example. 

I can't tell you how many corners I have studied over the years who want little to nothing to do with tackling running backs. 

Gardner seems to enjoy it. 

There was one particular play that stood out most. 

With 5:58 remaining in the 3rd quarter, Broncos' running back Melvin Gordon III took the pitch and was turning the corner out by the sideline. 

Denver's right tackle No. 57, Billy Turner (6-foot-5, 310 pounds) was the lead blocker Gordon was running behind. 

Gardner (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) came up off his coverage and took on Turner before coming off his block and helping to force Gordon out of bounds. 

That one play said everything anybody needs to know about Gardner. 

He plays the game the way it was meant to be played, and that is the highest compliment I can offer Sauce.  

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Daniel Kelly
DANIEL KELLY

Daniel spent four years in pro scouting with the New York Jets and brings vast experience scouting pro and college talent. Daniel has appeared in many major publications, including the New York Times and USA Today. Author of Whatever it Takes, the true story of a fan making it into the NFL, which was published in 2013. He has appeared on podcasts around the world breaking down and analyzing the NFL. Currently writes for SI All Lions. You can contact Daniel at whateverittakesbook@gmail.com

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