A season after getting gouged by tight ends across the league, Gang Green revamped their safety group by adding LaRon Landry and Yeremiah Bell with an eye on stopping Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. “They’re good tight ends,” Bell told me after practice today. “You don’t want to take any credit away from those guys. But we’re good safeties. They’re just people. We can go out there and we can cover those guys. We can do what needs to be done. I don’t think it’s a mismatch either way.” Landry, who hasn’t finished each of the past two seasons due to nagging Achilles injuries, remains undaunted by Gronk Nation. “They got a lot of beasts in the league,” Landry told me. “He’s not the only tight end that’s great in the league. I went up against a lot of great guys. I’m not discrediting Gronkowski. He’s a great tight end… I’m looking forward to the challenge… if they want me to go in the box and cover him, if they want me to go in the box and play as a linebacker, if they want me to go deep man-to-man. Whatever. I’ll do it all.”
I look forward to watching these match-ups, but the real issue for the Jets will be the trickle down effect of having to cover Brandon Lloyd. And there’s also this:
Per PFF: Yeremiah Bell in coverage vs. Gronk in 2011: 4 of 5 passes completed for 49 yards.
— Mike Dussault (@PatsPropaganda) August 1, 2012