“This guy is phenomenal,” Ryan said. “He can beat you over the center, guard or tackle. The thing I look at with him is that he’s really consistent. They shouldn’t even have a Pro Bowl if he doesn’t go this year. Without question, he should be a first-team All Pro. Don’t even have the game if he’s not going.”
While Whitworth is sure to get a heavy dose of Wilkerson this afternoon, it won’t be an all-day battle. The Jets move Wilkerson — and many of their other players — around quite a bit. It’s a staple of a Ryan-coached defense and will add a considerable mental challenge to the physical aspect of it.
“They do a lot of crazy personnel groups, a lot of different things that are going to put you in situations, kind of a call-and-run defense,” Whitworth said. “So you just never know what personnel might be on the field, what kind of things they might be lined up in. It’s a lot of recognition and being able to know where they are. These guys are good players and they try to confuse you and get you off-base. So it’s (been) a lot of studying this week.”
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