Game Plan: Jets’ Coaches Craft Unique Blueprint to Stop Cardinals’ Key Player

There is one Arizona Cardinals player that concerns New York Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich more than any other going into Sunday’s matchup at State Farm Stadium.

And no, it’s not quarterback Kyler Murray. The Jets would certainly be wise to keep an eye on Murray, who’s having a fine season after an injury marred 2023.

But Ulbrich told reporters during his final press conference on Friday that Arizona is really built around the talents of its running back, James Conner, who is eyeing his second straight 1,000-yard season.

In fact, Ulbrich thinks Conner is so important to Arizona and, by extension, his team’s ability to win the game that the coaching staff took a unique approach to showing its defenders how to tackle Connor.

“I mean we did a whole tackling presentation on him, which we never do, on how to tackle this guy because he’s unique in a lot of ways,” Ulbrich said, who is also the Jets’ defensive coordinator.

Conner is in his eighth NFL season and was drafted out of the University of Pittsburgh by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017. Most of the country knew him not only as one of the college game’s best backs but as one that came back from treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma to play football while in college.

It was little surprise that the Steelers wanted the Millcreek Township native. Not only was he local, but he was a great fit for what the Steelers offensively. Long known as a franchise that values the running game, Ulbrich said that makes Connor a fit into any offense that values it, too.

He said Arizona’s commitment to running the ball has enabled Connor to put together some of the best performances of his career since he joined the team as a free agent before the 2021 season.

“If you stop the run early against Arizona they do not care,” Ulbrich said. “They’re committed to it, they’re going to keep handing him the ball and with a guy like that, who is so tough and so physical, you give him enough carries he starts to wear defenses down. You’re starting to see that this year. He is an absolute problem.”

Conner rushed for 1,040 yards last year, which was the first 1,000-yard season of his career. Entering Sunday’s game he’s rushed for 664 yards rushing with four touchdowns. While Murray is still part of the run game, the Cardinals are leaning on Conner more given Murray’s injury history.

It makes Conner an undeniable problem going into Sunday’s contest.

“If you don’t stop him (Conner), you don’t stop the Cardinals,” Ulbrich said.