Jeremy Jarmon Getting Involved
Posted by Matt Terl on October 5, 2009 – 11:27 am
Brian Orakpo wasn’t the only defensive rookie who made an impact yesterday. Jeremy Jarmon — the third-round supplemental draft pick — also made a crucial play, stripping the ball from Tampa running back Clifton Smith to seal the game for the Redskins.
And by “seal the game,” what I mean is “get off the field in the most crucial situation imaginable” — that is, EXACTLY the kind of play that the Redskins defense has been criticized for not making. Jarmon helps make those plays not only because he’s talented, although he seems to be, and not only because he’s young, although that’s inarguable, but because he’s able to come into the game and provide fresh legs.
“Last week Jeremy got 17 plays and we felt like he had a great effort when we got him involved,” head coach Jim Zorn said yesterday. “One of the things that make it easy for Jeremy coming in was everyone else putting in their downs allows Jeremy to come in fresh and ready to go. That’s going to help us as we go further along in the season.”Here’s the play, so it’s fresh in your mind before I get to what Jarmon had to say about it:
http://p.castfire.com/zMLON/video/170247/redskins_2009-10-05-114156.flv
Watching it, it’s easy to think that it was a fluke play, that Jarmon just had his hand out and the ball happened to hit it in the right spot. Not to hear Jarmon explain it.
“I just kinda had a feeling that they were going to run the ball,” he said. “There was an opening, and I was actually supposed to be lined up in the nose [tackle], like in a one, and I realized that right before the ball was snapped. So I did my best to try to fight back into that gap so I could get it to bounce outside. Once I saw it was bouncing, I spun outside and was able to get my hand in and rip it out. “
And he was very clear: he knew that he had poked the ball out. “When I reached in there, I touched it and I felt it, and I saw it out of the corner of my eye when I fell and I tried to crawl back to it. And I couldn’t get back to it. I think someone was laying on me or something.”
What was most interesting to me about Jarmon’s post-game comments is how they confirm Greg Blache’s statement earlier in the week that he would be taking more chances. Blache is a notoriously strict coordinator, a guy who wants players to fill their gaps and get it right, not to freelance and attack. But here’s what Jarmon said about his increased playing time:
“It felt good, and it’s felt great all week because the coaches have given me an opportunity,” he said. “They’ve seen me working hard with the scout team, and they told me that they were going to give me an opportunity to make plays this week. It means a lot to me for them to have me in the game in critical situations like that because the game’s on the line. One thing I think that they know from me is that even if I don’t get lined up right or do exactly what they want me to do on a particular play, I’m gonna hustle no matter where the ball is; I’m always gonna try to make something happen.”
So far, both he and Orakpo are doing just that. If they continue as the season progresses, it can only mean good things for the defense. But Jarmon isn’t thinking that far ahead just yet, and wasn’t even prepared to declare yesterday a success for a Redskins defense that allowed just 229 yards and 2-of-13 third down conversions in a win.
“We’re gonna regroup,” Jarmon said. ” We made some mistakes out there, we’re gonna fix those mistakes, and we’re gonna get ready to go to Carolina.”
Posted in General | No Comments »
