EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Quick quiz: Which receiver has the most touchdown catches this year for the New York Jets, Santana Moss, Justin McCareins or Wayne Chrebet?
Answer: none of the above. The trio have combined for zero TD catches through six games. Fourth receiver Jonathan Carter is the only wideout with a touchdown reception, and that came in the opener against Cincinnati.
The Jets (5-1) know they need more big plays out of their wide receivers, but they might be hard-pressed to get many of them tonight against the Miami Dolphins (1-6), who have gotten the usual stellar play from their secondary this season.
Miami leads the league in pass defense, giving up 143.6 yards a game, and is fourth in total defense. Last week, the Dolphins limited St. Louis to 14 points, its lowest total since Week 8 of last year, and held receiver Torry Holt to one catch for four yards.
"They're the best secondary, it's not even close how they do things," Jets coach Herman Edwards said. "They do a tremendous job."
So far this season, his receivers have done a so-so job. Limited because Chad Pennington does not have a strong arm, the Jets have relied on a conservative game plan of throwing dinks and dunks to their backs. Fullback Jerald Sowell leads the team with 25 receptions.
But the Jets had different ideas before the season started. They traded a second-round pick to Tennessee for McCareins in the offseason. Moss was coming off a breakout season in 2003, when he had 74 receptions for 1,105 yards and 10 touchdowns, and Chrebet was healthy after missing the final eight games of last season with postconcussion syndrome.
Things started going wrong in training camp, when Moss and Chrebet missed time with injuries. McCareins also was not completely comfortable in the offense. Because of the uncertainty, Edwards decided to take the pressure off the passing game by relying more on Martin.
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