FLORHAM PARK – Sometime before the Jets’ season opener Sunday against the Raiders, coach Rex Ryan watched Saalim Hakim cover kickoffs in practice. Ryan’s mind started to churn with ideas about how he might be able to utilize the speed and tackling ability of this player on the fringe of the roster.

“We can use this guy some on defense,” Ryan thought.

The Jets retained Hakim, a wide receiver, primarily to serve as their kickoff returner and gunner on punt coverage. Hakim, who entered the NFL in 2012, had just two touches in a regular season game before Sunday. Both came last year, when he had two rushes in three games with the Jets.

Hakim on Sunday returned two kickoffs, including the opening kickoff of the season for 44 yards. Ryan also followed through on his preseason idea and used Hakim for two snaps on defense, in the Jets’ nickel package. Hakim had not played defense since 2007, his senior year in high school – the first year he ever played organized football.

Hakim was a safety back then. He lined up in a safety/nickel back role during his two snaps Sunday. On one of them, he blitzed rookie quarterback Derek Carr, but Carr was able to get the ball away, for an incomplete pass. On Hakim’s second defensive snap, he immediately ran back into the deep part of the field, in case a pass went there.

On Hakim’s blitz play, he lined up to Carr’s right, in the slot area. It was third-and-25 at the Oakland 26-yard line, on the Raiders’ first drive of the second half. In the image below, look for No. 15 in the white jersey, at about the 25-yard line. (We have circled Hakim in red, to help you spot him.)

Hakim was able to get into the backfield unblocked, but running back Darren McFadden stuffed him before he could reach Carr. Still, Hakim enjoyed his experience.

“It felt good, trying to get me a sack,” he said.

But the play frustrated Ryan because it didn’t unfold like he envisioned.

“The bad thing is, if we run the blitz right, golly,” Ryan said Monday, shaking his head. “It just bothers me because it was one of those things that kind of set up in the preseason and I was like, ‘Ah, if we get him on this one.’ And we don’t run the darn thing right.

“Saalim is supposed to be the last guy through (on the blitz), not the second guy through. And if he is (the last guy through), and if we had another player run the thing right, nobody would’ve seen him. He would’ve been wide open on it. It’s unfortunate because he was ready. He runs a 4.2 (in the 40-yard dash). He would’ve been on top of (Carr) before he even knew what happened.”

Hakim returned to the nickel package in the fourth quarter, on third-and-11 from the Raiders’ 19. He again lined up in the slot area, this time to Carr’s left. But this time, Hakim turned and ran deep, right after the ball was snapped, to defend a potential long pass toward the middle of the field.

“Just in case they try to throw it deep, I’m going to go intercept it,” Hakim said.

Carr did throw to Hakim’s side, but it was an 8-yard completion that cornerback Antonio Allen handled tackling duties on.

"(Hakim) has some defensive abilities, and we were just going to utilize it," Ryan said.



There had been a lot of uncertainty about the Jets' secondary, particularly their cornerbacks. Ryan responded not only by saying he wasn't concerned about the secondary, but also by adding a couple wrinkles to keep the Raiders honest.

A bigger wrinkle – quite literally – came in the form of rush outside linebacker Quinton Coples, who moved into a cornerback role a couple times, in order to “chip” a receiver as he came off the line of scrimmage. It was a creative attempt by Ryan to slow down the Raiders’ receivers, and help out his team’s cornerbacks. But it was not unprecedented.

“There’s more ways to skin a cat,” Ryan said with a Cheshire grin. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you guys (reporters) for a while. It’s not the first time I’ve ever done that. I’ve had guys with similar ability go out there and jam receivers. We’re not just going to line up there and play the coverage you want us to.”

Ryan said he probably called the Coples cornerback package seven or eight times Sunday, but indicated the Jets did not need it every time.

“It depends on really what your (offensive) formation was,” Ryan said. “Part of that call (is) based on a certain formation or group that he’ll be out there. It was probably called at least that many times, but based on what you give us, sometimes we don’t need it out there.”

While Coples was a lock to make the roster, Hakim had to fight his way onto it, with his special teams ability. (He does not figure to be a major part of the Jets’ passing game this season.) Hakim said before the season that he would do anything the Jets’ coaches wanted him to do.

"I do it all," he said of his versatility.

After Sunday’s game, Hakim sounded a bit surprised that someone noticed him out there for those two defensive snaps.

“You seen it?” he said. “I told you, I’m here to do whatever they want me to do.”

Hakim indicated that Ryan installed his defensive plays last week in practice, though it sounds like the idea was in Ryan’s head before then.

“We’ve got different things that I’m going to do,” Hakim said.

Hakim’s response when Ryan told him he was going to play on defense?

“I was like, ‘Yes, sir. Let’s go,’” Hakim said. “I feel like I can play any position they want me to play, so I’m going to go with the flow.”