Flytrap ugly: keen communication and an aggressive new approach have fueled the Jets' defensive turnaround.(New York Jets)

After Jets quarterback Chad Pennington went down with a rotator cuff injury November 7, it was the adjective most used to describe Jets victories. But Jets defenders don't see it that way. If you want ugly, look at last year's Jets defense.

Last season, the Jets allowed 18.7 points per game. This season, they're giving up 14.6, fewest in the league. Last year's team was older, slower, more conservative and less focused. It ranked 28th in the NFL against the run, 21st overall. The players remaining from that unit were ready for a change. First-year coordinator Donnie Henderson brought it. Now the Jets are in the top 10 in overall in passing and rushing defense.

"I came here with the attitude that I didn't know anybody and they didn't know me," says Henderson, a former secondary coach with the Ravens. "The thing I knew was I had a scheme and I had a lot of good defensive players. So you have a good scheme, and you have good defensive players--how do you get them together? Well, I chewed everybody's butt right off the top. Nobody was off-limits. It was not about who you were or who you are; it was about the play itself."

This defense is aggressive. It has gained a swagger. It will, in Henderson's words, die quickly--on a big play, burned by being aggressive--if it is to die. This team blitzes, even in situations where blitz calls aren't the norm. And so far it's working, due in large part to Henderson and his methods.

Every Thursday, Henderson and his coaches leave the defensive meeting and allow the players to run it. They watch film of the upcoming opponent and shout out thoughts. They figure it out on their own.

Henderson points to communication as key to a unit's success--not just among players, but between coaches and players, too. When Henderson took over, he asked each player to write down what he would run if be had one defensive play and was going to call his own number. He asked what each player thought he did best. And he has worked with those answers. "Let's be honest," Henderson says. "If you think you can beat your guy in doing something, why not let you do ...