If Bobby Okereke ends up having a big game for the Giants Sunday, the Jets can blame C.J. Mosley for it.
Mosley, the Jets middle linebacker, is really an innocent bystander here. But because of his sustained excellence at his craft, Okereke, the Giants middle linebacker, spent hours studying tape of Mosley as he tried to learn the defensive system of Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.
Martindale was Mosley’s linebackers coach and defensive coordinator in Baltimore before Mosley signed with the Jets in 2019. And, when Okereke signed with the Giants this past offseason, one of the first things he did was watch tapes of the way Mosley in Baltimore with Martindale, because Mosley is a standard-setter at the position.
“When we had him there in Baltimore and he moved to the Jets, there wasn’t a better ‘mike’ [middle] linebacker in the league,” Martindale told The Post this week.
“Shout out to C.J. Mosley,” Okereke said when praised for his recent stellar play. “When I learned that he was one of Wink’s favorite players, I watched a lot of tape on him when I got here.”
It’s worked.
Okereke, in his last four games, has 42 tackles, four for losses, one interception and a forced fumble.
Mosley, in his last four games, also has 42 tackles, two for losses, and he has an interception of Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes, as well as a forced fumble.
“I have a lot of respect for C.J.,” Okereke told The Post this week. “After talking to Wink about some of his favorite linebackers in his system, I wanted to watch C.J.’s tape. It’s helped me get more comfortable with the scheme, figuring out how I can learn and excel and make plays in [Martindale’s] scheme.
“I wanted to go back and watch film of some of the best linebackers he’s had, and obviously C.J. Mosley was the first name that came up. He’s been an exceptional pro in this league for a long time.”
Asked what he gleaned most from the Mosley tape, Okereke, said. “His efficiency of movement and is mental processing in his decision-making. He doesn’t waste a lot of steps. He’s just a very efficient football player. He’s fast, he’s strong, he’s a prototypical ‘mike’ linebacker.’’
Mosley, when informed by The Post on Friday about Okereke’s tape sessions and compliments of him, was taken aback.
“Any time I get any credit or praise in this league from a coach or a player, I really appreciate it,’’ Mosley said. “I know the work I put in and the way I come to work, so it means a lot to me when I hear that type of stuff, so I never take that for granted.’’
Mosley then doled out compliments to Okereke.
“He’s a fast linebacker who’s always around the ball,’’ Mosley said. “Wink is always going to find an instinctive linebacker like (Okereke), a guy that can play all four downs who can be aggressive in the run game and make plays on the back end. Just being under Wink, I know he’s in good hands.’’
Okereke, indeed, has found his footing in Martindale’s aggressive system in the past month.
“His angles are better and he’s getting downhill,’’ Martindale said. “He hasn’t lost the knack of getting the football. There’s a lot of linebackers that are really good tacklers and that’s it. Bobby can make tackles and he has a knack for getting the football.’’
Martindale was impressed, but not surprised, that Okereke quietly took the time on his own to study Mosley.
“It says a lot about his work ethic, his humility and also his desire to be great,’’ Martindale said.
“I pride myself on how hard I work, so for me it’s been just a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if,’ ’’ Okereke said. “I know I put the work in, so it was just getting comfortable with the scheme, getting comfortable with my teammates, because I have that drive to succeed.’’
Mosley’s Jets teammates marvel at his consistent drive and how good he’s been for so long.
“He’s never stopped being a student of the game,’’ tight end C.J. Uzomah told The Post Friday. “He’s mastered his craft and still studies tendencies and tips from tight ends, receivers, running backs and he does it at such a high level and is able to analyze thing so fast it’s impressive. I’m happy to have him on my side now.’’
With Mosley, his locker neighbor, standing next to him, Uzomah then pointed to a protruding bone in his right shoulder and said, “You know how I got this? I got this from C.J. That was 245 (pounds) coming at me. That was an ‘Oh sh—t’ moment.’’
Mosley played at about 250 pounds in Baltimore and, when current head coach Robert Saleh was hired, he asked him to play at 230 pounds to become speedier in the his system.
“He re-made his body to fit to what we ask our linebackers to accomplish,’’ Saleh said Friday. “We call him ‘captain’ for a reason. He doesn’t say much, but when he speaks it matters.’’
Tight end Tyler Conklin told The Post he believes Mosley is one of the most underrated players in the league.
“The way he plays the game and the way he goes about the game, he’s just a pro’s pro,’’ Conklin said. “He’s one of those players that, when I get done playing here I’ll tell people, ‘I got to play with C.J. Mosley.’’’
