MIAMI (AP) -When it comes to sacks, Rex Ryan gets defensive about his defense.

The New York Jets have only four sacks this season, which isn't very Ryan-like. He's the NFL's most blitz-happy coach and takes pride in the way his defenses shake, rattle and roll quarterbacks.

Four sacks? That's next to last in the league. What's up, Rex?

``If you're just looking at stats, you'd say, 'Man, we cannot even come close to the quarterback. We've been very poor,''' Ryan said. ``But if you count hits and pressures and how many times we've disrupted the quarterback, we're probably among the league leaders. Sometimes it's not about sacks.''

On Monday night, it will be all about pass pressure. The Jets (3-1) renew their AFC East rivalry against the Miami Dolphins (1-3), and it's a matchup of quarterbacks with a combined total of five NFL starts.

Both teams know the payoff that comes from pressuring a young QB.

``With a rookie quarterback, you try to get his mind messed up,'' Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder said.

Rookie Mark Sanchez is coming off his shakiest game, which also happened to be the Jets' first defeat. He threw three interceptions, including one returned 99 yards for a touchdown, and lost a fumble recovered in the end zone as New York lost to New Orleans 24-10.

Chad Henne fared better last week in his first NFL start. The second-year pro relied heavily on the Dolphins' grinding ground game, and they earned their first victory by beating Buffalo, 38-10.

Henne showed he's susceptible to the pass rush, however. He was sacked six times and fumbled twice, although Miami recovered both. He wants to get rid of the ball more quickly against the Jets.

``You definitely can't sit back there all day. You have to make quick, smart decisions,'' Henne said. ``As a young quarterback, any team you play, and especially the Jets, is going to pressure me and see if I can handle it.''

The Jets have blitzed about three-fifths of the time, by far the most in the league, and that's against such savvy QBs as Drew Brees and Tom Brady. Against second-year pro Henne, the frequency may be higher, and they have additional options with the return of their best pass rusher, Calvin Pace, from a four-game suspension.

Even without Pace, the Jets have generated enough pressure on the quarterback to rank fourth in yards allowed. Their defense has given up only three touchdowns, and opponents are averaging 5.0 yards per pass, worst in the AFC.

Pretty good for a team with only four sacks.

``We got 23 hits against Tom Brady,'' linebacker Bart Scott said. ``Whether we got sacks or not, getting that ball out of the quarterback's hands before he gets opportunities to step into his throws is more important.''

From firsthand experience, the Dolphins know how disruptive Ryan's blitzing can be. He was defensive coordinator last year for the Ravens when they beat Miami in the playoffs by harassing Chad Pennington into four interceptions.

Pennington's year-ending shoulder injury two weeks ago necessitated the promotion of Henne. Coach Tony Sparano said Henne and his teammates will be braced for whatever trickery Ryan may throw at them.

``If your players don't know and don't understand going into the ballgame, there will be a lot of chaos out there,'' Sparano said.

The Dolphins want to be a disruptive defense, too, and they showed progress against the Bills with six sacks and three takeaways. But they're giving up 8.7 yards per pass, worst in the NFL, and the Jets improved their big-play potential this week by acquiring receiver Braylon Edwards from Cleveland.

Edwards caught three touchdown passes the last time he faced Miami two years ago.

One way to stop Edwards is to unsettle Sanchez, who is even less experienced than Henne. While Henne was a four-year starter at Michigan, Sanchez started only 16 games at Southern Cal and has been prone to mistakes as a Jet, with five fumbles - two lost - and five interceptions.

``He's still a rookie,'' Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter said. ``They've won some games, but I still feel like we're going to have some opportunities to get the ball from him.''

Porter, who led the AFC last year with 17 1/2 sacks, is expected back in the lineup after missing one game with a sore hamstring. Rookie Cameron Wake had three sacks against Buffalo filling in for Porter, and the Dolphins' other starting linebacker is Jason Taylor, the NFL's active sacks leader with 123 1/2.

Porter, Wake and Taylor might be on the field together at times against Sanchez.

``There's no such thing as too many good pass rushers,'' Miami defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni said.

That's especially true against a young quarterback.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.