EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Give Rex Ryan points for creativity.
Amid the current cornerback crisis, the New York Jets coach enlisted two unlikely players Sunday to help his ailing secondary -- linebacker Quinton Coples and kickoff returner Saalim Hakim.
The 275-pound Coples lined up twice at cornerback, including the first play of the game in the Jets' 19-14 win over the Oakland Raiders at MetLife Stadium. Actually, it wasn't a true cornerback assignment; his job was to re-route the receiver at the line of scrimmage, passing him off to a real cornerback behind him. No, Coples didn't have to backpedal and cover.
Hakim, perhaps the fastest player on the team, lined up twice as a safety and blitzed. It conjured up memories of a couple of years ago, when Ryan deployed running back/returner Joe McKnight as a defensive back.
Anxious rookie: It could've been a storybook NFL debut for No. 1 pick Calvin Pryor, but he dropped a would-be interception around midfield that almost certainly would've gone for a touchdown return.
"It was a clear pick-six," Pryor said. "I was just looking at the end zone before I caught the ball."
Otherwise, it was a fairly quiet day for Pryor, who started at safety. He was credited with three tackles and two pass breakups. He was used mostly in pass coverage.
"The front seven told me, 'Don't worry about the run, we got it,'" he said.
Fellow safety Dawan Landry recorded a sack, as did pass-rusher Jason Babin, who also had a pressure in his Jets debut.
Flags flying everywhere: The Jets were called for 13 penalties, two of which were declined. All told, it was 11 for 105 yards -- ridiculous. There were six on offense, four on defense and one on special teams. The breakdown:
Offense -- Willie Colon (holding, facemask and false start), Breno Giacomini (false start), Eric Decker (holding and pass interference and Jeff Cumberland (holding/declined).
Defense -- Sheldon Richardson (offside), Demario Davis (offside), Calvin Pace (roughing the passer), Darrin Walls (pass interference) and Antonio Allen (holding/declined).
Special teams -- D'Brickashaw Ferguson (holding).
Davis, for one, felt the officials didn't call it both ways. The Raiders, notorious for their penalty-prone ways, were called four times for 20 yards.
"We're an aggressive defense -- penalties are going to happen -- but anytime they throw that many on our defense, I wish they would do the same on the other side," Davis said, adding that the disparity is "upsetting. I know we're not perfect, but I'm pretty sure they're not, either."
Medical report: The Jets reported only one injury -- linebacker/special teams player A.J. Edds (hamstring).
Odds and ends: Ryan's record on opening day is 5-1. ... The Jets rushed for 212 yards, their 10th 200-yard performance under Ryan. ... Muhammad Wilkerson tipped three passes. "Time to be disruptive," he said. ... Ryan-coached defenses are 8-3 against rookie quarterbacks. ... Chris Ivory's 71-yard touchdown run was the longest rush of his career. It's tied for the second-longest scoring run in Jets history, behind Bruce Harper (78 yards, 1983) and tied with Thomas Jones (2009).