Dan Leberfeld's Blog
In an exclusive interview with the team’s website, Jets GM Joe Douglas commented for the first time on the team’s signing of veteran running back Frank Gore on May 5.
“We’re really excited about not only the production he’s brought in his career but we’re really excited about the chemistry he’s going to bring to the running backs room and to the locker room,” Douglas said.
Douglas is really excited about Gore being a mentor to the team’s young running backs.
“When we talk about a player that has been a top-tier rusher in this league and also has a great work ethic, a true pro, he’s really going to help the guys like La’Mical Perine, Josh Adams and Kenny Dixon,” said Douglas.
“It’s a relatively young running back room right now behind Le’Veon (Bell), so he’s definitely going to help those young guys and he’s going to be a great example for them moving forward.”
Some might wonder why the team needs a leader and mentor in the running back room when they have the 28-year-old Bell, who is entering his 7th season.
Douglas said Adam Gase’s relationship with Gore from Miami was a big factor in the player signing with the Jets.
“It’s exciting to add a player of his caliber and a person of his caliber to our team and I know the relationship that he had with Coach Gase at Miami was a big reason that he decided to come here, so we’re very excited to add him to the room,” said Douglas.
Prior to signing Gore, Gase had said they wanted to find a running back to provide a “one-two punch” with Bell.
“Hopefully, we can get some of the younger backs to where we can make a good one-two punch to where we can really excel instead of feeling like it’s just all on him all the time,” Gase said on Rich Cimini’s podcast.
Gore will turn 37 on May 14.
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The new issue of Jets Confidential Magazine will be out in a few days, loaded with tons of good stuff on Gang Green you won’t read anywhere else. To subscribe click below, or call 1-800-932-4557 (M-F, 9-5).
News and notes on the Jets schedule 05.07.20
- PRESEASON TILT: Traditionally facing off in the third preseason game of the year, the Jets and Giants will play their first preseason game of the year against their co-tenant the weekend of 13-17 It is the second-consecutive season the teams open versus each other.
- THURSDAY NIGHT: For the third-consecutive season, the Jets will play a non-divisional opponent on Thursday night when the club hosts the Denver Broncos (10/1). The two teams last met on a Thursday Night in Denver (11/17/11).
- BYE WEEK: The Bye Week falls during Week 11 of the season, the fifth time in the last six seasons the Jets have had their Bye following the season’s first 10 games. Since 2002 when the divisions re-aligned, the Jets Bye Week was scheduled Week Nine or later 10 times.
- HOME-AND-HOME SERIES: With games vs. the Miami Dolphins in Week 10 and 12 sandwiching a bye, the Jets have what amounts to a home-and-home series with their division rivals from South Florida.
- FLEX: In Weeks 15 and 16, the Jets have consecutive games that can be played on either Saturday or Sunday. Week 15 will see the Jets play their second game in Los Angeles this season and first against the Rams since 1992. Week 16 will have the Jets hosting the Browns. It is the sixth-consecutive year the two teams will meet. The Jets have won three of the last five matchups.
- SEASON FINALE: For the third time in the last four seasons, the Jets close their regular season schedule in New England. Since the NFL went exclusively to division matchup finales, the Jets have faced the Patriots three times, Buffalo five times and Miami three times, with all but two of those meetings coming on the road.
*NFL Network’s Schedule Release ‘20 Presented by Verizon airs Thursday, May 7 at 8:00 PM ET revealing the 2020 NFL Schedule, Powered by AWS.
The three-hour show features Rich Eisen, Colleen Wolfe, Kurt Warner, Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci and Steve Wyche breaking down the upcoming schedule, division by division.
Additionally, NFL Head Coaches, General Managers and other guests join from their homes. Here is a list of guests scheduled to join Schedule Release ‘20:
- Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians
- Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin
- Washington Redskins Head Coach Ron Rivera
- Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Sean McVay
- Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Dan Quinn
- Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone
- Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Frank Reich
- Tennessee Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel
- New York Giants Head Coach Joe Judge
- Cleveland Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski
- Chicago Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy
- Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor
- Denver Broncos President of Football Operations/General Manager John Elway
- San Francisco 49ers General Manager John Lynch
- Arizona Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim
- Detroit Lions General Manager Bob Quinn
- Buffalo Bills General Manager Brandon Beane
- Los Angeles Chargers Safety Derwin James
- Baltimore Ravens Running Back Mark Ingram
- NBC Sports’ Al Michaels
- FOX Sports’ Joe Buck
- CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz
*Press Release
On Monday, New York Daily News reporter Manish Mehta announced that the Jets will exercise safety Jamal Adams’ fifth-year contract option.
This applies to the 2021 season. Adams is under contract for 2020. So Adams is locked up by the Jets for the next two seasons.
Adams wants a new contract now. He’s refusing to participate in the Jets’ virtual off-season program, in an attempt to force the Jets’ hand.
But there is a new sheriff in town, Jets GM Joe Douglas, who feels it’s his job to “do what’s in the best interest of the New York Jets.”
And Douglas might not think it’s in the best interest of the Jets to break the bank on a safety right now, who knows?
But no matter what Douglas’ position is on Adams’ contract, now with the player’s fifth-year option locked in, the GM has the player under contract for the next two years.
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This is a good idea in the 5th round 04.25.20
Once you reach the fifth-round of the NFL draft, it’s time to roll the dice.
And that’s what the Jets did with fifth-round pick Bryce Hall, a cornerback out of UVA.
He is coming off a broken ankle, suffered last football season, so this made him slip in the draft, expecially this year, with no player meetings leading up to the draft (so no medical rechecks by team doctors).
Hall is a better than a fifth-round talent. Just put in the film from before the injury.
So Jets GM Joe Douglas, who needs another corner, is gambling that Hall can get back to his pre-injury form.
And if he does, the Jets could end up with a starting cornerback, and second-round value.
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It surprised some that Jets GM Joe Douglas passed up on cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Trevon Diggs, and traded back in the second round.
The Jets traded their original second-round pick, 48th overall, to the Seattle Seahawks for a second-round pick (59 overall) and pick 101.
But then with the 59th pick, the Jets landed Baylor wide receiver Denzel Mims, who was considered a first-round talent by some.
And while CB is a big need for the Jets, so is receiver.
So to trade back in the second round, get an extra pick, and then land a player with a late-first grade, is an example of slick draft gamesmanship by Douglas.
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Both Alabama wide receivers Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy could be in play for the Jets at 11.
Their college coach, Nick Saban, had some thoughts on the pair, during a recent appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
Let’s start with Jeudy.
“I think Jerry Jeudy is a great all-around receiver,” Saban said. “Great route runner. Can really drop his weight and accelerate out of a break. I always compare him to Keenan McCardell who we had at the Cleveland Browns when I was there, except Jerry Jeudy is fast and Keenan McCardell wasn’t fast-fast. So Jerry can play in or out, but he’s really good in the slot. He’s a great option route runner. He’s very smart and he’s got great hands and he’s got enough speed to get on top of you as well.”
Saban shot down reports that Jeudy has a knee issue.
“Well first of all Jerry Jeudy has nothing wrong with him,” Saban said. “Absolutely nothing. He never missed practice here. He played in every game. Played in a bowl game when he didn’t have to play. Practiced every day for the bowl game. So that’s completely false.”
As for Ruggs, Saban thinks he will be “hard to cover” on the NFL level.
“Henry (has) really, really has good hands,” Saban said. “You’re talking about a tough, really great competitor. Great special teams player. Great speed. Maybe not be quite as polished if you put him in the slot, but as an outside receiver, he’s a speed receiver. Any kind of straight line route you run with him he’s going to be really hard to cover.”
Saban loves Ruggs’ work ethic.
“I just think his mentality as a player is something people have to like,” Saban said. “This guy would run 700 routes in practice, then be the first guy up to be a gunner when the punt team came up. Just a completely different mentality, especially when you’re talking about wide receiver. Very tough, good blocker. This guy is a very explosive player.”
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To subscribe to the monthly Jets Confidential Magazine, a must read for Jets fans, click below, or call 1-800-932-4557 (M-F, 9-5). So much stuff about Gang Green YOU WILL NOT READ ANYWHERE ELSE. Check it out.
Are the Jets ready to roll in the brave new world?
Talking about the brave new world of the 2020 NFL draft, which is being done virtually, starting Thursday night, with all team officials communicating from their homes, due to the Coronavirus.
“I think we’ve settled in to our working conditions,” Jets GM Joe Douglas said.
Douglas feels the Jets’ computer department, led by Tom Murphy and Steve Piazza, has done a fine job setting up the Jets’ remote operation.
“Like I mentioned before, our IT department has really shined during this time, and they’ve really put us in a position to communicate seamlessly with all our different groups,” said Douglas. “The set-up allows me to go through segmented groups, and have necessary conversations, for us to be effective.”
The GM thinks the remote set-up is designed so well, it’s almost like being at the Atlantic Health Training Complex.
“I think we have set everything up to be as close as possible to the experience as if we were back in our facility in Florham Park,” Douglas said.
What if Douglas’ line goes down before the Jets are about to make a pick?
“We have the ability to make our selection in the unlikely event that there is a glitch,” Douglas said.
Jets assistant GM Rex Hogan will likely make the pick if Douglas line goes down.
“We have all our protocols in place and I think we’re going to have a smooth draft,” Douglas said.
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To subscribe to the monthly Jets Confidential Magazine, click below, or call 1-800-932-4557 (M-F, 9-5). So much stuff about Gang Green you won’t read anywhere else. A must-read for Jets fans. A subscription makes a great gift for a Jets fan!
*CANTON, OHIO – The Pro Football Hall of Fame, a number of dedicated philanthropists and Gate Gourmet – a global leader in providing prepackaged food products for the airline industry – are partnering in a nationwide effort to deliver meals to people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Called “Project Isaiah,” the initiative already is bringing more than 250,000 boxed meals per week to recipients at no cost to them. In a secondary benefit to the communities served, the project also has saved hundreds of jobs.
“During a crisis, problems must be solved in parallel,” said Michael Klein, chairman of Project Isaiah. “Through a unique partnership with Gate Gourmet and the dedicated work of hundreds of volunteers in our communities, as well as those leading this effort, we are reaching the people who are most in need as quickly as possible.”
Gate Gourmet is using its production and delivery infrastructure to prepare and transport the boxed meals to elderly men and women, children of all ages and other at-risk groups affected by stay-at-home orders and other restrictions put in place since the novel coronavirus struck the United States dramatically last month.
“Once we learned the details behind Project Isaiah, it was an easy decision to say ‘yes’ enthusiastically and join as a partner,” said David Baker, president and CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “The mission, values and vision at the heart of Project Isaiah and at Gate Gourmet align wonderfully with those of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”
Gate Gourmet employees deliver the boxed meals to partner agencies, such as food banks, shelters and youth organizations, in 11 major U.S. cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Each city also is home to at least one NFL franchise.
Project Isaiah not only provides much-needed food to the virus-affected cities, but it also is keeping Gate Gourmet employees at work while U.S. airlines deal with the travel restrictions profoundly affecting that industry.
“Our Vision statement reads, in part, “It’s not just about Canton, it’s the world.” This is a unique way for the Hall to be part of fulfilling the need for life-sustaining food in cities from coast to coast,” Baker said. “Also, two of the pillars of our mission are Honoring Heroes – in all walks of life – and Celebrating Excellence Everywhere. We see Project Isaiah doing all of these things.”
Baker called Project Isaiah a “great example of people huddling up.”
“We need each other, and the support of our teammates, now more than ever,” he said.
To help in the effort, the Hall created a new, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization: Project Isaiah, LLC. Contributions to the LLC are fully tax deductible, and nearly every penny raised to support Project Isaiah goes directly to the cost of preparing and delivering food to the partner agencies in the 11 cities.
*Press release
When it comes to Jamal Adams or any big decision, Joe Douglas should not pander.
Nothing Douglas does should be based on public opinion polls or the media. Everything he does, along with sidekicks Phil Savage, Chad Alexander and Rex Hogan, should be based on sound football decision-making.
Don’t worry about the reaction in the papers, sports talk radio or on Twitter.
First and foremost, this week, Douglas, with his great scouting reputations, needs to knock this draft out of the park.
But along with nailing the draft, there should be no caving to player’s contract demands for PR reasons at any time.
Some of the former regimes might have caved to a player demands due to media and fan pressure. Darrelle Revis’s agents were masters at playing the media game to get what they wanted.
Falling for this kind of scorched-earth approach by a player agent should be in the Jets’ rear-view mirror.
As Douglas likes to say, “I’m going to do what’s in the best interest of the New York Jets.”
And that’s way it should be.
Ignore the white noise at all times, and stick to your plan.
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To subscribe to the monthly Jets Confidential Magazine, click below, or call 1-800-932-4557 (M-F 9-5). So much stuff about Gang Green you won’t read anywhere else. A subscription makes a great birthday gift for a Jets fan.
Here are the thoughts of NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, a former NFL scout, on two possible Jets draft targets – Louisville’s Mekhi Becton and Alabama’s Jedrick Wills, both offensive tackles.
“Becton is my seventh player overall, Wills is my tenth. I view that as kind of the top tier for me, those two guys. Then I think right behind him is (Tristan) Wirfs, he’s my 13th player, and then Andrew Thomas is my 18th player. So I have four top 20 guys in my opinion. But I think there’s a little bit of separation between those top three and then Andrew Thomas.
“God didn’t make many like this. I mean, [Becton] is the definition of a freak. To be that big and to still be able to move the way he does is incredible. He dominates in the run game and the pass game, even though he’s still working through some things technically. He’s so big and so long you can’t get through him and you can’t get around him.
“I think Jedrick Wills on day one, the first day of practice, is going to be ahead of Becton, but I think Becton, the upside is what puts him over the top for me. So he’s my top guy.
“Jedrick Wills is just a natural knee-bender who’s very explosive. He can get himself in bad positions and find ways to recover with his athleticism. He played the right tackle spot there at Alabama. You’ve got a left-handed quarterback so that makes sense, put your best guy over there. I think he’s got left tackle ability. I think he can kick over there no problem, and he’s somebody in the run game that can uproot players. Again, just very explosive, very athletic player who I think he’s a top-10 pick in just about any year in my opinion.”
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To subscribe to the monthly Jets Confidential Magazine, click below, or call 1-800-932-4557 (M-F, 9-5). A JC subscription makes a great gift for a Jets fan.
Douglas isn’t messing around #Jets 04.15.20
Obviously talent is of the utmost importance when acquiring players, but to Jets GM Joe Douglas, player character is just as important.
“I really feel we need to build a foundation moving forward with the right type of people,” Douglas said.
Douglas is obsessed with culture, and a big part of a building a strong culture, is adding players who are wired the right way.
“We are going to try and create the best culture in sports and that all revolves around bringing in the right people,” Douglas said. “I keep talking about commitment and character.”
In Douglas’ opinion, when you bring in players, you can’t just base it on talent.
“We look for player who can not only come in and contribute immediately, but like I have said many times before, fit the culture, to fit the culture that me, Adam, Coach Williams, everyone is putting into place,” Douglas said. “It was important for us to bring those quality players that have the right level of toughness, intelligence, versatility. It was important for us to bring in those type of players, and bring them in on fair market deals.”
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Don’t forget to subscribe to the monthly Jets Confidential Magazine, by clicking below, or calling 1-800-932-4557 (M-F, 9-5). A must read for Jets fans. So much stuff about Gang Green you won’t read anywhere else. Makes a great gift for a Jets fan.
