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New Jersey – The Jets-Saints game is fast-approaching, and Dan checks in with some nuggets leading up to the game . . .
Jets have a wide receiver on their practice squad named Salim Hakim, who was the New Orleans Saints practice squad for the first five weeks of the season.
I asked him what the Saints offense is all about.
“Getting the ball out on timing – it’s about timing,” said Hakim, who is a super nice guy.
He said one key to dealing with the Saints receivers is to “stay sticky.”
What does he mean by that?
“No free releases,” Hakim said about playing good press coverage.
So it’s essential for the Jets’ corners to do a good job in bump-and-run to mess up the timing of Drew Brees and his receivers.
Jets cornerback Darrin Walls used to play for the Atlanta Falcons, so he has faced the Saints before.
He said the key to dealing with Brees is “patience.”
Walls said Brees is very similar to Tom Brady, and like the Patriots quarterback, Brees is going to get his completions, but you have to keep them short, and not let them beat you deep. That is what he means by “patience.” Let them dink and dunk, but don’t let them beat you deep . . .
I was thinking earlier in the week that there was no way Jeff Cumberland (concussion) was going to play on Sunday.
But you now, it seems like there is a shot. He’s listed as “questionable” for the Saints game, which mean’s he’s 50-50. Also, he had his ankles taped for practice today.
And he wasn’t wearing a red jersey early in practice. Now, I don’t know how much he practiced. He was on the side of the practice field during the media portion of practice, and was rehabbing his hamstring with trainers.
Remember, he suffered a hamstring injury in the New England game.
If he passes the baseline concussion test over the weekend, there is a chance he plays . . .
I saw an interesting guy coaching up Geno Smith today at practice.
Not Marty Mornhinweg or David Lee, but offensive line coach Mike Devlin.
He was working with Smith on the Saints exotic blitz packages and the protections to deal with them . . .
Willie Colon participated in some parts of practice today, but not everything.
When Colon wasn’t in the lineup today, Vlad Ducasse was starting for him.
With all due respect to Ducasse and Brian Winters, if that is the starting guard combo for the Jets on Sunday. Rob Ryan is going to be licking his chops.
Both guys have struggled dealing with blitzing and stunting, something the Saints do a lot of.
Colon, who is dealing with a calf injury, will give it his best shot.
Surely a Toradol shot is a strong possibility before the game.
A lot of players take Toradol shots before games. It’s an amazing anti-inflammatory, that lessens the pain throughout your body . . .
Huge challenge for Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg (pictured above), trying to keep the Jets in the game, with a rookie quarterback, facing a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback. How do keep up with the Brees’?
On top of that, the Saints play an attacking, blitzing style of defense, the type of attack that has given Geno Smith trouble.
No wonder Mornhinweg looked sleep-deprived, and was rambling a little, in his weekly presser yesterday. He’s burning the midnight oil.
November 1, 2013
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