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The Jets’ brass went after low-hanging fruit today . . .
However, unless they go further, it means nothing.
They released punt returner Kalif Raymond after one botched punt return.
They got rid of Raymond after one bad play. Heartless in my opinion. What I would have done with Raymond was take him off punt return, and leave him as the kick returner where he looked good last week, and let Jeremy Kerley return punts. Kerley isn’t a great punt returner, but he is a great punt catcher,
Not impressed with the message-sending transaction from today, unless there are other moves to follow.
I’m not impressed until they actually make lineup changes on defense.
And unless they do that, the trajectory of the season likely isn’t going to change much.
Cornerback Justin Burris didn’t give up one touchdown against Oakland, but two.
Who impacted the outcome more in Oakland, Burris or Raymond?
Burris had a tough training camp. Great kid, but he got beat quite a bit during the summer practices.
And his pick against Buffalo doesn’t mean much – it was a gift – a tipped pass that went right to him, so please don’t tell me – “well he had a pick against Buffalo.” He didn’t jump a route and come up with a pick – the ball bounced off Charles Clay and went right to him.
I have nothing against Burris personally, but the Jets are over-valuing his talent a tad. He doesn’t have great speed, and has stiff hips, so wide receivers too often cut away from him. It’s hard to cut with quick receivers with stiff hips. It’s basic science. If Todd Bowles can’t see that, maybe he’s not the secondary guru I thought he was.
Aside from the two touchdowns allowed by Burris in Oakland, there was another play that was far from ideal. Late in the first quarter, the Raiders had a third-and-seven, and Derek Carr hit Amari Cooper for a gain of 14 on the right side. He was wide open. He cut away from Burris.
I’ve said it many times – Burris should be a safety. He doesn’t have the ideal movement skills for an NFL cornerback, especially one who plays as much as he does. With his size and hitting ability, he could be a very good safety.
Marcus Williams makes more plays on the ball than Burris. He should be playing ahead of him. Derrick Jones made a lot more plays on the ball than Burris this summer. Bottom line, If Todd keeps Burris in a prominent role moving forward, you have to wonder if draft pick politics are work here.
Speaking of draft pick politics, if the Jets don’t reduce Darron Lee’s playing time, then we are looking at draft pick politics of the first magnitude.
He’s getting rag-dolled in the running game – opposing guards and centers are getting to the second level and consistently taking him out of plays. Perhaps it’s not his fault because many of these linemen outweigh him by 100 pounds, but it’s happening. In Oakland, on the Jalen Richard touchdown run, he was pancaked by center Rodney Hudson. On Corderelle Paterson’s long touchdown run, he was engulfed by guard Kelechi Osemele and this contributed to the big hole opening up.
Lee should just play on obvious passing downs now. He’s a liability in run defense for his size. The Jets’ brass putting their head in the sands on this one isn’t helping their cause.
Buster Skrine now has had two years and two games of wild inconsistency. I know he’s a great guy, and the media generally doesn’t rip him because he’s cooperative, but what’s up with their evaluation of this player? Perplexing.
So unless the Jets follow the Raymond move with more moves, and make more guys accountable, today’s transactions was just window-dressing.
September 19, 2017
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