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This work is really important.
Especially for a first-year head coach, with a staff putting in new systems, and trying to instill a new culture.
While some teams are caving to their veteran player reps, the Jets are forging ahead with their full spring schedule:
Jets Phase III Workouts:
OTA 1 – May 24
OTA 2 – May 26
OTA 3 – May 27
OTA 4 – June 1
OTA 5 – June 3
OTA 6 – June 4
OTA 7 – June 7
OTA 8 – June 8
OTA 9 – June 10
OTA 10 – June 11
Mandatory Minicamp 1 – June 15
Mandatory Minicamp 2 – June 16
Mandatory Minicamp 3 – June 17
Don’t you think the Eagles, with first-year head coach Nick Sirianni, and a young QB in Jalen Hurts, could use this kind of schedule? Not gonna happen.
“We had some really good conversations with our players, some of our team leaders, about the offseason program,” Sirianni told the team’s website. “I’ve always believed it’s important to have that open communication with your team, and it was really helpful for us as a staff as we put together the offseason program. I feel good that our schedule will allow us to get some really good work in before we hit training camp. I really appreciated those conversations.”
And after those meetings he cut down on OTAs and cancelled the team’s mandatory veteran minicamp. Victory for the veteran players he met with. A loss for the young players.
So far, the Jets haven’t caved, and that is a good thing for their program.
Look, the Jets aren’t going to be playing tackle football during any of this on-field work. In fact, if you take people to the ground in these kind of practices, you are reprimanded.
But these Jets players have so much to learn from this new staff, and these 13 days of on-field work will be very helpful, like working on technique with young players. You don’t need tackle football out there to accomplish this, like with their first-round quarterback.
A former NFL and college QB, who broke down a lot of film on Zach Wilson, and likes him a lot, feels he needs some work in one important area of quarterbacking.
“Are there things Zach Wilson needs to work on, absolutely, he has to clean up the footwork a little bit,” said former Penn State QB Matt McGloin, now in broadcasting.
So think how valuable all those sessions will be for Wilson, being able to work on the field with OC Mike LaFleur, QB coach Rob Calabrese and long-time NFL QB coach Gregg Knapp, who is their passing game coordinator.
Think about all the technique work the young developmental corners the Jets added late in the draft, must need.
Even a player like veteran linebacker C.J. Mosley, who opted out last year, needs a lot of work this spring. Not just to get back into football grove again, but he played in a 3-4 defense his entire NFL career, and now he’s going to be playing in a 4-3 scheme under Jeff Ulbrich and Robert Saleh. That is going to take some adjustments and tweaking some of his techniques.
So the idea that Saleh is going through with the CBA-approved OTAs, and mandatory mini-camp, is a big plus for the Jets.
May 24, 2021
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