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Florham Park – A few different things to get into today . . .
His nickname – “K.O.” – is very appropriate. There is supposed to be limited contract in these practices, but on a running plays today, Keleche Osemele pulled to the second level and pulverized Avery Williamson, knocking him to ground. Williamson seemed a little pissed, but would it be smart to start a fight with the 6-5, 330-pound powerhouse. And I don’t think there was malicious intent, but Osemele is so powerful, even in a limited contract drill, when you makes contact with you, you feel it.
Osemele is the epitome of a “road-grader.”
The Jets traded with Oakland Raiders for Osemele could turn out to be amazing for the Jets. We are talking about a guard who just turned 30. That might be an “old” age at some positions, but not guard.
As I have reported before in this space, Jon Gruden felt that Osemele “quit” on the Raiders for not playing through an injury. I can’t comment one way or another on that because I’m not in Osemele’s body. But I do know that Gruden has a terrible history as a personnel guy, so it’s quite possible the trade for Osemele could turn into a steal of biblical proportions . . .
Another steal for the Jets could be tight end Ryan Griffin, who was signed after the Chris Herndon suspension was announced. Griffin was released by Texans in May after he punched-out a hotel window during the draft in Nashville, and was charged with vandalism and public intoxication. He punched the window after the Texans picked tight end Kahale Warring in the third round. The window wasn’t available for comment.
Look, I’m not condoning what he did, but the guy is a very solid tight end, and as Bill Parcells always used to say, “Football is a game for the well-adjusted.”
Today in practice, he had a terrific catch on a deep out on the right side with a linebacker in tight coverage. He used his great height (6-6) and strength to grab the ball away from the linebacker (forget to write the name day – sorry, but definitely was a linebacker).
Griffen is not a star, but a player who brings value as both a blocker and receiver, and could be a nice stopgap while Herndon is out.
But Daniel Brown is going to give him a run for his money. He had another strong practice today. He runs great routes and has terrific hands. In today’s practice, he beat linebacker Anthony Wint on a deep out on the left side . . .
One possible concern with the Jets secondary right now is speed. There was a play early in practice where this potential problem was on display. Robby Anderson got by Trumaine Johnson down the right seam, and then Rontez Miles was late getting over to help, and #11 went for a long gain.
Neither Johnson or Miles is a burner and it showed on this play. This isn’t a shot at either player, just a dose of reality.
Even with Marcus Maye (shoulder) out, not sure why the Jets are playing Miles in center field. He’s a box safety (and a very good one). They’re playing him out of position.
Also, Brian Poole had issues hanging with slot receiver Jamison Crowder on a couple of plays. Instinctively, Poole is a huge upgrade from the guy he replaced, but not a burner either.
The point here is simple – while speed isn’t everything, if you don’t have a great pass rush, it can be a problem.
And while you can get away with one or two guys who don’t run great if they have good instincts, you don’t want to overload your secondary with pedestrian speed with so many speedy receivers around the league. If you do that, you are asking for trouble . . .
Let’s be honest, while there is so much talk about the Jets playing a 3-4 front, so often it looks like a 4-3.
Today, in the first play of the 11-on-11 part of practice, the Jets were essentially in a four-man line with Henry Anderson and Bronson Kaufusi at end and Leonard Williams and Steve McLendon inside.
Gregg Williams has so many different wrinkles in his defensive playbook, don’t get too caught up in the concept that the Jets are playing a 3-4 defense.
July 26, 2019
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