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New Jersey – Lets go inside the Jets with notes, obviously on the Braylon Edwards waiver claim. Also, we have notes on Kenrick Ellis. Bart Scott and more . . .
People talk about the chemistry between Braylon Edwards and Mark Sanchez.
While there is something to be said for that, remember, that was in the Jets’ old offense.
They are in a different scheme now.
Edwards has never played in Tony Sparano’s offense.
So that creates a challenge.
However keep this in mind – the Jets are game-plan specific each week. In other words, they put in a game-plan, focusing on certain plays, and that is all the players need to learn for every game.
So that narrows down the amount of information a new player needs to learn.
So in other words, this time of year, you just need to learn a specific game plan, not the entire playbook . . .
Here is the big question about Braylon Edwards – the condition of his right knee.
He blew out that knee late in this rookie season in Cleveland, in 2005, against Jacksonville in December of that year.
And there have been issues on-and-off with that particular knee.
Early in the 2011 season, while playing for San Francisco, he re-injured that knee in an overtime loss to Dallas, and needed a scope.
This injury messed up the rest of his season, and he ended up only appearing in nine games for San Francisco. He was waived on December 27.
Then this year, with Seattle, late in October, prior to a game against his hometown Detroit Lions, his knee swelled up before the game, had to be drained, and he as inactive. The problem lingered past that particular Sunday.
So the big question isn’t whether he can still play, but whether his surgical knee will behave.
The Jets have a good training staff led by John Mellody, and a state of the art training room. Look at what a good job they’ve keeping LaRon Landry on the field this year.
If Braylon’s knee is okay, he should be able to help the Jets these last three games . . .
One thing that doesn’t get enough attention is what a good blocker Chaz Schilens is for a receiver.
Late in the third quarter against Jacksonville, Shonn Greene had a 14-yard run off left tackle.
Schilens had a great block about seven yards down field which keyed thisp lay. I didn’t catch the number of the player he locked up, but he manhandled him.
A couple of other unsung guys had key blocks on this play. Jason Smith, as a sixth lineman, sealed the left edge, and Vlad Ducasse did a nice job of pulling to the second level.
Let me ask you about Ducasse – when was the last time you said to yourself, “Wow, Vlad really messed up on that play?”
That is a good sign with an offensive lineman – we generally only notice them when they mess up.
It’s been a while. He’s really making progress . . .
In Braylon Edwards and Schilens, the Jets have two of the better blocking receivers in football . . .
In the middle of the second quarter on Sunday, Jaguars running back Montell Owens had a 10-yard run up the middle. On this play, nose tackle Kenrick Ellis was manhandled by center Brad Meester – pushed to the right – and this opened up a big hole up the middle from Owens.
It’s problematic in a 3-4 defense when the nose tackle is handled so easily by one blocker. It’s ideal that the nose tackle take up two blockers, so others can make the play.
Meester handled Ellis much too easy on this play.
We didn’t see a lot of Ellis the rest of this game.
Here is the big problem for Ellis right now. He’s lost a step he couldn’t afford to lose due to that knee injury suffered against Houston, earlier this season.
He’s not the most mobile guy to start, so you throw in a knee injury, and a knee brace, that’s a bad scenario for him . . .
Bart Scott will be happy to have his fellow Detroit prep star, Braylon Edwards, back in the locker room.
He also has something else to smile about – two good games in a row, and some good film to show teams that he can still play.
Expect Scott to play somewhere in 2013 . . .
December 11, 2012
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