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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – It was not a sharp day for the offense, as the defense was in good form, combined with a slew of mental and physical errors from the offense.
The chief culprit was Mark Sanchez, who had a rough day in the pocket.
His feet looked unsettled and rushed, and his passing, as a whole, was erratic. He seemed to hesitate in the pocket, and looked reluctant to make throws over the middle. Consistently, Sanchez threw into double coverage.
One positive from Sanchez on Thursday was his leadership ability. On one play, wide receiver Joseph Collins was thrown down by Aaron Berry in an over-the-top show of aggression from the cornerback. Collins jumped up and got into a bit of a tussle with Berry, and Sanchez was the first offensive player to come over and break up the two players. Sanchez might not have done that at this point last year, given his weak mentality in 2012.
But the negative outweighed the positives as he consistently missed receivers, sailed passes and was off on his timing. Not a good day for Sanchez.
The display by second round pick Geno Smith wasn’t much better on Thursday. The major problem for Smith was that he wasn’t reading his receivers well and often didn’t throw to them in-stride. This was an issue for yards after catch, as the wide-outs had to adjust to the ball.
He struggled on his out-patterns, and still looked uneasy under center, as he transitions from a shotgun-based offense. Smith said he “felt like I had a pretty good practice.”
“I feel a lot more comfortable than I did during rookie mini-camp and the week before last and last week. It’s just about repetition, I’ve been getting a lot of reps,” Smith said. “I’ve been making mistakes, but I’ve been getting in the film room, learning from them. I feel a lot more comfortable.” . . .
Newly-signed wide receiver Ben Obomanu, a veteran wide receiver, who possesses good size, has some intriguing tools. He returned kickoffs on Thursday, and looked solid in doing so. As a receiver, he looks polished, usually putting himself in good position to use his body well and make the catch.
It was a mixed day for Jeremy Kerley. The third-year wide receiver had some bad drops, but he also looked explosive over the middle when he did hold onto the ball. Lined up either out wide or inside, it was obvious that Sanchez was often looking to get him the ball.
Bilal Powell has shown himself to be a dependable receiver out of the backfield, as has Lex Hilliard.
It was a quiet OTA for wide receiver Stephen Hill, who was held out last week with a knee injury. He struggled in getting separation. He is running better routes and is where he is supposed to be, but he is lacking explosiveness off the line.
Ryan Spadola showed well on Thursday. The rookie from Lehigh credits wide receiver coach Sanjay Lal for his progression since rookie mini-camp.
“I’m being more physical at the line,” Spadola told Jets Confidential. “Using [my] head, using [my] hands more.”
Tight end Hayden Smith has stopped being a punch line for many in the media, as he has progressed into a more polished target down field. Smith twice made leaping grabs at full extension in Thursday’s session, using his body well to shield the ball both times.
Another tight end with a good day was Chris Pantale, the Boston College product has developed since rookie mini-camp. One thing that is noticeable is that he hits his mark on the field, a sign that he is growing comfortable with the playbook.
“My knowledge has definitely increased the past few days. Now it is sort of go out there and do it,” Pantale told Jets Confidential. “It you want to stick around in this level, you have to be in a position to make the plays. So I’ve put an emphasis on learning the playbook.”
May 30, 2013
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