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This is a huge break for the Jets.
There is no way around that.
As many of you know by now, Tampa Bay Buccaneers star receiver Mike Evans will miss the Jets’ game due to a league suspension related to a fight against New Orleans.
In eight games, he has 40 catches and four touchdowns.
At 6-5, 231, he’s a mismatch for most corners.
He’s a heck of a football player, and he’s the #1 reason quarterback Johnny Manziel was a first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in the 2014 draft. At Texas A&M, Manziel would run around creating time, and often chuck it down field to Evans, who made one big catch after the other.
And remember in 2015 when Brandon Marshall had a standout season with the Jets with 109 catches and 14 touchdowns, Ryan Fitzpatrick “threw him open” a lot. That means he wasn’t necessarily open, but with his size (6-5, 232), and wingspan, he’s go out and grab the rock over a much smaller corner. “Fitz” threw him a lot of 50-50 balls where the defensive back and Marshall essentially engaged in a jump ball for football.
Fitzpatrick doesn’t have a great arm so these kind of passes really help him. He’s not a rocket-armed QB who is going to fit the ball into tight windows like a Matt Stafford.
So the 50-50 ball situations that he had with Marshall in 2015 where right in his wheelhouse.
Evans would have offered him the same opportunities this Sunday, but now he’s not available. That is big blow to the Buccaneers and a huge break for the Jets.
The Jets cornerback play has been problematic – we have seen a number of fourth quarter collapses by the Jets were teams roared back, like Jacksonville and Miami, and a lot of that was related to the cornerback play.
Jets should get Mo Claiborne back this week. Yes he needs to cut down on penalties, but he’s by far their best cornerback. He’s a really good cover guy.
Jets should mix things up at spot opposite Claiborne where Buster Skrine is struggling. Newly-acquired Rashard Robinson could help, or perhaps Darryl Roberts is ready for some starting reps. It’s unlikely Skrine will be replaced in starting lineup because the Jets have a blind spot when it comes to this player, but Robinson and Roberts are two guys with great speed who should come in handy for Gang Green down the stretch.
Now DeSean Jackson is still going to be a major challenge for the Jets, as his Penn State rookie Chris Godwin, but taking Evans out of the mix will allow them to double Jackson more.
Also with Evans out, this Jets will be able to dedicate more cover guys to the Buccaneers’ talented tight ends led by Harvard’s Cameron Brate and 2017 first-round pick O.J. Howard out of Alabama.
And the Buccaneers did the Jets a favor by announcing early in the week that Jameis Winston wasn’t going to play. This allowed the Jets to just game-plan for Fitzpatrick, not two quarterbacks.
But no matter who the quarterback was going to be, not having Evans hurts the Buccaneers’ QB room.
November 7, 2017
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