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I found it . . .
a little strange that the Jets cut cornerback Arthur Maulet.
It’s not he’s the panacea for their cornerback situation, but because it made them very thin at cornerback entering a game against New England where you need all hands on deck at that position. And fellow reserve CB Nate Hairston is dealing with a knee issue. Perhaps the Jets think Hairston might be able to go with week, but he didn’t practice today.
But still, even if Hairston come back, with Maulet released (and now on the practice squad), the Jets only have three outside corners – Trumaine Johnson, Daryl Roberts and Strickland. Brian Poole is inside manning the slot.
However, I think there is something else at work here. While newly signed Blake Countess is considered a safety by most and most reports about the signing called him a safety, I think the Jets view him as a corner. He played both in college (Michigan and Auburn) and is only 5-11, 191 – good size for cornerback, but not for safety.
So don’t be shocked if you see Countess at cornerback, not safety, and that explains why he was signed around the time Maulet was released.
The Jets have had their eyes on Countess for a while. He hurt his hamstring in the Philadelphia Eagles’ preseason opener and was given an injury settlement. The Jets were waiting for him to get healthy. Not only did Joe Douglas like him in Philly, but Gregg Williams coached him with the Rams in 2016. Countess entered the league as a 2016 sixth-round pick of the Eagles with Douglas in their personnel department. Countess was released on the final cutdown in 2016, and claimed by the Rams, where he spent three years, but went back to the Eagles this off-season, but got hurt in camp.
So between Douglas and Williams there is a lot of familiarity with this player . . .
The Daily News had another blockbuster, this time Demaryius Thomas saying his trade by New England to the Jets was “insulting.”
“It was insulting, for sure,” Thomas said in the blockbuster which went viral.
Thomas felt it was “insulting” because he felt misled by Belichick about their plans for the player.
You can read the blockbuster to get all the details, but I have a totally different take on why it was “insulting” that’s totally different than Thomas. I think it was “insulting” because when you trade a player to a division rival to help them fell a need, you obviously consider that team no threat. As I mentioned at the time, I doubt that New England would have traded Thomas to Kansas City after Tyreek Hill hurt his collarbone in Week One.
To me, that’s why this trade was “insulting” . . .
I have no idea with C.J. Mosley is playing on Monday night. He very well might, but the fact that he says he’s going to play is somewhat irrelevant. I have been doing this 25 years. Players often saying they are playing when asked directly by reporters, but then often don’t play due to a decision by the GM, head coach, trainer, whomever. So I never take it to the bank when the player proclaims he’s playing . . .
Something that makes this game even more daunting for the Jets than advertised is Bill Belichick and and company not only having extra time to prepare coming off Thursday night football, but then throw in the extra day since this game is on Monday night.
You throw in a counterintelligence agent, tight end Eric Tomlinson, who was with the Jets all off-season and summer, and the Patriots should have tremendous game plans this week . . .
October 17, 2019
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