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Clifton – Huge win for the Jets today over the Football Giants. Here are some of the post-game thoughts of Jets Confidential publisher Dan Leberfeld . . .
I don’t know if some Jets fans and local reporter realize how well Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing. He’s a little taken for granted. He out-played Eli today. To me, this isn’t a short-term fix. This is a QB who is capable on holding this position down, and doing a solid job, for another two-three years. I have covered the Jets for 20 years, this is some of the best quarterbacking I’ve seen in quite some time. He’s far from perfect, but he’s in a very good place right now . . .
As I was walking to the Jets’ locker room after the game, I saw Calvin Pryor being carted to the X-Ray room.
In the last issue of Jets Confidential, we had a note comparing Calvin Pryor to Bob Sanders, in more ways than one.
Sanders was a superb safety for the Indianapolis Colts – a big-time play-maker, a big-time hitter.
However, the Sanders missed a lot of time due to injuries, which also cut his career short.
It turns out Pryor has another neck stinger. He had issues with these last year. Remember in Nashville in a Jets win over the Titans in 2014, he had a really bad stinger, and they carted him off the field.
Over his two seasons with the Jets, he’s been banged up a lot.
The problem is simple – he’s as tough as nails, but he’s not a big guy, and he runs around hitting like Ray Lewis.
It’s tough to stay healthy at a tad over 200 pounds, when you hit like Pryor.
Good news for the Jets though, he’s not going to miss any time with this latest stinger . . .
As we have discussed here over and over, the Jets’ punt coverage stinks.
And has all season, and today, it almost cost them the game.
One problem as we have mentioned, is linebackers like Lorenzo Mauldin and Erin Henderson who aren’t great in space, so they can get juked by returners relatively easy in the open field.
But there is another problem nobody is talking about – they are using Dexter McDougle as a gunner, and he’s basically playing with one hand.
“It’s something you have to adjust to,” McDougle told Jets Confidential. “I’m used to it now.”
How do you get used to playing gunner with one hand? I give him credit for trying, but this is situation is ridiculous.
One of his hands is wrapped and braced due to a break. On the punt return for a TD by Dwayne Harris, Pryor was manhandled and pushed way out of bounds. Can you imagine how hard is it to try to take on two blockers, which is often the case with the gunner, with one hand? It makes no sense to have him in that role with a busted hand. Todd Bowles and Bobby April need to be smarter than this. He needs to be taken out of this role . . .
With all the problems the Jets are having in coverage (Buster Skrine is really struggling), to continue to keep Dee Milliner out of the mix is foolish and clearly political.
I keep hearing from fans on twitter – “Oh, he must be really bad if the coaches won’t play him.”
That is a crock.
I have been covering the NFL for 20 years – the politics involving personnel moves, in most organizations, is off-the-charts.
It’s a mistake for us to always defer to the coaches and personnel people and act like they always have all the answers. It’s not true. I could list so many bizarre personnel utilization decisions that weren’t based on merit. I could write a book.
Milliner is a good cornerback who has had trouble staying healthy.
He’s got good size, good speed, loose hips to change direction and is a willing tackler.
Considering the coverage we are seeing, to not have some role for Milliner, is shortsighted, and reeks of politics (he’s not their guy).
Ridiculous.
December 6, 2015
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