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Florham Park – Linebacker Quincy Williams was held out the last two days of minicamp. Rookie wide receiver Arian Smith was on the stationary bike during part of practice today. Don’t know what is wrong with him, but you know how those twitchy speedsters are with soft tissue tweaks.
Did not see defensive end Eric Watts practicing during camp. He was on the rehab field with Jermaine Johnson, who is getting close to 100 percent in his recovery from a torn achilles.
Other players who were held out of the camp included wide receiver Malachi Corley who was injured at OTAs, and cornerback Tre Swilling (who was released today, but I saw him on the rehab field on Tuesday(.
I don’t know what is wrong with any of these players, aside from Johnson, because nobody asked the coach about them.
This has kind of turned into a big picture beat, more so than a minutiae beat . . .
With the off-season practices concluded, one thing that is clear, watching Justin Fields and the Jets offense, is that there is going to be some pressure on first-time NFL offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand to “manufacture production.”
That is a very common thing on the college level – offensive play-callers manufacturing production with their playing-calling wizardry and chicanery.
Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss has always been great at this.
What I’m talking about systems not driven by a ton of progressions, but a lot of run-pass options, a lot of bootlegs, a lot of play-action throws into big spaces created by linebackers biting on the run fakes.
Fields can do well with an approach like this, but the onus is on Engstrand to dial up the right stuff that helps his offense manufacture production.
Fields can run like a deer and make all the throws, but he’s not a full field reader. That isn’t meant as an attack. It is what it is. He has plenty of company at the position. Not a ton of full-field readers out there. The Jets had one last year.
A key to having success with an offensive approach like this is not falling behind too much, where the QB needs to become more of a pure pocket passer – that isn’t where Fields shines.
So it will be fascinating to see in the fall how good Engstrand is at manufacturing production. He needs to be a high-level football chess player to help out his QB.
Engstrand and Fields will be true partners here. This is a true symbiotic relationship between OC and QB . . .
Another takeaway from the spring is that Aaron Glenn is a big-time alpha dog leader, the kind of guy the Jets desperately need at this time in history.
Look, I have no idea how this is going to turn out, and I don’t want to be gullible and pretend to know that this latest new sheriff in town will be the one who turns it around. Hope springs eternal in all the NFL cities with new coaches.
All I’m saying is this guy has tremendous natural leadership ability, to go along with all he learned from coaching mentors like Bill Parcells and Sean Payton.
The guy is a true honey badger. For those unfamiliar with this animal, they are known for their fearless and tough nature.
In an uber-PC era where so many people are walking on eggshells, this man doesn’t walk on eggshells.
He tells it like it is to the players, his assistants, and the media in a way we have not seen around here in some time.
Look, I have no idea how the X’s and O’s part is going to go, I’m just talking about the leadership part right now.
Watching Glenn operate throughout the spring, it’s quite obvious he is a big-time leader of men.
June 12, 2025
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