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New Jersey – Time for some Website Whispers from Friday’s Jets camp, as Dan Leberfeld takes you behind the scenes at One Jets Drive . . .
The Jaguars have the 25th-ranked rushing offense facing the Jets #1 rushing defense. They are not going to be able to run, especially with their issues at guard.
The Jaguars left guard, Zane Beadles, is questionable for this game. He has a sprained plantar fascia — the ligament that attaches the heel to the toe.
“I think initially it was that he may not have a chance this week, but I know he’s really trying to find a way to get back in there,” Jaguars coach Gus Bradley said. “I think we’ll just keep evaluating that.”
The Jaguars right guard, Brandon Linder, perhaps their best offensive lineman, was recently put on injured reserve. So it’s possible the Jaguars will be without both their starting guards.
The Jets talented defensive tackles should have a field day against the interior of the Jaguars line.
Being around the team, I sense the team’s defensive intensity is going to be off-the-charts this week, after getting hammered by the coaches, media and fans for how they tackled last week.
One defensive player said last week game was an “outlier” and not a reflection of the true Jets defensive talent and identity.
And what should help matters for the Jets’ front seven is the fact the Jaguars line isn’t nearly as good at the Raiders’ line, and as I mentioned, both starting guards might be out . . .
During the first half hour of practice, the part of the media can watch, it’s mostly special team’s work.
But while the special teams were working on the main field, on a distant field, coach Steve Marshall was working with the offensive line.
And when they lined up as a starting unit, it was Brian Winters starting at right guard, not Willie Colon.
It has to be a long shot for Colon, with his bad knee, to play two games in five days – Sunday and Thursday.
So there is a good chance he’s only going to play in one, and I would think the Buffalo Bills game makes more sense.
The Jaguars are like Seattle – they like their defensive linemen smaller and quicker. Winters is a better athlete than Colon – more mobile, especially since he’s not playing on a bad wheel.
He’s a better match-up with the Jaguars interior quickness.
Remember, last week, Colon struggled against the extremely athletic Denico Autry.
Autry is like the Jags’ defensive linemen – not huge, but very quick.
The Jets could use a healthier, fresher Colon to deal with guys like Marcel Dareus, Corbin Bryant and Stefan Charles, part of Buffalo’s large interior group . . .
While Todd Bowles played the naïve card last week when I asked him if Calvin Pryor has a high ankle sprain, claiming that when he played they were all the same, it’s clearly a high ankle sprain.
He will miss his second game in a row.
If this was a low ankle sprain, there is now way Pryor misses two games. The kid is super-tough. High ankle sprains are brutal – you can’t change directions on them.
And looking at the tape job Pryor had on his left ankle today, it went pretty high up his left lower leg, the type of tape job you see for a high ankle sprain.
Since it’s a 4-6 week injury, he’s probably a long-shot for Thursday as well.
November 6, 2015
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