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Cortland – Time for some Friday Night Whispers from Jets Training Camp at SUNY-Cortland. Practice notes and more. Let’s go . . .
At the beginning of camp, I commented that Antwan Barnes seemed pretty far away from returning after seeing him limp around mini-camp and then landing on the PUP list.
But after watching him work out with a trainer today, he looks like a player who might be able to return later this summer.
He was working on coming off the ball, and displayed a nice burst and speed exploding out of his stance. This was a good sign for the Jets, because speed and a burst off the ball are two of his strengths . . .
Jason Babin (pictured above) was working with defensive assistant Jeff Weeks on coverage assignments today.
This isn’t a strength of his.
Babin’s best position is 4-3 defensive end, not 3-4 OLB. Look at his history.
I remember when he was a free agent before signing with Philadelphia, I wrote about how the Jets were a bad fit because he’s not a good fit for a 3-4.
To ask him to work in coverage at the age of 34, something he’s not very good at, doesn’t love doing, probably won’t work out that well.
But Rex Ryan put it best – “This way [opponents] don’t peg him as a 100 percent rusher.”
In other words, Ryan doesn’t want teams to think he’s just out there to rush the quarterback, so he needs to learn how to plays some shallow zone coverage.
I’m not saying this signing won’t work out, I’m just saying coverage isn’t his thing . . .
Early in practice, Eric Decker ran a route down the right side in a drill, with Dimitri Patterson in coverage, and got no separation, and the pass fell incomplete.
I saw this lack of separation issue a few times today.
But with that being said, he made several nice grabs on Friday.
The key for Decker is crisp route running (which is a strength) and displaying consistent hands (which is a strength). Another key is winning 50-50 passes (jump balls), which he did today on a pass down the right seem from Geno Smith with CB Johnny Patrick all over him.
Decker doesn’t have great speed.
Watching him in the spring and summer, I think he will be a rock solid player for the Jets, but won’t be a star, and will put up good, not great numbers . . .
John Idzik has created myriad confusion on this quarterback scenario.
Players like Michael Vick and David Nelson have made it clear they don’t think there is a competition, Rex Ryan dances around the issue, and today Idzik said the competition isn’t titled in favor of Smith.
So many fans, reporters, players have no idea what is going on here.
“For all of us, it’s Geno’s team,” wide receiver David Nelson said on CBSSports Radio. “And from what we’ve been told and what we’ve been working toward, it’s Geno’s team.”
Is it? Who knows in this ball of confusion.
It will be interesting to see how this ends up, but right now, a lot of people around the scene don’t know what is going on.
Maybe this isn’t a big deal – perhaps a lack of clarity creates a competitive landscape in a roundabout way. If you don’t know what the heck is going on, all you can do is go out there and give it your best shot, and see what happens . . .
When healthy, Jacoby Ford isn’t just a terrific returner, but an underrated receiver. He has world class speed, consistently gets open, and has solid hands . . .
July 25, 2014
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