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Lost a chance to improve.
The Jets need every practice they can get, and I don’t mean that in a flippant way.
It’s just a fact. At 0-4, they have a lot of things to clean up.
But their Friday practice was cancelled due to a player reportedly testing positive for COVID-19. However, they retested that player, and everyone else, and all the results game back negative.
Here is the statement the Jets released on Friday night:
“This evening, we received negative PCR COVID-19 test results for all players, coaches and personnel. Following a presumptive positive COVID-19 test and out of an abundance of caution to ensure everyone’s health and safety, we sent all players and personnel home this morning. We also initiated all NFL mandated protocols including player isolation, subsequent testing, and contact tracing. As we have thus far, we will continue to follow required health and safety protocols in the best interests of our coaches, players, staff and community. We look forward to our game this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.”
The Cardinals practiced on Friday before flying to New Jersey, and the Jets didn’t. That is the bottom line.
Maybe the Jets could have sent that one player home, retested everyone, and then practiced, but what do I know.
All I do know is the Jets have been a very sloppy team this year, and need all the practice they can get.
And have a quarterback who is making his first start for the team in Joe Flacco. Yes he’s a seasoned veteran, but this is his first start in this offense, and with this group. He needed this Friday practice.
We will see how this impacts the game. Maybe not at all.
Welcome to the year where the NFL’s obsession with “competitive balance’ has kind of gone out of the window due to COVID-19.
The New England Patriots, who had a positive test early this week, after having one last week, had all virtual meetings this week while the Denver Broncos practiced on a field. Same with the Tennessee Titans, who went all virtual, and face the Buffalo Bills, who practiced on a field.
Some teams have fans in the stadiums, and others don’t.
So many elements of the even playing field concept have been thrown out the window this season due to COVID-19, but you know what, at least there is a season, many thought that would never happen . . .
A writer for the Arizona Cardinals website wrote the following about Joe Flacco starting for the Jets this week:
“It just seems to me – and I know the Cardinals’ defense is coming off five bad quarters – that seeing statuesque (and not in a good way) Joe Flacco back there should be helpful.”
Be careful what you wish for. Flacco might not run like Sam Darnold, but he’s going to make quicker decisions, and the Cardinals’ pass defense hasn’t been very good this year.
I see similarities between Flacco and Chicago’s Nick Foles, who led the Bears to an upset over Tampa Bay on Thursday night. Neither is very mobile, but both are 6-6 veterans with great natural throwing sightlines, and are good at distributing the ball to playmakers.
Here is what Bears WR Allen Robinson said after Chicago’s win over Tampa Bay about Foles:
“I think everybody sees what he’s capable of in terms of the rhythm we have and how we can move the ball down the field,” Robinson said.
I think that is what Flacco can do for the Jets.
Once again, not putting him in Canton, but he should be better at sustaining drives distributing the ball to different weapons than Darnold, who’s not seeing the field that well right now.
I actually think if the Jets lose this game, which there is a good chance they will, it will be because of their defense, not their offense, since they are so bad at setting the edge, and super-mobile Kyler Murray’s coming to town.
Hey, maybe if they stop playing so many heavy-legged defenders, and role with mobile linemen like Frankie Luvu, Bryce Huff, Tarrel Bashem and John Franklin-Myers, and their edge defense will improve.
October 9. 2020
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