Content available exclusively for subscribers
New Jersey – Time for another edition of “Keeping it Real.” Today Dan looks at a player the Jets MUST get on the field more, and another who is getting scapegoated unfairly . . .
The Jets need to get Erin Henderson on the field.
I’m not saying bench somebody. I’m saying, they need to find a role for him.
Whether it’s at inside or outside linebacker.
This guy is a very good football player – big, tough, smart, instinctive – makes a lot happen.
He’s 6-3, 244, very athletic and has good range.
This isn’t a guy who should be on the bench and running down on kicks.
And I’m going to ask Bowles about him tomorrow at the press conference, if I can get a question in-between the Star-Ledger and Daily News tag teams.
Each paper has two writers who cover the team full-time, and they are question machines.
Often one will ask a question, and then a guy from the same paper will ask then next question.
It’s wearing out players and coaches.
But I will make sure I ask.
Before Henderson got hurt in the first preseason game in Detroit, he looked like Ray Lewis, running around making a ton of plays.
Obviously I’m not comparing him to Lewis, but just saying, the cat is an excellent football player . . .
Jets made a mistake using Zac Stacy as a kick returner.
It doesn’t fit his skill-set.
I know I said the other day perhaps he could surprise people and break tackles, but I was wrong.
He’s a 5-9, 225-pound balling ball who does his best work running between tackles.
He looked totally out of place returning kicks.
The Jets should have had a better option.
But I will say in their defense, their options were limited when Walter Powell hurt his groin in practice early last week.
There were thinking hard about promoting him from the practice squad, but he wasn’t healthy enough to play.
Chris Owusu will be out until after the bye-week, so he’s not an option this week. It remains to be seen if Powell’s groin will be healthy enough in London.
But they should put Jeremy Kerley back there if they have no other choices. I know he’s a better punt returner than kick returner, but he can certainly return kicks.
They can’t go with Stacy this week, or they are just giving up on the play.
Don’t get me wrong, he’s a terrific running back, but not a kick returner . ..
There are some people anointing some blame to Ryan Quigley for the Darrin Sproles punt return for a touchdown. That is nuts.
Is Quigley inconsistent? No question. But to me, this play was on the punt cover team, not him.
One league executive, who reviewed the game, defended Quigley.
“I’ve seen a few snide comments about Quigley,” said the executive. “Upon further review, he actually had a good game.
“He averaged a strong 4.89-second hang time on his first 6 punts in the 1st half. Three of those punts were not only inside-the-20s, they were inside-the-11’s, starting the Eagles from their 2, 9 and 10.
“On the 89-yard PR, Quigley’s gross was 54 yards, his longest of the day, his hang time was 4.88 seconds, and he drove Sproles back to his left sideline. Only the horrendous missed tackles and coverage in general allowed him to get free and do his thing.
“By the way, the kick was not a ‘4.6’ hang-time, as Fox somehow mis-timed it, and it was not a “line drive” as Sproles’ quote after the game said it was.” . . .
September 29, 2015
Premium will return by 9:30 pm on Wednesday.