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Morris County – The Jets had their first day of practice leading up to their big game with New England. Here are some notes from today . . .
Not to belabor the Marcus Williams situation, but it seems a little odd to me that the Jets released him this week with two other cornerbacks iffy for the New England Patriots game.
Juston Burris (foot) and Darryl Roberts (hamstring) were limited at Jets practice today. Neither played in Cleveland.
I don’t get the logic of releasing a decent cornerback when two other corners aren’t a sure thing for the game, especially when you are facing Tom Brady. You need all hands-on deck against that guy.
I understand Williams wasn’t signed or picked by the Jets’ current regime, so that it hurt him in the world of political football, but if you were going to move on from him, maybe you wait to see if Burris and Roberts can play in this game.
Williams is now a Houston Texan, and you know what is kind of unique – he’s playing against the Cleveland Browns again. Facing the same team two weeks is a row is very unusual.
If Burris or Roberts can’t play, the Jets could call up Xavier Coleman from their practice squad. He really impressed me this summer with his instincts and ball skills . . .
I asked Todd Bowles about the Jets’ run defense which is ranked 30th in the league and how they fix it.
Bowles: We just need to keep working at it. We can coach it better, they can play it better. As a group, we just have to keep working on it.
I then asked a follow-up question – “You say the same thing ever week” . . .
Bowles: We deal with that in the coaching room.
In my opinion, one of the issues is there are so many different defensive configurations, with guys coming on and off the field like a fire drill, that it’s hard for some guys to get into a flow. Hey, I know a lot of teams play this kind of situational football, but I think this is hurting their continuity a little.
Also, Mo Wilkerson is now dealing with shoulder and toe issues. It’s time to spell him a little more. New addition Ed Stinson is a very good run defender. Don’t force him out there just because he’s a big name and makes a lot of money. If he’s hurt, spell him more.
I will ask Kacy Rodgers some questions about the Jets’ run defense on Thursday, but the bottom line is: after five games, this is no longer an aberration, it’s becoming who they are.
And if they don’t fix it, it’s going to cause them to lose games moving forward.
You can’t play run defense in the NFL like this and be successful . . .
Josh McCown is doing a heck of a job as the Jets’ quarterback – the consummate game-manager, To some the moniker “game-manager” is a pejorative, but to me, it’s a compliment – it means you’re efficient.
Bill Belichick was asked what has impressed him about McCown.
“Everything – leadership, toughness, accuracy, decision-making, does a very good job handling the team, taking advantage of defensive mistakes,” Belichick said. “He’s played very well. I have a lot of respect for him.”
I know he’s guilty of a lot of coach-speak, but I think Belichick was totally sincere in this answer.
And McCown deserves this kind of respect for how he’s played this year.
October 11, 2017
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