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Florham Park – A heaping helping of training camp Whispers. Sign-up now!
Did the Jets change Jordan Jenkins position?
The last couple of days, Jenkins (pictured above), who played OLB his first three years with the Jets, was working with the defensive linemen, not the linebackers, when the team broke off into position drills.
I saw it on Saturday, but I wanted to see it again before I reported it.
Jenkins doesn’t have the foot quickness, speed and mobility that is ideal for a 3-4 edge-rushing OLB, but he’s very good at setting the edge against the run, and as a bull-rusher, so perhaps Gregg Williams has decided that skill set fits better with the defensive linemen than outside linebackers . . .
You get the sense the coaches didn’t think Sam Darnold had a great practice today. It happens to the best of them. We can never lose sight on that fact that he’s learning an entirely new offense in his second season. That isn’t easy . . .
You get the sense so far in camp that Jets GM Joe Douglas doesn’t waste times with long-shots who get injured. He’s pretty quick to send them packing with an injury settlement – TE Bucky Hodges, S Jeremy Clark, LB Jeff Allison, G Tyler Jones and C Toa Lobendahn – all gone quickly after getting hurt.
You know what, it’s probably the best approach; why let long-shot to make the roster hang around for a couple of weeks rehabbing. Just move on.
And one thing you do learn is which injured long-shots they kind of like, because they let them attempt to come back. An example of that is CB Art Maulet who got hurt last week (it seemed like some kind of leg issue), but he was kept around to rehab. I saw him briefly today watching from the sideline. Maulet is a super-physical cornerback from Memphis who doesn’t back away from contact . . .
I’m starting to think RB Valentine Holmes is more than a feel-good training camp story about a rugby player trying his hand at football. This doesn’t seem to big for him. He caught a 50-yard pass down the left sideline today – not an easy catch, displaying excellent hand-eye coordination.
He has really good hands, great speed and obviously he’s tough from his rugby days. I don’t think he will make the regular roster, but after a year on the practice squad, the Jet could legitimately have something here.
There was an Aussie TV crew in Florham Park today to do a story on him. Holmes is a very big deal over there – a great rugby player . . .
The Jets seem to really like rookie slot receiver/punt returner Greg Dortch. He’s got great short-area quickness to cut away from defensive backs and is fearless . . .
The other day, I mentioned that with Ryan Kalil now with the Jets, Jon Harrison not only lost his starting job, but might be in danger of not making the roster with veteran swing backup Tom Compton taking reps at center.
I probably went a little overboard on this angle of Harrison being in danger of not making the team because I forgot Harrison got $2.5 million guaranteed this off-season to re-sign. The Jets probably would want to eat that, so he’s probably safe . . .
Interesting scenario today toward the end of practice. The Jets coaches had the team run gut-drills, and then went back to scrimmaging after the running.
The thinking was since you need to play tired in the fourth quarter. So the running drill, followed by more practice, was a good way to simulate fourth-quarter fatigue.
August 5, 2019
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