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As you know, the Jets have switched to a 4-3 defense under Robert Saleh/Jeff Ulbrich.
So how might their starting defensive line look?
With DE Vinny Curry (undisclosed injury) on the PUP list likely into the early part of the season, reading the tea leaves, the likely starting line in Week One will be Carl Lawson and John Franklin-Myers at end, along with Foley Fatukasi and Sheldon Rankins at defensive tackle.
Franklin-Myers flashed at times last year, with his impressive combination of power (good bull rusher) and quickness into gaps.
Franklin Myers had two really nice plays today during the 11-on-11 team scrimmage.
First, he flashed that gap quickness, getting inside of right tackle Morgan Moses, and it looked like he drew a holding penalty. There was a flag on the play, and while the practice officials don’t make announcements on a mic about who it was on, to me, it looked like Moses on Franklin-Myers.
Then a couple of plays later, Zach Wilson attempted a bootleg right, and Franklin-Myers didn’t bite on the play-fake, and blew up the play, got in Wilson’s face as he rolled right, and the quarterback was forced to throw the ball away.
Franklin-Myers was a surprise cut by the Los Angeles Rams on the final cutdown in 2019, and was an early waiver claim by Joe Douglas, and looks like a player.
The only question is where to play him. Some might argue he’s better on the side because of his bull rushing ability and quickness into gaps . . .
One reason why practice QB stats are misguided – Zach Wilson threw a pick in the end zone in a 7-on-7 drill, but the play likely would have been long over when he threw it. Remember, in 7-on-7 drills, there is no line play, so the play can go on endlessly.
Another reason why practice QB stats are unnecessary is that the summer is a time for the quarterback to get comfortable with his targets, and sometimes you experiment with certain passes, to try things out, get on the same page. A QB shouldn’t have to worry about people pointing out picks in camp, when you are in the labratory throwing things against the wall, and seeing what sticks . . .
The Jets coaches seem to really, really like rookie linebacker Hamsah Nasirildeen and you get the sense the former college safety has a very good chance at starting at linebacker (with C.J. Mosley and Jarrad Davis). This guy is way better than a sixth-round talent. He slipped because he hurt his knee as a senior, and because Florida State was awful.
Nasirildeen forced a fumble today on LaMical Perrine, after the halfback caught a short pass . . .
Second-year defensive end Jabari Zuniga certainly looks the part at DE – a twitchy, muscular 6-3, 264 pounds, but he must now take his natural tools and start making a splash.
Today, he was pancaked on a play by right tackle Chuma Edoga . . .
Zach Wilson struggled a little in the red zone, a consensed area that is quite challenging for all quarterbacks, especially young ones. He didn’t seem to trust his eyes. But on other parts of the field, he did some good things. There was a deep out from Wilson to Denzel Mims, right in front of where I was standing on the left sidelines. The ball had a lot of mustard on it. A lot of RPM’s. His elite arm strength was on display here. The ball go there in a hurry . . .
Rookie free agent linebacker Brendon White (Rutgers) was held out today and it looks like he has a hand injury. He was sporting a cast on one of his hands.
February 2, 2021
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