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Due to a scheduling conflict, the Wednesday update will be posted by 11:59 tonight. Mike Maccagnan is rolling the dice on Austin Seferian-Jenkins, and is taking some heat for claiming the mercurial tight end. From a football standpoint . . .
… Seferian-Jenkins is 6-5, 262 and runs 4.56 in the forty.
Those are amazing triangle numbers for a tight end.
But he comes with a lot of baggage – two DUI’s – including one last week (the other was at the University of Washington).
He also had other two other black marks in recent months, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, not involving drinking.
He was thrown out of spring practice for not knowing what he was doing, and also threw a sideline tantrum in a preseason game.
The Jets are gambling on greatness, and will take a zero tolerance approach – one slip-up and he’s gone.
And he’s still on this rookie second-round contract, so there isn’t a lot of money involved.
He was a first-round talent who went in the second round because of character concerns.
When focused, and on his game, he’s a very good red zone threat in the passing game.
The Jets could use a tight end like that.
But honestly, in defense of the Jets’ current tight ends sans Jenkins, people are fast to point out they have no catches so far. Have they had a lot of opportunities? As Santonio Holmes once said on having low numbers one season, “I can’t throw the ball to myself.”
I saw Brandon Bostick all spring and summer – he’s a fast, athletic tight end who catches almost everything thrown to him. He hasn’t been given a chance to show that this season.
And you have Braedon Bowman who was called up last week and not thrown a pass. He’s another fast, athletic tight end.
Look, I’m not saying Bostick, Bowman or Kellen Davis are better than Jenkins. We will see. But I’m sick and tired of Jets tight ends getting ripped for their lack for production when they get thrown to as often as a vernal equinox. Jeff Cumberland got ripped all the time. The last time he was thrown a pass last year, he caught a 44-yarder vs. Jacksonville, showing great wheels, and then went into the witness protection program. It’s an intellectually bankrupt argument. I’m not going to judge a player until he gets a legitimate chance to show what he could do. I personally think if Bostick was thrown the ball a lot more, you would all be pleasantly surprised.
The Jets are getting ripped by some in the media for signing a guy with two DUI’s.
Brian Costello didn’t hold back his feelings.
“To the “people make mistakes crowd:” it was his 2nd DUI and a mistake is leaving the oven on, not getting behind the wheel loaded. I’m not a fan of picking a guy up three days after a DUI. Second chances? Sure, after they have time to make changes. 3 days?”
While I believe in second chances, I respect Brian’s position. DUI’s are very dangerous things, not only for the person doing the drunk driving, but others on the road and sidewalk.
It would nice to know what the Jets are thinking here, but they aren’t big on background, and Mr. Coffee doesn’t like to talk to the media during the season. He believes this is Todd’s time.
But the bottom line is this – Seferian-Jenkins is a rare tight end prospect with an exotic size-speed ratio. If he stays on the straight-and-narrow, this could be a steal.
September 26, 2016
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