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This is just half-baked . . .
These days, with all the sports debate shows, and the explosion of social media, there seems to be more unnecessary lists, comparisons and debates about things that matter very little.
NFL.com did a list of the biggest surprises at each training camp. Who did they pick for the Jets?
“He biggest surprise may be that No. 3 overall pick Quinnen Williams isn’t projected to start,” wrote Gregg Rosenthal. “Connor Hughes of The Athletic writes that Williams’ attempts to start at nose tackle didn’t take, so he’ll rotate as a backup at defensive end to open the season.”
Where do I start with this one?
First off, how do they know the Jets were trying to start Williams at nose tackle?
Perhaps the thinking was the Jets wanted to start Quinnen Williams at nose tackle because they had Henry Anderson and Leonard Williams at end, so they would just plug Quinnen Williams between them.
But there are a few issues with this theory. While Quinnen Williams is a heck of a prospect, he’s not big enough for 3-4 nose tackle. He’s under 300 pounds. He’s not thick enough for that role which often requires guys more like 320-330. I walked past him the other day in the locker room, and it hit me again how he’s not massive. He’s not a space-eater. This isn’t a criticism, just reality. He’s a special talent, but not a guy you want to plug into the middle of a defensive line to occupy two blocker.
But that might be a moot point anyway, because it doesn’t look like are going to play a lot of 3-4 defense. I almost never see it. That premise has kind of gone by the wayside.
So the fact that Quinnen Williams isn’t starting at nose tackle is not a surprise at all.
It also not a surprise that Quinnen Williams isn’t starting because the new regime is running more of a meritocracy than the previous two. Just because he was the third-pick overall, doesn’t mean you just thrust him into the starting lineup before he’s ready. The Jets threw guys like Calvin Pryor and Darron Lee out there from the get-go, and it didn’t work out well. Lee admitted after his rookie season he didn’t know half the playbook when they started him. It’s foolhardy to start a guy just because of where he was picked. You start him when he’s ready, at least that is what the good football cultures do. The new regime threw the large supply of anointing oil that existed before at One Jets Drive in the dumpster.
Quinnen Williams is just 21. He has tremendous raw talent, but has a lot of work to do. If he doesn’t start in Week One, who cares? Even if he doesn’t start, he will play a lot. I think with the Jets trending more toward a 4-3 defense, Quinnen Williams could eventually be a heck of a three-technique defensive tackle, like Warren Sapp, an undersized guy whose great interior quickness beats guards and centers with an amazing first step.
While I don’t give a rat’s behind about meaningless lists that have nothing to do with winning and losing, if I were to pick the biggest surprise of Jets camp, it would be Kyron Brown (who is currently nursing a hamstring) or Harvey Langi.
August 23, 2019
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