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A few signs that
the Jets new coach gets it.
Something Robert Saleh did at the rookie minicamp was a tell that he’s got a different view of how some matters were handled in the past.
He limited the media to just the first hour of practice at rookie mini-camp.
This was a really good decision and showed some vision.
The reason it was a good decision is because the second half of practice had drills like 7-on-7 drills, which is a passing drill without linemen.
So there was going to be a lot of Zach Wilson throws to his new targets, players he’s never played with.
So instead of the media being allowed to give out style points for how he looked doing that, Saleh pulled the plug on this before it happened.
Rookie mini-camps shouldn’t be about media assessments of how guys look, but more about teaching and learning.
They shouldn’t be about foolish quarterbacks stats that we’ve seen in the past, but about players learning their assignments and improving their technique.
This decision showed good leadership from Saleh by not letting media make a big deal about how the kid “looked” in practice. How the heck do you expect rookies to looks in their first couple of NFL practices in a system that is new to them.
“To give the guys a chance to learn, process, and be able to execute the system, it’s going to be sloppy,” said Saleh. “And so instead of unveiling the rookies in a rookie mini-camp where there are going to be busts and guys flying all over the place, I felt like we could just hold off.”
Smart, smart, smart.
It was also smart to not have Wilson speak to the media on the first day of camp. They had him speak on Saturday after his second day. Let him just focus on football the first day.
And it’s also smart to stress to Wilson that he doesn’t have the weight of the world on his shoulders, and what he needs to do is just be a good point guard, get the ball to his myriad play-makers, and let them do their thing.
“I don’t have any pressure on myself to do more than I’m supposed to,” said Wilson. “Get the ball out of my hands and let the play-makers around me make plays. I really don’t need to put more thought into that than. [It’s about] understanding the offense and what I’m supposed to do, simplify my reads and make quick decisions.”
Because with the highly-regarded Shanahan-system that Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur is installing, if quarterback has the playbook down pat, and is good at going through his progressions, there are going to be a lot of layups.
“Anybody who has been through the system, whether it’s Kyle’s dad Mike, Gary Kubiak, both LaFleur’s Matt and Mike, Arthur Smith, there is a deep belief in that system, and I want to put this delicately because I think players are important, but the system is sort of the star and (you find a QB) who can come out and run the system.,” said SI’s Albert Breer on Fox Sports Radio.
May 10, 2021
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