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Florham Park – Dan checks in from Jets country with the buzz from One Jets Drive, including notes on Hakim, Simms and more . . .
Watching Saalim Hakim practice today, wow, has he improved as a route runner since he arrived in the middle of last season.
Jets WR coach Sanjay Lal has done a great job with this guy.
One thing Hakim is doing well is selling cornerbacks that he’s going deep, and putting the breaks on, and cutting off the route and turning into a short or intermediate route.
This is such a great concept for him, because he’s got such great speed, that corners are scared to death he’s going to go deep, so he should be able to sell this route with regularity . . .
Matt Simms is a great kid and a very hard worker, but to hear David Lee talk today, you would think he was talking about Tom Brady.
Let’s keep things in perspective.
Last summer, and this summer, all his preseason action was against second and third-stringers.
I’m sorry, that can’t be dismissed.
In the Giants’ game, he threw one touchdown, a toss to Greg Salas in the middle of the end. Salas beat CB Charles James II, who was cut today by the Giants.
His best throw of the game might have been his 32-yard connection with Clyde Gates, on a back shoulder throw down the left sidelines. Who was in coverage on this play? James II, cut at 75.
Look, I know he has improved, but you have to consider who he is playing against in these games . . .
Jeff Cumberland still seems to be dealing with a lingering left Achilles issue.
I saw him working with the trainers off to the side of the practice field. And then area from his foot up this left knee, was taped up for support.
The Jets can only hope he’s ready for the opener, which I think he will be.
Today, after working with the trainers for about a half hour, he headed to his position drills.
It seems like he needs to get the Achilles warmed up with the trainers, before starting practice.
With all this talk about Jace Amaro, and the improvement of Zach Sudfeld, the Jets need a healthy Cumberland. He is their best blocker at the position. He doesn’t get enough credit for what a good run blocker he has become. He was terrific last year.
Amaro is still a major work-in-progress as a blocker. I’m sure some of you noticed, he was flagged for an illegal block down field on a screen against the Giants. He blocked before the pass was caught, and that is a no-no. He still has a lot to learn . . .
“Stephen Hill is ill. He won’t be speaking today,” Jets publicist Bruce Speight told reporters.
Hill threw-up at practice today, and I saw he had a band-aid on his arm, where you would get a shot.
This story saddens me.
He’s a great kid, who is working very, very hard to get his career going, but he seems to be snake-bit. And the media is obsessed with him, and any little mistake he makes, in a game, or practice, is magnified. There is a big-time agenda against this guy.
“He puked today as many times as he had catches,” one writer cracked.
He needs a change of scenery . . .
It’s nice to Darrin Walls finally get the respect he deserves.
It seemed like Rex has viewed him as a “middle-reliever,” a guy who could come off the bench to fill-in.
But now, it finally seems like they are going to go with him as the starter, with Dee Milliner’s injury, and the Dimitri Patterson scandal.
I’ve watched this player closely for the last three years, in practice and games, and I view him as a solid #2 corner. He’s smart, tough and assignment-savvy . . .
A Patriots writer was at Jets camp today to do a division preview, and said after the Logan Mankins trade to Tampa Bay, “Nobody saw this coming. It was out of left field.”
August 26, 2014
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