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Premium – Today, we take a few different items on Chris Johnson, #22, the locker room and more. Let’s get it started . . .
Look, I know that Percy Harvin is an excellent kick returner.
But it’s a shame that Walter Powell was put on ice.
He’s pretty darn good himself. Watching Powell in practice today – he really is a gifted returner.
Remember, in his last game as the Jets’ returner, Powell had a 62-yard return.
This guy is a natural returner. With Harvin starting at receiver on offense, and with his injury history, the Jets should give Powell a few returns here and there. You don’t want to overdue Harvin’s reps. He’s not the biggest guy, and he’s had a lot of injuries over the years . . .
Greg Salas (fractured wrist) looked good catching the ball today. The Jets had a special brace made for him that frees up his fingers to catch the ball, yet still protects the wrist . . .
I asked Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman about some of the team’s new cornerbacks – Josh Thomas and Marcus Williams. I asked for his assessment, scouting report on these guys.
“All I know about Josh, he played at Carolina (and) he started a few games in this league,” Thurman said. “That’s what I know about him. Marcus Williams, I know his number, it’s 22.”
That answer kind of caught me off guard.
I’m sure Jets fans would certainly hope he knows more than that.
If you are going to work some new corners in, you should know more about them than anybody on the planet, so you can play to their strengths and weaknesses . . .
The Chiefs defensive coordinator is former long-time Jets assistant Bob Sutton.
“He was kind of the right hand man for Rex,” Reid said yesterday.
Here-in lies a big problem for Rex, in my opinion.
Over the last few years, he lost so many guys he leaned on, especially on the defensive side of the ball, losing Sutton, Brian Van Gorder and Mike Pettine. These guys were all very helpful to him – really good bench coaches, if you will.
I think the loss of this trio in short order has really hurt Rex, and if he returns next year, he needs to find another strong defensive bench coach to lean on . . .
The Jets’ new practice squad linebacker, Chris Young, was a very good player at Arizona State, and worth taking a flyer on, but man, does he need an NFL strength program – he’s 6-0, 250 with very little muscle definition . . .
This should be another big week for the Jets pass rush.
As I mentioned yesterday, the Chiefs are kind of shaky at both guard spots.
Also, their left tackle Eric Fisher is still a work-in-progress, and gave up two sacks last week to St. Louis Ram Robert Quinn . . .
Reporters like going over to Chris Johnson’s locker because they can get him to say newsworthy things, like when he told an ESPN reporter today, “there is nothing to get excited about,” when talking about the season.
It might be time to move on, especially with Bilal Powell being under-utilized and Daryl Richardson on the practice squad.
Johnson is not very media-savvy after playing in Tennessee, with basically two beat-writers. He is prime prey in this locker room for those looking for a headline, and he often doesn’t disappoint. It’s like sharks sensing blood in the water . . .
Rex was talking about this today, and it’s so true – the Jets current duo of punt-team flyers are superb – Saalim Hakim and T.J. Graham. They both have world class speed, are both tough, and meeting down field in a hurry at the punt returner. This is as good a combo as I’ve seen in some time around here.
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