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New Jersey – It’s time for a heaping helping of Jets notes from One Jets Drive. A lot to get into. Let’s go . . .
Rex Ryan keeps talking about his players believe in Geno Smith as the team’s starting quarterback.
On Tuesday he said, “”He’s our quarterback and our football team believes in him.”
On Wednesday he said, “He’s our starting quarterback and that’s it and I think the whole team sees him that way.”
I just don’t buy that.
I know you can say that this is just coach-speak, but nonetheless, I just don’t think it’s steeped in reality.
Look, I’m not trying to divide anybody, but when so many players play their hearts out (like the Jets’ line play, on both sides of the ball, which were outstanding against the Bears), and they lose, in part, due to two awful picks, you don’t think some of them think Mike Vick, who has been to four Pro Bowls, might give them a better chance to win?
To think otherwise, is naïve.
“Players know,” said one long-time NFL reporter, who is around the Jets a lot. “There are obviously some players who feel Vick gives them a better chance to win.” . . .
The Jets decision to release Ellis Lankster, and promote LeQuan Lewis was a head-scratcher.
Why did they do this?
Was it a financial decision? Lankster makes the fifth-year veteran minimum and Lewis makes the second-year minimum.
It’s hard to believe this is the reason.
It’s not like they are upgrading their cornerback position. While Lewis is faster than Lankster, he has the same issues as Ellis – his coverage instincts and route-recognition.
It’s quite possible this decision was made with kick returning in mind.
Lewis has 4.3 speed and did return kicks while with Tampa Bay. Saalim Hakim has been average as a returner. Like I mentioned the other day, he has no plan. He just runs up field like a kamikaze, and sometimes, due to his outrageous speed, he doesn’t allow his blocks to set up properly.
Lewis could not only help the Jets as a kick returner, but as a gunner.
This could be just a temporary move. Lankster’s locker was still full of his stuff today.
The Jets’ offensive line was terrific against Chicago, but their task will be a lot more difficult this week, compared to last.
The Bears were playing two rookies on their defensive line – Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton. Also, outside linebacker, Shea McClellin, who is a very good pass rusher, didn’t play.
This week the Jets line face a defensive line featuring Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley. Ziggy Ansah and Jason Jones, a much, much bigger task.
This Lions’ defensive line dominated the Packers’ offensive line last week, and was a key to the Detroit win . . .
The Lions have a lot of injuries in the secondary, but I’m not going to make a big deal about that. The Bears were ravaged last week, and the Jets scored just one touchdown, and had to settle for four field goals, so I’m not going to make the mistake again of making a big deal about a banged-up secondary . . .
Everybody was so quick to totally blame CB Phillip Adams for Martellus Bennett’s third quarter touchdown, but I’m not so sure about that.
I watched the play over like 20 times, and it looks like he expected help from Calvin Pryor that he didn’t get.
Pryor was in no-mans land underneath, and Bennett ran a route right in back of him. Pryor basically did nothing on this play. If he had dropped a little deeper, he could have helped Adams with this coverage.
And has one long-time Jets observer pointed out today, “If that was Adams’ fault, he probably would have been cut. You know how they roll around here.”
The point being, a fringe player wouldn’t have survived such a horrible error, that essentially was the margin of victory.
To totally blame Adams isn’t accurate, in my opinion.
September 24, 2014
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