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He used to be one of them
Tevaughn Campbell, who had a pick six in the first quarter for Los Angeles, was in Jets camp in the summer of 2019.
And if you recall, he was the player, who through friendly-fire, blew out Avery Williamson’s knee in the end zone against the Atlanta Falcons, on a Matt Ryan pass. Campbell slammed into Williamson’s knee, by mistake, ending his season. Williamson shouldn’t have been the game with the backups, but that is another story.
He was released after camp, and was the Chargers all of the 2019 season, bouncing between the practice squad and regular roster.
And he’s been a regular contributor to the Chargers’ secondary this year.
Aside from the pick six, he also had great coverage on the Jets’ final offensive play, on 4th-and-9 on the Chargers’ 32, down the deep right sideline, intended for Denzel Mims.
They clearly went overboard with the throws to Mims on that last drive, throwing to him three times, all incomplete. Why not mix it up with Jamison Crowder, Breshad Perriman, Chris Herndon or a running back out of the backfield? They clearly went to that well too much.
The play-calling on that final drive was a little bizarre.
But getting back to Campbell, perhaps the Jets made a mistake in their evaluation of this player. We all know they could use some corners, and he had a pretty good camp in the summer of 2019.
We all know the current state of the Jets’ cornerback situation. This position is going to be a major focus next off-season.
I have to give the Jets’ credit for making this game close at the end. This matchup of their inexperienced corners, with the release of Pierre Desir, and the injuries to Brian Poole and Bless Austin, against Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and company, was a recipe for disaster, and that turned out to be the case. Allen had 16 catches.
Justin Herbert, a rookie quarterback, was 37 of 49 for 366 yards and three touchdowns and a 116.5 QB rating.
Herbert is a heck of a prospect, but rookie quarterbacks, should not put up numbers like that against an NFL defense.
But you might need to get used to this folks.
This could be tough sledding down the stretch with a bunch of corners learning on the job. There is no way the Jets thought they were be playing Week 11 with undrafted rookie free agent CB Lamar Jackson, rookie fifth-round pick Bryce Hall, who spent have the season on PUP due to a broken ankle that ended his UVA career, and with journeyman Arthur Maulet in the slot.
And while the Jets made it close at the end, their pass defense had a rough day.
I know hindsight is 20/20, but this position wasn’t handled that well. They whiffed on the three corners who came over from Indianapolis – Desir, Quincy Wilson and Nate Hairston. Actually, Maulet’s last stop before the Jets was Indianapolis as well.
The issue with Maulet isn’t grit, toughness and desire, but speed. He gives you everything he’s got, but too often receivers pull away from him due to his pedestrian cornerback speed. It’s not his fault. It’s what he was given.
I think Hall has a chance to be good, and a potential starter for the Jets into the future, but after that, they will likely have a lot of work to do at that position after the season.
And this issue was on full display in Los Angeles today.
November 22, 2020
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