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Florham Park – On December 24, the Jets signed defensive end Kameron Cline to their practice quad.
Practice squad players are signed all the time. It’s like a bus station in the practice squad section of the locker room with guys coming and going, so am I starting today’s Whispers with the Cline signing?
Well, it’s because he was on the Buffalo Bills practice squad the entire season before getting released on December 17. He was also on the Bills practice squad in 2023.
For the Jets to sign him this week, makes you wonder a little bit if the signing goes beyond his talent. He’s talented, but they could have signed him at any point the last two seasons off the Bills’ practice squad to their regular roster.
Are they going to pick his brain about the Bills’ playbook/strengths and weaknesses?
Teams always downplay this, but this stuff goes on.
Anything that can help you win . . .
Speaking of defensive linemen, Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant declared for the NFL draft today.
Man, do the Jets need a guy like this – a 6-3, 339 block of granite for the middle of their defensive line.
They need to get bigger and more stout up front, and somebody like this could certainly help . . .
Jets special team’s coach Brant Boyer was scheduled to address the media today, but the press conference was canceled due to a lack of interest.
Why wouldn’t people want to interview the special team’s coach when we don’t know who the team’s kicker is going to be on Sunday?
Let’s be honest, the Jets beat has basically become the Aaron Rodgers beat, and that is by no means a shot at the QB, but there is very little interest in much of anything else around here.
The Jets signed former FAU kicker Greg Joseph earlier this week, but Anders Carlson, who missed 49-yard field goal and an extra point against the Los Angeles Rams, is still with the team.
They will make a decision based on how each looks in practice this week.
Joseph, a former Minnesota Viking and Cleveland Brown, kicked some for the Football Giants this year, going 8-11 on field goals. He is from South Africa . . .
Speaking of kickers, a Greg Zuerlein was sitting in the locker room today.
Zuerlein, who had some rough games earlier this year, is currently on injured reserve, but now has been designated for return . . .
I know this is a results-based business, and coaches get fired all the time, but it’s still not easy looking at these Jets coaches at practices, and knowing most are going to get fired (there are usually a few coaches retained in a regime change) after the season. These are human beings with families and bills to pay.
After practice today, Jets linebacker coach Mike Rutenberg addressed the media. The coordinators speak on Thursdays. With Jeff Ulbrich continuing as defensive coordinator while serving as interim coach, there isn’t a new defensive coordinator, and since NFL head coaches don’t speak on Thursday, they are making one defensive position coach available every week.
To his credit, Rutenberg’s fire and enthusiasm has not waned. His effusive personality has not changed even with the team 4-11 and with most of the staff likely gone after the season.
Is Rutenberg a good linebacker coach? Well he’s very enthusiastic, he works very hard and his players love him.
But one problem, and I suspect it’s not his fault, is that the team’s star linebacker is too often out of position as a pass defender, and too often runs around blocks in run support, putting him out of position, leading to some big holes.
But I don’t think “Ruty,” as he is called, is teaching him any of that, so I will cut him slack. Some of the problems are related to instincts (in coverage) and size (in not stacking and shedding linemen enough) against the run . . .
December 26, 2024
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