Content available exclusively for subscribers
A heaping helping of Jets Whispers
With Kyle Phillips (ankle) and Jordan Jenkins (rib, shoulder) out, and the trade of Jordan Willis to San Francisco, you are likely go to see a lot of the rotation of three upstart defensive end – John Franklin-Myers, Tarell Basham and Bryce Huff. All three of these guys have flashed in recent weeks and are twitchy athletes, something the Jets need more of. Here are some of their highlights from the last game:
*In the second quarter, Bashem beat Bills right tackle Darryl Williams for a sack and a fumble that was recovered by Franklin-Myers. This was deep in Jets territory.
*In the second quarter, Franklin-Myers pushed RG Brian Winters back into the QB leading to a near pick by Pierre Desir on the right sideline.
*In the fourth quarter, Franklin-Myer pushed back RT Darryl Williams forcing Josh Allen to scramble up the middle where he was sacked by Quinnen Williams.
*In the middle of the third quarter, Bryce Huff showed good instincts by snuffing out a reverse to Isaiah McKenzie and stopping him for a loss of 11.
Now Jenkins will still play a lot of he’s active because he’s beyond reproach, but expect to see a lot of these three players, who the Jets are excited about, moving forward . . .
The Jets’ offensive line is taking a lot of heat for their play this year. Some of it’s fair, some of it isn’t, but they are actually not a bad run blocking line. Their biggest issues have been related to communication on blitzes, stunts and twists, which is probably understandable to a degree, considering the lack of off-season camps, no preseason games, and during the season, a lot of injuries, and different guys in the line-up. The bottom line, in plain English, is they have been very bad on switch-off blocks, the kind of blocks that require high-level chemistry and communication.
Now, there are times, where sacks are on the quarterback, especially on blitzes, a lot of times from defensive backs, where every blocker is accounted for, and the blitzing defensive back is the responsibility of the quarterback, where a hot read is necessary. Sometimes, in defense of the quarterbacks, the hot read opportunities aren’t great, and that might be a scheme or play-calling issue.
But I have to say, the run blocking hasn’t been terrible . . .
Christopher Johnson was at practice today and had a long talk with Adam Gase on the practice field. I would be lying if I claimed to know what they were talking about.
But I want to throw out something related to cash flow. If Johnson fires Adam Gase, let’s say after the season, he’s going to have to eat the final two years of of his contract at $5 million per year.
While eating $10 million is a lot of money, I was talking to a long-time sports business consultant, and he told me that the next NFL TV contract is going to be insane, not just because of network’s bidding on it, but with Amazon and Apple TV Plus making monster offers for streaming rights. The current NFL TV contract is up in 2022, but a new one could be locked up next year.
So the point is while eating Gase’s contract, if that’s what Johnson chooses to do, could be as painful to Jets ownership, with a record TV deal coming up, that the Jets will be splitting with the other 31 teams, that will make it less painful.
October 28, 2020
Premium will return by 9:30 pm on Thursday.