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A couple of matchups that favor
the Jets against the Falcons to keep an eye on this week.
Well, first of all, the Falcons just put their starting nickel back, Isaiah Oliver, on injured reserve. That is a significant blow to a defense that wasn’t playing that well to start with.
So they will likely go with Avery Williams, a fifth-round rookie of Boise State. Expect the Jets to target him quite a bit with their gifted slot receiver Jamison Crowder. This is a mismatch.
Another mismatch will be rookie left guard Jalen Mayfield squaring off against players like Quinnen Williams and Sheldon Rankins.
Mayfield was a college offensive tackle at Michigan, who the Falcons picked in the 2021 third-round. and moved to guard, and it’s been a struggle for him.
Williams and Rankins could feast on a player like this.
Keep an eye on these matchups . . .
The Jets have a ace in the hole in their preparation this week with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who came to the Jets from Atlanta, where he spend the previous six seasons, from 2015-20, first as the linebacker coach, and then as the defensive coordinator.
So Ulbrich has tremendous knowledge on Matt Ryan as a QB. Now they are using a different offense this year under Arthur Smith then in the past, but the point is beyond that. This is about Ryan’s skill set and idiosyncrasies, and Ulbrich has a good feel for those sort of things.
So does Jets safety coach Marquand Manuel, who was an Atlanta assistant from 2015-18. Safety Sharod Neasman, a former Falcon, can also help, having faced Ryan in practice from 2016-2020 (with a brief stint in the middle with the New Orleans Saints).
So Ulbrich, Manuel and Neasman have been very helpful to the Jets’ defense in their preparation this week with their great insight on Ryan (and some of the weapons and linemen) . . .
Look, when you cover teams, you know the people you cover to a degree, and the operative words are “to a degree.”
As a beat-writer, I’ve been around Marcus Maye since 2016 when he was drafted, and I’ve found him to be a charming guy, accessible – a kind, gentle soul.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini broke a story other day, about Maye, that on Feb. 22 in Fort Lauderdale, the safety was charged with three misdemeanors — driving under the influence, DUI/damage to property, and leaving the scene of an accident. Maye will have a Zoom hearing on Oct. 20.
This was a little surprising. Didn’t expect this from this player. But then again, do we really know these guys? But he certainly deserves due process. Let’s see what happens when this case goes through the legal system.
You have to wonder if his agent knew about these charges when he was blasted the Jets on social media for not offering his client more money in free agency.
In March, Erik Burkhardt tweeted, ““(The Jets) refuse to take care of their best player, captain and team-voted MVP in his prime who had several All-Pro votes. (He) played out his entire rookie deal and even changed positions on his contract year (after they got rid of last years All-Pro safety).”
You would have to think Burkhardt didn’t know, and neither did the Jets, when they put the franchise tag on Maye in March.
October 6, 2021
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