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On Tuesday, they had an offensive line drill where players were diving on to a mat aiming at a certain part of a tackling dummy on the way.
Perhaps it was related to working on keeping pad level low or on legal cut blocks. I’m not entirely sure.
On Monday, veteran left tackle Tyron Smith was held out of practice due to lower body stiffness.
On Tuesday, he didn’t practice during the scrimmage part of practice but did some offensive line drills.
He was participating in this drill where they were diving onto a mat made wet to lubricate it.
Maybe it’s just me, but I wouldn’t have an offensive tackle, with a history of back problems, doing this drill, especially after sitting out on Monday due to some kind of body stiffness.
Guys were sliding off the mat after diving on it.
I would have had a soon-to-be 34-year-old offensive lineman sit out a drill like this.
Maybe I’m totally wrong on this, but that is my two cents . . .
Speaking of left tackles, they were doing a pass protection blocking drill where each lineman, first, second, and third team all got one rep.
After everybody got one turn, offensive line coach Keith Carter had 2024 first-round pick, Olu Fashanu, did it over again. He was the only one to get a second rep.
There was something about Fashanu’s first rep, that Carter wanted to improve, and he told the rookie offensive tackle what he wanted to tweak. After a quick tutorial, Fashanu did it again, and Carter seemed much happier.
Fashanu is like a sponge, learning from Carter, and veteran tackles Smith and Morgan Moses. And after you tell him something once, you often don’t have to repeat it.
But this drill shows you how important Fashanu is to the Jets, and how Carter is focused like a laser on developing him. Fashanu is Carter’s prized pupil and needs him ready to roll for the season.
Smith is a future Hall-of-Famer, but has not played a full season since 2016, so they might need Fashanu to start some games this season . . .
Today, there are many stories about Quincy Williams and the greatness of the Jets linebacking corps.
Don’t get me wrong, they are good, but just like the defensive line, for linebackers to be considered elite, they must stop the run a lot better than the Jets did last year.
The Jets were 25th in the NFL against the run last year. Linebackers are obviously a huge part of run defense.
There were times last year when some Jets linebackers overran running backs, being too aggressive and it opened big holes.
Why people chose to ignore the ranking of the Jets’ run defense last when talking about the greatness of this defense is beyond me.
But the bottom line is the Jets linebackers are solid, but just like the defensive line, they must play the run better in 2024.
End of story . . .
There were a couple of plays yesterday when Garrett Wilson won quick getting off the line, and beat corners on quick slants from Aaron Rodgers. And the corners were two good ones – D.J. Reed and then Sauce Gardner. If Wilson gets a quick release off the line, it’s often game, set and match for a secondary with his amazing short-area quickness to cut quickly away from a cornerback. So cornerbacks have to manhandle him at the line to have a chance against this unique talent.
Xavier Gipson is back at practice off the injury list, and he also had one of these quick wins off the line and Rodgers connected with him as well.
Rodgers sees open receivers so fast, that if these kinds of quick slants are open immediately, he’s usually going to make hay . . .
No open practice today due to the weather – a lot of rain today in New Jersey . . .
We talked today about QB Adrian Martinez and how he’s a little better than people realize, and he showed that on a deep shot on Tuesday to UDFA Hamze El-Zayad who made a terrific catch down the right sideline.
Both players helped their cause with this highlight film play.
What is also impressive about El-Zayad is the toughness he’s showing.
He’s still dealing with a leg injury, that he’s been fighting through it. After this diving catch, you could see him with a little limp going back to the huddle.
August 7, 2024
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