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I’m not going to assess . . .
Mekhi Becton’s overall performance in practice today. I will leave that to John Becton and Jake Moreland after they review the tape. But it certainly seemed the pass protection was better on his side today than some recent practices.
And he had a really nice block on a run off left tackle, pulling to the second level. and taking out C.J. Mosley.
And I did see Carl Lawson get a pressure on Zach Wilson, but it was actually on a stunt where looped inside and got by left guard Dan Feeney . . .
Wide receiver Josh Malone has looked good all camp catching the ball – very confident hands.
While he’s had a hard time getting on the field, believe it or not, this is actually this third year with the Jets, bouncing between the practice squad and regular roster in 2019 and ‘20.
He’s 6-3, 205, with 4.4 speed, and entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017 . . .
Center Connor McGovern had two pancakes yesterday, and a real nice block today on DT Sheldon Rankins, and RB Ty Johnson ran behind him for a nice gain up the middle . . .
Ryan Griffin had a rare drop today. He also got up slow after another play and seemed to be running gingerly after that. Something to keep an eye on . . .
Jabari Zuniga was back practicing today coming off an ankle injury. Watching him in a matchup with Morgan Moses in the scrimmage part of practice (11 on 11), he ran right into the right tackle, and got stoned, and sent to his knees. A raw pass rusher, he needs more moves in his bag of tricks. Running right into Moses’ number plate on his jersey rarely is going to work . . .
Wilson had one of his best passes of training camp, a perfectly placed pass to tight end Tyler Kroft down the left sideline, over the outstretched arms of a defender, but he couldn’t come down with it. No excuse. He should have caught it. Wilson could not have thrown in better.
Kroft is a solid player, but probably more of a #2 or #3 tight end, and there is nothing wrong with that . . .
Robert Salah finally had enough. Tired of media assessments claiming his quarterback was struggling in training camp, he calmly told a reporter, who asked him about Wilson’s supposed struggles, what he thought of his analysis of Wilson.
“The reality is, the result is, especially in training camp, is a much bigger deal for you guys than it is us,” said Saleh. “It really is. His process is exactly where we want it to be, his study habits are exactly where we want it to be, his demeanor on the practice field is exactly where we want it to be. But the result is, that’s a pacifier to make people happy. He’s going in the direction that he needs to go. He’s got the right mindset; he’s doing everything that he needs to do and when it clicks it clicks.”
And before he answered this question, he took a deep breath. Sometimes people do that to help them stay calm.
I’ve said it before, and I will say it again, media QB stats in training camp are reckless, and should not be done. There is a lot of teaching and learning going on out there. And there is a lot of experimenting, where the QB is getting a feel for where his targets like the ball on certain plays. Sometimes these experimental throws lead to bad results, but that is okay – they are trying things out, so they know how to handle the ball placement better in the regular season.
Pay no mind to media QB stats from practice. They are Kabuki Theater.
There is no question Wilson has been inconsistent on the practice field so far, but who cares? He’s a 22-year-old rookie, who came out of school early, and understandably has a lot to work on.
Lets wait until the season to evaluate his play, not early training camp practices.
August 11, 2021
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