Content available exclusively for subscribers
Florham Park – It’s time to check in from Florham Park with a heaping helping of Training Camp Whispers
The Jets offense was horrendous today.
There is no way around that.
Mark Sanchez needs to get his act together.
He just hasn’t been sharp this summer.
Part of this is having so many new weapons.
Two guys he was on the same page with – Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery – are gone.
It takes a while for quarterbacks and wide receivers to get on the same page.
Just when Sanchez was truly comfortable with Edwards and Cotchery, they are no longer here.
He’s now attempting to get comfortable with Derrick Mason and Jeremy Kerley. And he hasn’t even started to work on chemistry with Plaxico Burress, who hasn’t been able to practice due to an ankle injury.
Sanchez isn’t the most accurate quarterback to start, so if you throw a myriad of new weapons at him, you can make matters worse.
I will cut slack Sanchez a little slack based on the new receivers, but also another factor – these Jets starting corners are really good, and it’s been tough for receivers to get open. Revis has been unreal this summer. I didn’t think it was possible for him to get better, but he has. And Cro, even with his shaky technique, has practiced well. Cro is in fantastic shape . . .
The most positive aspect of Sanchez’s performance today were two nice throws to Dustin Keller, a player he is on the same page with . . .
Joe McKnight needs to focus better. He had two drops today. Jeff Cumberland also had a bad drop. He was wide open.
The lack of an off-season is really hurting a lot of players, expecially guys going from Year One to Year Two (with Vlad Ducasse being a perfect example) . . .
You know who was the most impressive quarterback at practice today? Probably Greg McElroy.
The Jets defense was blitzing a lot, and he McElroy did a nice job of finding his checkdowns. One one play, he dumped to Bilal Powell on the right side under pressure. He also dumped to Dan DePalma on the right side. In the same sequence, he completed passes to Mike Campbell and DePalma again. He also hit Scotty McKnight on a blitz.
Look-it, I’m not putting McElroy in Canton yet, but I like his poise and how he sees the field . . .
You almost have to feel bad for backup right tackle Pete Clifford. Jamaal Westerman has his number. Westerman consistently makes the Michigan State-product look bad. It’s just one of those matchups . . .
With so much work to do, it was ridiculous for Rex to have Jay Glazer’s son on the field running a couple of plays. That is something that should be reserved for after practice . . .
The media needs to chill out with this obsession about whether Plaxico is going to play against the Houston Texans in a meaningless preseason game. It’s been a storyline all week. The Jets are doing the right thing by not playing him. He’s got a minor ankle sprain, and there is no reason to play him. It’s not the end of the world.