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Thursday Camp Whispers . . .
Mekhi Becton practiced today on a pitch count, and alternated with Conor McDermott at right tackle, but Becton seemed to dealing with something medically today.
When not in the lineup, he often took a knee, and was talking to a trainer, at times.
At one point, and you can see it on my Twitter feed, he seems to slam his helmet into the ground in frustration while taking a knee.
And when he got up from taking a knee, to go back in the lineup, he seemed to be walking gingerly.
I’m not going to guess what is going on here, but he just didn’t seem right.
He is still wearing a brace on the knee he injured last year . . .
Veteran defensive end Jacob Martin worked with Hamsah Nasrildeen on pass rush moves after practice. Veteran defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins did the same with some young defensive tackles. Paying it forward . . .
Zach Wilson had a pretty go-route to Elijah Moore down the left sideline on D.J. Reed.
Joe Flacco and Mike White continued to look good. It’s surprising no other QB-needy team made a run at either in the off-season . . .
It’s amazing that it took a free agent tryout at rookie minicamp for WR Calvin Jackson to sign with an NFL team because he looks like a draftable player. The former Washington State standout, had an impressive play on Sauce Gardner today, slipping a jam attempt at the line, and then catching a pass over the middle from Wilson.
While Gardner is a heck of a prospect, this play kind of points out one slight concern with a tall long-legged corner. If he’s covering a short, shifty receiver, and doesn’t get a good jam at the line, it’s sometimes hard to cut with the kind of athlete who can cut on a dime. The problem for tall corners is sometimes cutting because, with their long legs, they often have to gather themselves while cutting.
While it is easier said than done because opponents aren’t going to tell where they are lining up their receivers, but if the Jets can avoid it, it might be best not to put Gardner on short waterbug kind of receivers with great short area quickness. Let him cover bigger guys as often as possible, where he can matchup up great with his 6-3 frame . . .
White hit Lawrence Cager on a bootleg right and the tight end got some good yardage after the catch. The Jets might have something here with their experiment of moving Cager from wide receiver to tight end. He’s a tight end with great wheels who can threaten all parts of the defense. He needs to bulk up a little for blocking, but probably not a lot, because he’s 6-5, 240 . . .
Jermaine Johnson had a nice pass rush move on right tackle Conor McDermott, who was platooning with Mekhi Becton, to pressure the QB . . .
Seeing RB Michael Carter up close on the practice field (not from a distant press box), you can see why he breaks so many tackles. He’s got a thick, powerful lower body built to break tackles. He’s a nightmare for opponents to tackle because he’s 5-8, so he can get under their pads, and then throw in his jacked lower body, and amazing contact balance, you try tackling him if you are a 6-5 defensive lineman with a high pad level . . .
It’s pretty amazing how C.J. Uzomah and Carl Lawson’s football careers have mirrored each other – from Atlanta to Auburn to Cincinnati to the Jets.
I asked Uzomah about that today, and he said one part of that journey that has helped him, is as a blocker, because of Lawson has so many tools in his toolbox as a pass rusher. Uzomah has had to block this guy for so long in practices, at various stops, it’s helped him a great deal as a blocking tight end.
July 28, 2022
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