Dan’s OTA Whispers

New Jersey – Dan checks in from Jets Country in Florham Park with a helping of Whispers from the OTA’s . . .

You know what is kind of interesting.

With Oday Aboushi filling in for Willie Colon at right guard, Marcus Zusevics was the backup right tackle, working with the second team, which got a lot of action.

So what is the big deal?

Well, ultimately, it’s hard to see Aboushi being a factor at guard this year. His meal ticket is likely the backup swing tackle job. That is why he was drafted, and that remains his best road to making the roster.

So right now. Zusevics is getting the reps at offensive tackle than Aboushi would normally be getting.

Zusevics looked good. He has quick feet, has a good kick slide (the move tackle’s use to deal with a wide pass rusher) and has very good technique. Remember, he played in college for Kirk Ferentz at Iowa, one of the best offensive line coaches around.

So this experiment at guard could end up hurting Aboushi at tackle. He needs every rep he can get at tackle, and he’s not getting them. And while he’s at guard, Zusevics will likely open some eyes.

When it comes to the interior backup jobs, the leading candidates, at this point, are likely Dalton Freeman and Dakota Dozier. I can’t see the Jets keeping three backup interior players . . .

Dexter McDougle is going to be held out of practice for a while due to his shoulder situation.

He suffered a major injury in the third game of his senior year at Maryland, and required surgery.

And it was major.

You should see the size of the scar on the back of his right shoulder area. It’s a significant one – very long.

Like I wrote in the latest issue of Jets Confidential Magazine, I like the McDougle pick from an ability standpoint. I think the guy has starting potential – he’s fast, tough, smart, instinctive and a very hard worker.

But we are talking about a player who not only suffered the aforementioned shoulder injury in college, but broke his collarbone. To me, the pick was awful risky when you consider he’s not the biggest corner, and he likes to throw his body around – he’s a very aggressive player, fearless in run support. So we are talking about a player with two serious injuries in the upper body, the part of the body he often leads with when he tackles.

Hopefully it works out for him. He’s a great kid. I’m just saying it’s a risky proposition . . .

Neither Nick Folk or Ryan Quigley kicked the ball today. It looks like the Jets are limiting spring reps for their kickers to keep their legs fresh . . .

Watching Geno Smith today, I have a couple of observations.

First of all, it looks the off-season has been really beneficial to him from a conditioning standpoint. He definitely looks bigger and stronger. Last year, as a rookie, he was definitely a little undersized, since he didn’t have benefit of an NFL off-season workout program.

Secondly, I was seeing a similar issue to what we saw last year. In the practice, he was holding the ball too long, not making quick enough decisions. Sometimes these spring practices can be unrealistic at the quarterback position. You see, there is no tackling and sacks, so often these plays last longer than they would in a real game, so the QB feels he can sit back there longer than they would be able to on Sunday.

The bottom line is he needs to speed up his internal clock. Watching today, that issue continues to rear it’s head . . .

Wow, is Jalen Saunders quick in and out of his breaks . .

June 4, 2014

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