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A heaping helping of Friday Florham Park Whispers . . .
One thought about Nate Herbig and his shin injury.
He’s going to play this week.
The Jets left guard missed the last game with this injury. He tried to go to New England, but was struggling with the injury in the pregame, so they made him inactive. Herbig still has a big wrap on his shin.
Herbig is an overachiever and tough as boot leather. He doesn’t have an ideal physique or athleticism, but he overcomes it with great technique, intelligence and grit. So you just wonder if the shin will take away a little mobility that he can ill afford to lose.
This isn’t taking anything away from this player who has done a nice job, just me thinking out loud . . .
A matchup to keep an eye on in this game is Chicago Bears rookie left tackle Braxton Jones against Carl Lawson. Not only is Jones a rookie left tackle, he’s a fifth-round pick from Southern Utah. Generally starting rookie left tackles are high picks from major schools. Not saying that Jones doesn’t have an upside, but a late-round rookie, from a 1-AA school, against Lawson, who has every pass-rushing tool in his toolbox, could be a bit much for the kid . . .
While he’s on the practice squad now, and it would probably take an injury or two for him to play on game day, if Laurent Duvernay Tardif, is in uniform on game day at some point, he would love to have Dr. Duvernay-Tardif on his jersey. As most of you know, he’s a doctor, and before re-signing with the Jets, he was working at a hospital in Montreal. Having Dr. on a uniform would probably be a first in NFL history . . .
One concern about Jermaine Johnson as a defensive end prospect was some thought maybe he was little on the slender side at 6-5, 252, but he’s bulked up to 260 with the Jets, and has been able to maintain that weight during the season.
If Justin Fields plays, Johnson, who was at Georgia with the QB briefly, and is friends with him, is going to be a key factor in the Jets dealing with the electrifying runner. Johnson, who runs 4.52, showed in the Jets’ recent win against Buffalo, he can be a weapon in dealing with scrambling quarterbacks trying to take the edge. He had a huge sack of a scrambling Josh Allen scrambling to the right side . . .
With all the cutting-edge science teams use with conditioning and nutrition, we have seen one particular food item, that might surprise you, always being consumed by players after practice – Uncrustable’s Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches. It’s a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the crust, shaped like an empanada.
Have been seeing this for years in locker rooms . . .
For what it’s worth, we continue to see Sheldon Rankins walking around with no brace or wrap on his injured elbow, which is probably a sign that he’s not that far away from returning.
The Jets could really use this savvy veteran DT in the mix down the stretch as they vie for a playoff spot. He was having a very good season before he hurt his elbow against Buffalo. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler announced it was a dislocated elbow . . .
Max Mitchell seems close to a return from a knee injury suffered in Denver. He is wearing a brace on the knee, but is running well nonetheless.
However, George Fant has returned to practice after also dealing with a knee issue, so you would have to think that they would go with the more experienced Fant, before Mitchell, if they decide to replace Cedric Ogbuehi, who has been filling in at right tackle . . .
Garrett Wilson didn’t want to speak to the media this week, but he was very nice about it. He seems to be in the mode of the old Elvis song – “A little less conversation, a little more action.”
November 25, 2022
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