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This kind of talk is probably not necessary right now. Let’s see how they do first . . .
On July 1, the Jets social media department linked to a story on their website about the team’s first and second round picks, safeties Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye. On Facebook, above the link to the story were the words, “Age beyond their years.”
I have to honest, I’m not sure what that means.
Perhaps they meant to say, “Wise beyond their years.”
But whatever they meant, I’m not sure how you make the proclamation about the two rookies before they have played one preseason or regular season game?
I’m from the Bill Parcells school on rookies (as most of you already know) – Don’t put rookies in Canton too quickly.
These two guys have a lot of work to do.
Now I do think Adams is going to be terrific, he still needs to prove it. As for Maye, based on what I saw in the spring, he has a lot of work to do. He’s clearly not as far along as Adams. And that is fine. He’s a rookie. Just like Adams. To promote them like this, before they have done anything, is a slippery slope.
You can’t make something the case by saying it. You can’t will things to be the way you want.
I know some coaches, including the one in New England, who would never say about rookies before their first training camp – “Age beyond their years.
First of all, as I said before, the line makes no sense.
It should be “wise beyond their years.”
But how do any of us know at this point they are “wise beyond their years?” Neither has done anything in NFL tackle football yet.
The spring practices have no tackling.
Last time I checked, safeties need to do a heck of lot of tackling.
Let’s see what they do in summer practices and preseason games with tackling.
But even then, if they do well this summer, it’s too early to claim they are “wise beyond their years.”
I’m sorry, it’s not a good idea, on so many levels, to be hyping up rookies before they do a darn thing.
I think the Dylan Donahue-hype from the spring was out of hand as well.
I also think Todd Bowles saying recently that Darron Lee played well last year wasn’t particularly accurate.
I think too often football organizations see things how they want to see them.
And that is dangerous.
You need to see things how they are, not how you want them to be.
The Jets’ football brass is trying to fix their football culture this year after it broke last year.
This kind of stuff isn’t good for a football culture. You don’t hype rookies before they have done anything.
Once again, let me make it clear I’m not saying Adams/Maye won’t be very good. There is a good chance they will be.
But let it happen.
Let’s see if they have “age beyond their years” when they start playing real football.
July 5, 2017
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