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Here are some thoughts and Whispers from Jets training camp in Florham Park, New Jersey. Some quarterback talk from One Jets Drive . . .
Rex Ryan talked about how good Geno Smith has looked in practice this week.
No question he’s had his moments, but a few things need to be pointed out.
Today, I saw a lot of quick, easy reads – three steps and get the ball out – not a lot of reading going on.
Secondly, throughout the week, I’ve seen a lot of situations were the defensive backs were playing soft coverage, allowing passes to be completed, almost like they were told to avoid collisions between wide receivers and defensive backs.
Third, Smith was facing the second team defense a lot.
Look, I’m not into conspiracy theories, but throughout the week I saw scenarios in practice where the playing field seemed to be set up for Smith to succeed.
Perhaps they want to build up his confidence after a rough string of practices last week.
Perhaps there are other reasons.
I think the first half of the Giants game will be a much better litmus test for where Smith is at, more than a lot of things we saw this week in practice . . .
The Jets signed WR Mo Massaquoi today.
Before people get too excited, you have to wonder why the Jacksonville Jaguars cut him even before the cut to 75 next week.
We all saw the Jaguars last Saturday. Did any of us see a team loaded at wide receiver?
Hey, it’s fine to kick the tires on Massaquoi, but let’s not act like he’s going to be a panacea for the Jets’ passing attack.
He’s now on his third team . . .
The Jets had to practice inside today due to thunderstorms in Florham Park.
Robert Malone continues to kick the heck out of the ball since returning from a back ailment.
He hit the roof twice in the Jets’ field house today . . .
Santonio Holmes ran some routes today on the practice field, and looked much further along than he led the media to believe on Wednesday.
Trainer John Mellody pretended to be a cornerback on the line, and Holmes showed quick feet to get around him, to get off the line, and did some cutting on some short routes.
Watching him today, he didn’t look like a player that far away from returning . . .
Antonio Allen has been starting at the safety spot next to Dawan Landry all this week.
Barring something unforeseen, he’s likely to be the starter . . .
Both Marty Morhinweg and David Lee said today that the Jets “open” quarterback competition could go into the Philadelphia preseason game.
They are going to get bashed by some in the media for this position (I could tell from the line of questioning they both got from reporters in their respective press conferences).
But honestly, it’s not a bad position.
Think about it.
The best time to name a starting quarterback, if you are conducting a competition in training camp, is before the third preseason game. The third game is the dress rehearsal for the regular season. The starters usually play into the third quarter.
So if the Jets decided to wait past the third game, they might as well wait past the fourth game.
The fourth game is a waste of time.
There is no reason to name a regular season starter before the fourth game.
You might as well make Tampa Bay wait.
August 22, 21013
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