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This is not fair to Jeff Cumberland. It really isn’t. Let’s take a closer look at what I’m talking about, and break it down . . .
New York Post headline from a few days ago –
“Jeff Cumberland just good enough that Jets picked his replacement.”
“The Jets gave Cumberland a good opportunity in 2013,” wrote Brian Costello. “He did well, but not quite well enough to give the Jets the belief he could be a star at tight end.
“Cumberland agreed to a three-year, $5.7 million extension in March, assuring he’ll be here for a while. But the Jets took Jace Amaro in the second round of the draft, a much more dynamic pass-catcher than Cumberland who threatens to drastically cut Cumberland’s playing time.
“Teams use more than one tight end, so Cumberland will still play plenty, but his reception numbers figure to dip drastically. Watching the spring practices, it is clear the Jets have big plans for Amaro in.”
Where do I start on this analysis since I respectfully disagree with most of it?
I have a question – did people want Cumberland to throw the ball to himself last year?
The Jets quarterback play last year, for most of the season, wasn’t very good?
Geno Smith was learning on the job, and did show some flashes at the end of the year, and in the Atlanta game, but he finished the season with 12 TD’s and 21 picks, including five returned for touchdowns.
He was wildly inconsistent with his accuracy and decision-making, which is understandable, since he was thrust into action before he was ready.
So I think it’s a flawed premise to attack Cumberland for his limited production. And aside from substandard QB play in many games, another reason Cumberland’s production wasn’t great is that he has turned into a very good blocker, and had to stay in a lot, either to run block or for maximum protection.
And the year before, the quarterback play wasn’t good either.
I don’t mean to be flippant, but the Jets’ substandard QB play the last two years helped keep the Cumberland contract numbers way down. He signed a very reasonable contract extension this off-season – three-years, $5.7 million.
Can you imagine what the 6-4, 260 pounder with 4.5 speed could do with a Peyton Manning, Tom Brady or Drew Brees?
“The Jets took Jace Amaro in the second round of the draft, a much more dynamic pass-catcher than Cumberland who threatens to drastically cut Cumberland’s playing time,” Costello.
It’s way too early to say Amaro is “a much more dynamic pass-catcher than Cumberland?”
Amaro caught 105 passes last year in Texas Tech’s pass-happy attack he was featured in. He deserves credit for those numbers. That is outstanding work.
How do you think Cumberland would have done under the same circumstances?
This article isn’t about Amaro, who I think will be terrific in time, but the premise of the headline is bull.
First of all, here is a little heads-up as to why Amaro was playing more than Cumberland in the spring. Cumberland was injured. He had some kind of pulled muscle – groin or hamstring that kept his participation limited.
Secondly, clearly they wanted to get Amaro a lot of work to help him learn the system, which Cumberland knows.
The bottom line is this – the Jets could potentially have one of the best two tight end sets with Amaro and Cumberland, in time.
But to act like the Jets needed to pick Amaro because of Cumberland’s pedestrian numbers, is a theory that I dismiss out of hand.
Look at the quarterback play the last two years. Sanchez had perhaps his worst year as a Jet in 2012, and then Geno was a rookie last year learning on the job.
As I mentioned from the mini-camp, there was a play where Stephen Hill ran a post down the deep middle, and was wide open – waiving his arm like that old Baltimore Colts highlight on NFL Films. Geno Smith checked down to a running back.
This is a perfect illustration of what I’m talking about.
For the most part, quarterbacks make targets, targets don’t make quarterbacks.
June 27, 2014
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