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Kellen Winslow once again didn’t talk to the media today.
Look, I don’t care about whether guys talk or not, but I just bring this up because it makes you wonder what is going on with him.
Some have speculated that Winslow wasn’t happy with getting just 19 plays in Atlanta.
Marty Mornhinweg hinted that Winslow bad knee was a little bit of a problem early last week.
And Mornhinweg also said, “We were careful with some guys because it’s a long season.”
That was clearly a veiled reference to Winslow.
He also went on to say, “[Winslow] will be used in a certain manner.” . . .
New Jets practice squad receiver Saalim Hakim ran a 4.2 forty at the Tarleton State pro day a couple of years ago.
But he’s not just fast, he’s ripped. He has a very powerful upper body for a wide receiver.
I don’t know if he’s any good, but he certainly can run.
Hakim played for the UFL’s Las Vegas Locomotives in 2011, coached by former New York Giants coach Jim Fassel.
“Once he gets going, he’s as fast as anyone I’ve ever seen on the football field,” Fassel told the Dallas Morning News. “You don’t find guys like him walking around the streets.” . . .
Pittsburgh is going to be a huge challenge for Geno Smith, as I mentioned over the last few days.
These aren’t the Atlanta Falcons, starting two undrafted rookie linebackers.
Smith is still a work-in-progress against the blitz, and the Steelers blitz like crazy – where do you think the “Blitzburgh” nickname came from?
“They are still getting after it,” said Jets center Nick Mangold. “They’re doing some different things. It’s going to be a tough challenge for us, and we’re going to have to bring our ‘A’ game.”
That isn’t just “player-speak” – it’s true – it will be a tough challenge, and the Jets will need to bring their “A” game.
Especially since the Steelers have two weeks to prepare a heck of a game plan.
“They’ve had time to prepare and REALLY study what we do,” said Mangold . . .
Jets had issues covering tight end Tony Gonzalez on Monday night. He caught 10 passes for 97 yards.
Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman feels this was more about Gonzalez than the Jets’ defense.
“He’s the best pass catching tight end of all time,” said Thurman.
There was a deep out where cornerback Ellis Lankster was covering Gonzalez.
“Ellis Lankster could not have covered him any better,” Thurman said.
And there were a lot of catches like that by Gonzalez, where the coverage was good, but his hands are so sure, and so strong, he makes a lot of difficult catches.
But with that being said, the Jets’ pass defense does need to tighten up.
Lost in the all the hoopla about the Jets’ big win in Atlanta, was the game Matt Ryan had. He was 36-45 for 319 yards, two touchdowns and a 111.0 quarterback rating. That is a heck of a game.
While the Steelers are 0-4, they do have a pretty good passing game with Ben Roethlisberger, Heath Miller, Antonio Brown. Emanuel Sanders, Jerricho Cotchery and company.
While the Jets run defense has been outstanding (#2 in the league), their pass defense is middle of the road (#13), and needs to improve a little . . .
Defensive lineman T.J. Barnes, who was just signed to the Jets practice squad, is a massive man (6-6, 369), but he clearly needs to get into better shape.
He needs to get stronger and probably lose some weight – he’s a little mushy right now.
But he is one big defensive lineman – with conditioning and technique work, the Jets could have something here . . .
Rex Ryan had a weird quote today about Brady Quinn.
Ryan was asked about a Quinn as a mentor for Geno Smith, vis-à-vis David Garrard as a mentor.
Ryan said he didn’t view Quinn as a mentor, but a young quarterback.
Well, if that is the case, why is Quinn constantly helping Smith during games? I constantly see him talking to Geno on the bench, giving him pointers. This quote was presented in a way to make Garrard into the better mentor for Geno because he’s older than Quinn, and has played in more games.
But you know what Rex, if you don’t think that Quinn can mentor Geno, you better tell him to get away from him, because he’s constantly mentoring him.
I thought this was a reach by Rex.
Could Garrard be an even better mentor to Smith than Quinn? Maybe, but Quinn has been helping him out an awful lot, and has been a class act since his arrival. He deserved better than this . . .
October 10, 2013
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