Tag: robert saleh

Jets running back Michael Carter struggled in second season

There were some high expectations for Jets running back Michael Carter entering this season.

Carter showed a lot of promise as a rookie in 2021 and figured to be a big part of the offense this season. But things have not gone as planned. Carter has 111 rushes for 398 yards and three touchdowns, all a drop off from his 147-carry, 639-yard, four-touchdown rookie season.

“I feel like I did some stuff well,” Carter said this week before Sunday’s finale against the Dolphins. “I feel like I could have done a lot more, but opportunities are something in this game, of course they’re earned, but sometimes it’s not.”

Carter said he was not complaining about a lack of touches. He led the team with 150 touches this season. He sounded more upset that he was mostly a third-down back this season and was not given the chance to do some different things.

The Jets had Breece Hall rolling early then traded for James Robinson before playing Zonovan Knight then Ty Johnson late. It felt like all season the Jets did not trust Carter to be the lead back.

Michael Carter
USA TODAY Sports

Some of that clearly bothered Carter, something he said he has to learn from.

“I feel like I had a really good offseason,” Carter said. “The preparation has to meet opportunity. I feel like I was prepared. I feel like I came in in really good shape during OTAs and minicamp. I feel like I had one of the best camps. I just feel like it’s a long season and things happen. There are things that are out of my control. I feel like I do my best to control what I can and try not to let the external factors get to me.

“I think I kind of let stuff like that get to me.”

Carter said this season was a learning experience and he is excited about applying those lessons going forward.

“Sometimes you have to get knocked down to know if you’re going to get up,” Carter said. “I feel like that’s what this season has been about, showing myself who I am and proving to myself that I know I am who I say I am regardless of what goes on around me.”

Coach Robert Saleh said this week that sometimes a player’s second season is a challenge, and he expects Carter to rebound.

“He’s still someone that I think is going to have a really good bounce back in terms of, he still has a chance this week, but he is not done writing his story,” Saleh said. “He’s not the first nor the last second-year player to kind of get sidetracked or not have the year he wanted to have.

“But he’s got all the capability in the world, he’s got the speed, the body contact balance, breaks tackles, has great vision, he’s very smart, he’s got all of those tools and I think just another offseason for him, but again, that goes back to development and why I always say it takes three years because for some reason league-wide that second year, there’s always kind of a hiccup for one reason or another, but he’s one of those kids where you just feel confident that in year three he’s going to, he’ll bust loose.”

The Jets signed safety Will Parks, DE Bradlee Anae, OL Eric Smith, OL Adam Pankey and WR Irvin Charles to the active roster. They placed the following players on IR: S Lamarcus Joyner, CB Brandin Echols, OT Duane Brown, OT George Fant and G Nate Herbig.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Jets treating Dolphins as championship after being eliminated from playoff race

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — A few weeks ago, this Week 18 matchup between the Jets and Dolphins looked as if it could have major playoff implications for both teams. 

Instead, it is only meaningful for one of them. 

Both the Jets (7-9) and Dolphins (8-8) have lost five straight games, but Miami now needs to win Sunday and hope the Bills beat the Patriots to make the postseason. The Jets, on the other hand, were eliminated from contention last week. 

Jets head coach Robert Saleh said they view this week as “another championship game.” 

“I know it’s technically not,” Saleh said, “but you have to keep your mindset that any time you have a chance to step on the field, you’ve got to step on the gas and do the absolute best you can.” 

The Jets will have Joe Flacco starting at quarterback after Mike White was ruled out due to broken ribs. Zach Wilson will serve as his backup, and the way this Jets season has gone, would anyone be surprised if he is pressed into action?

The Jets were eliminated from playoff contention after losing to the Seahawks last week.
USA TODAY Sports
Jets coach Robert Saleh
Corey Sipkin

During this losing streak, the Jets have been terrible on offense, scoring just four touchdowns in their past five games and none in their past two. It seems unlikely that Flacco, who last started in Week 3, can jump-start the offense.

With a makeshift offensive line and Flacco back at quarterback, this game feels like a preseason game. But the Jets swear they will be motivated to play. 

“You’ve got to go back to the reason you come to work,” linebacker C.J. Mosley said, “and that’s to win, play for you brothers and represent yourself.” 

Though the Jets know their season will end on Sunday, the Dolphins still can sneak in. 

“You’ve got to win, that’s all it comes down to,” Dolphins safety Jevon Holland said. “Whatever you got to do, however you got to prepare. You’ve got to win.” 

The Jets have not swept the Dolphins since 2015 and have not won at Miami since 2014. Though his team no longer has the postseason to play for, Saleh believes the Jets will show up.

Jets QB Mike White (5) is helped off the field after a sack during the fourth quarter in the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on January 1, 2023.
Getty Images

“One thing I love about this league is that when those players put those helmets on, they’re professionals, they get it,” Saleh said. “There’s a lot of pride in players, there’s a lot of pride in coaches to go out there, and regardless of your record, to go out there and do your absolute best. So, I’m not worried about our guys getting up for this game and trying to play spoiler.”

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Jets look to turn around offense’s ineptitude on first down

The Jets’ offense spent too much time going backward against the Jaguars last week, something that has been a problem for the unit all season.

They have been awful on first downs this year, and that has led to long distances to go on third down which have stalled the offense. Against the Jaguars, the Jets had penalties, sacks and runs for a loss on first down. Sure, Zach Wilson was not good, but it is also hard to operate when constantly facing third-and-long.

The Jets average 7.7 yards to go on third down this season, tied for worst in the NFL with the Patriots and Broncos. Those are two offenses you don’t want to be in the same sentence as.

“Negative plays on first down, they’re backbreaking,” head coach Robert Saleh said. “It’s not impossible to get out of, but if you make a living out of that, which has been a common theme for us offensively, whether it be penalties, [tackles for loss], sacks on first down, TFLs in the run game. You’re putting yourself at such a disadvantage. It’s already hard enough to get 10 yards in three downs, let alone 12 or 13 in two downs.

The Jets’ offense was abysmal against the Jaguars.
Al Pereira/Getty Images

“So, yeah, being more successful on first down, trying to get to third-and-manageable, we’re living in third-and-longs. All of it is all-encompassing, and just to be able to stay on schedule, run the ball, get positive yards — whether it’s 1, 2 or 3 — pass the ball, and make sure that the worst thing that happens is incomplete. Efficiency on first down has got to get a lot better.”

Against the Jaguars, the Jets had six penalties, a sack on first down and a run that resulted in a loss that put the Jets “behind the sticks” in second- and third-and-long.

A look at the AFC wild-card picture ahead of the Jets’ game against the Seahawks.
NY Post illustration

“We’ve got to be more efficient on first down. That’s pretty simple, right?” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. “The more third-and-manageable’s you can be in, the better it’s going to be, the better you can sustain drives. Not just the Jacksonville game, but it’s felt like that for a few weeks now. We got to be better. I got to call better plays. I got to coach better. We got to coach better, then we got to execute better to put our whole team in situations where we can get in those third-and-manageable’s and continue to move the ball.”

The Jets elevated QB Chris Streveler from the practice squad for the second straight week. Streveler replaced Zach Wilson in the second half of last week’s loss to the Jaguars. … OT Cedric Ogbuehi was activated off injured reserve and placed WR Jeff Smith on IR.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Jets must embrace potential QB reality they’ve tried to avoid

Cutting against the grain of franchise tradition, the 2022 Jets have said and done a lot of smart things. Their ranks include many talented and accountable players, and people who know what they are doing in the roles of general manager and head coach. 

But as the Jets prepare for a critical game at Minnesota and the beginning of a six-game playoff push, they are struggling with an elementary concept. Though there’s a chance Mike White will be a career journeyman who gets red hot here and there, there’s also a chance White will be the Jets’ long-term franchise quarterback and, at some point, the first man under center to lead them to a Super Bowl since Joe Namath. 

The Jets need to put out a welcome mat to that possibility, and frankly, it doesn’t sound like they want to. Asked Thursday if he and head coach Robert Saleh are merely open to the scenario that White turns out to be the guy the franchise has been forever looking for — despite the organization’s investment in Zach Wilson, second-overall pick in the 2021 draft — offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur scrambled out of the pocket faster than a confused and/or overwhelmed Wilson ever did. 

“That’s nothing in my thought process; you’d have to ask Saleh,” LaFleur said. “I can’t imagine that’s anything in his thought process right now.” 

Yeah, why would the surprise uncovering of a potential high-level quarterback in the middle of a playoff race ever be in a football coach’s thought process? 

Sure, LaFleur went on to say that everyone’s locked in on the Vikings, something he likely felt obligated to say. But his stated enthusiasm for White’s brilliant work against Chicago in Sunday’s rain was best described as muted, three days after Saleh committed an unforced error by stating that when the Jets “feel like Zach is ready to roll, he’s going to roll.” 

Mike White can prove that he’s the Jets’ quarterback of the future.
Bill Kostroun/New York Post

Say what? How about following the lead of the players (who clearly adore White) and the fans (who clearly adore him just as much) and give the 27-year-old veteran a full shot? 

And by the way, since when has Wilson ever looked ready to roll? 

Saleh has seemingly devoted more thought to the idea of restoring Wilson as the starter than he has to the thought that White is never, ever giving back this job. Last year, after White shredded the Super Bowl-bound Bengals for 405 yards and three touchdowns, Saleh was willing to say of the 171st pick in the 2018 draft, “Anything is possible. … I can be the next Vince Lombardi.” 

This time around, when asked if White can put together enough big Sundays to earn the full-time job, Vince Lombardi II maintained he didn’t want to entertain hypotheticals. He did say that his full intent is to get Wilson ready to play. 

So let’s rush to replace the quarterback who’s thrown for more than 300 yards twice in four starts with the quarterback who’s thrown for more than 300 yards once in 20 starts? 

Richard Sherman, a fifth-round pick who became a five-time Pro Bowl cornerback, is among many NFL voices having a hard time understanding this one. “If we just took everything away and swapped the stories of Zach Wilson and Mike White,” Sherman said on his podcast, “and if was just Mike White was drafted No. 2, and he’s playing this well and teammates are saying this about him, you’d be like, they made the right pick. They’ve got a franchise guy.” 

That’s the way it should work, anyway. White had that brutal four-interception outing against Buffalo last year, but he seemed ready the previous week to tear apart Indianapolis (7-for-11, 95 yards, 1 touchdown) before getting hurt early. So that would be three quality starts out of four and a career completion percentage of 68.8, which dwarfs Wilson’s 55.6. 

Robert Saleh must embrace the Jets’ potential quarterback reality.
Bill Kostroun/New York Post

White said he wasn’t focused on winning the starting job for keeps because, someone once told him, “The NFL is 17 one-week seasons. … When you win one week you’re on top of the world. You lose next week and it’s the end of the world.” 

As he headed from the showers to his locker Thursday, with just a towel wrapped around his waist, White passed by the fully clothed Wilson, who was leaving the room. The quarterback who had been waived four times by the Jets — four — was getting ready for the starter’s weekly press conference that used to be scheduled for ol’ No. 2. 

“That’s just the nature of the sport,” White said of the dramatic turnover. 

Zach Wilson looks on at Jets practice on Thursday.
Bill Kostroun/New York Post
Mike White speaks to reporters after Jets practice on Thursday.
Bill Kostroun/New York Post

And once again, like last year, White pounced when the ball bounced his way. LaFleur said Wilson’s replacement “took what the defense gave him” and “just played within the offense” and that the line “protected better than we did [for Wilson] versus New England” and that receivers getting separation “makes the quarterback’s job a lot easier.” 

All true. But neither the coordinator nor Saleh sound terribly eager to accept the possibility that Mike White is just a better football player than Zach Wilson. And they need to get open-minded about that sooner rather than later. 

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Jets look ready to finally in play meaningful December games

The Jets don’t play this Thursday. Thursday will be a practice day, Day 2 of their preparation for a critical game in Minnesota three days later. But in so many ways, Thursday will have profound meaning for the Jets.

Thursday, midnight, the calendar flips from November to December.

It will be Dec. 1. The Jets will be 7-4. They will be in position to make the playoffs for the first time in a dozen years, but best of all they will play games that matter in December. In some NFL precincts that would induce a yawn and a ho-hum.

Around here, it’s big news.

So, sure, disparage Sunday’s opponent, the woeful Bears, as much as you like. Yes, they are a bad team with an abysmal defense. Yes, they were absent the one player who makes them remotely watchable, quarterback Justin Fields, down with a bum shoulder.

But the Jets beat Chicago soundly, 31-10. They shrugged off an uncharacteristically slow start by the defense. They shrugged off the weather, the sky spitting rain from opening kickoff to final gun. They shrugged off a boisterous week in which the fair-haired quarterback of tomorrow became the street-clothes-wearing third-stringer of today.

“We ignored all the noise,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said about 15 minutes after his giddy players sloshed off the MetLife Stadium field. “The guys did a great job executing.”

Mike White
Bill Kostroun

They did. They spotted the Bears a 10-7 lead even after Mike F. White led them on a 75-yard touchdown march on their first series of the game, the defense looking like maybe they still had a bit of a Thanksgiving hangover.

But the moment White hooked up with Garrett Wilson on a 54-yard scoring play with 4:57 left in the second quarter to give the Jets the lead back, the tenor and the feel of the game changed permanently. The defense allowed no more points. The offense worked as efficiently as it has in years, White piling up 315 yards and scattering his 22 completions to 10 different receivers.

Jets running back Ty Johnson (25) celebrates his touchdown with a spike during the third quarter.
Bill Kostroun

“That was too much fun, and it was reflected in the score,” crowed Elijah Moore, a forgotten man for much of the season who caught two balls, one for 42 yards, one a 22-yard touchdown that pushed the Jets’ lead to 24-10 in the third. “That’s real New York Jets football. That’s the definition of team football.”

Moore would get no argument from the other 52 men clad in green or any of the 77,963 inside MetLife who enjoyed a good three-hour soaking but still seemed to be having a hell of a time, chanting both for their J-E-T-S and for their quarterback, presently the leader in the clubhouse for the office of mayor of Florham Park.

“It’s awesome to go out there playing football with your friends,” White said. “It was a complete team win.”

The most encouraging part of Sunday is that the Jets, almost to a man, enjoyed their win without getting carried away by it, with the underlying understanding that there is still work to do, and a lot of it.

Playing meaningful December games is a lot different than winning them, and the assignment next week — against the 9-2 Vikings, at Minneapolis’ U.S. Bank Stadium — kicks off a stout two-week gauntlet that will include a return date with the Bills at Orchard Park.

Jets tight end C.J. Uzomah (87) and guard Laken Tomlinson (78) celebrate the win over the Bears.
Bill Kostroun

“Our guys don’t flinch,” Saleh said, and what’s also clear is they don’t much carry things over week-to-week — positively and negatively — from week-to-week, either. Part of that was undoubtedly the presence of White, who didn’t only play a terrific game but by his mere insertion as QB1 reflected a simple yet essential part of the meritocracy Saleh is trying to establish.

You perform well, you play.

You don’t, you sit. No matter your draft-day pedigree.

It is a fine lesson to teach a young quarterback like Zach Wilson, and it is an even greater message to send to the other folks on the team who have pushed the Jets to where they are, to the doorstep of December, to the precipice of a playoff push. The season stopped being about moral victories months ago. Only the real ones will do now.

“We need to keep the main thing the main thing,” said C.J. Mosely, the soul of the defense who had an interception, repeating a mantra he instills in his teammates often. “We haven’t scratched the surface of how great we can be.”

The best part of that? If he’s right, the Jets have the opportunity to back up those words. Next week in Minnesota would be wonderful place to start.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Zach Wilson is Jets future, but Robert Saleh must ride Joe Flacco

Robert Saleh understandably wanted no part of the question on Wednesday. 

The Jets coach has just gotten past the whole “keeping receipts” quote from last week and was not looking to create any more headlines … so when asked if there is any scenario where Joe Flacco can keep the starting quarterback job once Zach Wilson is healthy, Saleh gave an answer that sounded like he practiced it in front of a mirror before his press conference. 

“Zach’s the future of the organization. We all know that,” Saleh said. “As soon as the doctors clear him, we’ll get him on the field.” 

Really? Has Wilson earned the right to have the starting job handed back to him? 

Saleh surely does not want to deal in hypotheticals, but we do. Let’s play this out a little bit. Flacco goes out Sunday and has another 300-yard, four-touchdown performance and the Jets beat the Bengals to improve to 2-1. You’re telling me Monday morning, Saleh is taking the keys out of Flacco’s hands? 

Joe Flacco passes the ball against the Browns during the first half at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland last Sunday.
Getty Images
Joe Flacco threw for four touchdowns and over 300 yards against the Browns.
Getty Images

I wouldn’t. Saleh should ride the hot hand and that is Flacco. 

Now, the scenario I laid out is unlikely. The Jets are an underdog against a desperate 0-2 Bengals team on Sunday. But what if? What if Flacco does it again? What if the Jets pull off another shocker? 

Saleh should then come out Monday and say Wilson’s surgically repaired knee needs another week of rest and Flacco will start Week 4 against the Steelers. Keep going until Flacco’s 37-year-old wheels fall off. 

No one is saying Flacco looked like Aaron Rodgers last week. But there was some magic at the end of the game. Sure, the Browns handed the Jets a chance they should have never had, but Flacco made the most of that opportunity. He hit a wide-open Corey Davis on a 66-yard touchdown pass and then executed a masterful final touchdown drive after the onside kick. 

Everyone calls Flacco “Joe Cool” and it was on display on that final drive. He looked like he was in total control and was a calming presence for a young team.

“I think Joe’s a really good quarterback. He’s seen everything,” Saleh said. “[By] the fourth quarter, the game plan has already been revealed. They know how they’re playing everything. When we got that onside kick, he knew exactly where he needed to go with the ball because he already knew what was going to happen. The great ones can see that so in those fourth quarters when you have a good quarterback who’s armed with all the knowledge he needs, that’s hard.”

Could Wilson have led the Jets back? Maybe. But he does not have the knowledge that Saleh spoke about. Flacco has been there and done that. Wilson has one fourth-quarter comeback on his résumé. Sunday was Flacco’s 19th. Sunday was the 37th time Flacco has thrown for 300 yards in an NFL game. Wilson has yet to hit that mark. 

The postgame reaction from Flacco’s teammates show how much they love the man many watched star for the Ravens when they were children. In the video the Jets tweeted out Flacco was in the middle of the room, surrounded by jumping Jets and you could see how popular he is in the locker room. 

But it was not just the magic of Sunday’s comeback. Flacco has played well when given time by the offensive line and the receivers don’t drop passes. PFF has him rated as the third-best quarterback in the NFL, trailing just Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts. They have credited him with zero turnover-worthy plays. He is third in the NFL with 616 passing yards. 

Will it last for a season, a month, two more weeks? Who knows? But Saleh owes it to the Jets players, coaches, front office, owners and fan to find out. 

So, is there any chance Flacco can stay in the job?

Robert Saleh speaks to the media before practice in Florham Park.
Bill Kostroun/New York Post
Zach Wilson, center, has been on the sideline for the Jets since undergoing knee surgery in August.
Getty Images

“I don’t want to be a broken record,” Saleh said. “I’ll be happy to answer that question a million times over when Zach is healthy and ready to go. Zach is the future of the team.” 

No one is going to argue that the 23-year-old is not the future. But that does not mean the 37-year-old, if he continues to play well, can’t be the present. 

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Preview, predictions, what to watch for

An inside look at Sunday’s Jets-Browns Week 2 matchup in Cleveland.

Marquee matchup

Jets LT George Fant and RT Max Mitchell vs. Browns edge rushers Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney

The Ravens sacked Joe Flacco three times last week and hit him 11 times. It was not a good showing by the revamped Jets offensive line.

Now … they get to deal with one of the best pass-rushing tandems in the NFL: Garrett and Clowney. Garrett had two sacks last week against Carolina and Clowney had a half-sack.

Garrett is a major headache for any team that plays against him. He has already had four seasons with double-digit sacks, and his Week 1 performance made it looks as if he is primed to add a fifth season.

Fant did not play well in Week 1 after moving back to left tackle. Mitchell, a rookie, was OK in his first game, but this will be a much bigger test.

George Fant and Myles Garrett
Bill Kostroun; Getty Images

“Myles Garrett is an absolute problem. He’s a man on a mission,” Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. “You could see it least week, you could see it last year. Jadeveon Clowney is always going to be a problem, having to play him in Seattle in 2019, the year [the 49ers] went to the Super Bowl. He wrecked our game. … They’re a problem.”

Costello’s call

Head coach Robert Saleh gave the Jets a rallying cry this week, and now we’ll see if they can prove their coach right that this team is different. A win over a talented Brown team would go a long way toward that. I think the Jets will play inspired defense and get just enough offensively to pull off the upset.

Jets 20, Browns 10

Four downs

On the run: It is no mystery what the Browns want to do on offense. They rushed for 217 yards last week, with Nick Chubb (141 yards rushing) and Kareem Hunt (one rushing touchdown, one receiving touchdown) carving up the Panthers.

The Jets did a good job slowing down Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ rushing attack last week. This will be another big challenge. The Jets surely will stack the box and try to force backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett to make plays to beat them.

“As far as the run game, we’ve got to go in with our big boy pads on because we know they’re going to run the ball,” linebacker C.J. Mosley said.

This is a different style of running game than the Ravens had, but the keys will again be whether the Jets can keep the backs from popping off big runs and whether they can set the edge against this team.

Long time coming: The Browns won their first Week 1 game since 2004 last week, and now they are trying to start 2-0 for the first time since they were the old Browns in 1993. That team was coached by Bill Belichick and quarterbacked by Bernie Kosar. So, it has been a while.

The Cleveland fans will be fired up for the home opener and the debut of Brownie the Elf as the midfield logo, something that was voted on by fans.

Jets quarterback Joe Flacco knows the Browns well. He is 17-3 in his career against Cleveland and 8-2 at FirstEnergy Stadium, with 11 touchdown passes and six interceptions there.

Hello Mr. Wilson: Jets coaches admitted this week they need to do a better job getting rookie wide receiver Garrett Wilson involved in the game. Wilson had just six snaps in the first half last week before having a bigger role later in the game, when the Jets were playing catch-up. Wilson finished with four catches for 52 yards in his debut. Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur praised the effort from Wilson.

“The game is just not too big for him,” LaFleur said. “You never know going into the first game, I had a pretty good idea of how he was going to react.”

Keep your receipts: Head coach Robert Saleh made big news on Monday when he promised to remember what critics say about the Jets by “keeping the receipts.” Now, the Jets have to back up their coach’s talk. A loss to the Browns and you can be sure fans will show up at MetLife Stadium next week waving receipts of their own.

Saleh is adamant that this team is different, but he knows the Jets need to prove it.

“This is not the same old Jets, but until we win, until we prove it, which is on us as coaches and on us as players, the shots will keep on coming,” Saleh said, “so we welcome them, keep bringing them, it’s not going to change our mission and that’s to bring this organization and this fan base a win.”

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Jets’ Breece Hall aiming to put rough NFL debut behind him

Jets running back Breece Hall figures it can’t get any worse.

Hall had some tough moments in his NFL debut last week against the Ravens, with a fumble in the red zone and a dropped pass.

“Obviously, I felt like I could have done a lot better,” Hall said. “I had a dropped pass and a fumble and everything like that. I felt like I had all my rookie moments in one day. It was good to get that out of the way. Just knowing that the coaches still have faith in me, they still want to get me the ball whenever I’m in the game, it feels good.”

The Jets need Hall and his fellow back Michael Carter to both have strong games Sunday against the Browns. Cleveland’s pass rush, led by Myles Garrett, could make it a long day for the offense. But if the Jets can run the ball effectively, they could slow down the rush.

“We’re going to have to stay ahead of the sticks,” Hall said. “We’re going to have to slow those guys down, get chips on those guys, try to confuse those guys in any type of way. That’s going to be big for us this week. It’s going to be big for me and [Carter] to run the ball.”

Breece Hall fumbles the ball after getting hit by Ravens safety Chuck Clark during the Jets’ Week 1 loss.
N.Y. Post: Bill Kostroun

Head coach Robert Saleh said last week was a learning experience for Hall and all the rookies.

“They’re not trying to make a mistake, they’re not trying to fumble, he’s trying to fight for extra yards, he spins out of it, you just got to remind him this league is different than college,” Saleh said. “The players are too fast, they’re too smart, they’re too ball-focused, so a great lesson for him.

“There was even one he was just talking about, he saw a crease and big Calais [Campbell] just grabbed him, and he’s like, that’s never happened to him before. So it just grabbed him, just to stop and he’s like, ‘Jeez,’ but for him, it’s just all of these guys, just that lesson. He didn’t realize how strong these guys are, so there’s just a different mindset when you’re trying to hit those creases, where in college he probably would’ve been gone.”

Hall said his coaches’ belief in him has kept him confident.

“I feel like they want to make me and [Carter] the identity of our offense,” Hall said. “Just knowing that they have that faith in me feels nice. I’m just focusing on the little things, squeezing the ball, protecting the ball, catching the ball and just let my natural ability take over. I’m not too worried about anything. I know I’m going to progress week by week.”

The Jets elevated OL Grant Hermanns and TE Kenny Yeboah from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Jets’ abysmal offensive day isn’t shaking belief in Joe Flacco

Joe Flacco had been a sitting duck behind a makeshift offensive line and those Jets fans still awake and trapped watching a three-yards-and-a-cloud of dust offense flashed back to last Halloween when Mike White (405 yards, three touchdowns) showed up one afternoon as Cinderella.

And so the “Mike White” chants began with 4:48 remaining in the third quarter of Ravens 24, Jets 9 on Opening Day.

I asked running back Michael Carter if he heard the “Mike White” chant.

“No. I think that’s bulls—, though,” he told The Post. “I love Mike White. I love him, and I know he can spin it and know everything, but you gotta believe in the guys that are rolling out there. I know Mike White would have done a good job, but it is like disrespectful to Joe.

“And you see this in the NFL where vets, and guys who are super-accomplished, the NFL tries to throw ’em to the side. Because it’s a quote, ‘young man’s league.’ He doesn’t deserve that.”

Flacco did not. But when you are the quarterback of a Sominex offense with all the energy and urgency of a turtle, it is inevitably your fault, and

It is rite of football Sundays that when the starting quarterback cannot for whatever reason sniff the end zone, the backup quarterback becomes the people’s choice.

Woe Flacco.

Quarterback of the ALL BRAKE NO GAS offense.

Take Flight?

No. Take Fright.

Joe Flacco is sacked during the Jets’ loss to the Ravens.
Bill Kostroun

Flacco finished 37 of 59 for 307 yards, one garbage-time touchdown and one interception. Flacco was under siege, an anachronism in a league designed for mobile quarterbacks, and victimized by fumbles by Breece Hall and Tyler Conklin, and a slip over the middle by surprise starting tight end Lawrence Cager on his pick.

“We gotta keep him off the ground,” Carter said. “It goes back to that. We gotta keep him off the ground. He is a great quarterback when he’s upright, just like all the quarterbacks — Patrick Mahomes, he’s great when he’s upright. Josh Allen, he’s great when he’s upright. Zach Wilson, he’s great when he’s upright.”

Wishful thinking there on Wilson, who would have been more effective running for his life than Flacco, to be sure.

It is no great surprise that Flacco could not elevate the players around him against these Ravens. For the Jets to win a game like this, Flacco needs greater support from his protectors and playmakers and his defense and special teams. Because he is not Lamar Jackson, or Allen, or Mahomes.

“There were plays when we weren’t helping Joe,” Robert Saleh said, “and there were plays when he wasn’t helping either.”

Ominously, the psychology of results tells us that a team teaches itself what it is on the field (thank you, Bill Parcells), and Ya Gotta Believe has yet to make its way into the franchise.

“I just keep going back to just the belief in ourselves that we’re good,” Flacco said, “and I’m talking to myself too. I think every time we take the field we just have to truly believe that we’re capable, ’cause we are. And I think that’s kinda why we’re missing some of that little juice here and there to kinda get us over the hump. And like I said, I’m talking to myself, not just young guys and things like that.”

Breece Hall fumbles the ball during the Jets’ loss to the Ravens.
Charles Wenzelberg/N.Y. Post

Meet The Losing Syndrome. Try your best not to listen to Same Old Jets.

“When you have young guys that haven’t played in this league, and then when you have a bunch of veterans that just haven’t won consistently over the last couple of years, you have to learn how to win football games, and create that winning culture, and winning on Sundays is a big part of that.”

Of course Flacco did not point a finger on his first-half interception.

“I’m gonna just wish that I just took some of the 5-yard checkdowns earlier in the game,” he said. “The safety [Marcus Williams] was driving, and you have a little miscue on running the route and next thing you know you’re in a bad position.”

Of course he did not throw his offensive line under the bus.

“Those guys fought all day and I thought they played really well together,” Flacco said. “We all have to make little improvements like I talked about for us to take that next step.”

One Jets fan can hardly watch the team’s loss to the Ravens on Sunday.
Charles Wenzelberg/ NY Post

Conklin leaped to Flacco’s defense.

“He’s the same player he was, he can make all the throws, he’s smart, he’s a leader, we all love playing with him,” Conklin said. “We gotta be better for him too.”

Getting dynamic rookie WR Garrett Wilson more playing time in the first half would be a good start, and Forgotten Man C.J. Uzomah as well. Conklin fumbled away an early first down at the Baltimore 21 and Corey Davis had an early drop and Hall a fourth-quarter fumble and time for a talk already.

“We had a talk in the locker room after the game,” Uzomah said. “We’re not going to let it happen again.”

Conklin: “It’s not the same s–t. We got a good team.”

Positive Vibes Only more than ever.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Jets’ Robert Saleh looking forward to Zach Wilson’s return

The Jets expect to play meaningful games “down the stretch,” and they think Zach Wilson will be a major part of their improvement.

Despite a knee injury that will likely cost him at least the first game of the regular season — if not more — Gang Green’s brass believes the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft is on an upward trajectory.

“Before the injury, he was way ahead of where he was a year ago,” coach Robert Saleh said Thursday. “I know that first preseason game, people put a lot of stock into those series, which is warranted, but that first preseason game isn’t even close to what he’s been showing throughout OTAs and training camp and the way he communicates even now that he’s not a part of the practices, and he’s just in meetings.

“So [I’m] really excited about him getting the chance to get back to the football field to show how far along he’s come. As far as the development and the course that he’s on, we’re excited about it, and we’re excited about his future.”

Jets coach Robert Saleh fist bumps Zach Wilson during training camp.
Noah K. Murray-NY Post

When, exactly, the 23-year-old Wilson returns remains uncertain. He suffered a torn meniscus and bone bruise in his right knee in the Aug. 12 preseason opener against the Eagles, a game in which he threw an interception and was far from impressive. Wilson underwent arthroscopic surgery four days later and is still not practicing, though on Wednesday Saleh said he may not need a full two weeks of practice to return as he did last year after suffering a sprained knee injury.

When asked about that on Thursday, the Jets’ coach stepped back from that statement somewhat, saying that is a question better suited for team doctors.

“It has to do with the return-to-play protocol that’s assigned to the player once the injury has been diagnosed and all that stuff,” Saleh said.

One positive for Wilson is, by the time he is back, the offensive line will have had a lot of time together to jell. The group, which was reshuffled after Mekhi Becton’s season-ending knee injury — 37-year-old left tackle Duane Brown was signed, and George Fant was moved from left to right tackle — struggled in its lone preseason game together. Saleh is encouraged the unit will be more cohesive by the time Week 1 rolls around.

Zach Wilson
Noah K. Murray

“We have time to get the game reps in. We’re having team competitions, so it’s not just going against cards, we’re competing against one another also, but we’ve got to get going,” he said. “There’s an opportunity for us to catch up pretty quick, and we’ve got about five, six practices left.”

The Jets’ roster is improved on paper. This year’s draft class appears loaded, and the defense looks formidable up front, without the issues at cornerback. But for the team to really take the next step, it will need Wilson to rebound from a rocky rookie season, and he will have to do so after missing crucial practice time.

“We’ve talked about him coming back at the end of last year and the jump he made,” general manager Joe Douglas said. “He was having that same level of progression throughout OTAs, throughout training camp. … I’m sure he would like to have that first series back in the Philly game, but he was getting back into rhythm and showing all of those traits and the progression that he had made in that second series, before the injury. We have seen tremendous progress from Zach.”

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Exit mobile version