Jul 19, 2023; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (75) talks with media during the New York Jets Training Camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
The 2nd practice of this young season is over and here are our Jets training camp notes from KRL.
General Notes
– Practice ran for 2 hours
– Players still in jerseys, shorts and “shock absorber” helmets as they ramp up
– I didn’t see Duane Brown again, also Will McDonald sat out practice with an injury
Defense Notes
– The defense won the day again but the offense showed improvement (which we’ll get to later). The success of the defense was different today as Jeff Ulbrich (DC) broke his pattern of rushing with the DLine and mixed in blitzing from the “back 7”.
– Credit to Sauce Gardner for improving his frame. You can actually see the definition in his legs this year. He was working with Marquand Manuel (DB Coach) right in front of me, so it was noticeable.
– Extremely impressive performance by Tony Adams today. During individual drills, he showed excellent range as Manuel had him line up outside the right hash and close to the left sideline to knock away a pass. Then during 11 on 11 reps Adams went from between the hashes to the left sideline to break up a 30+ yard pass from Aaron Rodgers to Jason Brownlee.
– I’m not sure how many reps Al Woods will get in the DLine rotation but he seems to have plenty left in the tank. For a 36 year old Woods is extremely quick in disrupting the run game. Today he had a couple of TFLs during the 11 on 11 reps.
– Some under the radar DBs that you should keep your eye on:
* Jimmy Moreland
* Marquis Waters
* Craig James
During their reps with the #2 & #3 they always seem to be around the ball.
Offense Notes
– The offense improved today as there were more completions in the intermediate area and the run game was effective particularly with outside runs.
– In the early going there were multiple false starts and Zach Wilson skipped another “smoke screen”. But Rodgers spoke to him and illustrated what he was doing wrong and no more “skips”.
– The ball security needs to improve as the rep finishes. Because multiple times after a successful play the defense would strip the ball as the RB/WR “eased up”.
– Shock of shocks we may actually see an effective “screen game” this year. Nate Hackett called quite a few with the deep ball not available.
– Israel Abanikanda was very effective on outside runs as he broke off multiple 15-20 yarders. But he was one of the culprits with poor ball security, on a screen pass from Rodgers he popped it into the air for an almost INT. And on another run, Abanikanda was stripped by Moreland, which allowed Adrian Amos to return it for a “TD”.
– Michael Carter had a good day, as screens and outside runs are his strengths. And he broke off a couple of 20+ yarders in each area.
– Zack Kuntz flashed today as he caught a 15+ yard sidearm pass from Wilson. But he didn’t secure the ball to the end of the rep and allowed Ashtyn Davis to strip it.
– Jason Brownlee got some reps with Rodgers and impressed on a 15+ yard out route. Rodgers threw the ball before Brownlee got out of his break, but because he ran a precise route he made the catch. Very important for a young WR to show the QB he can trust him.
– The “sexiest” play of the day was a 15+ yard slant pass from Rodgers to Garrett Wilson with Gardner in tight coverage. Incredible accuracy to fit the ball in a window that didn’t exist.
QB
– There weren’t any deep completions and the “sexiest” play was a 15+ yarder, but what I appreciate about Aaron Rodgers is his ability to move the ball in a “boring” way with no INTs.
– Zach Wilson was better today with his accuracy, particularly after the Rodgers “tip”. Also, so far there have been no INTs.
Standouts
– Tony Adams
– Israel Abanikanda
– Michael Carter
– Under the radar DBs (Moreland, Waters, James)
Concerns
– Want to see the continued improvement of the offense and the appearance of the deep ball.
– Proper ball security when finishing reps.
Other Thoughts
-The “boringness” of Rodgers highlights the problems Darnold, Wilson, and their offensive coaches created for themselves. If Rodgers doesn’t have exactly the route he wants he’ll check it down to keep the chains moving. But both Darnold and Wilson would get frustrated if they couldn’t get the “sexy shot” and then start forcing things that would translate into INTs. And their offensive coaches couldn’t/wouldn’t break those bad habits