While a normal offseason would usually require a lot of face time for a completely revamped offensive line, the Jets have used different methods during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the restrictions on in-person interactions prior to training camp, newcomer Connor McGovern feels the unity on the offensive line is the best he’s ever been a part of since he entered the league in 2016. And they just met in face to face two weeks ago.
“To be honest with you, I don’t know if it’s the group of guys that Joe Douglas brought together or the pandemic or what have you,” McGovern said Friday. “But this is one of the closer groups as a whole I’ve been around.”
For a more intimate connection, members of the Jets offensive line have a group chat in which they often send each other memes. Call of Duty is another tool the group uses for bonding.
While this isn’t the same as gelling during the preseason, Gang Green doesn’t have that luxury. The offensive line is going to have to find unique ways, besides practice, to form relationships with one another while getting the offense down to a tee.
“At the end of the day, football is football,” McGovern said when asked if everyone can come together quickly enough before Week 1.
The Jets dealt with similar issues in 2019, however, it had more so to do with Ryan Kalil joining the unit late in the summer. That won’t be the problem the Jets deal with this season, as everyone is getting accustomed to one another in their own right. Still, the lack of game reps prior to the regular season could be a concern.
For veteran offensive lineman Greg Van Roten, while this is new territory, it’s just making sure that the unit is speaking the same language by the time the regular season rolls around.
“Thankfully, we are all veterans and we’ve all played football before, so it’s not our first time on the field,” Van Roten said via The Associated Press. “It’s just going to be our first time next to each other. So the biggest challenge when you have a new group like that is that we all speak football, but we might call things by different names. So we’ve just got to get on the same page with our communication if we want to be effective and hit the ground running fast.”