Category: Jets News and Notes

Jets vs. Raiders inactives: No surprises for New York in Week 12

Jets vs. Raiders inactives report for Week 12.

The Jets are relatively healthy heading into their Week 12 showdown with the Oakland Raiders.

No surprises popped up on New York’s inactives report on Sunday, as offensive linemen Chuma Edoga and Kelvin Beachum will suit up as expected despite being listed as questionable throughout the week. The same applies to Henry Anderson, Brandon Copeland, Neville Hewitt, Alex Lewis, Steve McLendon and Demaryius Thomas.

Darryl Roberts, Mathias Farley, Paul Worrilow and C.J. Mosley are all out as expected.

Sunday marks Roberts’ third consecutive missed game while, special teams ace Farley misses his first of the season and Worrilow remains on the sideline as he works his way back into shape.

As for the Raiders, they’ll be without starting cornerback/safety hybrid Lamarcus Joyner. Joyner made the trip to New York with the team, but will ultimately miss his second consecutive game due to a hamstring injury. Oakland is also without offensive lineman David Sharpe, who was ruled out early in the week with a calf injury.

Raiders poor road numbers among things to know in Jets’ Week 12 matchup

The Jets will face a red-hot Raiders team that doesn’t perform well outside of Oakland.

There’s a sense of optimism in the air as the Jets look for their fourth win of the season and third in as many weeks when they return home to take on the Raiders in Week 12.

New York returns home to play a Raiders team that is atrocious away from Oakland, and the implications of this game could affect the AFC playoff picture – just not for the Jets.

The Jets want to win now to prove to their fanbase they have the capability to compete in the future, but it won’t be easy against a team that’s been on a hot streak of its own. The Raiders have won their last three games behind a run-heavy approach and a defense that’s sacked the quarterback 10 times in the past two weeks to improve to 6-4.

Oakland will be the Jets’ biggest test since the Patriots in Week 7 despite the fact they lost games to both the Jaguars and the Dolphins before back-to-back wins over the Giants and Redskins. However, the Raiders have been atrocious away from home this season, which gives the Jets a legitimate chance to emerge victoriously on Sunday.

With that being said, here are four things to know about the Jets’ Week 12 game.

Raiders’ road woes

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When the Raiders play away from Oakland, they’ve been one of the worst teams in the league so far this season.

Oakland is 1-3 in road games this season and has allowed an average of 32.8 points in those games compared to the 24.6 they allow at home. 

The Raiders’ defense has been particularly bad on the away from home, ranking near the bottom of the league in sack percentage (2.8%), yards per pass play (8.2), passer rating (118.5) and passing touchdown percentage (8.6). This bodes well for the Jets’ offense if they don’t turn the ball over and find the right spots to hit on Sunday.

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Jets vs. Raiders: Game info, where to watch, notes

Here’s everything you need to know for Sunday’s game between the Jets and Raiders.

The Jets are looking to keep their winning streak alive when the Oakland Raiders come to MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The weather conditions are not expected to be great in East Rutherford, as the forecast is calling for a cold and rainy day. That means both teams are going to have to adjust their gameplans accordingly.

If the forecast stays true to rain, then we’re going to see a lot of Le’Veon Bell running the football. He was slightly better last week against the Redskins, but not where he’d like to be at this point in the season. Assuming New York turns to a run-heavy attack, Week 12 will serve as another opportunity for the star tailback to get break out.

Defensively, the Jets have to stop Josh Jacobs on the ground and force Derek Carr to throw the football. Jacobs has been one of the league’s best rookies this year running behind a solid Raiders offensive line that has carried them to a 6-4 record. Luckily for New York, it has the No. 1 run defense in the league, which will make things tough for the young running back.

As for the Raiders, they’ve been quite the surprise this year. Oakland is right there in the playoff race can’t afford a letdown loss to the Jets. However, the Raiders have had their road struggles this year with only one road win on the season.

Here’s everything you need to know for Sunday’s contest:

  • Who: New York Jets vs. Oakland Raiders
  • When: 1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, November 24, 2019
  • Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
  • TV/Radio: CBS, ESPN 98.7 F.M. For a Spanish broadcast check out 1050 AM ESPN
  • Livestream: fuboTV (try it free)
  • Line: Raiders -3

Jets sign TE Ryan Griffin to three-year contract extension

Ryan Griffin’s enjoyed a mini-breakout season with the Jets and will in the team’s future moving forward.

Ryan Griffin is officially part of the Jets’ plans for the future.

New York has inked the tight end a three-year extension that can earn him up to $10.8 million with “reachable incentives,” according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. The deal also reportedly includes $4 million in guaranteed money.

After the NFL suspended Chris Herndon for the first four games of the season, the Jets scooped up Griffin two months after the Texans released him. Not much of him was expected when New York signed him to a one-year, $1.2 million contract other than as a stop-gap until Herndon returns, but the veteran tight end has proven to be a solid contributor on the offense with Herndon now out for the season due to injury.

Griffin leads the Jets with four receiving touchdowns and has also caught 25 passes for 225 yards. He has been one of New York’s most reliable receivers with an 83.3 catch percentage, helping him earn the moniker “sticky hands” after recording five receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown against the Redskins in Week 11.

With Griffin, Herndon and rookie Trevon Wesco manning the position, the Jets have locked up their tight end group for the foreseeable future.

Andre Robers takes more shots at Jets

After not being offered a contract following a career season, ex-Jet Andre Roberts pulls no punches when comparing the Bills and Jets.

Former Jets wide receiver and kick returner Andre Roberts still has some hard feelings toward the organization.

Roberts is still upset that the Jets did not attempt to re-sign him following one of the best seasons of his career. He hopped on the 17 Weeks Podcast with fellow Bills WR Cole Beasley’s and didn’t pull any punches about Gang Green.

“It’s so much better than being in NJ,” he said of playing for Buffalo. “The organization is better from top to bottom,” he said.

With Roberts returning kicks, the Bills lead the league in kick return average. Roberts is third in the NFL in that category. Buffalo is averaging 8.5 yards more per kick return than the Jets.

It’s not just returning kicks either, as Roberts is the ninth highest-graded punt returner in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

In his first and only season with the Jets, Roberts led the NFL in kick return yards and was a first-team All-Pro selection for the first time in his career. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl and was named to the AP All-Pro first team.

Roberts racked up 324 punt return yards and 1,174 kick return yards — both career bests. In Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers, Roberts returned a kick 99 yards for a touchdown and posted a career-high 215 total return yards in his best showing of the season.

It’s no mistake to say the Jets miss Roberts returning kicks. Letting him go was one of the more head-scratching decisions that Mike Maccagnan made this past offseason when the Jets former general manager was still in charge.

New York has not seen enough production from Trenton Cannon, Vyncint Smith or Ty Montgomery to make an impact in the return game this year.

Roberts also shined the light on the culture and power structure between the Jets and Bills. He pointed out that Bills head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane actually speak to one another, where it was apparent that Maccagnan and Todd Bowles rarely did. Instead, they both directly reported to CEO Christopher Johnson.

The disparity in the two teams can be seen in their records this year. The Bills are 7-3, while the Jets are 3-7. Roberts is correct and instead of merely labeling him as bitter, the entire Jets organization might want to look in the mirror before they allow another Roberts to slip through the cracks.

Jets release Valentine Holmes from practice squad

The Jets have released Valentine Holmes from their practice squad.

Valentine Holmes was a nice story when he first signed with the Jets, but his tenure with the team is now over.

The team announced on Friday that it had released Holmes from the practice squad. He has decided to go back to Australia to play in the National Rugby League.

Holmes was signed by the Jets through the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program and served as the 11th player on the practice squad. He hoped to make the active roster next season, but it didn’t look like it was going to happen.

The 24-year-old played in all four preseason games and had 11 carries for nine yards as a running back and eight catches for 85 yards as a receiver. On special teams, Holmes had a 21-yard kick return.

Since Holmes was technically the 11th man on the practice squad, the Jets can’t sign anyone else to take his spot.

Jets LB C.J. Mosley wants to play again in 2019

C.J. Mosley has missed nine games this season with a groin injury, but he’s hopeful he can return this season.

The Jets surprisingly decided against putting linebacker C.J. Mosley on injury reserve after he reaggravated a groin injury five weeks ago, but now Mosley believes he could play this season, possibly in Week 14.

Mosley received injections of platelet-rich plasma to help heal his injured groin this week. Those shots, he said, give him a “50-50” chance to play again this season.

“If I can do anything to avoid ending my season, I’m going to try it,” he said on Friday, per ESPN. “I’d rather do that than cut my body open. That was the thinking on that.”

The Jets gave Mosely a five-year, $85 million contract last offseason in the hopes he could strengthen the core of their defense. He played well in Week 1 against the Bills, but suffered a groin injury midway through the game. When he returned and reinjured himself in the Week 7 loss to the Patriots, the Jets said he could theoretically return in five-to-six weeks. Heading into what would be his fifth week of rehab, Mosley said he’s running again and hopes to get on the practice field soon. 

While it may seem pointless for Mosley to risk a second aggravation in what is a lost season for the Jets, the linebacker feels it’s his responsibility as a captain to play. That’s a well-intentioned sentiment but looks more and more unlikely as the season progresses. Even Adam Gase remains at worst skeptical and at best noncommittal about Mosley’s return.

“We’re just kind of going through that process and see where it takes us,” he said. “I don’t really know the answer to that.”

Ultimately, it will come down to Mosley’s rehabilitation over the next few weeks. Mosley is positive but realistic when it comes to his availability in the few weeks left in the season. He said he’ll get surgery if his injury doesn’t heal over the next two weeks.

“I’m trying to do everything I can to avoid surgery and play,” he said. “Worst-case scenario: I’ll have to get surgery if next week doesn’t go well.”

Jets injury report: Chuma Edoga, Kelvin Beachum questionable vs. Raiders

Chuma Edoga and Kelvin Beachum are both listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Raiders.

After an initial injury scare with both Chuma Edoga and Kelvin Beachum, both should be good to go on Sunday against the Raiders.

Edoga (ankle/knee) and Beachum (ankle) are listed as questionable, as Edoga was limited in practice the last two days after not practicing on Wednesday. Beachum was limited the whole week. Meanwhile, Henry Anderson (shoulder), Brandon Copeland (hip/thumb), Neville Hewitt (neck/knee), Alex Lewis (elbow/shoulder), Steve McLendon (neck) and Demaryius Thomas (hamstring) are all questionable, but expected to play.

Darryl Roberts (calf), Mathias Farley (quad) and Paul Worrilow (quad) are listed as doubtful. C.J. Mosley (groin) is out as expected.

Adam Gase praises rookie CB Bless Austin’s strong start

Jets head coach Adam Gase has high praise for rookie cornerback Bless Austin, who missed the past 14 months recovering from an ACL injury.

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After being away from football for over a year, Jets rookie cornerback Bless Austin has jumped onto the scene with New York desperately thin at corner.

After an increasingly long layoff — 14 months without playing football — Austin’s dominant performances through his first two NFL games have caught the eye of many. That includes his head coach.

“He was driving us nuts on the scout team,” Adam Gase said following Thursday’s practice. “When you’re making receivers angry… you know he’s got something to him.”

Austin dons No. 31, the same number Antonio Cromartie did when he was a shutdown cornerback for the Jets. If Austin carves himself out a nice career like Cromartie, it would be a nice parting gift from Mike Maccagnan in his last draft.

Austin, who spent the first eight games on the Non-Football Injury list as he recovered from his second ACL surgery, has held up well in two starts. He has allowed only six catches for 59 yards as the closest defender, per NFL Next Gen Stats.

In his second NFL game, Sunday against the Redskins, Pro Football Focus graded him (77.2), the Jets’ best defensive player.

In a small sample size, Austin has proved himself a worthy candidate to watch down the stretch. If he can stay healthy, the Jets might have found themselves a second-round talent in the sixth-round.

The ACL injuries have taken a toll on Austin, but he’s emerging as a reliable cornerback when desperate times have called for desperate measures. On a whim, New York benched struggling CB Nate Hairston in favor of Austin in the midst of the Giants game. The Jets may never look back.

Jets OC Dowell Loggains vows to throw challenge flag with authority next time he has the chance

Dowell Loggains is going to go about things a bit differently next time he throws a challenge flag for the Jets.

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Jets offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains plans on making his presence felt next time he has the chance to throw the challenge flag.

Granted the chance to do so against the Giants, Loggains squandered it by lightly tossing the flag onto the turf. His gentle toss garnered some criticism and as a result, a change in approach. If he has the opportunity to take another crack at throwing the challenge flag on behalf of Adam Gase, let’s just say Loggains is not going to be gentle.

Loggains has gained somewhat of a cult following ever since emerging as New York’s designated challenge flag thrower. Usually head coaches are responsible for tossing the red flag, but Loggains has assumed that responsibility under Gase.

“I’ve always had someone else do it because I’m moving around quite a bit and that’s how I like it,” Gase said regarding him not being the one to handle the challenge flag.

With Gase serving as the chief offensive play caller on gamedays, Loggains takes somewhat of a back seat despite his job title. Most of his work comes directly with Sam Darnold, as the two frequently discuss adjustments and watch tape in between series.

Allowing Loggains to be the challenge guy gives him an added responsibility that he not only welcomes, but seems to genuinely enjoy. The unusual role has made him somewhat of an internet meme, but look on the bright side.

At least he’s getting criticized for how he throws a flag instead of play calling.