Category: Jets News and Notes

Adam Gase mum when asked why Ryan Kalil landed on injured reserve

Adam Gase doesn’t say much when asked why Ryan Kalil was placed on injured reserve.

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It was originally thought that Ryan Kalil would be back this season. Then the team placed him on injured reserve.

Kalil was placed on IR with a knee injury ahead of the Jets’ game with the Redskins on Sunday. However, on Friday, Adam Gase sounded pretty confident that Kalil would return this season and ensured reporters that he didn’t suffer any setbacks.

When asked about the change of plans and IR decision on Monday, Gase didn’t have much to say.

“That was just a decision that was made,” he said. “I don’t really have any further details on that.”

It seems like the Jets had seen enough of Kalil. He clearly wasn’t what the Jets expected when they signed him back in July. With a late start in training camp and him missing every preseason game, Kalil was never able to gel with his fellow linemen.

All in all, the Jets paid him $6.7 million for seven games.

As for his replacement, Jonotthan Harrison has slid back into the starting role quite nicely. The offensive line play has picked up over the last couple games and Gase is liking what he sees from Harrison.

“Jonotthan’s done well the last couple of games,” Gase said. “Really it’s just picking up where he left off. His knowledge of the offense is greater than what it was when we first started in the spring. He’s done a good job of playing fast and his communication has been outstanding.”

For Harrison, this is his chance to prove that he can be the starting center going forward. He’s under contract for one more season but has no guaranteed money left. Joe Douglas has already tried to move on from him once by bringing in Kalil, so it will interesting to see what Douglas will do with Harrison in the offseason.

Bilal Powell, Bless Austin among 5 unsung heroes in Jets’ win over Redskins

The Jets saw contributors from a couple of young players and veteran backups that helped fuel their 34-17 win over the Redskins.

The Jets finally looked like a complete team in their Week 11 win. Yes, it was against the anemic Redskins with a rookie quarterback and bad secondary, but the Jets still executed brilliantly amid a lost season.

The offense looked unstoppable behind Sam Darnold’s career-high four passing touchdowns and Jamal Adams fueled a dominant defense that held the Redskins to three points before two garbage-time touchdowns late in the game.

It was a total team effort by the Jets to grab their third victory of the season. Though they won’t take the glory, here are five unsung heroes from the Week 11 win.

(Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

RB Bilal Powell

The Jets finally rushed for more than 100 yards in a game thanks to the play of Bilal Powell. The veteran rusher tallied 42 yards on only seven rushes with a healthy six yards per attempt. He spelled Le’Veon Bell on 16 snaps but provided a crucial spark to the offense early in the game.

Early in the second quarter, Powell rushed for 37 yards combined on three consecutive plays to push the Jets into the red zone. Sam Darnold hit Robby Anderson six plays later to put the Jets up 13-0.

Adam Gase mentioned his desire to lessen Bell’s workload to keep him fresh and keep defenses guessing. Powell – and Ty Montgomery – should be more involved down the stretch and can help make the Jets offense much more dynamic.

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Jets injury report: Kelvin Beachum injures ankle again

Jets offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum re-injured his ankle on Sunday against the Redskins.

The Jets offensive line took a couple of hits at both tackle positions this week.

Adam Gase spoke to the media on Monday and said that offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum hurt his ankle again after suffering an injury a few weeks ago. However, Gase said it’s different from his last injury and there’s a chance Beachum can practice this week in preparation for the Raiders.

As for Chuma Edoga, he had an MRI on what is being described as a knee/ankle injury. Gase is optimistic about him playing on Sunday as well.

Other than that, the Jets came out injury-free from Sunday’s win over the Redskins.

Jamal Adams’ continued dominance among 4 takeaways in Jets’ Week 11 win over Redskins

Jamal Adams added three sacks to his 2019 total and continues to show the NFL why he’s the best safety in the league.

The offense clicked, the defense looked unbeatable and the Jets finally put together their first complete game of the season against the hapless Redskins. The win also marked the first time the Jets won back-to-back games since Week 6 of 2018.

Aside from a few bad turnovers, everything worked for the Jets in this game. Sam Darnold and Jamal Adams looked terrific, and players like Ryan Griffin and Bless Austin stepped up in big ways on a team riddled by injuries. It’s not much to beat one of the worst teams in the league, but putting up 34 points helps with morale for the rest of the season.

Here are four takeaways from the Jets’ win.

(Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports)

Sam Darnold’s career game

This was the best game of Sam Darnold’s career. He picked apart the Redskins defense, found his receivers easily and made some tremendous throws on the run in classic Darnold fashion. He finished 19-30 for 293 yards and a career-high four touchdowns but also threw a signature interception off his back foot and into coverage. 

Darnold continues to regain his confidence against putrid defenses but needs to clean up the mistakes that have plagued his career. It’s always encouraging to see him light up the stat sheet but not when he adds in some potentially-costly turnovers. Luckily, his interception only led to a Redskins field goal, but against a better offense, those turnovers will inevitably turn into touchdowns.

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Instant Analysis: Sam Darnold, Jets make it 2 straight with blowout in D.C.

Like most things in D.C. these days, Sunday’s game at FedExField wasn’t always easy to watch.

Like most things in D.C. these days, Sunday’s game at FedExField wasn’t always easy to watch.

The Jets, however, prevailed in the matchup of NFL bottomfeeders, beating Washington 34-17. New York didn’t exactly play clean football, but it didn’t have to against a rookie quarterback and porous secondary.

With the win, the Jets are now 3-7 and on a two-game winning streak. Washington fell to 1-9 in the race for the top pick in April.

Game Balls:

  • S Jamal Adams: The safety’s reign of terror continued Sunday, as Adams picked up his third, fourth and fifth sacks over his last two games. He seems to be having a lot of fun going up against rookie quarterbacks.
  • TE Ryan Griffin: The Jets offense has not offered many pleasant surprises this season, but Griffin has really made a name for himself in Chris Herndon’s absence. The tight end reeled in five passes for 109 yards and a touchdown against Washington.
  • QB Sam Darnold: Darnold had his best game since New York’s win over Dallas. Granted, Washington left a lot of receivers uncovered, but Darnold threw three touchdowns in a half for the first time and set a new career-high with four touchdowns overall. He only made one notable error…

Quick Thoughts:

  • Darnold’s biggest strength and weakness is that he never gives up on a play. The QB has never seen a throwing window too small, and balance is optional. Tight coverage? Throw it. Under pressure? Throw it. Running like a mad man? Throw it. Darnold will force just about any pass; sometimes that leads to a magical highlight, sometimes that leads to a costly mistake. We saw plenty of the former on Sunday, but his interception was an example of the latter, as he threw into heavy traffic. He still needs to work on limiting those types of mistakes. 
  • The Jets should be encouraged by Darnold’s performance the last two weeks after a nightmarish three-game stretch that was littered with turnovers. However, let’s not forget to consider the competition. Darnold has turned things around against some of the worst pass defenses in football (NYG & WAS). He’s supposed to play well against teams like that. The question now is how sharp will he be against competent defenses moving forward?

  • Some Hollywood movie studios should hire Adam Gase because the man knows how to write a script. While the coach has drawn plenty of criticism this year, one area in which he and his offense have excelled at recently is opening drives — sequences in which plays are typically predetermined well in advance of kickoff. When Darnold found Daniel Brown for a touchdown right out of the gate, it marked the fourth straight game in which the Jets scored on their opening drive. Remember when that used to be a problem?
  • Gregg Williams looked to be toying with Dwayne Haskins early on. The coordinator threw plenty of confusing schemes at the rookie quarterback, as the Jets often rushed fewer men than they showed at the line of scrimmage. The strategy worked, as Haskins and his line frequently failed to figure out who was blitzing. The Jets, meanwhile, were able to keep more men in the back levels of their defense, a necessary insurance policy given the team’s current cornerback situation. All in all, Williams’ defense allowed 17 points while racking up six sacks and 10 QB hits.
  • The Jets finally hit the century mark on the ground — the first time they’ve done so all season. Gang Green’s ball carriers finished the day with 118 yards rushing. Le’Veon Bell led the way with 59 yards on 18 carries, including a touchdown, while Bilal Powell factored in more than usual, rushing seven times for 42 yards. On an individual level, the Jets would probably still like to get more out of Bell, but this was a strong combined effort for New York’s backs, as well as the line tasked with blocking for them.
  • Not to end on a negative, but the Jets will eventually have to find themselves a better kicker than Sam Ficken, who missed a field goal and an extra point in this one. Fortunately for him, the team has bigger problems at the moment.

Jets vs. Redskins inactives: Le’Veon Bell will suit up against Washington

Jets vs. Redskins inactives for Week 11.

Le’Veon Bell is banged up and a bit under the weather, but that’s not enough to keep him off the field when the Jets take on the Redskins in Week 11.

After being listed as questionable throughout the week, Bell is active and will start for New York. Sunday also marks the return of Neville Hewitt, who has missed the last four games due to injury. Henry Anderson, Kelvin Beachum, Demaryius Thomas, Brandon Copeland and Alex Lewis are all set to play for the Jets after dealing with injuries in the days leading up to the game.

With Darryl Roberts missing his second consecutive game and Nate Hairston out, rookie Bless Austin will continue to assume an increased role in New York’s secondary following his standout NFL debut against the Giants last week.

As for the Redskins, they’ll be without running back Chris Thompson, wide receiver Paul Richardson Jr. and tight end Vernon Davis, who were all ruled out earlier in the week.

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

Here’s everything you need for the Jets’ matchup with the Redskins.

The New York Jets will look to notch consecutive wins for the first time all season when they visit the Washington Redskins.

The Jets have eight players listed as questionable this week, but there’s a good chance that all of them play. The only player that is doubtful is Darryl Roberts. Ryan Kalil, Paul Worrilow, C.J. Mosley and Mathias Farley have all been ruled out.

If the Jets are going to get a win this week, their offense needs to have a similar performance as it did against the Giants. Sam Darnold has to play turnover-free football and continue with the short passing game. That got him into a rhythm last week and it allowed him to take more shots down the field.

The only thing the Jets offense would like to improve upon from last week is the running game. Le’Veon Bell has yet to have a breakout game and the Redskins are at the bottom of the league in stopping the run. So this is a golden opportunity for Bell to kick start his season.

As for the defense, they need to do whatever they can to confuse Redskins rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Gregg Williams has to disguise some packages that force Haskins to make mistakes. He hasn’t played in many games this season and he is vulnerable to turnovers.

The Redskins are riding a three-game losing streak and are currently 1-8 on the year. They are looking ahead to 2020 and are trying to develop a rookie quarterback in the process, so they don’t really have much to play for.

As for watching the game, here’s everything you need to know:

  • Who: New York Jets vs. Washington Redskins
  • When: 1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, November 17, 2019
  • Where: FedEX Field, Landover, Maryland
  • TV/Radio: FOX, ESPN 98.7 F.M. For a Spanish broadcast check out 1050 AM ESPN
  • Livestream: fuboTV (try it free)
  • Line: Redskins -2.5

Jets’ edge in the trenches among things to know vs. Redskins

The Jets solid defensive line and run defense should have the upper hand against the Redskins’ bad offensive line.

After 11 weeks, you pretty much know the strengths and weaknesses of every team. For the Jets and Redskins, there’s a lot more bad than good and now the two will face off with a combined three wins.

The Jets come off a morale-boosting win over the Giants while the Redskins will be fresh of their bye week, but neither team is playing for much more than pride and a draft pick position. New York likely has the edge given their run defense is among the best in the league and the Redskins have relied heavily on their running backs after Bill Callahan took over after Week 6.

Here are four things to know for Week 11.

(Wilfredo Lee-AP)

Jets should be able to win in the trenches

New York’s defensive line continues to progress this season after they traded away Leonard Williams and they’ll have another mouthwatering matchup against Washington. The Redskins rank 28th in Football Outsiders’ pass blocking DVOA and they have a power success rate of only 20 percent – worst in the league (meaning they’re’ typically stopped on third down or fourth-and-short). 

Though they’ve only been blitzed 67 times, the Redskins have allowed 38 hurries (10th-most in the league) and 24 hits. The Jets defensive line should be able to bully the Redskins up front and the linebackers in middle and on the edge should have no trouble getting into the backfield. The Jets also boast the second-best run defense in the league, which should be able to stifle the Redskins’ run-heavy approach.

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Jets place C Ryan Kalil on season-ending injured reserve

Joe Douglas’ gamble on Ryan Kalil did not pay off as the veteran center’s Jets career will end after only making seven starts.

Former Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil came out of retirement to help galvanize the Jets offensive line and serve as a mentor to Sam Darnold. None of that really played out the way anyone hoped, though.

Kalil’s season ended Saturday when the Jets placed the veteran offensive lineman on season-ending injured reserve.

Kalil attempted to return to practice this week after injuring his knee in the Jets’ 29-15 loss to the Jaguars in Week 8. Jonotthan Harrison will take over as the starter, as he has for the past two weeks.

GM Joe Douglas made Kalil his first big-ticket free agency signing, hoping that Kalil would provide some leadership to the Jets offensive line. That didn’t sit well with the rest of the Jets offensive linemen, who had grown accustomed to working with Harrison.

Kalil was never able to return to his Carolina form and struggled to build chemistry with the rest of the room. Rather than serve as a stabilizing force on the line, Kalil had clearly lost a step and only hurt New York’s efforts in the trenches.

Douglas’ first gamble was costly, as the Jets will end up paying Kalil $6.7 million.

To take Kalil’s roster spot, the team signed OL Leo Koloamatangi off the practice squad.

Jets OT Kelvin Beachum named Week 10 NFLPA Community MVP

Kelvin Beachum was named the Week 10 NFLPA Community MVP.

Jets offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum continues to do his part in helping out his community.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Beachum was named the Week 10 NFLPA Community MVP for donating $10,000 to the United Way of Greater Newark and also setting up a drive that generated 26,000 bottles of clean water for residents in need. He personally delivered many of them.

Beachum has always been one of the best in the league when it comes to giving back to the community. Last season, he was nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. He has worked with organizations that want to create technology-related solutions to ending world hunger and provide clean water for everyone around the world.

When Beachum was with the Steelers, he would often bring meals from their practice facility and give it to the homeless.

Beachum has always prided himself on his charitable works and feels it’s important to try and make a difference in the world. So while the Jets may not be doing great on the football field, they can always count on Beachum to do the right thing in the community.