Tag: 2020 New York Jets

Joe Flacco needs to be better Sam Darnold insurance policy than his predecessors

The Jets signed Joe Flacco in case Sam Darnold got injured this season.

After two seasons of watching Sam Darnold’s backups stumble, the Jets came prepared this season with Joe Flacco serving as the No. 2 quarterback. With Darnold now out once again, Gang Green is banking on Flacco being a better insurance policy than his predecessors.

The Jets are 0-6 in games that Darnold has missed, three due to a foot injury in his rookie season and another three due to mononucleosis last year. Josh McCown was Darnold’s backup in 2018 and threw four interceptions in his three starts. Trevor Siemian, an experienced starter, was Darnold’s original understudy in 2019, but he quickly suffered a gruesome ankle injury in his first start filling in. That left the Jets with Luke Falk and, well, that was a disaster.

Flacco was signed with hopes that he would give the Jets a chance to win games with Darnold out. (Nevermind that they haven’t won any games with Darnold in.) Flacco has a career record of 108-78 as a starter, including a Super Bowl win. Flacco has thrown for 40,083 yards, 218 touchdowns, 141 interceptions and owns a 61.8 completion percentage.

However, the past couple of seasons have been difficult for Flacco. He was the starter in Baltimore for 10 seasons before losing his job to Lamar Jackson in 2018. The following year, Flacco started just eight games for the Broncos before suffering a neck injury that required surgery and a lengthy recovery.

Considering the trials he’s endured in the late stages of his career, it’s no wonder that leading the Jets offense gave him some jitters during Wednesday’s practice.

“Just to get out there and practice today was a lot of fun,” Flacco said, per SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. “You feel like a little kid again. I think I have a lot left. I want to show my teammates I can play.”

Flacco will get that opportunity this Sunday against the Cardinals. While his main focus is on winning the game, he knows that this could determine his future in the league.

“I think I’d be lying if I were to deny that,” Flacco said. “I want to play quarterback in this league.”

As for the Jets, this is exactly why they signed Flacco. Going even further back than Darnold’s tenure, the team is 2-12 in games started by its backup quarterback since 2015. They’ve rarely had a No. 2 who gives them a better chance to add to that win column.

We’ll see if Flacco can deliver in Week 5.

Frank Gore a ‘proud papa’ after his son scores first collegiate touchdown

Frank Gore is proud of his son, Frank Gore Jr., for scoring his first college touchdown.

Frank Gore Jr. is carrying on the family name at Southern Mississippi.

Gore Jr., a running back, scored his first collegiate touchdown on Saturday against North Texas. That left his father, one of the greatest rushers of all-time, feeling proud.

Through four games at Southern Mississippi, Gore Jr. has 46 rushing attempts for 208 yards to go along with 26 receiving yards. The best game of his career was this past week, as he ran for a career-high 130 yards.

Following his son’s standout performance, the older Gore felt a little extra motivation before his Sunday morning workout.

Gore Jr. played a role in Gore coming back for his 16th NFL season. He told his father that he thought he still had another season in him despite being 37 years old.

So Gore decided to sign with the Jets on a one-year deal. Gore has since assumed the starting role after Le’Veon Bell went down with a hamstring injury in Week 1. He has rushed for 174 yards through a quarter of the season. Gore will go back to being the No. 2 running back when Bell makes his expected return this week against the Cardinals.

WATCH: Spoof commercial promotes perfect drug for traumatized Jets fans

Fox Sports released a commercial for Jets fans to take “Forgetitiol” after watching them lose every week.

Are you a Jets fan in search of a way to forget about Gang Green’s ghastly performances each week? Well, now there’s a (fake) product that’s perfect for you!

Fox Sports aired a spoof commercial on Sunday promoting “Forgetitol.” The drug, marketed toward Jets fans, is designed to make sure you forget everything that just happened in the past week, including the latest ugly loss from Adam Gase and company.

In addition to taking the pill every Sunday after the Jets lose — “and they will” — “Forgetitol” instructions also include slapping yourself silly and knocking yourself out with a hammer. Side effects may include “internal bleeding, cranial hemorrhaging and completely forgetting everything in your life,” but you won’t remember a thing about the latest Jets loss.

“Forgetitol” is not covered by any insurance.

While the commercial featured a devastated Jets fan in a Sam Darnold jersey, “Forgetitol” can also be taken by fans of the Falcons, Giants, Texans, Vikings… “and by Week 8, probably the Browns.”

2021 NFL Draft: Jets have second-best chances of landing No. 1 pick

The Jets have the second best chance to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, only behind the Giants.

The Jets are only a quarter of the way into their 2020 season and the attention is already shifting toward the 2021 NFL Draft.

According to ESPN’s FPI, the Jets have a 27.7 percent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. Only the New York Giants have better chances than the Jets to get the top pick, but only slightly at 27.8 percent. The Jacksonville Jaguars sit right behind the Jets with an 8.2 percent chance to get the No. 1 overall pick.

At 0-4 and with no easy wins in sight, it’s hard not to think about the draft when it comes to the Jets. They have been non-competitive in three of their first four games and blew possibly their best shot at a win on Thursday against the Denver Broncos. Their schedule is brutal the rest of the way, so it’s hard to imagine them picking up any wins, barring an unforeseen turnaround.

If the Jets do indeed get the No. 1 overall pick, they could very well take a quarterback. There is a consensus that Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence is the top player in next year’s draft. The Jets taking a quarterback like Lawrence would probably mean it’s the end of the road for Sam Darnold in New York.

Darnold hasn’t panned out the way the Jets expected him to when they took him third overall in 2018. Not all of the blame is on Darnold’s shoulders, though. The organization has failed to give him the support he needs, whether it’s quality coaches or players.

But if Darnold continues to play poorly and the Jets keep losing, there’s a good chance they get the No. 1 overall pick and start fresh next year.

Jets owner Woody Johnson leads NFL in recent federal campaign contributions

Woody Johnson has donated about $2 million to Republican Party campaigns.

Jets owner Woody Johnson has been one of the top sports owners to donate money for political purposes.

According to USA TODAY, Johnson has donated $1.99 million to Republican campaigns during the 2019-2020 election cycle. He ranks second among sports owners who have donated the most money to political campaigns and leads all NFL owners in that span. Johnson’s donations have been spread out over three donations of at least $360,000. Only San Francisco Giants owner Charles B. Johnson has donated more money among sports owners in that span at about $3.25 million.

The Jets’ Johnson, a Republican, has been an ambassador to the United Kingdom since President Donald Trump took office in 2017. Johnson’s brother, Christopher, has been running the team’s day to day operations ever since.

If Trump loses this year’s election, Johnson could come back and run the Jets. It is also possible that Johnson, 73, would not remain in his ambassadorial role if Trump were to be re-elected. Neither he nor Christopher has provided much clarity on the plan for the team moving forward.

Johnson made headlines earlier this summer for allegedly making inappropriate comments about women and Black people, in addition to accusations of corruption, while serving as ambassador. The State Department inspector general investigated Johnson for his remarks and found that Johnson did make “inappropriate or insensitive comments.”

Johnson denied all of the allegations against him and received full support from his brother.

Jets injury report: Sam Darnold sprains shoulder, uncertain for Week 5

Sam Darnold has an AC joint sprain and his status for Week 5 is uncertain.

The Jets may be without Sam Darnold in the near future.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Darnold suffered an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder when he was slammed into the ground in Thursday’s loss to Denver. Adam Gase said Friday that Darnold’s availability for next Sunday’s game against the Cardinals will be based on whether he can practice next week.

Fortunately for the Jets, they don’t practice until Wednesday, so Darnold has some time to heal up. Darnold was able to return to Thursday’s game after initially suffering the injury, but he felt more pain on Friday.

“I think anything’s on the table right now,” Gase told reporters, per Rapoport. “I haven’t really had a chance to talk to him in detail; Just really, when I saw him, it was more about how he felt right now. … We just need to make sure that we lay everything out and kind of see where we go from here and what’s best for him, not just next week but long term.”

In other injury news, Mekhi Becton is in the same spot as he was before Thursday with his shoulder injury. Gase said it will be a matter of pain tolerance for him, so the extra time off should benefit Becton. Chuma Edoga is in the same boat as Becton with his shoulder injury.

George Fant suffered a thumb injury on Thursday night and will play with a cast on, but otherwise should be able to practice next week. Jordan Jenkins is day-to-day with a calf injury, as is Bless Austin. Lawrence Cager will be out a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury, but his MRI came back better than expected.

49ers’ Raheem Mostert: MetLife Stadium should be shut down after more injuries

San Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert is not a fan of the MetLife Stadium turf.

San Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert is not a fan of the MetLife Stadium turf.

While watching Thursday night’s game between the Jets and Broncos, Mostert put the MetLife Stadium turf on blast after seeing yet another injury on the field.

The Jets suffered two soft issue injuries on Thursday: Bless Austin (calf) and Lawrence Cager (hamstring). As for the Broncos, tight end Noah Fant had an ankle injury, while wide receiver K.J. Hamler had a hamstring injury.

Mostert was one of the 49ers players who suffered an injury when New York and San Francisco played at MetLife Stadium in Week 2. Mostert has a sprained MCL that has put him out of commission for a few weeks. Nick Bosa (torn ACL), Solomon Thomas (torn ACL), and Jimmy Garoppolo (high ankle sprain) also suffered injuries as well.

Following that game, the NFL and NFLPA investigated MetLife Stadium’s new turf and ruled that it passed all of the protocols required for an NFL field. The 49ers were skeptical about playing their game last week against the Giants until the turf was reviewed by the league and players association.

The Jets and Giants put the turf in during the offseason, but with all the complaints about it early on in the season, we’ll see how long it lasts.

This is the first time the Jets have started 0-4 in consecutive seasons

The Jets recorded a franchise first on Thursday night and it’s not something the team should hold in high regard.

The Jets recorded a franchise first on Thursday night.

After losing 37-28 to the Broncos in Week 4, the Jets have now started 0-4 for the second straight season. This is the first time the Jets have accomplished this feat in franchise history.

Granted, the Jets were disproportionately affected by Sam Darnold’s bout with mono and Trevor Siemian fracturing his leg in 2019, but not much has changed since then. Adam Gase has enjoyed two awful starts in his two years as New York’s head coach, and he’s a large reason why.

New York finished 6-2 after starting 1-7 last year, but none of that momentum has carried over a season later. The Jets were somewhat competitive for the first time this season against the Broncos, but they still incurred 11 penalties for 118 yards, including six personal fouls.

This season was supposed to be different, but the Jets are in the same spot they were a year ago. Despite Gase’s shortcomings and his failure to make a difference from Year 1 to Year 2, the Jets head coach is reportedly safe from losing his job at the moment.

It doesn’t get any easier from here on out. In the next five games, the Jets will face the Cardinals, Chargers, Bills, Chiefs and Patriots. It’s entirely possible that 0-4 isn’t as low as they go this season.

Lawrence Cager doubtful to return vs. Broncos

Another Jets wide receiver bit the dust. This time it was rookie Lawrence Cager.

Another Jets wide receiver bit the dust. This time it was rookie Lawrence Cager.

Cager is doubtful to return to Thursday’s game against the Broncos with a hamstring injury. He fell awkwardly going out for a pass in the second quarter and came up holding his hamstring. Cager was able to walk off under his own power, but he’s likely done for the night.

This was Cager’s second career NFL game. He made his NFL debut last week against the Colts. The Jets are now down to five healthy wide receivers after dressing six for the game.

Jamison Crowder, Chris Hogan, Braxton Berrios, Jeff Smith and Josh Malone remain.

LeBron James shouts out Sam Darnold’s wild touchdown run

LeBron James gave Sam Darnold props for his amazing touchdown run against the Broncos.

Sam Darnold’s insane touchdown run caught the attention of one of the NBA’s best.

After seeing Darnold’s 46-yard touchdown run against the Broncos, LeBron James gave the Jets quarterback major props on Twitter.

Darnold’s touchdown run had a little bit of everything. He evaded a sack and put a nasty juke on Denver’s Justin Simmons en route to the endzone. It gave the Jets their first lead of the season.

The Los Angeles Lakers have an off day from the NBA Finals after winning Game 1 against the Heat on Wednesday night. So James has some time to watch Jets football while in the NBA bubble. He liked what he saw when Darnold took off.