Tag: braxton berrios

Sam Darnold-led workouts the latest example of his evolving leadership skills

Jets Wire breaks down why Sam Darnold’s Florida workout with New York skill position players is an encouraging sign for the Jets.

With the COVID-19 pandemic preventing teams and players around the league from getting after it on the field during OTAs, Jets quarterback Sam Darnold decided to take matters into his own hands in an effort to get ready for the 2020 season.

Several Jets spent the weekend working out together in Florida, a gettogether that was initiated by Darnold. Joining him were skill position players such as Le’Veon Bell, Frank Gore, Braxton Berrios, Denzel Mims and Breshad Perriman. The workouts were not anything special, as Darnold is working with his teammates against air. However, the workouts should have the Jets pleased with the direction their franchise quarterback is trending.

Darnold is still relatively wet behind the ears as a professional quarterback. He is entering his third season in the NFL and does not have a reputation as a vocal leader in the locker room like other quarterbacks around the league. Still, he went out of his way to set up a throwing session with the receivers he will be targeting throughout 2020.

The workouts are somewhat reminiscent of Mark Sanchez’s “Jets out West” camp he used to hold for his wide receivers in the offseason, but there is a major difference between the two. Sanchez orchestrated his workouts in the middle of an offseason in which football was already in full swing. Darnold got guys to the field in the middle of a health crisis.

That’s not to say Darnold is some sort of miracle worker, but it’s easy to understand why some, if not most, players would want to work out on their own until team facilities open back up. Heck, it would be hard to blame Darnold himself for wanting to do anything more than work out on his own with his trainer considering the circumstances.

Darnold understands the importance of developing a rapport with an almost entirely new group of wideouts, though. Other than Bell out of the backfield, Jamison Crowder in the slot and Ryan Griffin and Chris Herndon at tight end, Darnold is working with a new cast of characters in 2020. Perriman is new to the Big Apple and Mims has yet to suit up for any sort of professional action.

Chemistry with receivers is key for any quarterback. This year’s abbreviated offseason threatened Darnold’s ability to get on the same page with his new targets before the beginning of the regular season, which would have served as a detriment to New York’s offense. The USC product was having none of that, though. He wanted to make sure cohesiveness is not an issue this upcoming season.

Say what you want about the first two years of Darnold’s career, but it is apparent that he is dedicated to taking the steps necessary to becoming the elite quarterback the Jets need. Now he just has to demonstrate that he can consistently lead New York to victories on the gridiron.

Lawrence Cager already tight Sam Darnold, a few other Jets

Rookie wide receiver Lawerence Cager is building key relationships with Sam Darnold and other members of the Jets.

Lawerence Cager and Sam Darnold have picked up their relationship right where it left off in high school.

Cager was signed by the Jets as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Georgia this offseason. While Cager never was Darnold’s wide receiver in college, the two got to know each other when they played together in high school all-star games. They have stayed in touch throughout the years.

“Me and him were always together. He was my quarterback,” Cager told the Jets’ website. “We built a relationship there and we’ve been friends ever since. I’ve been talking to him probably since the beginning of high school until now, so it’s been a little relationship brewing.”

Cager had thoughts of attending USC with Darnold because of how close the two were in high school. However, Cager ended up at the University of Miami and then transferred to Georgia in 2019. Now he’ll get his chance with Darnold in the pros.

“I really can’t wait to step on the field and catch a fade from him,” Cager said.

The undrafted rookie also has a couple of friends on the Jets from his college days. Cager attended Miami with TE Chris Herndon and WR/PR Braxton Berrios. Cager has been relying heavily on Herndon to prepare him for life in the NFL.

“I don’t know how many conversations I’ve had with Chris just about how to be a pro and how to attack coming in being a rookie in New York,” Cager said. “To have a guy like him, one of my best friends, I know he gets tired of it, but I talk to him all the time and ask, ‘Hey, what’s this?’ and ask him questions about special teams, the installs, stuff like that so I don’t mess it up. He came in and had a great year and he’s one of my close friends.”

Jets got faster despite letting Robby Anderson walk

The Jets let Robby Anderson walk in free agency but added two receivers who are both younger and possibly faster than Anderson.

The Jets got younger and faster at receiver despite losing Robby Anderson this offseason.

Soon after Anderson signed with the Carolina Panthers, Joe Douglas grabbed former first-round pick Breshad Perriman in free agency and took Baylor receiver Denzel Mims 59th overall in the draft. Both players boast fantastic quickness and agility and should easily replace Anderson’s skillset and production.

Perriman is almost a carbon-copy version of Anderson, but faster. He’s roughly the same size at 6-foot-2, 209 pounds, six months younger and ran a faster 40-yard in college than Anderson (4.19 in 2015 vs. Anderson’s 4.34 in 2016). While those numbers may be a bit outdated, Perriman’s speed showed up on the field more frequently than Anderson’s in 2019. According to NFL NextGen Stats, Perriman reached a top speed of 20.66 miles per hour on a 34-yard touchdown catch in Week 15, while Anderson only hit 20.3 miles per hour on his 93-yard touchdown against the Cowboys in Week 5. We’re splitting hairs with that 0.36 difference, but sometimes that’s all it takes to get enough separation to catch the ball. The advanced metrics also favor Perriman’s speed over Anderson’s. Perriman earned a 125.7 speed score, according to PlayerProfiler.com, while Anderson only earned a 103.2 score. 

If Perriman more than accounts for the loss of Anderson in the speed department, than Mims is an added bonus. The Baylor wideout ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL combine this spring – tied for fifth among all participants – and led receivers with a 6.66 three-cone drill. Mims is nimble for his frame, which is similarly built to Perriman and Anderson at 6-foot-3 and 207 pounds. Mim’s posted a lower PlayerProfiler speed score than Perriman at 115.6, but graded out much better in explosive speed with a 131 burst score. 

The Jets also kept two speedy reserve players at wide receiver in Vyncint Smith and Braxton Berrios. Smith actually reached 22.01 miles per hour on a 19-yard rushing touchdown in Week 5, while Berrios ran 20.95 miles per hour on his 69-yard catch in Week 12. Neither will be mainstays on offense but give Sam Darnold another element of quickness at the position when needed.

The one thing the Jets can’t replicate is Anderson’s chemistry with Darnold, though. The two worked well together in Darnold’s first 26 games as a Jet, and it’s hard to gauge how Perriman and Mims will play with Darnold if training camp doesn’t begin as scheduled. 

At the very least, Douglas managed to give Darnold two faster players to work with for the young quarterback’s third NFL season. Both are very much wildcards given Perriman’s small sample size in 2019 – he only caught 35 passes – and Mim’s inexperience as a rookie, but the speed on paper should be enough to elevate the offense.

Jets sign former Redskins WR Josh Doctson

The Jets have signed former Redskins wideout Josh Doctson.

The New York Jets have added another weapon to their offense.

The team announced Saturday that it has signed former Redskins and Vikings wide receiver Josh Doctson.

Doctson was a first-round pick out of TCU by the Redskins in 2016. In three seasons with the Redskins, Doctson made 81 catches for 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns.

The 27-year-old was a surprise cut by the Redskins this past September. Doctson ended up being signed by the Vikings after being waived, but he only appeared in one game and recorded no stats.

The Jets have a lot of uncertainty at the wide receiver position. Their top receiver, Robby Anderson, is a free agent and could be on his way out of New York. Meanwhile, Quincy Enunwa has major health concerns and Demaryius Thomas is also a free agent. The one staple at wide receiver is Jamison Crowder in the slot. Vyncint Smith and Braxton Berrios are under contract as well.

There’s no risk in signing Doctson to a deal. Either he performs well in training camp and makes the roster or he gets cut with no harm.

Jets ranked 8th in special teams in 2019 despite key losses

The Jets special teams unit played well thanks to solid kick return and kick coverage play by Brant Boyer’s squad.

Believe it or not, the Jets ranked in the top-10 in something in 2019.

During a season of mediocrity, the Jets special teams unit once again proved to be one of the team’s best assets. Brant Boyer’s unit finished No. 8 in Rick Gosselin’s special teams ranking report. 

Gosselin, a 47-year vet on the NFL beat and a member of the Hall of Fame selection committee, compiled 22 categories surrounding special teams to create a list of the league’s best. The Jets ranked eighth overall thanks to top-three finishes in punt return yards (second, 11.6), yards allowed per kickoff (third, 19.0), yards allowed per punt (third, 43.67), and net yards allowed per punt (third, 38.8) despite a lot of turnover on the unit.

When the Jets elected to let Pro Bowl kicker Jason Myers and return specialist Andre Roberts leave in free agency, many believed the special teams would suffer mightily after finishing first in the NFL in 2018. But Boyer persisted and told his team back in June that there would be “no steps back.” 

“It’s a tough situation,” Boyer said last offseason. “Those guys were awesome for us… You gain players every year, you lose players every year. And, is it hard to replace guys like that? It sure is. I’m confident that somebody will emerge and we can get that done.”

General manager Joe Douglas found his punt returner replacement quickly when he claimed former Patriots wideout Braxton Berrios, off waivers soon after joining the Jets. Berrios returned all 21 punts for the Jets this season and finished second in the league in average punt return yards.

As for his kick returners, duties were split between backup running back Ty Montgomery and wide receiver Vyncint Smith. The duo performed well enough – Montgomery averaged 20.2 yards per return and Smith averaged 29.9 yards per return. Second-year running back Trenton Cannon appeared in line for the majority of returns, but he landed on injured reserve after Week 7.

Where the Jets faltered in the rankings was their kicking and punting. They cycled through a few kickers before sticking with Sam Ficken, who only hit 19 of 27 field goals (70.4 percent), 23 of 26 of his extra points (88.5 percent) and ranked 39th in average kickoff yards. Punter Lac Edwards, meanwhile, ranked 15th in average punt yards (45.9) despite leading the league in punts (87) and total punt yards (3,991).

It’s hard to replicate the success of Myers, Roberts and the 2018 team, but Boyer did an admirable job coaching a unit that no one thought could maintain its excellence. There was bound to be a drop off in production when you lose a top-six kicker and the top return specialist and the Jets saved around $15 million by not re-signing their Pro Bowl special teams pair.

The Jets still need to solve the kicker issue for the longterm, but the rest of the unit seems sound heading into the 2020 season.

6 young Jets with a chance to impress over New York’s final 2 games

The Jets Wire takes a crack at listing the six young Jets players with a chance to make a name for themselves with two games remaining.

With the Jets having just two games remaining this season, the team has a real chance to take a seat and step into self-evaluation mode.

New York has nothing to play for, while its next two opponents, Pittsburgh and Buffalo, have playoff sights with two weeks remaining in the 2019 season. Now is a chance for the Jets’ young players to step up, especially with the injury bug allowing for these opportunities.

The Jets have used 70 players this season, which is the most in the NFL. When Jeff Smith, a UDFA WR out of Boston Collge was placed on injured reserve, he became the 17th Jet to hit IR this season. That high number has enabled some of the Jets’ younger players, including multiple names from the 2019 draft class, to see increased playing time.

With that said, here are six young Jets with a chance to impress over New York’s final two games.

TE Trevon Wesco

(AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

The Jets’ fourth-round pick out of West Virginia has seen limited playing time, mostly as a full-back, but Wesco has a chance to see increased opportunities.

New York placed Ryan Griffin on season-ending injured reserve with an ankle injury, while Daniel Brown missed multiple assignments in the Jets’ 42-21 loss to Baltimore.

Wesco has one career catch for 15 yards and one rushing attempt for two yards. Both of his touches came in the Jets’ 34-27 win over the Giants. With Sam Darnold in need of another security blanket, look for Wesco to make an impact in both the passing and blocking game.

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Lack of energy, missed opportunities among takeaways from Jets’ loss to Bengals

Jets Wire breaks down the Jets’ Week 13 loss to the Bengals with four takeaways from the action.

The same old Jets are back.

Granted an ideal opportunity to make it four wins in a row against the winless Bengals, New York looked like the team that started the season 1-7 and gave Cincinnatti its first win of the season by a final score of 22-6 thanks to what was essentially a no-show performance.

The Jets can now say goodbye to any hope for a miraculous postseason push. They can also say goodbye to the momentum that seemingly had them trending in the right direction. Before putting this ugly loss in the rearview mirror, let’s take a look back at the action with four takeaways.

Typical Jets

David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Leave it to the Jets to lay an egg against the worst team in football after winning three games in a row.

New York had a prime opportunity to extend its winning streak to four against a winless Bengals squad, but fell flat on its face in Cincinnati. Maybe it was the dreary weather and nearly empty stadium that threw the Jets off. Maybe they simply got caught flat-footed by underestimating the Bengals and assuming they would lie down for them.

Either way, there’s no denying that Sunday’s performance was the latest example of the same old Jets coming out to play.

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Le’Veon Bell among 5 unsung heroes in Jets’ Week 12 win over Raiders

Le’Veon Bell didn’t fill the stat-sheet but his pass-catching skills were on full display against the Raiders.

The Jets made a statement on Sunday.

They didn’t just beat their first tough opponent in a month, a team with a legitimate shot at the postseason. No, they wallopped the Raiders, 34-3. It was another complete game where every facet of the Jets executed at the highest level. The offense scored on almost half of its drives and the defense held the Raiders to only 68 rushing yards and 209 total yards.

Sam Darnold, Jamal Adams and the usual suspects excelled, but players on the fringes of relevance performed admirably in the win. How did Darnold score three touchdowns? The blocking of the offensive line. How did the defense hold Josh Jacobs to a career-low rushing yard total? Penetration from the defensive line. The Jets hit on all cylinders against the Raiders and the result was magnificent.

Here are five unsung heroes from the game.

(Seth Wenig-AP)

CB Bless Austin

The sixth-round rookie once again stepped up to help hold Derek Carr and the Raiders passing offense to only 15 competitions for 127 scoreless yards. Austin finished with five combined tackles and a stellar pass break up on third and 2 that forced the Raiders to kick – and miss – a short field goal midway through the second quarter.

Austin only allowed three receptions for 24 yards on six targets against the Raiders, and his 81.7 Pro Football Focus grade was the highest on the Jets defense in Week 12. It took some time, but Austin is coming into his own as a viable starter for the Jets. There are bigger tests ahead, but Austin’s coverage and tackling skills are hard to ignore.

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5 interesting stats from Jets’ Week 12 win over Raiders

The Jets won their third consecutive game of the season, beating the Raiders 34-3 in dominating fashion.

The Jets played their most dominating football of the season in a 34-3 rout of the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

After turning in two consecutive performances with 34 points scored, New York did so a third time against a playoff-hungry Oakland team. Adam Gase has the Jets playing their best football of the season and the offense is starting to look like what he imagined in the preseason.

On the other side of the football, Gregg Williams is doing some amazing things on defense, especially with the team so thin at linebacker and cornerback.

Let’s take a look at some interesting stats from Gang Green’s fourth win of the season.

The Lucky Number

(AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Thirty-four appears to be the Jets’ lucky number lately. They’ve scored that many points three games in a row, and it was Brain Poole — the owner of No. 34 — who put the cherry on top of New York’s third consecutive win with his third-quarter pick-six.

This is the first time in the Super Bowl era that a team has scored 34 points in three straight games, according to ESPN Stats and Info. The last time the Jets scored 34 or more points in three straight games was in 2008 when Brett Favre was quarterbacking Gang Green.

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Sam Darnold, Braxton Berrios among Jets’ Studs & Duds in win over Raiders

Following Sunday’s win over the Oakland Raiders, the Jets have now improved to 4-7 on the season and have won three consecutive games.

The Jets won their third consecutive game Sunday after a 1-7 start, improving to 4-7 on the season.

The team has now scored exactly 34 points three straight games in a row. That can be attributed to Adam Gase and Sam Darnold being on the same page, while the makeshift offensive line has done an excellent job of blocking.

New York played nearly a perfect game minus some mental mistakes. The Jets gained 401 yards of total offense, their second straight week of 400 yards or more.

For the Jets, it was another step in the right direction. Here are the best and worst players from the Week 12 victory.

Stud: QB Sam Darnold

(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

This Sam Darnold kid sure can play.

After taking control of the offense and being more vocal with Adam Gase and Dowell Loggains about what works and what doesn’t, Darnold has never looked back.

He flourished both on the ground and in the air Sunday. Darnold went 20-29, throwing for 315 yards and scoring three total touchdowns. He connected with Robby Anderson and Ryan Griffin for one-yard scores while running in one of his own.

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