Tag: Greg Van Roten

Jets vs. Raiders: Frank Gore, Greg Van Roten questionable to return with injuries

The Jets are currently without two starters on offense against the Raiders.

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The Jets are currently without two starters on offense against the Raiders, as Frank Gore and Greg Van Roten are being evaluated for injuries.

Gore is being checked out for a concussion after a violent collision with Las Vegas cornerback Damon Arnette and is questionable to return, while Greg Van Roten is questionable to return after suffering a foot injury. Prior to going down, Van Roten was the lone member of New York’s offensive line to play 100% of its snaps, per the New York Post’s Brian Costello.

With Gore sidelined, Ty Johnson and Josh Adams have been tasked with spearheading the Jets’ rushing attack. Josh Andrews is in at right guard in place of Van Roten.

Check back with Jets Wire for updates on Gore and Van Roten’s status.

Adam Gase refuses to explain why Alex Lewis didn’t play vs. Dolphins

Alex Lewis did not suit up for the Jets against the Dolphins — and nobody is saying why.

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Jets lineman Alex Lewis did not suit up against the Dolphins — and nobody is saying why.

Lewis was listed as questionable on Friday after being limited in practice for a non-injury reason. New York deactivated him on Sunday, leaving itself without two starters on the offensive line. When asked after the game why Lewis did not play, Adam Gase refused to provide any details, calling it a “team decision” that was handled in-house, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

“We were surprised,” said Greg Van Roten, who disclosed that the Jets did not find out until Saturday that Lewis would not play against Miami.

With Gase remaining tight-lipped on the situation, odds are the reason for Lewis being inactive will remain a mystery for the foreseeable future. Pat Elflein started in his place and struggled, as all of the Dolphins’ three sacks came from interior pressure.

It remains to be seen if Lewis will return against the Raiders next weekend. Whatever the reason he did not play, the 28-year-old was missed dearly against Miami and will be a boost for New York in the trenches once he does get back on the field.

5 questions the Jets must answer in their last 7 games

Jets Wire takes a look at five questions the Jets must answer in their final seven games of 2020.

Before the Jets can shift their full attention to 2021, they’ll have to complete what has been a disastrous 2020 season.

New York sits at 0-9 entering its bye week and is going absolutely nowhere this season. However, the final seven games of 2020 will afford the Jets the opportunity to figure some things out before next season — most notably the futures of some key players and where their rookies stand.

With that being said, here are five questions the Jets must answer in their last seven games.

>>> Place Bet <<<

Greg Van Roten downplays Jets’ locker room cameras: ‘It’s not like they’re spying on us’

With the NFL Players Association looking into the presence of security cameras in the Jets’ locker room, New York’s union representative reiterated Tuesday that players on the team are not concerned. “Talking to the guys on the team, nobody cares …

With the NFL Players Association looking into the presence of security cameras in the Jets’ locker room, New York’s union representative reiterated Tuesday that players on the team are not concerned.

“Talking to the guys on the team, nobody cares that there are cameras in there,” Greg Van Roten said on a conference call with reporters, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “We know why they’re there. They’re there to protect us if something happens, if something goes missing. It’s not like they’re spying on us.”

According to Van Roten, the heart of the issue lies within whether the cameras violate the collective bargaining agreement. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that the NFLPA believes this is a collective bargaining matter, while the NFL does not. The Daily News’ Manish Mehta reported over the weekend that Jets players were unhappy with the cameras being in the locker room, which Van Roten denied.

“We all know there are cameras in there. It’s no secret,” Van Roten said. “The team is up front about that. It’s an ongoing conversation between the NFLPA and the NFL Management Council regarding that. There are different perspectives on if that’s OK, if it’s not OK. The players’ issue with it is not privacy-related. I’ll say that.”

Van Roten went on to say that the players’ concerns center around the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols and if the league can use security camera footage to punish players if they are caught not wearing masks in the locker room. The NFL responded to the NFLPA’s concerns by saying the Jets, and every other team in the league, have the right to use the cameras.

New York has yet to comment on the matter.

“I don’t know if a player on our team complained or how it got to where it got,” Van Roten said. “I just know no one was surprised about that. I don’t think it’s unique to the Jets that there are cameras adjacent to — and sometimes in the locker room. The CBA is a very powerful tool. There are a lot of rights the teams have and the jurisdiction gets kind of cloudy as to who has the say here.”

Jets Injury Report: Jeff Smith hurts shoulder, Greg Van Roten limited on Saturday

Jets Injury report from practice on Aug. 29.

The Jets got even thinner at wide receiver on Saturday, as Jeff Smith left practice with a shoulder injury.

Smith injured his shoulder diving for a pass in 7-on-7 drills and promptly left the field with a trainer. He is set to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury. If Smith is forced out of action for an extended period of time, he will be the latest Jets wideout forced to the sideline. Both Breshad Perriman (knee) and Denzel Mims (hamstring) missed practice and it remains to be seen when they will return.

Prior to his injury, Smith had been taking reps with New York’s first-team offense and was having a solid training camp. Undrafted free agent George Campbell stepped into his spot on Saturday and impressed with a touchdown reception from David Fales and a contested first down catch going up against Quincy Wilson.

Pierre Desir (hamstring), Tarell Basham (ankle) and Jabari Zuniga (quad) also missed practice. Rookie Bryce Hall, who was recently activated from the COVID-19 reserve list, did not practice and was placed on the active/non-football injury list as he works his way back from a gruesome ankle injury suffered in his senior year at Virginia.

Greg Van Roten practiced, but was limited due to an oblique injury suffered in practice on Wednesday. Brian Poole was also limited as he returns from dehydration, working exclusively on special teams. James Burgess returned after missing time because of a back injury.

Punches thrown by Jordan Jenkins during Jets’ Sunday morning practice brawl

Tensions boiled over at Jets practice on Sunday morning.

Tensions boiled over at Jets practice on Sunday morning.

According to multiple reports, practice first got heated when OL Alex Lewis and LB Neville Hewitt went after each other verbally. Things got physical on the next play when LB Jordan Jenkins threw a few punches at Lewis, who was blocking downfield. Jenkins remained irate on the sideline and went after OL Greg Van Roten, who tried to break up the initial skirmish with Lewis. Jenkins and Van Roten had to be separated by coaches.

When the fighting died down, Sam Darnold, Le’Veon Bell and Marcus Maye all made attempts to cool Jenkins off. The starting offense and defense soon returned to the field, with Jenkins lining up with Van Roten in the trenches. Once again, words and shoves were exchanged, but nothing more this time.

A few touchdown throws later, a rather chippy practice came to an end.

Group chats, memes & Call of Duty: Jets O-line finding different ways to bond

The Jets offensive line has been using modern ways to bond outside of practice as they attempt to navigate a summer without a preseason.

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.”

For Greg Van Roten, playing for his hometown Jets ‘a dream come true’

For New York Jets OL Greg Van Roten playing for his boyhood team is a childhood fantasy come true.

A native of Long Island, Greg Van Roten grew up a Jets fan.

So when the opportunity to play for the team he grew up rooting for arose for the lineman, it was too good to pass up. Now, the 30-year-old is living out a childhood fantasy.

“It’s like a dream come true,” Van Roten recently said. “To get to come to the Jets, walk around the hallways and see the posters of all the guys I watched has been just so incredible so far. Putting on the jersey, it’ weird to see myself in a Jets uniform.”

Delayed by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Van Roten has finally been able to take in the halls of the Jets’ facility. Walking through the corridors, he’s been granted the chance to embrace the history that was part of his New York upbringing.

Come Week 1, when Van Roten puts on his Jets uniform for his first official game, he will likely be the team’s starting right guard. The release of Brian Winters has paved a way for Van Roten, who signed a three-year, $10.5 million contract this offseason, to start.

Van Roten joined the Jets after making 27 starts over the past two seasons in Carolina. Before that, he spent time in Jacksonville, Green Bay, Seattle and with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. Now, Van Roten’s career has come full circle, returning where it all began as a kid. In high school, Van Roten was an All-State left tackle at Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York from 2005-08.

Now that Van Roten is back home, he’ll have a crucial role in protecting Sam Darnold and creating running holes for Le’Veon Bell. Van Roten has the flexibility to play each position on the offensive line, something New York will surely take advantage of if necessary.

What Jets players go through each day to pass coronavirus protocols

The Jets have a very strict COVID-19 protocol for their players entering team facilities.

Greg Van Roten said it best when he described the Jets’ coronavirus protocols for players trying to get into team facilities for practice.

“It’s a little different from years past when you roll out of bed and walk into the facility,” he said. 

Instead of just simply strolling through the doors of One Jets Drive, players now have to go through a multi-step process to ensure they undergo daily testing for COVID-19 and aren’t exhibiting symptoms of the virus.

The step-by-step process begins with a morning text and ends with a temperature check at the team facility. Here’s how it goes, according to ESPN and the New York Daily News:

  1. Players receive a text message from the team the morning before practice with simple health questions, including if they’ve been in contact with someone who may have COVID-19. 
  2. After they complete the questionnaire, they’ll receive a confirmation code, which they must present to a team official at the facility.
  3. Fill out more paperwork before having their nose swabbed by a technician to test for COVID-19.
  4. Get a temperature check.
  5. Receive a GPS wristband for contact-tracing.
  6. Receive a GPS vest to monitor social distance.

Yeah, that’s a lot different than Van Roten – and the rest of the Jets – are used to when attending training camp. Players are also required to wear masks at all times. More than 60 players chose to opt-out of the 2020 season completely. Three Jets, led most notably by linebacker C.J. Mosley, are among those players who won’t play this season because of concerns over the pandemic. 

The protocols above are how players the Jets are trying to keep players safe at practice, but it’s impossible to completely keep track of players after practice and keep them from exposing themselves. 

Van Roten is confident players will play it safe when it comes to the virus, mostly because they know that availability is key when you want to get paid.

“I believe in the guys to do the things that we need to do so that we can play a full season and earn our full salaries,” he said. “Because you play the game because you love it and because it pays well.”

Linebacker Avery Williamson isn’t so sure, though.

“There’s a lot of guys in this league. A lot of guys do a lot of stupid stuff,” he said Wednesday. “I feel like it’s definitely tough for guys to do the right thing the whole year. That’s just my opinion.”

Sam Darnold made it a point to explain his reasoning for staying away from friends and changing his social life to ensure his football future.

“Coaches can tell us all day not to go out, but at the end of the day, it really comes from the players and the leaders in the locker room,” he said. “It’s just going to be on us to have the patience.

“If some friends are in the city, and I want to go out to the city — I’m just going to have to say no. It’s just going to be the way of the world. There’s new norms now.”

It’s a big change for everyone – not just in sports. But if the NFL wants to make sure its season rolls on without fail, the coaches and players need to do their part to keep everyone safe from exposure. That means strict protocols in-house and even stricter resolve off the field.

“You go about your life in a completely different way right now,” Darnold said. “I guess we’re all just going to have to get used to it.”

Greg Van Roten confident players can minimize COVID-19 risk: ‘Guys want to get paid’

Jets offensive lineman Greg Van Roten has faith that his fellow NFL players can be disciplined enough to minimize the risk of COVID-19.

Jets offensive lineman Greg Van Roten beleives that his fellow NFL players are going to do whatever it takes to minimize the risk of contracting COVID-19 this season.

While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Van Roten indicated that he has faith in the ability of his colleagues to maintain enough self-discipline to prevent a widespread coronavirus outbreak across football — especially with millions of dollars on the line.

“I am confident,” Van Roten said. “Guys want to get paid and the way you get paid is by being available to play football.”

Van Roten has a point. No football means no pay, which should be enough incentive for players around the league to ensure they stay healthy. That has not been the case with athletes from one of America’s other major sports leagues, though.

COVID-19 outbreaks have taken baseball’s Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals by storm recently. Miami just returned to play this week after 17 players tested positive, while St. Louis is sidelined due to the virus, which has infected 13 Cardinals players, according to Major League Baseball. has infected 13 Cardinals players, according to Major League Baseball. Players on both teams were suspected of going out while away from the ballpark.

Can NFL players maintain enough self-discipline to avoid similar outbreaks engulfing their respective teams? That remains to be seen, especially considering some of the larger than life personalities scattered across the league. The NBA and NHL have been able to operate without any complications amid the virus, but the two leagues have done so in a bubble. There will be no such setting in the NFL this upcoming season.

No bubble means teams traveling from city to city. Traveling from city to city means some players are bound to roll the dice and head out for a night on the town, especially in some of the country’s more lax states. That night out could lead to a coronavirus spread, which would put the entire 2020 season in jeopardy.

At this point, all the NFL can hope for is that its players will take it upon themselves to mitigate a potential COVID-19 outbreak. That might be a lot to ask, but at least Van Roten has confidence that they can get the job done.