Tag: Jets wide receivers

Mark Sanchez looks back on his Jets career: ‘Every year was a revolving door’

Mark Sanchez blamed the Jets front office for not giving him any good receivers to work with throughout his New York career.

The Jets would have loved to see more consistency from Mark Sanchez during his time in green and white. He, however, wishes he got more of the same thing from them.

Sanchez’s first two years with Gang Green got off to a hot start as he led the Jets to two AFC Championship appearances in 2009 and 2010. Sanchez looked destined to be the franchise quarterback for years to come, but as his play started to decline, the Jets weren’t finding the same success. Much of that, Sanchez feels, stems from constant turnover within the organization.

“Every year was a revolving door,” Sanchez said on WFAN’s Boomer and Gio Show on Wednesday. “Every year was a new formula. Instead of maybe a draft-and-develop mentality, it was, ‘Let’s go sign some of the best guys on the market and see what happens.’ And every time you do that, you kind of roll the dice. And it just became difficult for everyone. And … you’re either the hero or the goat. When it doesn’t work out, it’s just, ‘Hey, welp, see you later.’ And then I woke up in Philly.”

Sanchez never had any great receivers that he built chemistry with. His top two receivers were Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards, who had short tenures with the Jets. Sanchez, however, wasn’t exactly an elite quarterback with them.

In four seasons with the Jets, Sanchez only threw more touchdowns than interceptions twice and only threw for over 3,000 yards twice. He was best described as an erratic game manager thanks to his turnovers — so a bad game manager — who rode the coattails of an elite defense to two straight AFC Championships.

Sanchez noted that injuries hampered his career, but also acknowledged that there were plays that could have been made that would have changed the narrative of his Jets career.

“Hindsight’s 20-20,” Sanchez said. “Listen, I think if some of the guys stayed healthy here or there, and you know the margin for error in this league is so small. You know, one play here, one play there changes perception a little bit, and maybe we stick together a little longer. Maybe we get through one of those valleys and get back up to one of the peaks that we should’ve been at.”

What could have been is left to the imagination. In reality, though, Sanchez’s Jets tenure ended up being a failure after a red-hot start.

Jamal Adams wouldn’t mind sharing the field with Dez Bryant

Jamal Adams is interested in taking the field with former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant.

Jamal Adams is interested in teaming up with wide receiver Dez Bryant.

The Jets safety made that known Monday after the former Cowboys wide receiver tweeted that he’d entertain the idea of a reunion with Dallas and could have a role similar to the one Jason Witten had last season. Bryant also said that he wants to play with Ezekiel Elliot, Tony Pollard, Michael Gallup, Randall Cobb and Blake Jarwin.

Adams took notice of Bryant’s tweet and responded by saying that he’d “take the field with [Bryant] in a heartbeat.”

Clearly, Adams has an affection for Bryant’s style. However, there are some concerns with Bryant. He tore his achilles in November 2018 in a practice with the Saints and has yet to take the field since then.

Once a true No. 1 wideout, Bryant is not the same player he once was with the Cowboys. He hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season or at least 10 touchdown catches since 2014.

While the Jets do need a No. 1 receiver, Bryant is not that guy anymore at age 31. The Jets also have to lock up one of their own receivers in Robby Anderson before looking externally. New York can add a young and cheaper receiver in the draft, too.

It wouldn’t hurt the Jets to sign Bryant as a depth piece similar to what Demaryius Thomas was in 2019, but Adams shouldn’t hold his breath waiting for a chance to team up in New York.

Report: Eagles considering Jets assistant Hines Ward for WR coach

The Eagles are interested in Jets offensive assistant Hines Ward for their wide receivers coaching job.

After one year as a Jets offensive assistant, Hines Ward could be looking at a promotion with another team.

According to The Philadephia Inquierer, Ward is being considered for the Eagles’ vacant wide receivers coaching job, as is fellow former receiver and Ravens assistant Bobby Engram. Additionally, Ward has had dialogue with Eagles running back coach Duce Staley about the job.

Since Ward is not a primary assistant, the Eagles don’t have to request permission from the Jets to interview him. However, up until this point, Ward has not had a formal interview with the Eagles.

The Jets hired Ward as a coaching intern for training camp last season and then he was hired full-time as an offensive assistant. He spent most of the season working with wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson.

Jets wide receivers spoke highly of Ward last season for what he was able to teach players about the position. He’s clearly moving through the ranks quickly after just starting out as an intern a year ago.

Ward had a 14-year career in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and recorded 1,000 catches for 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns.

The Jets can’t give Ward a promotion as a wide receivers coach with Jefferson blocking him, so you can’t blame him if he chooses to leave for another job.

5 New Year’s resolutions for the Jets in 2020

Here are five New Year’s resolutions the Jets should have in 2020.

Drama was abundant for the Jets in 2019.

The year included a new coach, a new general manager, a few big-name free agents, a couple of hopeful draft picks and a lot of injuries. And that’s just the basic stuff. In the end, the Jets finished the regular season with a 7-9 record and missed the playoffs for the ninth straight season. Now the hope is to start the new decade with a fresh start for Gang Green.

So, in keeping with New Year’s tradition, here are a few resolutions the Jets should have for 2020.

Protect Sam Darnold

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The Jets have failed for years to find their franchise quarterback and now they finally think they have one in Sam Darnold. It’s time to do whatever it takes to protect him.

New York’s offensive line was one of the worst the NFL has ever seen. It allowed the fourth-most sacks in the league this season with 52. The offensive line featured nine different combinations and 11 different players.

Joe Douglas has always prioritized improving in the trenches and that should be the first thing on his to-do list this offseason. Whether it’s in the draft or in free agency, the Jets need five new offensive linemen to protect their most-prized asset.

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Jamal Adams, Sam Darnold think Jets are ‘not that far away’ from contending

Jamal Adams and Sam Darnold don’t think the Jets are that far away.

The Jets are riding high following their sixth win of the season over the Steelers on Sunday.

Six wins are the most the Jets have had since 2015 when they won 10 games, but failed to reach the playoffs. New York has won five of its last seven games after starting the season 1-7.

At this point of the year, players are looking at any success as a glimpse of hope for the future. Jamal Adams is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“We’re not that far away, man, we’re really not,” Adams said. “I want people to understand that. It might seem like it is, but we have to put our head down and keep grinding.”

Every team wants to have some momentum heading into a new season, but in reality, it doesn’t make a difference. Even when the Jets were playing some of their best football at the end of last season, it meant nothing for this season. Sometimes when a team is playing well for a stretch, it overshadows the problems that the team needs to address. The Jets are in that territory.

New York has numerous holes it needs to fill this offseason. The entire offensive line needs to be patched up. Gang Green also needs two starting cornerbacks. The Jets still lack an edge rusher and need a true No. 1 wide receiver to help out Sam Darnold.

“I think we’re not too far away,” Darnold said. “We do need to play more consistent football, especially on offense, but there are definitely some bright spots that we can continue to work on this offseason.”

It’s nice to see the team finally starting to put things together after a forgettable first half of the season. However, this little hot streak shouldn’t fool anybody. There are still going to be significant changes upcoming in the offseason despite the team’s performance over the last half of the season.

Jets WR Jeff Smith done for the season

After just one appearance for the green and white, in a 42-21 loss to the Ravens, Smith’s season has come to and as well.

Jeff Smith was promoted to the Jets’ active roster last Monday, as the team was forced to send cornerback Kyron Brown to injured reserve. After just one appearance for the green and white, in a 42-21 loss to the Ravens, Smith’s season has come to and as well.

The undrafted rookie wide receiver suffered a high-ankle sprain in Thursday’s loss. The injury will sideline Smith for the rest of this season, ending his short tenure with Gang Green.

Smith finished his day with one catch for 12 yards on two targets.

New York has already had to send 16 players to its injured reserve list, so this addition may be routine by now. Still, the Jets are desperate for playmakers and stability on their 53-man roster.

Now, it will be someone else’s opportunity to step in and attempt to fill the void. At wide receiver, at least, the hope is that veteran Demaryius Thomas will be healthy in time for New York’s Week 16 matchup with Pittsburgh.

The Jets are currently 5-9 and seated third in the AFC East. With all the injuries this team has suffered, they’ll have to get creative in order to finish the season strong these final two weeks.

Robby Anderson is Jets Wire’s Player of the Game vs. Dolphins

It wasn’t the most memorable performance for the Jets offense in 22-21 win over the Dolphins, but for Robby Anderson it was one of his better days.

Sunday’s 22-21 win over the Dolphins wasn’t the most memorable performance for the Jets offense, but for Robby Anderson it was one of his better days.

Anderson led the way for the Jets with seven catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. For his performance, Anderson is Jets Wire’s Player of the Game for Week 14 of the regular season.

Anderson said earlier in the week that he feels like he is a No. 1 wide receiver when given the opportunity to make plays. Well, Sam Darnold was certainly looking his way, as the quarterback targeted his top wideout 11 times in the game.

The 26-year-old wideout could’ve had an even bigger game if Darnold didn’t overthrow him on a couple of balls. However, this is a confidence booster for Anderson, as he has put together back-to-back 100 yard receiving games for the first time this season and only the second time in his career.

Darnold and Anderson have had a hard time getting on the same page this season. Anderson has not been able to get the football from Darnold as much as he’d like, but over the last three games Anderson has 18 catches for 303 yards.

For Anderson, he needs to end the season strong with his contract up at the end of the year. He is looking to cash in on a nice payday and he’ll need to keep playing well if he wants the Jets or any other team to give him a big contract.

Robby Anderson not worried about impending free agency: ‘It’ll work itself out’

Jets wideout Robby Anderson could enter unrestricted free agency after a down year in Adam Gase’s offense.

One of Joe Douglas’ most important decisions this offseason revolves around Robby Anderson.

The wide receiver isn’t enjoying the breakout season many had hoped to see from him in his fourth year, but Anderson said he isn’t too worried how it will affect his contract negotiations with the Jets as his unrestricted free agency draws closer.

“It’ll work itself out,” Anderson after Thursday’s practice. “I know the work I put in and I know what I’m capable of doing.”

Anderson signed his one-year, $3,095,000 restricted free agent tender this past offseason with his sights set on a big payday at the end of the year. But instead of a big season, Anderson has seen a dip in production as his receptions, yards and touchdowns have declined over the past two seasons. Through 12 games in 2019, he only has 36 receptions for 546 yards and three touchdowns.

He’s played well lately – with back-to-back games of more than 80 yards – but tends to disappear in pivotal games against superior secondaries. In two games against Patriots’ cornerback Stephon Gilmore this season, Anderson only hauled in four receptions for 21 yards.

Despite his down season, Anderson remains confident in his abilities and how that will translate at the negotiating table.

“I don’t really try to pay that no mind,” Anderson said, via NorthJersey.com. “Sometimes you can’t dictate a player’s potential and overlook what they have done. I don’t really think that’s going to be a factor, because I’m still the player that I am, it’s just the situation that’s been going on.” 

For what it’s worth, Anderson has been one of the best deep-threat receivers in the game since he entered the league. He’s averaged 14.8 yards per reception for his career, which is tied for 10th among all receivers with at least 150 receptions since 2016.

Anderson burst on the scene as an undrafted rookie in 2016 and followed up a strong end to his first year with a 63-catch, 941-yard and seven-touchdown sophomore season in 2017. His numbers declined with Sam Darnold under center, though, in 2018 and have dropped further with Darnold in Adam Gase’s offense. This season, Anderson’s targets have been widely inconsistent and he’s only eclipsed 100 receiving yards twice all year.

“It’s been hard at times,” Anderson said.  “But I feel like the games that I’ve put up, I’ve had pretty good games when given the opportunity I feel like. I know the work that I’ve put it in and I know what I’m capable of doing.”

Darnold put the onus on himself for getting Anderson more involved in the offense. The two have been magical at times the past two seasons, but inconsistent in big moments. Darnold also has more reliable options in the offense this year, including Jamison Crowder and Le’Veon Bell, who both saw more targets than Anderson prior to Week 13. 

“I think for me, it’s about getting the ball to him in a timely matter and making sure that I stay on time,” Darnold said, per the New York Post. “When you got a guy that’s so fast like Robby, you got to make sure you’re on time or else you’re going to miss him. I think we’ve done a lot better job, or I’ve done a better job of staying on time and on rhythm with him.”

If Douglas and Gase truly believe Anderson can be a quality contributor on offense and potentially a top receiving option for Darnold, retaining his services makes the most sense. The price will be the biggest question. Spotrac.com suggests Anderson is worth a four-year, $47,087,060 contract that would pay him $11.7 million annually. That puts him on similar contracts as Allen Robinson (Bears) and Alshon Jeffery (Eagles), who were the same age or younger when they signed their current deals.

Is Anderson worth that much money? That’s for Douglas to decide. If the Jets are serious about signing Anderson, they’ll have to weigh his potential off-field concerns. He was arrested twice between 2017 and 2018, including an ugly-looking altercation with police in 2018 which could have led to a suspension. Anderson’s been a model citizen since then, but there’s always a risk with players who’ve been arrested for these types of incidents in the past.

Anderson doesn’t seem concerned, nor should he be considering the interest surrounding him during the past two trade deadlines. Multiple teams inquired about his services but the Jets refused to trade him away. The talent is obviously there for him to be a quality contributor. It’s just a matter of what the Jets are willing to pay for his production.  

“I honestly feel like I’m one of the best receivers in the NFL when given the opportunity,” Anderson said Thursday, via the Jets’ team website. “If you look, when I’m given those opportunities and given those multiple targets, I put up those numbers that people that are considered top receivers do. And I feel like I’ve done that on a consistent basis throughout my career when given the opportunity. I’m just trying to make the best plays and do the best I can to contribute to the team.”