Ex-Jets LB Bart Scott rips Jordan Jenkins

Ex-Jets linebacker Bart Scott went on Rich Cimini’s ESPN podcast to rip current Jets OLB Jordan Jenkins and questioned his production.

Bart Scott has never been afraid to speak his mind. Now that that the former Jets linebacker is an ESPN personality, don’t expect that to change.

Scott showed no such signs of doing so when he appeared on Rich Cimini’s Flight Deck podcast this week. During their conversation, Scott elected took some shots at Jordan Jenkins, New York’s pending free agent outside linebacker.

Scott went as far as to question Jenkins’ production and viewed some of the sacks as “layups” due to Gregg Williams’ coverage schemes. Here is what Scott had to say about Jenkins on Cimini’s podcast:

“I don’t know about Jordan Jenkins. I appreciate what he’s done but come on man those sacks were atta boy. Those weren’t meaningful sacks, they were coverage sacks. If you rush the passer 500 times a couple of those are going to be layups and he got a couple of those.

I think they definitely have to upgrade that position. The Jets can’t afford to use some of that equity on a player that we already know what his ceiling is.”

New York has just over $50 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap, which can increase to over $80 million if the team elects to make obvious cap casualties of players like Trumaine Johnson and Brian Winters. There should be room to re-sign Jenkins if the Jets want to, but Scott is clearly advising against that.

In four years with the Jets, Jenkins has complied 100 total tackles, 20.5 sacks, seven passes defended and six forced fumbles. His 2019 season was the best to date, as Jenkins compiled 21 total tackles, eight sacks, three passes defended and two forced fumbles.

Being a part of the same draft class as Darron Lee and Christian Hackenberg, the 25-year-old Jenkins has been viewed as one of Mike Maccagnan’s better draft choices.

Jenkins has produced immense value as a former third-round pick and seemed to be finally blossoming under a new defensive coordinator. Jenkins is never going to be a player that flirts with double-digit sack numbers, but he can definitely be a valuable player on defense that sets the edge if the Jets find an upgrade that can complement him this offseason.

Whether he is worth a new deal is up for Joe Douglas to decide, not Scott. However, Jenkins obviously does not have a former Jets linebacker on his side.

2020 NFL Draft: ESPN’s Mel Kiper has Jets taking OT Jedrick Wills in new mock

ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. thinks the Jets will upgrade their offensive line in 2020 NFL draft.

There are a lot of holes the Jets need to fill in this year’s draft, and one expert believes Gang Green will look to shore up its offensive line with the eleventh overall pick.

In his first 2020 mock draft, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. predicts the Jets will select Alabama offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. with their first-round pick at No. 11. Wills would be the second consecutive Crimson Tide player taken by the Jets in the first round after New York drafted defensive tackle Quinnen Williams with the third overall pick in 2018.

The 6-foot-5, 320-pound Wills would be a great pick for the Jets if he lasts until the 11th pick. The Jets desperately need help along the offensive line and Wills is one of the best all-around players at his position in the draft. Wills is known as a great pass protector – he only allowed one sack and 14 pressures in 450 pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus. He also improved his run-blocking tremendously in 2019, rising from a 63.1 PFF grade to 91.4 this past season.

One of the biggest problems that plagued the Jets offensive line – apart from horrific play – was lack of durability and consistency. The Jets swapped linemen throughout the 2019 season due to various ailments and finished the season with only two starters from Week 1. Wills doesn’t have that issue. He started in all 28 games for the Crimson Tide over the past two seasons.

Luckily for the Jets, this draft is rife with offensive line talent. There could be up to four linemen taken in the first half of the first round, and we’re still three months away from the actual draft. Other players like Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs and Louisville’s Mekhi Becton could call all go quickly in the 2020 draft.

Taking Wills would mark the first time the Jets drafted an offensive lineman in the first round since 2006 when they took tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson at No. 4 and traded back into the first round to grab center Nick Mangold at No. 29.

6 more players the Jets should target at the Senior Bowl

Florida’s Van Jefferson and Michigan’s Josh Uche are among prospects at the Senior Bowl that the Jets should prioritize come April.

While this Senior Bowl class isn’t the deepest one in recent memory, that still doesn’t mean that there aren’t players worth targeting in Mobile.

We already highlighted six players that the Jets should keep an eye on down in Alabama. Well, now we are highlighting six more.

Certain players have been flashing this week and evaluators believe that several Senior Bowl participants have improved their draft stock with their performance in practice this. Let’s take a look at a few more names the Jets will want to consider with game day here.

WR Van Jefferson – Florida

This one seems like a no brainer, as Van Jefferson is the son of Jets wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson.

The former Florida Gator was named one of the South Squad offensive practice players of the week, as voted on by the position group they competed against in practice.

Nice separation by Van Jefferson pic.twitter.com/5vghKC4iZR

— Billy M (@BillyM_91) January 21, 2020

In all three days of practice, Jefferson consistently stood out in one-on-one drills. He showed his ability to create separation with his flexibility as a receiver. His route running ability has opened some eyes, too.

Being the son of a 13-year NFL receiver seems to be paying off for Jefferson.

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Jets Free Agent Profile: What to do with K Sam Ficken?

Here’s a free agent profile of what the Jets should do with kicker Sam Ficken.

Before Joe Douglas can focus on who he plans to target in free agency come March, he’ll have a handful of in-house decisions to make.

The Jets have 32 players set to hit the open market this offseason. Some don’t figure to factor into New York’s plans for 2020, while it’s safe to assume the Jets would like to keep others around for a while. Either way, Douglas has a lot of work to do in his first offseason on the job.

Sam Ficken was an early season acquisition by the Jets after they moved on from Kaare Vedvik. It was a short-term kicker fix for the Jets that didn’t go very well. But if the Jets want to keep someone around that they’re familiar with, then Ficken is an option.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of holding onto Ficken for the 2020 season.

Pros of keeping him

There’s no denying that Ficken had a bad 2019 season, but keep in mind it was the first year he actually kicked a full season.

Ficken was 19-27 on field goal attempts and 23-26 on extra points. He struggled in field goals of 40 or more yards but was strong in kicks under 40 yards. However, there was improvement toward the end of the regular season. Three of the last six games Ficken was 100 percent on his field goal attempts.

So if the Jets believe that his end of year success can translate into next season, then it might warrant his return.

Cons of keeping him

The consistency and inability to kick long field goals hurts Ficken’s possibility of coming back next season.

He was just 10-17 on field goals of 40 or more yards in 2019. It’s not that he didn’t have the leg for them, but his accuracy was not very strong. His longest made field goal of the season came from 54 yards out, which in today’s NFL is not too far.

You simply can’t have kickers who are inconsistent and can’t kick long-range field goals in the NFL anymore, so it might be time to find a kicker who can.

The Verdict

More likely than not, the Jets are going to try to bring in a new kicker for 2020. You can’t have a revolving door of kickers keep coming in when things start to go south. While kicker is not a sexy position, they can be the difference between a win and a loss.

Ficken is an exclusive rights free agent, meaning the Jets only have to offer him the minimum in free agency. But it’s time to look for some stability at the position and bring someone in who can actually kick on a consistent basis.

6 Senior Bowl prospects the Jets should target in the draft

Temple’s Matt Hennessy and LSU’s Lloyd Cushenberry III are among prospects at the Senior Bowl that the Jets should priortize come April.

Senior Bowl week is upon us down in Mobile, Alabama, which means scouting efforts will be in full force for the Jets and the NFL’s 31 other teams.

This is Joe Douglas’ first opportunity to shine as Jets general manager. He has his work cut out for him, whether it’s scouting the impressive offensive line class or finding new weapons for Sam Darnold.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at six players the Jets should have their eyes on at the Senior Bowl, which takes place Saturday.

C Matt Hennessy – Temple

Matt Hennessy, the brother of Jets long snapper Thomas Hennessy, would love to return home and be teammates with his brother for the first time on a football field.

Hennessy is quickly becoming a hot name in a rather weak center class. Washington’s Nick Harris has consistently struggled in one-on-one drills, while Hennessy has stood out. He has arguably been the best offensive lineman in Mobile thus far, consistently stonewalling opposing defensive linemen, as he did in college.

The Jets have struggled to find a mainstay to bark out signals on the offensive line. The team has gone through five centers in the past three seasons and have failed to replace the stability and production that Nick Mangold brought to the position for over a decade.

What stands out with Hennessy is his football intelligence and his pass blocking skills. At Temple, Hennessy was one of the most consistent pass blockers in the nation, not allowing a sack in 828 snaps. He allowed four total pressures during his junior campaign, per Pro Football Focus. He graded out as PFF’s top-ranked center in the FBS this season (86.9).

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Could ex-Jets QB Josh McCown be the Eagles’ next OC?

Josh McCown had talks with the Eagles about having a coaching role, possibly as an offensive coordinator.

An NFL lifer, it only makes sense that Josh McCown’s next job will come as a coach.

That must have been what the Eagles were thinking, as they had conversations with the 40-year-old quarterback about joining Doug Pederson’s staff — possibly even as his offensive coordinator — according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. The talks came during Philadelphia’s exit interviews at the end of the season, but it isn’t known if the Eagles made an official offer. McCown, who also spoke with Eagles owner Jeffery Lurie, did say that he’s not ready to officially retire.

McCown has always had an interest in coaching, though. Before McCown joined the Eagles, he signed on to be the quarterbacks coach at Myers Park High School and even continued in the position while serving as Carson Wentz’s backup in 2019.

McCown looked to be done with football after his final year with the Jets in 2018. He announced his retirement and joined ESPN as an analyst, but after the Eagles’ backup quarterbacks suffered injuries, McCown got the call and signed a one-year deal.

The veteran has played for nine different teams since he entered the league in 2002. He has primarily served as a backup but has started for teams here and there, including the Jets. McCown was with the Jets in 2017 and started13 games before getting injured. Then, in 2018, he was Sam Darnold’s mentor.

It doesn’t sound like McCown wants to give up playing football just yet. If he does play another season, he’ll likely serve as a backup somewhere again, possibly even in Philly. But coaching will be in McCown’s future one day.

Joe Namath can’t see Tom Brady making the same choice he did

Joe Namath has hard time believing that Tom Brady will leave the Patriots.

Joe Namath can’t see Tom Brady playing in any other jersey than a New England Patriots one.

Brady is set to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his 20-year career. Brady even put his New England house up for sale, which has led many to believe that he is on his way out of Foxborough. However, Namath isn’t buying Brady ever leaving the Patriots.

“It’s almost beyond my belief that he would go to another team under any circumstances,” Namath told ESPN. “I can’t imagine that separation. Moving out of the New England area that he’s been so accustomed to, and his family, that’s a hard thing, too. I don’t think he’ll ever leave that totally behind, I really don’t.”

Namath was faced with a similar situation in his career. His body was breaking down, so the Jets drafted a quarterback in 1976. Despite owner Leon Hess asking him stay, Namath decided it was time for a change. Instead of retiring with the Jets, Namath spent his final season in Los Angeles with the Rams. It’s a decision that doesn’t sit well with Namath to this day.

“We had dinner, and he asked me to stay,” Namath said. “I regret to some extent not being positive and saying, ‘Yes, sir.’ He really asked me to stay, and I had to explain to Mr. and Mrs. Hess that night it was time for a change.”

It’s hard to see Brady playing for anybody else other than the Patriots. Few teams offer Brady as competitive a situation, and it’s not like New England has better options under center in 2020. The Patriots still were a 12-4 team this season and just need a few more pieces around Brady to get back to a championship level.

While Brady’s free agency is the current topic of his career, the overarching question that has surrounded him for years is his retirement. At age 42, no one knows how many years he has left in the NFL. But Brady has made it know that he’d like to stick around for a few more years.

Namath is pulling for him to do so.

“I want to see him play as long as he physically and mentally wants to, man, because we’ve all seen over the years the execution that has been superb more times than not,” the Jets legend said. “We don’t get to see that kind of player, that kind of character, very often. It’s very rare.”

USC WR Michael Pittman Jr. open to reunion with Sam Darnold

At the Senior Bowl down in Mobile, Alabama, former USC WR Michael Pittman Jr. says that he would love to reunite with Sam Darnold.

The Jets don’t have many selling points, but their soon to be third-year quarterback is definitely one of them. Michael Pittman Jr., who was teammates with Sam Darnold at the University of Southern California, certainly thinks so.

Pittman played with Darnold in 2016 and 2017 as he began his collegiate career. In his first two seasons, Pittman had 29 receptions for 486 yards and two touchdowns.

“That would be great,” Pittman said of a reunion, according to the New York Post. “Sammy D was like one of the best quarterbacks I’ve ever played with. He’s just a straight gamer. He is a young quarterback that has 10-15 years left. That would be nice to have that run with him.”

Pittman is coming off a breakout season in which he caught 101 passes for 1,275 yards and 11 touchdowns. His excellent senior season earned him an invitation to this week’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. With the Jets in need of receivers, Pittman could be someone that New York sets its sights on come Day 2 of April’s draft.

ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay listed Pittman as one of his top five wide receivers in April’s draft

“He’s big. He’s 6-foot-4. He’s 220 pounds,” McShay said via 247 Sports. “He just looks the part of the wide receiver that you are looking for in the NFL. He doesn’t have great speed, but what he does so well is separate late and create yards after the catch because he’s so strong and he’s so focused as a player. He has 95 catches this year for USC. They’ve had a lot of problems offensively, I get it but Pittman, to me, is one of the best five wide receivers in this upcoming NFL Draft.”

Pittman would be a nice addition to a team lacking a true No. 1 threat at wide receiver. He would be welcomed with open arms and it certainly helps that he has a rapport with the starting quarterback.

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.

Temple C Matt Hennessy would love to play with brother in New York

NFL draft prospect Matt Hennessy could be a great Day 2 target for the Jets, and he’s the brother of long snapper Thomas Hennessy.

The Jets desperately need a center after Ryan Kalil’s failed comeback. Could the brother of New York’s long snapper be the answer to that problem?

Temple center Matt Hennessy, the younger brother of Thomas, is one of the top interior offensive linemen prospects in the draft. Draft pundits put Hennessy slightly below the best center in the draft, Washington’s Tyler Biadasz, who is projected to go in the early second round.

When a reporter asked him at the Senior Bowl what it would be like to play with his older brother on the Jets, Hennessy seemed overjoyed at that idea.

“Oh, that’d be incredible. That’d be incredible,” he told reporters Wednesday. “We never got the chance to play together, he’s always been a bunch of years ahead of me.”

If Joe Douglas is serious about strengthening the offensive line through the draft, Hennessy could be a great Day 2 pick to fortify the line. He’s projected to go somewhere between the end of the second round and the end of the third round, but his stock could rise if he performs well in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 25 and the NFL Combine in early spring.

Hennessy didn’t give up a sack in 828 snaps, allowed four total pressures during the 2019 season and only allowed 14 pressures during his three years at Temple. At 6-foot-4, 295 pounds, he helped anchor a Temple offensive line that ranked 23rd in the nation and a run game that ranked 29th, per Pro Football Focus, and graded out as PFF’s top-ranked center (86.9).

The Jets won’t use the 11th overall pick on Hennessy given the amount of top-tier talent that will still be available in the first round, but they could easily use their second-round or either of their two third-round picks on the center if they like him. The Jets had one of the worst offensive lines in football, and they haven’t found a reliable center since Nick Mangold retired in 2016. A center should absolutely be on the team’s radar early in the 2020 draft.

The Jets have three selections on Day 2 of the draft: No. 48 (second round), No. 68 (third round, from the Giants in the Leonard Williams trade), and No. 79 (third round) and they could use any of those picks to take Hennessy if they’re impressed by his workouts and if the board falls the right way.

It would be a homecoming of sorts for the younger Hennessy if the Jets draft him. He and Thomas both grew up in Bardonia, New York, and attended Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, New Jersey. Both are within a 30-minute car ride from MetLife Stadium.