Tag: New York Jets

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.

Did Jets free agent WR Robby Anderson hint at joining Carson Wentz with cryptic Tweet?

Robby Anderson sent out a tweet that suggests he wants to team up with Carson Wentz and Philadelphia Eagles.

We are less than two weeks away from the Super Bowl, which will crown a new champion between the Chiefs and the 49ers.

The big game will be the culmination of another successful NFL season and the start of the 2020 NFL Draft and free-agent season. The Eagles are looking to get younger, more explosive and it’ll benefit the franchise if they can utilize the draft and free agency to reload.

The Birds have their eye on a group of historic wide receivers entering the draft, and one accomplished free-agent wideout appears to have his eyes set on Carson Wentz.

In a tweet that has yet to be deleted, New York Jets free agent wide receiver Robby Anderson hinted at pairing up with Carson Wentz, suggesting that he’s seeing 11-11 in his sleep.

Anderson’s current quarterback Sam Darnold wears No. 14, so he wasn’t referring to him. Anderson currently wears No. 11 for the Jets while Wentz, of course, wears No. 11 for the Eagles. Both players could benefit from being on the same team and the Eagles have the cap space to make it happen.

Anderson could have been trolling or simply referring to numerological and divine energy, something totally unrelated to football.

Or, Anderson could have really been dreaming of teaming with DeSean Jackson and Henry Ruggs III to help fill the Eagles need for speed.

He’ll be a highly coveted free agent after catching 52 passes for 779 yards and five touchdowns with a 15.0 yards per catch average.

Joe Namath implores Tom Brady to stay with the Patriots

Joe Namath made the mistake at the end of his career and Broadway Joe doesn’t want Tom Brady to do what he did.

Joe Namath urged fellow Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady not to make the same mistake the Jets’ QB did at the end of his career.

Namath played for the Jets from 1965-76. Then, faced with a new Alabama QB having been selected by New York in Richard Todd and a coaching change to Walt Michaels, Namath went from Broadway Joe to Hollywood Joe, joining the Los Angeles Rams for 1977.

It did not work out. He was 2-2 in four starts, throwing four picks in his final one — against the Bears on MNF — before retiring. Namath doesn’t want Brady to follow his white-shoed footsteps.

“It’s almost beyond my belief that (Brady) would go to another team under any circumstances,” said Namath, via 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. 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. We don’t get to see that kind of player, that kind of character, very often. It’s very rare.

“I wish I knew what I learned in making that transition before making it, “meaning it turned out to be a very difficult transition.”

 

Jets Free Agent Profile: What to do with OLB Frankie Luvu?

Should the Jets re-sign free agent outside linebacker Frankie Luvu this offseason? Jets Wire evaluates the situation.

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.

Frankie Luvu established himself as a solid piece on New York’s defense in 2018 as a situational pass rusher. Things didn’t go as planned for the Washington State product last season, as he struggled to get to opposing quarterbacks. Still, Luvu has plenty of traits that could warrant a return in 2020.

What will Douglas do with the former undrafted free agent? Let’s evaluate the situation in Jets Wire’s latest free agent profile.

Pros of keeping him

Luvu is coming off a down year, but there is still something to be said about what he brought to the table in 2018.

Luvu recorded three sacks and 11 quarterback hits as a rookie, demonstrating his ability to beat tackles rushing off the edge with relative consistency. He struggled to replicate his rookie year form in his first season playing for defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, but there is reason to believe he can right the ship in 2020.

Luvu turns 24 in September. Why let a young, talented pass rusher hit the open market when he can be kept at a cheap price?

Cons of keeping him

Luvu’s drop in production last season indicates that he might not be able to produce in Williams’ defensive scheme.

It’s confusing as to why Luvu struggled playing for the veteran defensive coordinator. Williams sometimes asks his outside linebackers to drop into coverage, but when Luvu saw the field, he was used mostly as a situational pass rusher. For whatever reason, his ability to get to opposing quarterbacks disappeared from September to December

Regardless of the reason, Luvu’s performance in 2019 is concerning and could put his future with the franchise in jeopardy.

The verdict

Luvu likely winds up back with the Jets in 2020 for a couple of reasons. For starters, there is no reason to give up on the young edge rusher just yet. One bad season does not mean he can’t get back on track with a little bit of refinery.

There is also Luvu’s status as an exclusive restricted free agent. Considering no other team is likely to offer him anything close resembling an above-average market value deal, the Jets can retain a young piece on the cheap. It doesn’t get much better than that for Douglas and company.

2020 NFL draft: Jets surprise with a pass-rusher in Daniel Jeremiah’s latest mock

In Daniel Jeremiah’s first mock draft of the season, the NFL Network draft analyst projects the Jets to take LSU EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson.

In his latest mock draft, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has the Jets making a surprise selection at No. 11.

Jeremiah has consistently been one of the most accurate mock drafters each year. In Jeremiah’s pre-free agency mock draft last season, he correctly pinpointed the Jets’ eventual selection of DT Quinnen Williams.

Many anticipate the Jets will take an offensive lineman with the team’s first pick, No. 11 overall, but there’s a high chance that there will already be four off the board, as Jeremiah himself projects in his mock draft.

In that scenario, Jeremiah has the Jets taking a bit of a wild card route. He projects the Jets will select LSU pass-rusher K’Lavon Chaisson with the No. 11 pick, passing over potential No. 1 wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy.

Here is Jeremiah’s explanation for the pick:

General manager Joe Douglas is desperate to upgrade the OL, but in this scenario, the run at the position has already taken place. Chaisson is an outstanding athlete and would fit smoothly into the Jets’ scheme.

Chaisson is an athletic freak at defensive end and has the ideal build and mobility for the edge rusher position at the next level. Standing at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, he has the combination of size and speed that enables him to bend off the edge and dip under tackles with good balance.

The production for Chaisson didn’t exactly come in bunches at LSU, but that should be ignored when evaluating the prospect. Chaisson would fit right into Gregg Williams’ defensive scheme and add much-needed pressure off the edge to complement the dominant interior defensive line.

Before getting into the media, Jeremiah was a college scout for the Ravens, Browns and Eagles. Jeremiah and Joe Douglas’ time overlapped in Baltimore, so they were brought up under similar NFL upbringings.

Jeremiah knows that Douglas would like to upgrade his offensive line, but it’s easier said than done when there are 10 teams picking in front of you.

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.

Darrelle Revis & Richard Sherman’s Twitter beef was flat out ridiculous

Jets Wire breaks down the Darrelle Revis versus Richard Sherman Twitter beef and why at the end of the day, the whole exchange was pointless.

Who is the best cornerback of the past decade? All it takes is a glimpse of Darrelle Revis and Richard Sherman’s Twitter feeds to get their opinions on the matter.

While taking in the NFC Championship Game between the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, Revis took to Twitter to take an unsolicited shot at 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman, reigniting the debate of who the best cornerback of the 2010s was.

Never one to shy away from criticism, Sherman clapped back at Revis after the game, pointing out the way Revis lazily ended his career compared to Sherman, who is still going strong while nearing his 10th season in the NFL.

We’ll get deeper into this Twitter beef — which now has another ex-Jets corner, Antonio Cromartie, feuding with Revis — in a minute, but let’s pause at square one for a moment. The fact that Revis is sitting at home calling anyone out on Twitter considering the way his time in the NFL ended is comical. He mailed it in and collected paychecks for the final three seasons of his career. As good as he was in his prime, Revis has no right to be calling anyone out.

Sherman has a point about Revis’ ninth season in the league. Revis’ struggles at the end of his career are well-documented, while Sherman is still playing at a high level fresh off a major Achilles injury. However, Revis’ ninth season is not the one Sherman should have criticized, as Revis quickly pointed out.

Sherman’s point about Revis enjoying the game from the couch is also senseless. Revis realized he couldn’t play anymore and hung it up. Everyone has to retire at some point. It’s pointless to tell someone who is no longer on a team to enjoy a game from home. It’s not as if he had any bearing on a team that failed to make it as far as San Francisco has this season.

The two continued to trade blows from there in a battle of the egos. Watching the Revis vs. Sherman beef play out in real-time was entertaining, but once the dust settled, the realization of how pointless the debate was settled in.

Revis’ original point about Sherman being a Cover 3 cornerback is factual. That is the difference between the two. Revis spent his career on an island in man coverage with no safety help over the top. Sherman has played mostly in a zone-heavy scheme.

However, it’s no secret Sherman that is one of the fiercest competitors in all of football. Revis’ notion that he hides in his zone is off base. Just because he does not follow the opposing team’s best receiver around all game does not take away from the player he is and what he has accomplished.

Revis and Sherman’s exchange on Twitter reinforced that comparing the two is pretty much pointless. Sherman is currently one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, regardless of how he plays the position. He will go down as one of the better players at his position in the history of the sport, just as Revis already has.

Man corner or zone corner, it doesn’t really matter. Revis and Sherman are dominant players who revolutionized the position. Why can’t the two just leave it at that and call it a day?

Jets Free Agent Profile: What to do with WR Demaryius Thomas?

Jets Wire evaluates whether or not the Jets should re-sign free-agent wide receiver Demaryius Thomas this offseason.

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.

Trading for Demaryius Thomas was a necessary move once Quincy Enunwa went down with a season-ending neck injury, but things did not work out as well as Douglas would have liked with the veteran wide receiver in 2019. Thomas battled injuries throughout the season and struggled to consistently put together impactful performances when healthy. However, he emerged as a leader in the locker room and occasionally served as a reliable target for Sam Darnold downfield.

Is that enough to warrant a return in 2020? Let’s evaluate the situation in Jets Wire’s latest free agent profile.

Pros of keeping him

Thomas is getting up there in age, but is still a reliable downfield target thanks to his size and physicality.

Thomas caught 36 passes in 2019 and averaged 12 yards per reception. Those numbers are not too shabby considering he missed five games and had to share targets with Robby Anderson, Jamison Crowder and Ryan Griffin.

The Georgia Tech product is not the electric weapon he once was with the Broncos, but he gets the job done when called upon. That could be enough to entice Douglas to bring him back on a short-term deal next season.

Cons of keeping him

Thomas is 32 and has battled injuries throughout the last couple of seasons. He is still only a year removed from a major Achilles injury and has clearly lost a step since returning to the field.

The Jets can bring in a younger and cheaper player to fill Thomas’ role. His leadership might be irreplaceable, but the durability concerns might be enough to make Douglas think twice when it comes to re-signing him.

The verdict

It is highly unlikely Thomas returns to the Jets in 2020. There is really not much of a place for him on New York’s roster considering the direction the team is heading.

Why would Douglas re-sign an aging and declining receiver when Sam Darnold clearly needs more electric weapons to work with? Thomas is a good locker room guy, but that is not enough to save him in this situation.