IT training NY jets confidential TruePDF feb mar 2019

BJ EST et s info anywhere! www.jetsconfidential.com February/March 2019 Vol 26, Iss $3.95 Reserve your copy of Draft Digest 2019 Draft Digest ‘19 has it all • Top 10 lists at every position • Team-by-team needs update for free agency • Mock drafts • Top 100 draft prospects • Special features you won’t find anywhere else All for just $9.95 Four easy ways to order: Go to www.asmpublications.com and login into your account with your account number to renew Call us at 1-800-932-4557 Send in coupon below Fax your order to: 716-406-4126 Order today and you’ll get Draft Digest in plenty of time for the NFL Draft 2018 was a great prediction year with several correct draft picks including many late round picks Mail date early April NJ19 Order Today FIRST DOWN CONFIDENTIAL JetsConfidential.com This issue was mailed January 21 Our next issue will be mailed in late February LINE UP First Down Whispers Question Session: Adam Gase Sam’s Town 10 Audibles 12 In His Own Words: Brant Boyer 14 Quincy Cashes In 16 Deep Dive Into GM Maccagnan 18 NFL 2018 Results 20 Media Whispers 22 Jets Roster 23 Jets Depth Chart 23 Jets 2018 Schedule Cover photo by Alan Schaefer PUBLISHER American Sports Media, LLC EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dan Leberfeld ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Dave Jones 1-800-932-4557 CUSTOMER SERVICE (585) 924-4250 CIRCULATION DIRECTOR David Aultman 1-800-932-4557 CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Alan Schaefer • Craig Thomas • Madison Schaefer CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Peter Schwartz • TJ Brennan • JP Pelzman Kristian Dyer • Brian Heyman Jets Confidential is a member of the Professional Football Writers Association and Professional Football Publishers Association Jets Confidential is not affiliated with the New York Jets ©Copyright 2019 Jets Confidential All rights reserved Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited Jets Confidential is published 11 times a year, monthly (except February) by ASM Publishing, Inc., 7680 Dryer Rd, Victor, NY 14564 Periodicals Postage Paid at Rochester NY and at additional mailing offices (USPS 013274) Subscription rates: $44.95 for one year All Canadian subscribers: please pay in U.S funds and add an extra $20.00 per year Subscription rates to all other countries available on request Back issue price: $3.00 To order new subscriptions and renewals only, call (800) 932-4557 or write Jets Confidential, PO Box 401, Victor, NY 14564 All other subscription inquiries, adjustments, complaints and address changes, call (585) 924-4250 or write to the same address Postmaster: Send address changes & correspondence to: American Sports Media, LLC., ASM Publishing, Inc., PO Box 401, Victor, NY 14564 Periodicals Postage Paid at Rochester NY and at additional mailing offices (USPS 013-274) Editorial Offices: Send letters to the editor to: JC Fan Forum, PO Box 401, Victor, NY 14564, email to support@jetsconfidential.com All Fan Forum letters will be treated as intended for publication and are subject to Jets Confidential’s unrestricted right to edit and comment editorially Jets Confidential assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material Please send correspondence to: JETS CONFIDENTIAL, PO BOX 401, VICTOR, NY 14564 Phone: (585) 924-4250 • Fax: (716) 406-4126 Meritocracy coming to Jets Drive The Jets hired Adam Gase as their round picks — which is what James head coach, and there is so much to was in 2014 — aren’t safe with Gase get into about him — his QB acumen, Gase was asked about what haphis fruitful offensive mind, pened after the game He what happened in Miami, didn’t offer a canned rehis eyes, the list goes on sponse like, “We wanted to But I don’t want to get look at other guys.” He told into any of that I want to it like it was focus on one thing, and one “We pulled him out,” thing only: Accountability Gase said after Miami’s 30To paraphrase that line 24 victory over Cleveland from Jerry Maguire, “Gase DAN LEBERFELD In October 2017, Gase had me at accountability.” shocked many when he For eight years I’ve been railing traded talented running back Jay Ajayi coaches for refusing to pull struggling to Philadelphia Why? Because Ajayi players refused to spend the necessary time to Former Jet Trevor Pryce called his get the playbook down He was misscoach Rex Ryan “loyal to the point of ing holes and assignments defiance” for sticking with guys too “At the end of the day, guys have long got to actually take this stuff home and And we could apply that to the study it,” Gase said “They’re not going coach who followed to just learn it all in meetings We’ve And also to the GM keeping under- got to find guys that will actually put performing draft picks, but to his forth effort to actually remember this credit, he has started to move away stuff and really, it starts with our best from this players.” For eight years I’ve been ripping my He also cut ties with Ajayi for being hair out asking the question to any- more concerned with his workload body who would listen: “Why not just than winning keep the best 53 players and start the “(Ajayi) complained bitterly about best 22 at all times?” not getting the football,” wrote Miami Anything else is foreign to me Herald columnist Armando Salguero And to Adam Gase “He stormed out of the locker room — Gase doesn’t walk around with get this, after wins — because he anointing oil, so maybe I can finally hadn’t gotten what he deemed to be take off my tin-foil hat enough carries.” Look, I have no idea if Gase will be So Gase sent him packing successful as the Jets’ coach I don’t Same with former second-round have a crystal ball like some radio pick, Jordan Phillips, a defensive tackle hosts, but I know one thing: He’s who was cut in early October last seanot a afraid to pull or cut anybody son after complaining about his role hurting his team and getting his playing time cut This guy believes that if a player “DT Jordan Phillps apparently not isn’t getting the job done, he’s not happy to leave field before that play going to play Threw helmet angrily on ground on Just look at his history sideline and sat on bench after brief In September 2016 during a Miami- exchange with a coach,” tweeted Chris Cleveland game, Dolphins right tackle Perkins, formerly of the Sun-Sentinel, Ju’Wuan James was benched after during a Patriots blowout win over causing two hits on the QB Even first- Miami Gase was asked why Phillips’ playing time was cut “There’s a reason why we’re doing that,” Gase said “There’s a reason why we’re subbing the way we’re subbing against that team It’s not a secret why we’re doing it Whatever (defensive line coach) Kris Kocurek wants the D-linemen to do, that’s what we’re doing.” In March 2018, Gase traded wide receiver Jarvis Landry to Cleveland, which shocked a lot of people, but he had his reasons “They see a player who doesn’t pay attention to details,” wrote Salguero “They see a player who sometimes runs the right routes and sometimes doesn’t They see a player who sometimes inspires with his emotions, but sometimes loses control and hurts his team They see a player who doesn’t lead in the locker room although he’s in a great position to so They see a player who doesn’t seem to respect his coaches because he often ignores what they ask.” In October 2016, Gase also cut three linemen after a stretch of games featuring terrible offensive line play You get the idea The days of players keeping their jobs regardless of performance are over in Florham Park Past coaches talked about accountability — they all But Gase actually follows through on it Dan’s Website Whispers at jetsconfidential.com, M-F, year round, for just $7.95 a month Or you can grab a combo deal — our monthly print magazine and Dan’s Website Whispers — for just $74.95 a year Dan’s Website Whispers are different content from the monthly magazine To get a combo deal, go to jetsconfidential.com, or call 1800-932-4557 (M-F, 9-5) FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 Jets Confidential The McCarthy Mystery Some people thought former Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy was the slamdunk candidate to become the Jets’ next head coach Obviously it didn’t happen CBS NFL Insider Jason La Canfora announced that the Jets and McCarthy butted heads over his staff Considering this information came out a few days after he lost out to Adam Gase for the job, we have to wonder if this was an attempt at spin control by his powerful agency looking toward the coach’s future On Jan 8, ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced, “Former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy doesn’t want to be considered, and isn’t pursuing, any other head coaching vacancy other than the New York Jets, per source.” A day after this announcement, Schefter, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Jeff Darlington announced that the Jets would hire Gase as their new head coach Losing out to Gase for this job had to be a little bit of a comeuppance for McCarthy It certainly wasn’t a good look for the veteran coach that he lost out to Gase, and we aren’t insulting the new Jets coach, but just dealing with the reality of the perception McCarthy finished his tenure in Green Bay with a 125-77-2 record in the regular season The Packers won the Super Bowl with him at the helm in the 2010 season, and made the playoffs nine times (10-8 record) in his 13 years with the team Gase was the Miami Dolphins’ coach for three years and finished with a 23–25 regularseason record and went 0-1 in the playoffs It was a no-brainer the Jets needed to hire a coach this time around with head-coaching experience after firing four straight head coaches who came to them as first-time head coaches They got a man with head-coaching experience in Gase, but many thought the Jets would go with McCarthy, who had a lot more experience and the much more impressive résumé So why Gase over McCarthy? A few reasons First, we just mentioned that résumé, but some will claim that résumé was embellished by having one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Aaron Rodgers, at his disposal in Green Bay As one long-time NFL observer once put it, “An elite QB is like a strong deodorant, it can cover up other parts of the team that stink.” Jets Confidential FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 Furthermore, an anecdote that came out about McCarthy during the Jets’ coaching search hurt the coach’s reputation a tad It was a somewhat shocking revelation that Rodgers changed McCarthy’s play calls in the huddle this season This came from Packers tight end Marcedes Lewis in an interview with Yahoo! Sports “We were in the huddle,” Lewis said “I guess McCarthy called in a play, and Aaron was kind of like, ‘Nah.’ He gave a direction and a protection to the line, and went It was a four-minute offense, he threw a 40-yard bomb for a completion I’m like, ‘What’s really going on?’ I’ve never seen anything like that before in my life.” Neither have we It’s one thing to audible at the line based on the defensive formation, but to change plays in the huddle is incredibly disrespectful That reflects poorly on the coach, and gives the appearance he wasn’t in control of his team Another fact that hurt McCarthy’s chances with the Jets was the perception in some quarters, in an era of new-wave young offensive innovators such as Sean McVay, McCarthy was running a dinosaur offense “They are still running the 1997 Brett Favre West Coast offense,” Bleacher Report analyst Chris Simms said recently on “The Peter King Podcast,” adding that Green Bay’s offense under McCarthy was “as basic as it gets.” Simms said opposing coaches in Green Bay’s division “know that offense just as good as Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers.” The offense the Jets ran in 2018, under Jeremy Bates, seemed to be an old-school West Coast offense that also seemed a tad predictable at times With this hire, the Jets wanted a cutting-edge offensive playbook, and Gase can provide that “(Gase) is intelligent, forward-thinking, aggressive,” said Jets owner Christopher Johnson “To paraphrase Wayne Gretzky, he’s coaching to where football is going And that really appealed to me.” Something else that hurt McCarthy was that the Cleveland Browns, also looking for a head coach, weren’t interested in him Many assumed that Cleveland would be all over McCarthy because Browns GM John Dorsey worked with the former Packers coach for six years in Green Bay, where Dorsey was a personnel executive McCarthy didn’t even get an interview in Cleveland Alan Schaefer WHISPERS QB CONTROVERSY? There is speculation that Aaron Rodgers could have played a role in his former head coach not getting the job in New York We aren’t looking to cast aspersions on McCarthy, who will likely get a head-coaching job next year after sitting out 2019 and collecting the final $9 million on his Packers contract We’re just trying to get into the weeds on why the Jets took a pass Hey, nobody knows how Gase will turn out for the Jets, but clearly McCarthy wasn’t the lay-up candidate some assumed Yes, I want to order: ❒ Bills Digest (14 issues) .❒ New ❒ Renewal .$39.95 ❒ Dolphin Digest (11 issues) ❒ New ❒ Renewal .$39.95 ❒ Jets Confidential (11 issues) ❒ New ❒ Renewal .$39.95 ❒ The Giant Insider (14 issues) ❒ New ❒ Renewal .$39.95 ❒ The Niner Report (11 issues) ❒ New ❒ Renewal .$39.95 ❒ Silver & Black Ill (11 issues) ❒ New ❒ Renewal .$39.95 ❒ Warpath (11 issues) .❒ New ❒ Renewal .$39.95 ❒ Pre-Order Draft Digest 2018 .$9.95 *For Canadian and International subscriptions please call 1-800-932-4557 PAPR-NJ19 Fill out and mail to: ASM Publishing • PO Box 401 • Victor, NY 14564 e-mail: info@asmpublishing.com Phone: 1-800-932-4557 PAYMENT OPTIONS: ❒ Check or money order payable to American Sports Media is enclosed ❒ Credit Card: ❒ Visa ❒ MasterCard ❒ Discover ❒ AmEx Card #: _ Exp: _Sec Code MY NAME AND ADDRESS: Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: ( ) E-mail: _ QUESTION SESSION WITH ADAM GASE Young QB, staying in division appealing to Gase Brian Costello, WFAN: Adam, just curious, what lessons you feel you learned from your time in Miami that you will apply now in your second crack at being a head coach? Gase: Over three years, you’re going to have mistakes that you make You start creating mental notes and a list from year to year It really started in the first part of this process, putting a coaching staff together First thing I learned the first go-around is don’t get impatient You don’t have to rush into that and get this guy hired Go through your process If you have to interview guys, you have to interview guys That is just a start of many things I learned in that first go-around It’s a long list Mark Cannizzaro, New York Post: Congratulations, obviously a big reason you were brought here was the quarterback, Sam Darnold I’m just kind of wondering, what have you seen in him in the short period of time you’ve had to scout him? Gase: The majority of the things I’ve already looked at have been his pro tape, and obviously (in Miami) preparing for him for two games was kind of a jump start for me He was one of the guys we thought was going to be way gone before we picked (in Miami) We focused on some other guys who could possibly fall to us at 11 The last few days I’ve been hammering out as much tape as I could on him, seeing the things he can really well and some of the things we can possibly work on It’s going to start with him That is an obvi6 Jets Confidential FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 ous statement I’m excited because this is really the first time I’ve been able to get with a guy this young (21), at this stage of his career We are going into Year Two, and he’s hungry for knowledge, and he wants to be coached When you have a player who has the physical traits, it’s an exciting thing for me to go through Daryl Slater, Newark Star-Ledger: When you look at this Jets team, one of the issues has been their inability to finish games What are you going to to fix that? Gase: Over the last three years, it was something we took a lot of pride in, being 20-6 in onescore games That was something that group took a lot of pride in, and it started in practice and our preparation really developing the mindset that when we got to that fourth quarter, and we are in a tight game, we are going to come out on top It’s that mental focus, putting in the work and making sure everyone is on the same page, whether you need that (defensive) stop or that two-minute drive, you are able to accomplish that, but it all starts with the preparation Rich Cimini, ESPN.com: In Miami, you had control of the 53-man roster, which you won’t have here Why would you agree to the setup the way it is here, and how might that impact your coaching? Gase: I was good I don’t even think I asked That was not something I was really interested in This is just kind of how it worked out in Miami That was something that was really offered up, and this is the way we should go I knew coming in here it was going to be a team effort My part is to coach the team and what I can to help bring in good players, and when my opinion is asked, give my opinion That is what you are looking for, that kind of collaboration Courtesy of New York Jets On Jan 15, the Jets held a press conference in Florham Park introducing new head coach Adam Gase Here are questions Gase was asked by the assembled reporters followed by his responses: MEET THE NEW BOSS Former Miami Dolphins coach Adam Gase was introduced as the new coach of the Jets Connor Hughes, The Athletic: Now that you are the head coach, what is your top priority? Gase: Putting a coaching staff together That is where we have to start We can’t skip steps and start evaluating the roster before we even have coaches here It’s going to be our No priority, getting coordinators and working our way down after that Once we get that accomplished, we will be able to our (player) evaluations, and we move into free agency Tina Cervasio, Channel (NY): What made the Jets the right landing spot for you? losses The preparation that leads up to that which will be key for us Gase: The No thing for me was a young quarterback I also think the knowledge of playing these guys over the last three years That was interesting for me to stay in the division where you know your opponents right out the gate (I’ve) been with one of the other teams you will end up playing I have had a chance to work with older quarterbacks late in their career, but not somebody fresh out of the draft who does have a year experience I was excited to get that opportunity Costello: Adam, you were just talking about knowing this division and how that appealed to you There is a team that has dominated this division for a long time in the Patriots, and you have been trying for the last three years to topple them How you it? Bruce Beck, Channel (NY): Why you think you can succeed here where others have failed with the Jets? Gase: Really, at the end of the day, it’s going to be about our staff’s work ethic, the collaboration we are going to have with the front office, that gives you the best opportunity to have success, and really on Sunday it’s all about wins and Gase: It’s going to start with putting a good coaching staff together It’s a 16-game schedule We have to a good job putting this thing together where we give ourselves a chance to win the division You win the division and that gets you in the tournament After that, it’s the team that wants it most Obviously, (the Patriots) have had unbelievable success There is good reason why I went against those guys the last three years It’s a challenge; if you are in coaching you want that, as a player you want that It’s about preparing the right way so when we play them or anybody else we give ourselves the best chance to win Andy Vaszquez, Bergen Record: Why wasn’t your offense as successful as you wanted in Miami, and what can you to make it different here? Gase: Trust me, I’ve looked at that a lot myself When you look at rankings, a big focus of ours was our turnover margin We knew we had to play a certain way We lost some of our key pieces, and we knew we would have to find a certain way to win We sacrificed statistics to try and get wins And that is what we did We made sure we had great ball security and getting turnovers on the other end We were able to that and stay in games and make plays at the end of the game that put ourselves in position with three games left, where we were still alive in the playoff hunt We just couldn’t finish it out That is my best answer for that I wish it was top 10, top five (offense in Miami) I think we have a different set of players here, and hopefully we can be in that upper echelon of offenses WEBSITE WHISPERS Different content from the magazine, updated daily from Florham Park only $7 a month 95 Sign up at jetsconfidential.com FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 Jets Confidential SAM’S TOWN WITH SAM DARNOLD ‘We need to look in the mirror’ A: I thought in the beginning of the year, I took a while to get comfortable Then once I got comfortable in the offense, I felt very confident when I was out there Again, just going to keep growing and keep trying to make those strides and watch the tape See how I can get better and move forward from there Q: What are your thoughts on the season the team had? A: As a team I thought we battled, we fought hard Obviously not the record you want coming out of the season, but I just thought we gave the effort that we were looking for I feel like we were just a few plays away from being 8-8 or maybe having a winning record It’s just little things that you look at throughout the year, and little details that we wish we could’ve been better at We’ll learn from it and grow from it Q: Will having to learn a new offense slow you down a little? A: I think anytime you make a coaching change and anytime new coaches come in on the offensive side of the ball there is always going to be a learning process Q: What you guys need to to take the next step? A: We just got to fix some details here and there with some of the games, in terms of the losses You look at the Texans loss, the Titans loss, Green Bay loss, those games right there we’re one or two plays away from winning those games We just got to look ourselves in the mirror as players and figure out what we can improve, and that in the offseason and come here ready to work for whoever is leading us Q: What area you think you improved the most from college? A: I thought I did a better job with the turnovers this year Threw some picks, but Jets Confidential FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 (I’m) doing a lot better in the pocket in terms of keeping two hands on the football And then just going about reading the defense and figuring out what the defense is doing pre-snap versus post-snap All those little things, I feel like I’m just getting a lot more comfortable out there Q: What did you think of Jamal Adams’ comments after the season about the team needing more talent? A: I’m just going to control what I can I’m just going to continue to work hard, continue to push these guys in the locker room and just try to create the best atmosphere, best team that we can as players, and we’re just going to continue to push each other in the ways that we Q: Do you guys feel if the team performed better Coach Bowles would still be coaching? A: I don’t think about it like that For me I’m just very, very confident in the fact that I put my best foot forward, and every single day I came in here ready to work I think a lot of the guys in this locker room could say the same thing, and we did the best that we could every single Sunday to win games Q: How tough is it to have a coaching change after your rookie season? A: It’s not a good feeling It’s not something you want to deal with when you come in here and coaches are packing up, you’ve got to say bye to your first-year coaches So it’s not a good feeling, but at the same time it is what it is, and we’re just going to continue to move forward individually as players, as a team, as an offense Defense is going to the same thing — how we can improve from here Q: Do you hope the next head coach will be your last? A: Yeah, that’s always the goal You always want someone to come in here and provide stability, and hopefully we can win a lot of games together That’s always the goal Alan Schaefer Q: What are your overall thoughts on your rookie season? FOOTLOOSE Sam Darnold said he did a better job settling his feet later in the season Q: What got better for you from a technical standpoint after watching Josh McCown start three games? A: I think just settling my feet down I think that was a big thing Just calming my feet down and understanding where my checkdowns are, understanding what coverages that I can get the ball down to the back, what coverages I can expose the defense and possibly hit a receiver down the field I think that’s really how I’ve grown the most, and I’m just going to continue to try to that and continue to grow with that Q: How did you enjoy Christmas in New York City? A: It was awesome The crowd was something different that I haven’t experienced before I got to get out Christmas Eve and go to the city with my family, which was awesome It was really good, really fun Jets need to load up on instinctive corners Memo to Jets GM Mike Maccagnan and his right-hand man, Jets VP of player personnel Brian Heimerdinger: It’s time to load up on cornerbacks with great instincts and routerecognition The last couple of years the Jets have been victimized by too many blown coverages This needs to end How can a team consistently win in a pass-happy league with myriad blown coverages over the course of a season? Look, cornerbacks are going to get beat The rules are set up to favor the receivers We understand that And let’s be clear, when we say “blown coverages” we aren’t talking about every play on which a receiver beats a defensive back for a catch That would be unfair We aren’t talking about situations when a defensive back is in tight coverage and the receiver comes down with the ball — like on the first series of the Houston Texans game when DeAndre Hopkins (who didn’t have a drop the entire season) made an amazing 18-yard catch down the right seam with cornerback Trumaine Johnson in terrific position Same with the game-winning 14-yard TD when cornerback Mo Claiborne had solid coverage on the left side of the end zone, but Hopkins made an insane catch These plays are going to happen, and aren’t “blown coverages.” So what are we talking about? Just pop in the tape of the second Jets-Patriots game, and watch Julian Edelman’s 5-yard touchdown catch at the end of the game Or Jake Kumerow’s 49-yard TD down the right sideline in the second quarter of the Packers-Jets game These players were uncovered These are blown coverages We aren’t excusing the Kumerow TD, but sometimes when a team throws to an obscure player it catches defenders off guard But how is Edelman, who is Tom Brady’s favorite target, left uncovered in the end zone? That is unconscionable If the Jets want to take their program to the next level, the blown coverages in their secondary need to stop It’s time for Maccagnan and Heimerdinger to load up on cornerbacks with top-shelf instincts and great positional awareness Speed and leaping ability are great, but what differ10 Jets Confidential FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 ence they make if the players are short-circuited by route combinations? Athletic ability is obviously important at cornerback, but it kind of goes out the window if a guy is a tick late reacting to what is in front of him A 4.4-second 40-yard dash can look like 4.8 when a cornerback has unsophisticated eyes The Jets have some corners who possess limited downfield awareness when their backs are to the ball They are sometimes flailing on passes downfield, and this often leads to long completions or pass-interference penalties The Jets need to improve, not just in man-toman coverage, but zone as well Going back to the Houston game, late in the first quarter, Hopkins caught a 27-yard pass It looked like the Jets were playing a zone concept, and Deshaun Watson found a soft spot for an easy throw and catch How does the best receiver in football end up wide open for a long gain? How is he not the focal point of the coverage? So this offseason, it’s time for Maccagnan and Heimerdinger to focus on adding cornerbacks who diagnose quickly — guys who confidently stick their foot in the ground and drive hard toward the throw One thing that made the Chicago Bears’ defense so good this year, aside from the addition of Khalil Mack, was their defensive backs were very assignment savvy — not a lot of blown coverages This is one of the reasons former Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio got the Denver head-coaching job; his defense was so fundamentally sound in Chicago In addition to good coaching, hat-tip to Bears GM Ryan Pace for loading up on smart, instinctive corners They Jets need corners who have what scouts call “fast eyes” that can process information quickly Poor instincts limit a player’s ceiling The Jets need to stock up on guys who a nice job of anticipating routes unfolding and sorting through route combinations; fewer guys who get their hand caught in the cookie jar all the time biting on double-moves We didn’t mention safety here because the Jets should be fine with Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye (if he can stay healthy) and Doug Middleton, three instinctive players who are generally assignment-sound But the Jets have some work to in the cornerback room, because if all these blown coverages continue, the Jets are going to have a hard time taking the next step Alan Schaefer AUDIBLES CORNER THE MARKET It’s time for Mike Maccagnan to load up his cornerback room with guys who possess top-shelf coverage instincts Media war on Leo continues After the season, a writer for USA Today did a list of the biggest disappointments for the 2018 Jets in the form of a slide show on their website Slide shows get a lot of clicks We aren’t going to go over the whole list, but of course Leonard Williams was on the list With a Jets media obsessed with sack totals, Williams continues to get hammered by writers He finished the season with five sacks, and some in the media are focused on this number like a laser, even though he plays the 3-4 end position, which is not a big sack spot The big sack totals generally come from the outside linebackers in a 3-4 defense This isn’t to say 3-4 ends don’t get AUDIBLES sacks Of course they do, but the double-digit sack guys are generally at OLB, going back to the early days of this defense and the Giants’ Lawrence Taylor Look at Denver, with Bradley Chubb and Von Miller The Jets haven’t been able to find a dominant 3-4 OLB for quite some time Maybe that will finally happen with the third pick of the 2019 draft or in free agency We think Williams had a solid season, and is a very good player, not a great player, but a very good one And the best could be yet to come While Williams did good things in former coach Todd Bowles’ 3-4 front that required him to a lot of dirty work, former Jets defensive end Mike DeVito belives he can be “great” in the Jets’ new 4-3 scheme under coordinator Gregg Williams “I think ‘Big Cat’ up front is great in a 4-3,” DeVito said as a guest on SiriusXM NFL Radio “He’s not the kind of guy you want having to two-gap He’s the kind of guy who’s going to wreak havoc when he can put his hand in the dirt and put all his weight forward and just get off the ball and cause problems for the offense.” Though he had just five sacks this season, he had a ton of QB pressures, which coaches will tell you are just as important as sacks Most NFL quarterbacks get rid of the ball so quickly, it’s often hard to get the sack; so if a defender can get in the QB’s face, get him off his spot and force a bad throw or incompletion, that is also good “When you pressure the quarterback, mistakes happen, turnovers happen,” said Chiefs 34 OLB Dee Ford, who had 13 sacks this year Williams had a ton of pressures this year There is no exact stat for this, but based on our film study, he had a truckload In the first half of the game against the Texans, Williams had two quarterback pressures On the Texans’ first series, Williams hit Watson as he threw, causing an incompletion to wide receiver DeAndre Carter on the short right side Early in the second quarter, Williams ran over left guard Senio Kelemete and pressured Watson to roll left and throw an incompletion to Hopkins In the Jets’ win at Buffalo, we noticed four QB pressures where Williams moved Josh Allen off his spot One of these pressures collapsed the pocket, and led to a sack shared by Henry Anderson and Brandon Copeland at the end of the first half If this were hockey, Williams would get an assist on the play How could any objective observer discern that these kind of plays don’t matter? Sure, his sack total wasn’t gaudy, but he did sack two future Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks who don’t often get sacked — Aaron Rodgers in Week 16 and Brady in Week 17 Williams finished the season strong, and aside from his efforts, we think there is another reason Bowles made a head-scratching decision to start raw rookie Nathan Shepherd the first 12 weeks of the season, and play Anderson behind him It was truly a decision that made no sense As we have mentioned in previous issues, Shepherd, coming from a lower level of college competition, needed a ton of technique work, and wasn’t ready for prime time The Jets believed that Foley Fatukasi needed a red-shirt year to get stronger and work on his technique In reality, Shepherd needed the same Shepherd struggled mightily, and was often handled by one blocker, and this led to a lot more double teams for Williams Some of the Jets’ struggles against the run the first three months can be connected to Shepherd and an inside linebacker who isn’t big enough to stackand-shed in a 3-4 defense Once that linebacker was suspended, and Shepherd was made a backup, the Jets’ run defense improved over the last month Over the final month, Anderson started ahead of Shepherd, and played on a high level Anderson and Williams complemented each other well, and both made a lot of big plays So we have some advice for our readers Ignore the hate directed at Williams in the mainstream media over his sack total He’s a very good player And like we mentioned in the last issue, he averaged 6.6 sacks in his three seasons at USC, so he’s never been a big sack guy It’s very rare that a player who didn’t have a lot of sacks in college becomes a sack machine in the NFL But Williams is a very good player nonetheless — very disruptive to opposing offenses Alan Schaefer CLOSING ARGUMENT Leonard Williams finished the season strong with Henry Anderson alongside him FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 Jets Confidential 11 IN HIS OWN WORDS WITH SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR BRANT BOYER ‘Every kid should see where (Myers, Roberts) came from’ 12 Jets Confidential FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 BOWLING Alan Schaefer I think it’s awesome for (Andre Roberts and Jason Myers to make the Pro Bowl) I was proud as hell of those guys I think there’s no bigger honor in this game, other than having a gold jacket on, than have your peers vote you for the Pro Bowl I think that’s well-deserved Every kid should see where (Myers and Roberts) came from Nine years in the league with Andre, and he finally gets a Pro Bowl berth Jason (and Andre), they took the hard route Both of them have grit Both of them play and practice their butts off every week And that’s what it takes to be a special guy and to be in that elite company I couldn’t be prouder of those guys and Jamal (Adams) I think it’s a special group that they’re in, something that no one can ever take away from them You got to give credit to the guys blocking for (Roberts) as well Dre is a heck of a runner, got great vision, got great run skill, but those guys came together to block their butts off They believe in him Just like Jason, it doesn’t happen without the whole battery of guys that are blocking for him up front and the holds with Lachlan (Edwards) and snaps with Thomas (Hennessy) That’s a whole team effort As a (former) player I know how special it is And to see their background, I’ve been cut before, they’ve been cut before and as a former player I know how hard a route that is It’s not like they took the easy route to get there It wasn’t like they were highly drafted and came from big schools They grinded, they work and they prepare That’s the story that every young kid should see how that is done, from (Myers) walking on to Marist College and (Roberts) going to The Citadel (and) playing for five different teams, that is really cool to me as a coach To be able to be a small part of that I think it’s really neat The (99-yard kickoff return TD against Green Bay) is what it’s supposed to look like It’s funny because I actually said it on the sideline, ‘If they give us this, this will go.’ I said it to (Davis) Webb, the quarterback, I said, ‘This is going to the house, watch.’ And it did We were laughing our butts off They did a great job of executing it This year we haven’t blocked a better return than that They did everything that you teach Guys were battling Roberts set it up perfectly, just like he does all the time and did a heck of a job running the track, and that’s exactly what it’s supposed to look like If you ask me to go find two (kick coverage) gunners, that’s what I would find, our two guys (Charone Peake and Trenton Cannon) If they’re going to be shorter like Trent, he’s got more juice than anyone else, and they have a hell of a time blocking him because of it If not, like Charone, he’s also fast, but he’s long and he can keep people away from him and use his hands, and they’re both damn good With two legit gunners that have been there, it has made a huge difference It’s been good to Jets kick returner Andre Roberts is going to the Pro Bowl have those guys and to see the progress, specifically with Trent and how he’s learning every day and he’s tackling I think he is going to nothing but get better (Eric Tomlinson’s) like our do-all guy He’s done a great job He does kick return, and plays in some phases for us He’s one of those guys that doesn’t need a lot of reps I call them the blue guys who can everything, don’t need (to give them) any reps It’s like, “Hey grab him and go play guard,” and he’ll know it right there without even taking reps “Alright go play, go flip over and play tackle,” and he knows it because he pays attention in meetings and is professional A great quality person, good professional, hell of a guy QUINCY CASHES IN By Brian Heyman Quincy Enunwa wanted to tell a joke It was in response to this: Why did the receiver decide to take a pass on becoming a free agent and stay with the Jets? “I have a young quarterback I can mold,” Enunwa said about Sam Darnold “No, no Seriously, though, I think Sam is an amazing player As a receiver, that’s who you want to play with.” Enunwa said that on his big December day The 26-year-old Nebraska alum had just signed up for four more years, receiving a contract extension two days before the 4-12 season came to a close The price tag for the Jets was $36 million, with $20 million guaranteed “For me, I’ve dreamt of this day,” Enunwa said His decision was about more than just Darnold “I’ve been here for so long,” said Enunwa, who was a sixth-round pick in 2014 “This is what I know and this is what I’ve come to love, and I want to continue growing with this team.” The feeling was very mutual, according to the GM’s statement “Quincy is a key part of our foundation, and we are thrilled that this contract will keep him here for years to come,” Mike Maccagnan said Adam Gase gets use of these skills now that he has moved into the head coach’s office There had been speculation that Todd Bowles was going to be fired, but that didn’t play into Enunwa’s decision to stay “I didn’t really want to think about that stuff,” Enunwa said “I think just kind of thinking about the team itself was kind of my focus — my brothers … I’m just excited for the future.” In the past, 69 of his 118 career receptions went for first downs and 33 went for at least 20 yards Enunwa had a breakout season in 2016, starting 13 games and making 58 catches for 857 yards — 14.8 per catch — and four scores But 14 Jets Confidential FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 trouble with his ankles “It’s exciting to get this (extension) done, but (the injuries are) always going to be a frustration,” Enunwa said “It’s going to be more motivation for next year.” Enunwa suffered a high ankle sprain in Week and missed two games He also missed the final three after spraining the other ankle “It’s been a tough season, but he’s made some plays,” Bowles said in December “But there’s some things he can better.” Like staying healthy Or at least trying “The neck, over time, it just kind of got worse,” Enunwa said “But the ankles, I think I could a better job next year and prevent that and stay on the field longer.” He’s 6-2, 225 pounds and plays a physical, all-out style But he may have to pick his spots “I’ve just have to know when a play can’t be made,” Enunwa said “(Brandon Marshall) told me a few times, ‘You’ve got to learn when to get down.’ And so as I grow, as I become a better player, a smarter player, I’m still going to make the big plays I’m going to strive to make the big plays “But I think I’ve just got to know when somebody’s on my ankles, it’s probably not smart to keep trying to drag them.” Jamal Adams was walking nearby in the Florham Park locker room after Enunwa said that The safety started to sing, “Money, money, money, mon-ey,” and dropped some on the floor Even though Enunwa has his money, he knows there are still areas to polish “I think that I did a good job of when I was in the game making plays,” Enunwa said “I want to continue to that You can always find things to get better at — route running, making the catches at a key time, making the hard catches So those are all things I’ll be working on to make sure that going into the future, I’ll be the receiver that I know I can be.” Alan Schaefer Jets reward rugged WR with long-term deal his 2017 season ended before it started due to a bulging disk in his neck that required surgery “I put my head down and tried to practice perseverance,” Enunwa said He felt motivated to make his payday come to life Enunwa rehabbed and returned this past season to grab 38 passes, good for 449 yards — 11.8 per catch — and one touchdown He also served as a captain He won the annual Ed Block Courage Award via a vote by his teammates “To come back from an injury, a big one, and to be able to play like I did when I was healthy, I appreciate them for voting me for that,” Enunwa said It was just that he was only able to play in 11 games, including 10 starts, because of double Recently the Jets fired head coach Todd Bowles, who compiled a 24-40 record over his four years as Jets head coach Jets owner Christopher Johnson announced his decision shortly after the Jets’ season finale in New England “After carefully evaluating the situation, I have concluded that this is the right direction for the organization to take,” Johnson said in a statement However, some people wondered why GM Mike Maccagnan kept his job when Bowles was dismissed Wasn’t Maccagnan, who was hired at the same time as Bowles in 2015, also to blame for the Jets’ shortcomings? Some fans weren’t happy with the decision to keep one and not the other After the Jets’ loss in New England, with speculation flying about who would stay and who would go, Jets Confidential’s Dan Leberfeld tweeted from Foxboro, “Mike Maccagnan walked out of the building with Christopher Johnson Read into that what you want.” The implication of the tweet was that it looked like Maccagnan was safe because he accompanied the owner out of Gillette Stadium Some fans, who believed the Jets needed a clean sweep, didn’t love this information “Mike needs to go too, they need to clean house,” tweeted @Debbie36737922 “I’d rather (Maccagnan) walk out of the building with somebody from HR,” tweeted @tweets_bland So why did Maccagnan stay and Bowles go? “Because Maccagnan got the Jets a quarterback,” observed one long-time Jets beat writer Many have theorized Maccagnan saved his job with his blockbuster trade to move up in the 2018 draft to pick a quarterback, who turned out to be USC’s Sam Darnold It remains to be seen if Darnold is a true franchise QB, but he certainly has the earmarks of one It looks like, at the very least, he will be a good NFL QB But aside from Maccagnan landing a QB, does he deserve to keep his job based on his entire body of work over four years? First off, one can make the argument he has improved on the job over his four years, learning from mistakes, moving up the growth curve, and getting more comfortable in his GM skin He’s still got a long way to go, but Maccagnan is clearly a better GM now than when he stepped in the building 16 Jets Confidential FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 Alan Schaefer JC Deep Dive: The case for Maccagnan staying Money, money, money Right out the gate in 2015, the Jets spent hazardously on four defensive backs, and none of them delivered One can argue safety Marcus Gilchrist was serviceable, but the other players did not live up to the big money they received Some blame Jets co-owner Woody Johnson for the profligate spending on Darrelle Revis in 2015, giving the cornerback a five-year deal for $70 million with $39 million guaranteed The move was perhaps a mea culpa to the fans, upset the Jets let the cornerback go in the first place But maybe the GM should have put up more of a fight People might say, “Why would a new GM want to get into a dispute with his new boss?” Simple Maccagnan has just arrived He just got a long-term contract to fix the Jets What is the owner going to right out of the gate if he fought him over Revis, fire him? And eat the REVIS AND WILKERSON long-term contract he just gave him? Revis was over the hill, and hurt the Jets in a number of games during his second stint with the team When a GM is trying to fix a program, it’s probably not a great first move to hand a monster contract to an aging cornerback who has lost a step Whomever takes blame for those four DB signings, the Jets wasted a lot of money So Maccagnan didn’t get off to a strong start But to be fair, the Jets finished that season 10-6, so Maccagnan clearly did some good work in 2015, such as trading for Ryan Fitzpatrick to be a bridge QB The signal-caller had a pretty solid season — even though he didn’t finish that season strong He had a rough game at Buffalo in the season finale (along with Revis), in a Jets loss to the Bills that knocked them out of playoff contention Another good trade in 2015 was for WR Brandon Marshall, who finished that season with 109 catches and 14 touchdowns But let’s stay on the subject of big-money contracts for a second We are going to bounce around in this deep dive and not just go straight from 2015 to now, that would be tedious Another questionable move by Maccagnan was giving defensive end Mo Wilkerson a fiveyear deal for $86 million with $54 million guaranteed in July 2016 The issue wasn’t necessarily paying Wilkerson big money, but rather the timing of it He still wasn’t 100 percent healed from a broken leg Why give a player that kind of money before he has proven he’s back to his old self? We wrote that at the time, so this isn’t second-guessing As it turned out the player wasn’t 100 percent, especially over the first half of the 2016 season Last offseason, Maccagnan gave cornerback Trumaine Johnson a five-year, $72.5 million contract with $45 million guaranteed So far the Jets haven’t got a great return on their investment Johnson isn’t a bad player, but he runs a 4.62-second 40-yard dash, so he struggles holding up on an island for extended periods against speedy receivers Johnson functions best when there is a good pass rush (so he can jump routes) like the Jets had in their win at Buffalo when he had two picks Johnson played behind a consistent pass rush with the Rams, and he shined The Jets didn’t have a great pass rush in 2018, and this hurt Johnson a great deal And aside from having an inconsistent year, Johnson also missed a late-season practice due to oversleeping, which is hard to fathom when a player makes $14.5 million a year This challenged the sensibilities of many hard-working Jets fans, who struggle to make ends meet plays There were a couple of plays Kearse would want back, but he’s still a good receiver To get a second-round pick and a starting receiver for a player on the last year of his contact, who had some issues in the past, is good value As for Bridgewater, the Jets got a third-round pick from New Orleans for a QB they signed off the scrap heap for $500,000; this was one of Maccagnan’s best moves This extra third-round pick in 2019 could help the Jets land a player with starting potential The third round is underrated, and teams usually get players with a secondround grade on their draft board Another terrific 2018 move by Maccagnan was trading a seventh-round pick to the Indianapolis Colts for defensive end Henry Anderson This turned out to be a major steal Anderson was one of the Jets’ best defensive players in 2018; he plays with excellent technique and a great motor Maccagnan helped the Jets turn around their special teams in 2018 with a pair of grand-slam signings: returner Andre Roberts and kicker Jason Myers, both going to the Pro Bowl Adding linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis was also a boon to the Jets’ special teams Speaking of Pierre-Louis, Maccagnan also did a nice job of giving the Jets quality depth at linebacker by signing “KPL” and Neville Hewitt The selection of Darron Lee in the first round of the 2016 draft was a mistake because he didn’t fit Bowles’ defensive scheme He’s not good at shedding blocks, which is a big problem as a 3-4 outside linebacker While this was a misguided pick by the GM based on the Jets’ system, to his credit, Maccagnan went out last offseason and signed two insurance policies for Lee, in case his struggles continued While Lee did improve in coverage this year with three picks, his run defense hurt the Jets; there is no way around it But Bowles would never pull him, even when the Jets were getting gashed by runs straight at Lee, like the first New England game Bowles wasn’t big on benching players, and this hurt his program a great deal So while Maccagnan was misguided picking Lee in the first round, he went out and gave the coach two replacements, but Bowles refused to pull him Based on the Jets’ power structure, Maccagnan has the final say on the roster and the coach decides who plays, and Bowles refused to replace Lee under any circumstance It took a league suspension to get him off the field Similarly, the coach anointed defensive end Nathan Shepherd a starter in the spring, WAY before he was ready, and made Anderson his backup for 12 weeks That was ill-advised The GM provided the coach a very good insurance policy in case Shepherd wasn’t ready, which he wasn’t, but Shepherd started over Anderson for the first three months anyway, and he struggled mightily Once again, the GM has no say in who plays on game day Anderson should have started ahead of Shepherd out of the gate So once again, this is on the coach, not the GM Let’s get into some of Maccagnan’s better moves The Sheldon Richardson and Teddy Bridgewater trades showed Maccagnan’s improvement as a GM He displayed great patience with each move, instead of panicking early and accepting low-ball offers Maccagnan did a good job taking his time with each move and playing poker with potential suitors For Richardson, Maccagnan got a secondround pick and wide receiver Jermaine Kearse from Seattle That second-round pick was used as part of the package to trade up and get Darnold Kearse had a terrific season for the Jets in 2017, but then was under-utilized in 2018 So often, rookie quarterbacks throw to their first read, and Kearse wasn’t the first read on most Alan Schaefer Some of the good stuff ANDERSON FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 Jets Confidential 17 2018 AMERICAN CONFERENCE SCHEDULES BALTIMORE BUFFALO 2018 NATIONAL CONFERENCE SCHEDULES CINCINNATI ARIZONA ATLANTA All times Eastern CAROLINA Sep Buffalo W 47-3 Sep 13 @ Cincinnati L 23-34 Sep 23 Denver W 27-14 Sep 30 @ Pittsburgh W 26-14 Oct @ Cleveland L 9-12 Oct 14 @ Tennessee W 21-0 Oct 21 New Orleans L 23-24 Oct 28 @ Carolina L 21-36 Nov Pittsburgh L 16-23 BYE WEEK Nov 18 Cincinnati W 24-21 Nov 25 Oakland W 34-17 Dec @ Atlanta W 26-16 Dec @ Kansas City L 24-27 Dec 16 Tampa Bay W 20-12 Dec 23 @ Los Angeles W 22-10 Dec 30 Cleveland W 26-24 Sep @ Baltimore L 3-47 Sep 16 Los Angeles L 20-31 Sep 23 @ Minnesota W 27-6 Sep 30 @ Green Bay L 0-22 Oct Tennessee W 13-12 Oct 14 @ Houston L 13-20 Oct 21 @ Indianapolis L 5-37 Oct 29 New England L 6-25 Nov Chicago L 9-41 Nov 11 @ New York W 41-10 BYE WEEK Nov 25 Jacksonville W 24-21 Dec @ Miami L 17-21 Dec New York L 23-27 Dec 16 Detroit W 14-13 Dec 23 @ New England L 12-24 Dec 30 Miami W 42-17 Sep @ Indianapolis W 34-23 Sep 13 Baltimore W 34-23 Sep 23 @ Carolina L 21-31 Sep 30 @ Atlanta W 37-36 Oct Miami W 27-17 Oct 14 Pittsburgh L 21-28 Oct 21 @ Kansas City L 10-45 Oct 28 Tampa Bay W 37-34 BYE WEEK Nov 11 New Orleans L 14-51 Nov 18 @ Baltimore L 21-24 Nov 25 Cleveland L 20-35 Dec Denver L 10-24 Dec @ Los Angeles L 21-26 Dec 16 Oakland W 30-16 Dec 23 @ Cleveland L 26-18 Dec 30 @ Pittsburgh W 16-13 Sep Washington L 6-24 Sep 16 @ Los Angeles L 0-34 Sep 23 Chicago L 14-16 Sep 30 Seattle L 17-20 Oct @ San Francisco W 28-18 Oct 14 @ Minnesota L 17-27 Oct 18 Denver L 10-45 Oct 28 San Francisco W 18-15 BYE WEEK Nov 11 @ Kansas City L 14-26 Nov 18 Oakland L 21-23 Nov 25 @ Los Angeles L 10-45 Dec @ Green Bay W 20-17 Dec Detroit L 3-17 Dec 16 @ Atlanta L 14-40 Dec 23 Los Angeles L 9-31 Dec 30 @ Seattle L 24-27 Sep @ Philadelphia L 12-18 Sep 16 Carolina W 31-24 Sep 23 New Orleans L 37-43 Sep 30 Cincinnati L 36-37 Oct @ Pittsburgh L 17-41 Oct 14 Tampa Bay W 34-29 Oct 22 New York W 23-20 BYE WEEK Nov @ Washington W 38-14 Nov 11 @ Cleveland L 16-28 Nov 18 Dallas L 19-22 Nov 22 @ New Orleans L 17-31 Dec Baltimore L 16-26 Dec @ Green Bay L 20-34 Dec 16 Arizona W 40-14 Dec 23 @ Carolina W 24-10 Dec 30 @ Tampa Bay W 34-32 Sep Dallas W 16-8 Sep 16 @ Atlanta L 24-31 Sep 23 Cincinnati W 31-21 BYE WEEK Oct New York W 33-31 Oct 14 @ Washington L 17-23 Oct 21 @ Philadelphia W 21-17 Oct 28 Baltimore W 36-21 Nov Tampa Bay W 42-28 Nov @ Pittsburgh L 21-52 Nov 18 @ Detroit L 19-20 Nov 25 Seattle L 27-30 Dec @ Tampa Bay L 17-24 Dec @ Cleveland L 20-26 Dec 17 New Orleans L 9-12 Dec 23 Atlanta L 10-24 Dec 30 @ New Orleans W 33-14 Sep Pittsburgh T 21-21 Sep 16 @ New Orleans W 21-18 Sep 20 New York W 21-17 Sep 30 @ Oakland L 42-45 Oct Baltimore W 12-9 Oct 14 Los Angeles L 14-38 Oct 21 @ Tampa Bay L 23-26 Oct 28 @ Pittsburgh L 18-33 Nov Kansas City L 21-37 Nov 11 Atlanta W 28-16 BYE WEEK Nov 25 @ Cincinnati W 20-35 Dec @ Houston L 13-29 Dec Carolina W 26-20 Dec 15 @ Denver W 17-16 Dec 23 Cincinnati W 26-18 Dec 30 @ Baltimore L 24-26 Sep Seattle W 27-4 Sep 16 Oakland W 20-19 Sep 23 @ Baltimore L 14-27 Oct Kansas City L 23-27 Oct @ New York L 16-34 Oct 14 Los Angeles L 20-23 Oct 18 @ Arizona W 45-10 Oct 28 @ Kansas City L 23-30 Nov Houston L 17-19 BYE WEEK Nov 18 @ Los Angeles W 23-22 Nov 25 Pittsburgh W 24-17 Dec @ Cincinnati W 24-10 Dec @ San Francisco L 14-20 Dec 15 Cleveland L 16-17 Dec 24 @ Oakland L 14-27 Dec 30 Los Angeles L 9-23 Sep @ New England L 20-27 Sep 16 @ Tennessee L 17-20 Sep 23 New York L 22-27 Sep 30 @ Indianapolis W 37-34 Oct Dallas W 19-16 Oct 14 Buffalo W 20-13 Oct 21 @ Jacksonville W 20-7 Oct 25 Miami W 42-23 Nov @ Denver W 19-17 BYE WEEK Nov 18 @ Washington W 23-21 Nov 26 Tennessee W 34-17 Dec Cleveland W 29-13 Dec Indianapolis L 21-24 Dec 15 @ New York W 29-22 Dec 23 @ Philadelphia L 30-32 Dec 30 Jacksonville W 20-3 Sep @ Green Bay L 23-24 Sep 17 Seattle W 24-17 Sep 23 @ Arizona W 16-14 Sep 30 Tampa Bay W 48-10 BYE WEEK Oct 14 @ Miami L 28-31 Oct 21 New England L 31-38 Oct 28 New York W 24-10 Nov @ Buffalo W 41-9 Nov 11 Detroit W 34-22 Nov 18 Minnesota W 25-20 Nov 22 @ Detroit W 23-16 Dec @ New York L 27-30 Dec Los Angeles W 15-6 Dec 16 Green Bay W 24-17 Dec 23 @ San Francisco W 14-9 Dec 30 @ Minnesota W 24-10 Sep @ Carolina L 8-16 Sep 16 New York W 20-13 Sep 23 @ Seattle L 13-24 Sep 30 Detroit W 26-24 Oct @ Houston L 16-19 Oct 14 Jacksonville W 40-7 Oct 21 @ Washington L 17-20 BYE WEEK Nov Tennessee L 14-28 Nov 11 @ Philadelphia W 27-20 Nov 18 @ Atlanta W 22-19 Nov 22 Washington W 31-23 Nov 29 New Orleans W 13-10 Dec Philadelphia W 29-23 Dec 16 @ Indianapolis L 0-23 Dec 23 Tampa Bay W 27-20 Dec 30 @ New York W 36-35 Sep 10 New York L 17-48 Sep 16 @ San Francisco L 27-30 Sep 23 New England W 26-10 Sep 30 @ Dallas L 24-26 Oct Green Bay W 31-23 BYE WEEK Oct 21 @ Miami W 32-21 Oct 28 Seattle L 14-28 Nov @ Minnesota L 9-24 Nov 11 @ Chicago L 22-34 Nov 18 Carolina W 20-19 Nov 22 Chicago L 16-23 Dec Los Angeles L 16-30 Dec @ Arizona W 17-3 Dec 16 @ Buffalo L 13-14 Dec 23 Minnesota L 9-27 Dec 30 @ Green Bay W 31-0 Sep Cincinnati L 23-34 Sep 16 @ Washington W 21-9 Sep 23 @ Philadelphia L 16-20 Sep 30 Houston L 34-37 Oct @ New England L 24-38 Oct 14 @ New York L 34-42 Oct 21 Buffalo W 37-5 Oct 28 @ Oakland W 42-28 BYE WEEK Nov 11 Jacksonville W 29-26 Nov 18 Tennessee W 38-10 Nov 25 Miami W 27-24 Dec @ Jacksonville L 0-6 Dec @ Houston W 24-21 Dec 16 Dallas W 23-0 Dec 23 New York W 28-27 Dec 30 @ Tennessee W 33-17 Sep @ New York W 20-15 Sep 16 New England W 31-20 Sep 23 Tennessee L 6-9 Sep 30 New York W 31-12 Oct @ Kansas City L 14-30 Oct 14 @ Dallas L 7-40 Oct 21 Houston L 7-20 Oct 28 Philadelphia L 18-24 BYE WEEK Nov 11 @ Indianapolis L 26-29 Nov 18 Pittsburgh W 20-16 Nov 25 @ Buffalo L 21-24 Dec Indianapolis W 6-0 Dec @ Tennessee L 9-30 Dec 16 Washington L 13-16 Dec 23 @ Miami W 17-7 Dec 30 @ Houston L 3-20 Sep Chicago W 24-23 Sep 16 Minnesota T 29-29 Sep 23 @ Washington L 17-31 Sep 30 Buffalo W 22-0 Oct @ Detroit L 23-31 Oct 15 San Francisco W 33-30 BYE WEEK Oct 28 @ Los Angeles L 27-29 Nov @ New England L 17-31 Nov 11 Miami W 31-12 Nov 15 @ Seattle L 24-27 Nov 25 @ Minnesota L 17-24 Dec Arizona L 17-20 Dec Atlanta W 34-20 Dec 16 @ Chicago L 17-24 Dec 23 @ New York W 44-38 Dec 30 Detroit L 0-31 Sep 10 @ Oakland W 33-13 Sep 16 Arizona W 34-0 Sep 23 Los Angeles W 35-23 Sep 27 Minnesota W 38-31 Oct @ Seattle W 33-31 Oct 14 @ Denver W 23-20 Oct 21 @ San Francisco W 39-10 Oct 28 Green Bay W 29-27 Nov @ New Orleans L 35-45 Nov 11 Seattle W 36-31 Nov 19 Kansas City W 54-51 BYE WEEK Dec @ Detroit W 30-16 Dec @ Chicago L 6-15 Dec 16 Philadelphia L 23-30 Dec 23 @ Arizona W 31-9 Dec 30 San Francisco W 48-32 Sep @ Los Angeles W 38-28 Sep 16 @ Pittsburgh W 42-37 Sep 23 San Francisco W 38-27 Oct @ Denver W 27-23 Oct Jacksonville W 30-14 Oct 14 @ New England L 40-43 Oct 21 Cincinnati W 45-10 Oct 28 Denver W 30-23 Nov @ Cleveland W 37-21 Nov 11 Arizona W 26-14 Nov 19 @ Los Angeles L 51-54 BYE WEEK Dec @ Oakland W 40-33 Dec Baltimore W 27-24 Dec 13 Los Angeles L 28-29 Dec 23 @ Seattle L 31-38 Dec 30 Oakland W 35-3 Sep Kansas City L 28-38 Sep 16 @ Buffalo W 31-20 Sep 23 @ Los Angeles L 23-35 Sep 30 San Francisco W 29-27 Oct Oakland W 26-10 Oct 14 @ Cleveland W 38-14 Oct 21 Tennessee W 20-19 BYE WEEK Nov @ Seattle W 25-17 Nov 11 @ Oakland W 20-6 Nov 18 Denver L 22-23 Nov 25 Arizona W 45-10 Dec @ Pittsburgh W 33-30 Dec Cincinnati W 26-21 Dec 13 @ Kansas City W 29-28 Dec 22 Baltimore L 10-22 Dec 30 @ Denver W 23-9 Sep San Francisco W 24-16 Sep 16 @ Green Bay T 29-29 Sep 23 Buffalo L 6-27 Sep 27 @ Los Angeles L 31-38 Oct @ Philadelphia W 23-21 Oct 14 Arizona W 27-17 Oct 21 @ New York W 37-17 Oct 28 New Orleans L 20-30 Nov Detroit W 24-9 BYE WEEK Nov 18 @ Chicago L 20-25 Nov 25 Green Bay W 24-17 Dec @ New England L 10-24 Dec 10 @ Seattle L 7-21 Dec 16 Miami W 41-17 Dec 23 @ Detroit W 27-9 Dec 30 Chicago L 10-24 Sep Tampa Bay L 40-48 Sep 16 Cleveland W 21-18 Sep 23 @ Atlanta W 43-37 Sep 30 @ New York W 33-18 Oct Washington W 43-19 BYE WEEK Oct 21 @ Baltimore W 24-23 Oct 28 @ Minnesota W 30-20 Nov Los Angeles W 45-35 Nov 11 @ Cincinnati W 51-14 Nov 18 Philadelphia W 48-7 Nov 22 Atlanta W 17-31 Nov 29 @ Dallas L 10-13 Dec @ Tampa Bay W 28-14 Dec 17 @ Carolina W 12-9 Dec 23 Pittsburgh W 31-28 Dec 30 Carolina L 14-33 Sep Tennessee W 27-20 Sep 16 @ New York W 20-12 Sep 23 Oakland W 28-20 Sep 30 @ New England L 7-38 Oct @ Cincinnati L 17-27 Oct 14 Chicago W 31-28 Oct 21 Detroit L 21-32 Oct 25 @ Houston L 23-43 Nov New York W 13-6 Nov 11 @ Green Bay L 12-31 BYE WEEK Nov 25 @ Indianapolis L 24-27 Dec Buffalo W 21-17 Dec New England W 34-33 Dec 16 @ Minnesota L 17-41 Dec 23 Jacksonville L 7-17 Dec 30 @ Buffalo L 17-42 Sep Houston W 27-20 Sep 16 @ Jacksonville L 20-31 Sep 23 @ Detroit L 10-26 Sep 30 Miami W 38-7 Oct Indianapolis W 38-24 Oct 14 Kansas City W 43-40 Oct 21 @ Chicago W 38-31 Oct 29 @ Buffalo W 25-6 Nov Green Bay W 31-17 Nov 11 @ Tennessee L 10-34 BYE WEEK Nov 25 @ New York W 27-13 Dec Minnesota W 24-10 Dec @ Miami L 33-34 Dec 16 @ Pittsburgh L 10-17 Dec 23 Buffalo W 24-12 Dec 30 New York W 38-3 Sep 10 @ Detroit W 48-17 Sep 16 Miami L 12-20 Sep 20 @ Cleveland L 17-21 Sep 30 @ Jacksonville L 12-31 Oct Denver W 34-16 Oct 14 Indianapolis W 42-34 Oct 21 Minnesota L 17-37 Oct 28 @ Chicago L 10-24 Nov @ Miami L 6-13 Nov 11 Buffalo L 10-41 BYE WEEK Nov 25 New England L 13-27 Dec @ Tennessee L 22-26 Dec @ Buffalo W 27-23 Dec 15 Houston L 22-29 Dec 23 Green Bay L 38-44 Dec 30 @ New England L 3-38 Sep Jacksonville L 15-20 Sep 16 @ Dallas L 13-20 Sep 23 @ Houston W 27-22 Sep 30 New Orleans L 18-33 Oct @ Carolina L 31-33 Oct 11 Philadelphia L 13-34 Oct 22 @ Atlanta L 20-23 Oct 28 Washington L 13-20 BYE WEEK Nov 12 @ San Francisco W 27-23 Nov 18 Tampa Bay W 38-35 Nov 25 @ Philadelphia L 22-25 Dec Chicago W 30-27 Dec @ Washington W 40-16 Dec 16 Tennessee L 0-17 Dec 23 @ Indianapolis L 27-28 Dec 30 Dallas L 35-36 Sep Atlanta W 18-12 Sep 16 @ Tampa Bay L 21-27 Sep 23 Indianapolis W 20-16 Sep 30 @ Tennessee L 23-26 Oct Minnesota L 21-23 Oct 11 @ New York W 34-13 Oct 21 Carolina L 17-21 Oct 28 @ Jacksonville W 24-18 BYE WEEK Nov 11 Dallas L 20-27 Nov 18 @ New Orleans L 7-48 Nov 25 New York W 25-22 Dec Washington W 28-13 Dec @ Dallas L 23-29 Dec 16 @ Los Angeles W 30-23 Dec 23 Houston W 32-30 Dec 30 @ Washington W 24-0 Sep @ Minnesota L 16-24 Sep 16 Detroit W 30-27 Sep 23 @ Kansas City L 27-38 Sep 30 @ Los Angeles L 27-29 Oct Arizona L 18-28 Oct 15 @ Green Bay L 10-39 Oct 21 Los Angeles L 10-39 Oct 28 @ Arizona L 15-18 Nov Oakland W 34-3 Nov 12 New York L 23-27 BYE WEEK Nov 25 @ Tampa Bay L 9-27 Dec @ Seattle L 16-43 Dec Denver W 20-14 Dec 16 Seattle W 26-23 Dec 23 Chicago L 9-14 Dec 30 @ Los Angeles L 32-48 Sep 10 Los Angeles L 13-33 Sep 16 @ Denver L 19-20 Sep 23 @ Miami L 20-28 Sep 30 Cleveland W 45-42 Oct @ Los Angeles L 10-26 Oct 14 Seattle L 3-27 BYE WEEK Oct 28 Indianapolis L 28-42 Nov @ San Francisco L 3-34 Nov 11 Los Angeles L 6-20 Nov 18 @ Arizona W 23-21 Nov 25 @ Baltimore L 17-34 Dec Kansas City L 33-40 Dec Pittsburgh W 24-21 Dec 16 @ Cincinnati L 16-30 Dec 24 Denver W 27-14 Dec 30 @ Kansas City L 3-35 Sep @ Cleveland T 21-21 Sep 16 Kansas City L 37-42 Sep 24 @ Tampa Bay W 30-27 Sep 30 Baltimore L 14-26 Oct Atlanta W 41-17 Oct 14 @ Cincinnati W 28-21 BYE WEEK Oct 28 Cleveland W 33-18 Nov @ Baltimore W 23-16 Nov Carolina W 52-21 Nov 18 @ Jacksonville W 20-16 Nov 25 @ Denver L 17-24 Dec Los Angeles L 30-33 Dec @ Oakland L 21-24 Dec 16 New England W 17-10 Dec 23 @ New Orleans L 28-31 Dec 30 Cincinnati W 16-13 Sep @ Miami L 20-27 Sep 16 Houston W 20-17 Sep 23 @ Jacksonville W 9-6 Sep 30 Philadelphia W 26-23 Oct @ Buffalo L 12-13 Oct 14 Baltimore L 0-21 Oct 21 @ Los Angeles L 19-20 BYE WEEK Nov @ Dallas W 28-14 Nov 11 New England W 34-10 Nov 18 @ Indianapolis L 10-38 Nov 26 @ Houston L 17-34 Dec New York W 26-22 Dec Jacksonville W 30-9 Dec 16 @ New York W 17-0 Dec 22 Washington W 25-16 Dec 30 Indianapolis L 17-33 Sep @ Denver L 24-27 Sep 17 @ Chicago L 17-24 Sep 23 Dallas W 13-24 Sep 30 @ Arizona W 20-17 Oct Los Angeles L 31-33 Oct 14 @ Oakland W 27-3 BYE WEEK Oct 28 @ Detroit W 28-14 Nov Los Angeles L 17-25 Nov 11 @ Los Angeles L 31-36 Nov 15 Green Bay W 27-24 Nov 25 @ Carolina W 30-27 Dec San Francisco W 16-43 Dec 10 Minnesota W 21-7 Dec 16 @ San Francisco L 23-26 Dec 23 Kansas City W 38-31 Dec 30 Arizona W 27-24 Sep @ New Orleans W 48-40 Sep 16 Philadelphia W 27-21 Sep 24 Pittsburgh L 27-30 Sep 30 @ Chicago L 10-48 BYE WEEK Oct 14 @ Atlanta L 29-34 Oct 21 Cleveland W 26-23 Oct 28 @ Cincinnati L 34-37 Nov @ Carolina L 28-42 Nov 11 Washington L 3-16 Nov 18 @ New York L 35-38 Nov 25 San Francisco W 27-9 Dec Carolina W 24-17 Dec New Orleans L 14-28 Dec 16 @ Baltimore L12-20 Dec 23 @ Dallas L 20-27 Dec 30 Atlanta L 32-34 Sep @ Arizona W 24-6 Sep 16 Indianapolis L 9-21 Sep 23 Green Bay W 31-17 BYE WEEK Oct @ New Orleans L 19-43 Oct 14 Carolina W 23-17 Oct 21 Dallas W 20-17 Oct 28 @ New York W 20-13 Nov Atlanta L 14-38 Nov 11 @ Tampa Bay W 16-3 Nov 18 Houston L 21-23 Nov 22 @ Dallas L 31-23 Dec @ Philadelphia L 13-28 Dec New York L 16-40 Dec 16 @ Jacksonville W 16-13 Dec 23 @ Tennessee L 16-25 Dec 30 Philadelphia L 0-24 CLEVELAND INDIANAPOLIS KANSAS CITY MIAMI OAKLAND DENVER JACKSONVILLE LOS ANGELES CHARGERS NEW ENGLAND PITTSBURGH 18 Jets Confidential FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 HOUSTON CHICAGO IMPORTANT NFL DATES Jan 26 Senior Bowl, Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Ala Jan 27 NFL Pro Bowl, Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Fla Feb Super Bowl LIII, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga Feb 19 First day for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players Feb 26 Combine Timing and Testing, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Ind March Prior to p.m., ET, deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players March 11 During the period beginning at noon, ET, and ending at 3:59:59 p.m., ET, March 13, clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into negotiations with certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents upon expiration of their 2018 contracts NEW YORK JETS TENNESSEE NEW YORK GIANTS SEATTLE DALLAS GREEN BAY MINNESOTA PHILADELPHIA TAMPA BAY DETROIT LOS ANGELES RAMS NEW ORLEANS SAN FRANCISCO WASHINGTON How were his drafts? As for Maccagnan’s drafts overall, Maccagnan gets mixed reviews, but as Hall-of-Fame GM Bill Polian points out, even the best GMs can only expect to hit on 56 percent of their draft picks And to his credit, Maccagnan has improved his draft-pick objectivity Early on, he refused to cut any draft picks, holding some too long, even though they hadn’t panned out It almost seemed like he was too concerned with the media reaction to him cutting picks Some reporters are obsessed with GM’s draft records and remind us of them all the time, especially after picks are cut But to Maccagnan’s credit, in 2018, he showed more of a proclivity to move on from picks who were not hacking it, such as Dylan Donahue, Juston Burris, ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen It doesn’t a program any good to hold on to guys to pad draft records Win-loss records are much more important As long as a GM puts together a solid 53-man roster, it doesn’t matter how he got the players For instance, undrafted free agent Frankie Luvu performed better than fifth-round pick Donahue, so going with Luvu made sense The Jets viewed street free agent receiver Deontay Burnett as better than Stewart, so they went with Burnett Leave the draft record stuff to the media Just keep the best players You can’t go wrong doing that As for his four-year draft history, obviously he hit on Jamal Adams and Leonard Williams (who is a very good player no matter what some beat writers will tell you) He missed on draft pick quarterbacks Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty, but honestly most drafted quarterbacks flame out Look at the data Playing QB in the NFL is perhaps the hardest job in all of sports, and most guys can’t it But sometimes it’s hard to know until they get to the NFL because most college quarterbacks haven’t operated in conventional pro-style offenses, playing under center and having to go through multiple progressions Often these college quarterbacks set and throw to their primary read Obviously Maccagnan overdrafted Hackenberg in the second round Why? From what we hear, Maccagnan, coming from the Houston Texans, heard a lot of good things about Hackenberg from his Penn State coach, Bill O’Brien, now in Houston, and drank the Kool-Aid It turned out to be a mistake, but to his credit, he moved on In the 2018 draft, aside from landing Darnold, the Jets got a tight end with first-round talent in the fourth round with Chris Herndon HERNDON The DWI was a very bad thing, and we hope he learned from it, but as far as his play, he was superb as a receiver and blocker He’s a terrific allaround tight end Defensive tackles Shepherd and Foley Fatukasi were both projects, so we will learn more about them in 2019 While the jury is still out on these players, perhaps the GM shouldn’t have picked two defensive line projects, neither one instant coffee, in the same draft The Jets needed immediate help on the line with Wilkerson and Richardson out of the picture One project? Fine But two? Maybe adding one SEC or Big Ten lineman who was ready to roll, to go along with a project from a lower-level of competition, would have been a better plan Trenton Cannon looks like a very good sixthround pick, and a big reason is something about him that came out of the blue This Division-II running back is a superb kick and punt coverage player They picked him to be a third-down back and returner, but his knack for timing tackles on kick/punt coverage is a gift He looks like a potential Pro Bowl special teams cover guy like New England’s Matthew Slater Cannon also looks like he can be a very good multi-purpose back like former Jet Bruce Harper As for other picks, let’s bounce around a little: Brandon Shell looks like a long-term starting right tackle; Charone Peake is a terrific special teams player; Eli McGuire looks like a good platoon back; Jordan Leggett can be a good No tight end; and Lac Edwards is a decent punter It’s hard to attack Maccagnan for the secondround pick of receiver Devin Smith How could he predict that a player, who was healthy in college, would blow out the same knee twice in the NFL? We don’t consider players who get hurt “busts.” That isn’t fair Getting hurt wasn’t the plan OLB Lorenzo Mauldin was OK, but was derailed by injuries Burris should have been moved to safety because he didn’t have the speed, hip flexibility and transitional quickness for cornerback Jordan Jenkins is a decent player, and tough as boot leather, but due to his lack of ideal OLB speed, too often running backs and scrambling quarterbacks “take the edge” on him There were also some good undrafted free agents such as receiver Robby Anderson, who has world-class speed and can take the top off a defense, but he has to prove he can stay out of trouble long-term and also that he can win more 50-50 balls Keep an eye on undrafted free agent linebacker Anthony Wint, who’s a tackling machine He bought more time We think it’s OK that Maccagnan stayed, because he grew on the job The coach, who’s a great guy, perhaps didn’t, evidenced by his team’s penalty-prone nature and his aversion to benching underperforming players, even in his fourth year Also, by keeping Maccagnan, the Jets had a pure football guy in the room for the coaching interviews this year, not just business guys or league consultants with agendas, but a guy who knows football and had the Jets’ best interest at heart Maccagnan needs to continue improving, and his program needs to start winning more, but his maturation as a GM bought him some more time in New York And finally landing an answer at QB, for a franchise that has been searching forever, didn’t hurt either FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 Jets Confidential 19 MEDIA WHISPERS Kid gloves The relationship between Buster Skrine and the media is an interesting dynamic When he struggles, he is almost never criticized in the press Ever wonder why? Before we continue, we want to make it clear, we have nothing against him personally He’s a super-tough player who gives the team everything he’s got He is excellent against the run, a big-timer hitter, and a very good blitzer He’s also a terrific guy, who recently gave 500 toys to children in Crown Heights and Prospect Park after a charity came up short of its goal; it was a wonderful gesture He does a lot of charity work, for which he deserves lot of credit But as much as we’d like to gloss over his struggles in coverage, we can’t it And this shouldn’t be considered an ad hominem attack on the player It’s just the reality of the situation It’s certainly not a lack of effort The season finale in New England wasn’t a very good game for Skrine in coverage, but when a huge scrum of reporters surrounded him in the visiting locker room in Foxboro, it was just general questions about the state of the Jets and job status of the coach — no queries about his rough outing And this happens all the time with this player, who has had a number of rough games in coverage over the last four years But when you read the papers, it’s like they never happened Some examples of his play in New England: • Early in the second quarter, Tom Brady hit Julian Edelman on a crossing route for a gain of 18 on Skrine • Late in the second quarter, Edelman caught a pass over the middle for a gain of 17 with Skrine trailing behind him • Skrine was called for holding on a late third-quarter punt return by Andre Roberts • Early in the fourth quarter, Chris Hogan caught passes of 17 and 20 yards on consecutive plays with Skrine in coverage • Late in the fourth quarter, Skrine seemed to stop following Edelman on a quick slant for a 5yard TD in the middle of the end zone But here is a sample of the post-game interview at his locker It’s like none of this stuff happened Q: What were your thoughts on the game? Skrine: I feel like our team is what it is Like whoever is in there, everyone is a professional So you deserve to play when you get a chance 20 Jets Confidential FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 to play (The Patriots) had a good game plan, they did well, they executed Q: What are your feelings with the season over? Skrine: I enjoyed playing with my teammates I enjoyed playing with everybody It’s not our first time having a losing season I understand sometimes it takes some time to get to where you want to be I think this group of guys can get there We just need to win a couple and get on a roll, and that type of mentality kind of builds up Q: What are your thoughts about coach Todd Bowles? Skrine: Yeah, Bowles brought me I’m extremely blessed Coach Bowles is a good person, a good coach He leads by example, but yet his wins didn’t add up to where he probably wanted to be He’s a good coach, a good person, everybody respects him You could understand why Skrine would love Bowles — the coach stuck by him through thick and thin But why did so many in the media treat Skrine with kid gloves, even through his coverage ups and downs throughout his time with the Jets? We are going to take you behind the curtain on this one First off, Skrine was always extremely cooperative with the press He was always available to the media and also very friendly Being congenial and cooperative with the press can lead to more favorable coverage We see this in all sports Players treat reporters like gold, and a lot of them will focus on criticizing others, who aren’t as nice and cooperative It’s human nature Also, his agents are very media-friendly, so this is also a factor If reporters are getting stuff from agents, they are less apt to rip the players they represent, because if they do, the players’ agent will likely cut them off from information Stay on the high road with the player and the information continues to flow Rip their players and the information highway is closed Considering his uneven play in coverage over his three years with the team, it surprised some that Skrine made it to his fourth year Some thought the Jets would move on from Skrine after the 2017 season, when the cap hit on his contract wasn’t significant, but they didn’t Perhaps the Jets also fell into the same trap as the media — he’s such a nice guy, perhaps they had a hard time pulling the plug Also, we hear a high-ranking figure in the Jets’ personnel department is very close with one of the top figures at ANSWER MAN Buster Skrine addressed a throng of reporters after the Jets’ season finale in New England the agency that represents Skrine, so this might have impacted the thinking a little bit When Demario Davis fired this agency, he didn’t even get a contract offer from the Jets Yet Skrine never even took a pay cut He collected every dime of a four-year deal for $25 million The handling of Skrine by the GM wasn’t one of his best moves Mike Maccagnan has had plenty of good moves, as we pointed out in our “Deep Dive” feature, but this wasn’t one of them And the coverage of Skrine by most reporters who cover this team perhaps hasn’t been their best work either He is a heck of a guy, but to essentially ignore so many big plays given up because of his goodnatured persona, and the media cooperation of the player and agent, is kind of a dereliction of duty MEDIA WHISPERS WFAN host trashes Jets owner After it was announced Adam Gase would be the Jets’ new coach, WFAN host Joe Benigno wasted no time slinging insults at Christopher Johnson “The owner is an idiot,” Benigno said, Jan 10 “He has no clue what he’s doing.” After a statement like that, most organizations would likely pull the plug on ever providing guests for that host’s show Would any team official ever put a player, coach or GM on a program whose host called the boss “an idiot?” Not many It probably wouldn’t be a great career move for that team official That wasn’t all Benigno said after the hire “What this team needs is a new owner, because the owners are horrific,” Benigno said “They had a terrible owner for years with Leon Hess, they have terrible ownership now with the Johnson brothers.” He also added, “The ownership of this team is a disaster.” Powerful stuff Look, folks, we are just dealing with reality of team owners and the people who work for them — you say that kind of stuff about the big boss, and the team tells you to pound salt It will be interesting to see how the Jets deal with this show, which has done remotes at their complex, after one of the hosts said some pretty nasty things about the man who signs the checks Stay tuned writer, and some others in the media, keep attaching to the team This “same old Jets” stuff truly has nothing to with anything, and is absurd, irrational, ludicrous, unreasonable and daffy The Jets have had three losing seasons in a row, and have missed the playoffs eight straight years, but it has nothing to with some sophomoric saying The Jets’ struggles under their last two coaches, over the last eight years, had to with a lack of accountability and discipline, because it would take the National Guard to be called in for players to get benched It also had to with uneven quarterback play in a QB-driven league If Gase can develop Darnold into a franchise QB, and yank players who are not getting the job done, while Maccagnan does a great job acquiring players in free agency and the draft, this will go a long way to turning the Jets around As for this “same old Jets” nonsense, it’s time for the “same old writers” to move on from this meaningless pablum once and for all Remarkable reporting! Recently, while appearing on WFAN, Daily News reporter Manish Mehta was attacked by host Evan Roberts for a tweet saying he heard that Johnson and Maccagnan asked great questions to head-coaching candidates Here is the tweet, from Jan 9: “Now that the #Jets coaching search is over: I was told that CEO Christopher Johnson and GM Mike Maccagnan asked good, smart questions during interviews with candidates Candidates were impressed by both guys Johnson certainly opened some eyes.” Roberts told Mehta some of the “garbage you tweeted and published” over the past three days “sounds like you work for the New York Jets.” He cited Mehta’s tweet about Johnson and Maccagnan asking great questions as an example Mehta pointed out something in his response to Roberts’ attack that blew us away from a journalistic research standpoint He said he spoke directly with “three candidates” who interviewed and were complimentary of Johnson and Maccagnan That is flat-out remarkable reporting There is no way around it For an NFL reporter to reach out and get three candidates for a headcoaching job on the phone, and get them to talk about the interview process, is incredibly hard to do, and rare It’s hard enough to get one candidate on the phone to talk about an interview, let alone three So give credit where credit is due Mehta’s level of research here is rare, and we tip our hat to him on this Same Old Media On Jan 10, ESPN ran a story with the headline, “Adam Gase must groom Sam Darnold, defeat ‘same old Jets’ mentality.” This writer, who also works for the Jets’ media partner SNY, has been pounding the “same old Jets” drum for many years Yes, Gase needs to groom Darnold There is no doubt about that It’s a big reason he was hired However, he doesn’t have to chase windmills to defeat a foolish catch phrase that this Alan Schaefer OWNING UP It was reported that Christopher Johnson asked good questions during the head-coaching interview process FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 Jets Confidential 21 NEW YORK JETS ROSTER NO NAME 10 11 14 15 17 18 19 22 23 25 27 30 31 33 34 35 38 40 41 42 43 45 46 48 50 51 52 54 57 58 61 65 67 68 69 70 75 78 79 84 86 87 89 91 POS HT WT AGE EXP SCHOOL Jason Myers K .5-10 190 27 Marist Lachlan Edwards P 6-4 209 26 Sam Houston St Davis Webb QB .6-5 225 23 California Jermaine Kearse WR 6-1 209 28 Washington Robby Anderson WR 6-3 190 25 Temple Sam Darnold QB .6-3 225 21 R Southern California Josh McCown QB .6-4 218 39 16 Sam Houston St Charone Peake WR 6-2 209 26 Clemson Deontay Burnett .WR 6-0 186 21 R USC Andre Roberts WR 5-11 195 31 The Citadel Trumaine Johnson CB .6-2 213 29 Montana Terrence Brooks S 5-11 200 26 Florida State Elijah McGuire RB 5-10 214 24 La.-Lafayette Darryl Roberts CB .6-0 182 28 Marshall Rashard Robinson CB .6-2 177 23 LSU Derrick Jones .CB .6-2 188 24 Mississippi Jamal Adams .S 6-1 213 23 LSU Jeremy Clark CB .6-3 220 24 Michigan De’Angelo Henderson Sr RB .5-7 208 26 Coastal Carolina Brandon Bryant S 6-0 215 23 R Mississippi State Trenton Cannon RB 5-11 185 24 R Virginia State Buster Skrine CB .5-9 185 29 Tenn.-Chattanooga Thomas Hennessy LS .6-2 246 24 Duke Parry Nickerson CB 5-10 182 24 R Tulane Rontez Miles S 6-0 203 30 California (PA) Neville Hewitt LB .6-2 234 25 Marshall Jordan Jenkins LB .6-3 259 24 Georgia Frankie Luvu .LB .6-3 236 22 R Washington State Brandon Copeland LB .6-3 263 27 Pennsylvania Anthony Wint LB .6-0 224 23 R Fla International Avery Williamson LB .6-1 246 26 Kentucky Emmanuel Lamur .LB .6-4 245 29 Kansas State Darron Lee LB .6-1 232 24 Ohio State Spencer Long C 6-5 318 28 Nebraska Eric Smith T .6-4 308 23 Virginia Brian Winters .G 6-4 320 27 Kent State Kelvin Beachum T .6-3 308 29 S Methodist Ben Braden OL .6-6 329 24 Michigan Dakota Dozier G 6-4 313 27 Furman Destiny Vaeao DL .6-4 299 25 Washington State Jonotthan Harrison .OL .6-4 300 27 Florida Brent Qvale OL .6-7 315 27 Nebraska J.J Jones WR 5-10 174 26 R West Georgia Jordan Leggett TE .6-5 258 23 Clemson Clive Walford TE .6-4 250 27 Miami (Fla.) Chris Herndon TE .6-4 253 22 R Miami (Fla.) Bronson Kaufusi DL .6-6 275 27 Brigham Young 22 Jets Confidential FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 as of Jan 20 NO NAME 92 93 94 96 97 98 99 POS HT WT AGE EXP SCHOOL Leonard Williams DL .6-5 302 24 USC Tarell Basham DE .6-4 266 24 Ohio U Folorunso Fatukasi .DL .6-4 318 23 R Connecticut Henry Anderson DL .6-6 301 27 Stanford Nathan Shepherd .DL .6-4 315 25 R Fort Hays State Mike Pennel DL .6-4 332 27 Colo State-Pueblo Steve McLendon .DL .6-3 310 33 Troy RESERVE/FUTURE 16 44 64 76 Tim White WR 5-10 185 24 Arizona State Tevaughn Campbell DB .6-0 195 25 R Regina (Canada) Stacy Coley WR 6-0 195 24 Miami (Fla.) Charles Tapper DL .6-3 270 25 Oklahoma DeAngelo Yancey WR 6-1 220 24 Purdue Harvey Langi LB .6-2 250 26 Brigham Young Jon Toth .C 6-5 310 24 Kentucky Dieugot Joseph T .6-6 300 24 Fla International RESERVE/INJURED 20 21 26 29 36 55 56 71 72 77 81 82 83 85 95 Isaiah Crowell RB 5-11 225 26 Alabama State Morris Claiborne CB 5-11 192 28 LSU Marcus Maye .S 6-0 207 25 Florida Bilal Powell RB 5-10 204 30 Louisville Doug Middleton S 6-0 210 25 Appalachian State Jeremiah Attaochu LB .6-3 252 25 Georgia Tech Kevin Pierre-Louis LB .6-0 230 27 Boston College Ben Ijalana T .6-4 322 29 Villanova Brandon Shell T .6-5 324 25 South Carolina James Carpenter .G 6-5 321 29 Alabama Quincy Enunwa WR 6-2 225 26 Nebraska Rishard Matthews WR 6-0 217 29 Nevada Eric Tomlinson TE .6-6 263 26 Texas-El Paso Neal Sterling .TE .6-4 257 27 Monmouth (N.J.) Josh Martin LB .6-3 245 27 Columbia COACHING STAFF Head Coach: Adam Gase Offensive Coord/QBs: Jeremy Bates Off Line/Run Game: Rick Dennison Asst Offensive Line: David Diaz-Infante Wide Receivers: Karl Dorrell Tight Ends: Jimmie Johnson Off Asst/Asst QBs: Mick Lombardi Offensive Assistant: Jason Vrable Defensive Coordinator: Gregg Williams Defensive Line: Robert Nunn Asst Defensive Line: La’Roi Glover Outside Linebackers: Kevin Greene Defensive Backs: Dennard Wilson Asst Defensive Backs: Steve Jackson Defensive Assistant: Robby Brown Special Teams Coord: Brant Boyer Strength & Conditioning: Justus Galac Asst Special Teams: Jeff Hammerschmidt Asst Strength & Cond: Joe Giacobbe Asst Strength & Cond: Aaron McLaurin NEW YORK JETS 2019 OPPONENTS HOME AWAY Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills Miami Dolphins Miami Dolphins New England Patriots New England Patriots Cleveland Browns Baltimore Ravens Pittsburgh Steelers Cincinnati Bengals Dallas Cowboys Jacksonville Jaguars New York Giants Philadelphia Eagles Oakland Raiders Washington Redskins NEW YORK JETS 2018 RESULTS Week Week Week Week 14 6-13 27-23 W W L Week Week Week 10 Week 15 42-34 10-41 22-29 48-17 34-16 L W Week Week 12-20 L W L Week 12 Week 16 13-27 38-44 L L L Week Week Week 13 Week 17 22-26 3-38 17-21 L 12-31 17-37 L 10-24 L L L FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 Jets Confidential 23 $ E SAV ... Association Jets Confidential is not affiliated with the New York Jets ©Copyright 2019 Jets Confidential All rights reserved Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited Jets Confidential. .. possibly work on It s going to start with him That is an obvi6 Jets Confidential FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 ous statement I’m excited because this is really the first time I’ve been able to get with a guy... WEBSITE WHISPERS Different content from the magazine, updated daily from Florham Park only $7 a month 95 Sign up at jetsconfidential.com FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 Jets Confidential SAM’S TOWN WITH