Training camp signs Jets could have their best offense in years By Brian Costello July 30, 2019 | 12:49pm | Updated Enlarge Image The Jets have their first day off in training camp Tuesday after five straight days of practice. Here are some thoughts and observations one week into Jets camp: 1. This is my ninth training camp covering the Jets. There has been one constant through all of them – the defense has always been better than the offense. It has been a combination of defensive coaches, high draft picks on defense and sloppy offense that has led to it. I always think back to 2012 when Rex Ryan introduced a system where whichever unit won the day wore black jerseys at the next practice. He scrapped it after a few days because the defense dominated. This year feels a little different, though. The offense is holding its own early in training camp. I would even say the offense “won” two days and played the defense evenly on another. Will this translate in the regular season? I don’t know. But here are a few factors on offense that should make Jets fans excited: A quarterback on the rise. Sam Darnold has looked good early in camp. He looks way more comfortable and assertive than he did last year. Some of his throws are hard to believe. A coach who cares about offense. It almost feels like an overcorrection, but Adam Gase is solely focused on the offense and leaves the defense to Gregg Williams. For too long, the offense has felt like an afterthought with the Jets as Ryan or Todd Bowles focused on the defense. The Jets offense will get better coaching than it has in a long time. Players who create mismatches. Le’Veon Bell, Jamison Crowder, Chris Herndon and Ty Montgomery are like chess pieces for Gase. He can move them around and force the defense to cover some of them with linebackers that will lead to mismatches. If the defense floods the field with defensive backs, they run the ball with Bell. This offense has more options than it has in a few years. 2. Some rookies stand out immediately when you see them play. Quinnen Williams fits in that category. The No. 3 overall pick has special qualities. He reminds me of Sheldon Richardson as a rookie. Richardson had an immediate impact and went on to win Rookie of the Year. I am curious to see how Williams performs in the preseason games, but so far he looks like he is ready for the NFL. During pass-rushing drills on Monday, he manhandled some linemen. SEE ALSO Sam Darnold is fixing his biggest Jets flaw 3. There has been a heavy emphasis on turnovers early in training camp. There are drills for the offense to prevent fumbles and the defense to create them. Gregg Williams also has his players scoop up any football that hits the ground, even if it is an incomplete pass. 4. The arrival of Joe Douglas as GM makes predicting this year’s roster very difficult. He has no allegiance to any of these players. That leaves some Mike Maccagnan draft picks squarely on the roster bubble. Some recent picks I think could be in danger – Elijah McGuire, Nathan Shepherd, Parry Nickerson, Folorunso Fatukasi and Jeremy Clark. 5. Darryl Roberts has been viewed as a potential weakness at cornerback, but he put together back-to-back good days on Sunday and Monday. Roberts has shown he can play with backup duty in the last few years. The question is can he maintain a high level of play for an entire season. A coach once told me there are some players you love at 300 snaps in a season but you don’t want to see at 1,000 snaps. Roberts has to show he can play well consistently.
Don't forget about Robbie this year. He should be the clear #1. Don't be afraid to feed Bell the ball rushing & receiving. Enunwa is a good complementary player keep him in that role he'll be fine. I don't know much about Crowder yet but I suspect he's in the same boat as Enunwa. It's about proper talent evaluation & usage.They have the talent to be real good if these coaches know what they're doing.
We'll see when the season is over. They may be great, they may be mediocre. All I hope is that they're better than they've been in the last decade. Yeah, I'm setting the bar pretty low but you have to walk before you learn how to run.
At this point my biggest concern is the health of the starters. We can't afford any key injuries. We don't have enough depth to sustain a key loss or two and remain competitive. It will be one hell of an exciting season if the key players remain heathy. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
It'll almost certainly be better than any offense since 2015. Whether it'll be better than 2015 is to be determined.
Yeah that’s what I was thinking. Sure we don’t quite have Brandon Marshall and Revis, but Adams is just as good if not better than Revis was at that point in his career and I think on offense we can spread the ball around more since we actually have a tight end an elite runningback. Also when Fitzgerald is on, he can be one of the best in the NFL, he’s just the most inconsistent QB probably ever. Darnold may not be quite as good as his celliling but I definitely think his floor is higher than Fritz’s in year 2.
Having the best Jets offense in years is a spectacularly low bar. What we should be hoping for is that they at least join the ranks of the mediocre NFL offenses. That would be a massive leap forward for the franchise.
Yep, Jets offense has been offensive for years. The first half of the year with Favre was the last time I remember a Jets offense that was exciting to watch. The first two Sanchez years had glimpses of it, but was extremely inconsistent.
Obviously Bell is going to be the biggest offensive weapon that Sam has to use (as he should be), but Crowder is going to be right behind him and ahead of Q and Robby IMO. Crowder is an absolute monster in the slot. Two years ago he was ranked number one in getting separation from defenders in the slot with over 3.5 yards of separation. He is also terrific at getting down the middle of the field and up the seam for a huge plays. We also have Ty coming out of the backfield. Those three guys (Bell, Ty & Crowder) are going to be nightmares for LBs, safeties, and slot corners if they are on the field at the same time. If they want to flood the middle of the field to help with those three guys you then have Robby on the outside. It all sounds terrific on paper, but like Cman said - We'll see when the season is over, but I have high expectations.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, Newman School, front row, third from left. "After graduating from the Newman School in 1913, Fitzgerald decided to stay in New Jersey to continue his artistic development at Princeton University. He tried out for the college football team, but was cut the first day of practice. He firmly dedicated himself at Princeton to honing his craft as a writer..." -- wikipedia
yes. great post. There is the Jets standard and then there's the NFL standard. If Sam Darnold throws for 30 passing touchdowns we would all be losing our minds. It would obviously be "the best offense in years" and it would be the 2nd highest mark in the entire history of this franchise! but it would be still be outside the top 10 compared to the rest of the league. Since 30 touchdowns would mean he almost doubled his output, I wouldn't bet on him hitting that mark. 10 more touchdowns (24), a sizable jump, would put him right around ~15th-17th. thats 'mediocre'
Crowder was a very good acquisition, especially with how Gase likes to utilize the slot position. It's a good match. Good point about the RB's also. I've been hoping for years we'd start throwing to RB's more due to the mismatch it presents, and also hoping we'd use more 2 HB sets. With Bell, Powell, Montgomery and Cannon, that's a lot of difficult backfield versatility to defend. Should keep the defenses honest, and make it difficult for them to pin their ears back on rushing Darnold. Like you guys said, we'll need to see it on the field. They've got the pieces in place to have some success tho imo..
I understand where you’re coming from and you’re absolutely right I’ve got to see it in the games but I am encouraged by what Brian wrote in his article..... it’s the best offense has look in years Which gives a reason of hope...... by the way GQ thanks soo much for your pics and Insight into training camp me living in Georgia now I only get to read about it
So his only success is to be right at the Jet record for TD passes otherwise he's mediocre? Because TD passes is the main, end all way QBs are judged. Love this lack of logic. Sam marches the Jets downfield and everytime theyre inside the five, Bell rushes it into the EZ. Bell sets his record for TDs, Sam doesnt get to 30, he's mediocre. LOL, OK Seriously, its how many points you lead your offense to, not how many passing TDs you throw.
It's cray. Our most passing yards record was set by a QB in the 1960s during a 14 game season and our most passing TDs record was broken by a career backup a few years ago. This is in an age where rules favor gaudy QB stats. The Jets gold standard of offense is a wad of aluminum foil. If Darnold does become elite, I don't know how any of us will deal with it.
Yeah just speaking for myself if Darnold does become elite I'm probably just going to freak the #### out. I'd still like to try it though
