Two nice tidbits from Monday Morning QB Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me They've Thought Of Everything Dept.: At the New York Jets' new training facility and headquarters in Florham Park, N.J. -- the team will move from Long Island around Sept. 1 -- there will be three grass practice fields and an indoor facility with the same kind of spongy artificial turf that their home stadium in the Meadowlands has. All the fields will be laid out north to south, 3 degrees off directly due north, the exact same pitch and location of the field at Giants Stadium. g. Jon Gruden on Carolina DT Kris Jenkins leaving the division in free-agency for the Jets: "I did some celebrating driving down Dale Mabry [highway in Tampa]. I gave Eric Mangini the biggest hug I've ever given a coach and told him, 'Thank you. Good God, do we appreciate you taking that guy out of our division
That Gruden comment is very noteworthy. I like Gruden, things like this make me like him more. I can't go Tampa though, he needs to move on.
Jenkins probably won't put up big numbers, but as long as he can fill his gaps and have our run defense as a team go down, we'll know he was worth it.
Gruden, like all coaches who have gotten to a Super Bowl, knows that everything starts in the trenches. I have no doubt that he did cartwheels when one of the best defensive linemen in his division left.
I think in the end we're gunna need some de's like the chargers, Castillo and Olshansky, who can really clog up in the interior before we can shut down the run.
It's going to depend on his adjustment to the 3-4, his ability to play at a hard 360 (meaning fat of the type he accumulated going above 380 in Carolina isn't going to cut it) and the quality of the players around him in the front 7.
I actually find Wilfork to be alittle overrated. If you watch him closely he gets pushed back alot, and doesnt always command a double team.He gets by solely on his frame/wingspan. What makes that front 3 quick is Warren's power and Seymour's penetration. by no means is Wilfork a poor player..but he isnt what makes that defense click. As for Jenkins, 6 months ago I wouldve said he was no better of a fit at NT than d rob is/was(I didnt realize how much bigger he had gotten and how tall he was). But after getting another look at him, and seeing his large frame...he could be SCARY good. He has a GREAT wingspan for the position, his height/weight speaks for itself and he has fantastic penetration skills. If he can geet the technique down, stay healthy and have those penetration skills translate to the NT spot..he could literally be the best NT in the league. He has more natural talent than Wilfork, Williams(san diego), and Hampton.
One year from now people will be saying....could Wilfork do for the Pats what Jenkins has done for the Jets. Size and wingspan aside, I think that Jenkins is a superior player. He will be the focal point on the Jets' Front 7 and eventhough I do not foresee him getting gaudy stats, this presence will have a positive net effect on the players around him. I just hope that he can get his weight down and avoid injury during this upcoming season.
