Hitting Is Here!
Jets had practice in pads today! Finally, a chance to see some hitting, blocking, pass rush and tackling.
Quarterbacks
Geno Smith led first-team offense vs first-team defense (except for 3 plays), and Michael Vick led second-team offense vs second-team defense. Vick had a super day–I just wish I could have seen him with the first team to truly judge. The Jets’ first-team defense would have made a better evaluation and a fairer comparison to Geno. Geno did well, though DB Patterson jumped a route and should have had a pick. At least he broke up the play nicely.
Running Backs & Offensive Line
The running backs looks solid. Bilal Powell, Chris Ivory, and Daryl Richardson all played well (Chris Johnson was resting). On the offensive line, Brian Winters and Breno Giacomini (new RT) impressed. They were the two I watched closely today.
Wide Receivers
The WRs the last 2 days are showing good hands, ability to get open, and speed. Eric Decker is always impressive. At the end, TE Jace Amaro caught a few and stayed after to work against LB Demario Davis, which demonstrated great work ethic. Rex had been upset with him dropping a few. Shaq Evans, the rookie from UCLA, showed great progress. Jacoby Ford, Jalen Saunders have speed the Jets haven’t had in ages to go deep. Stephen Hill is also having a good camp so far.
Defense
The first-team defense looked tough, and there were some nice hits by Dewan Landry, Demario Davis, and Damon “Snacks” Harrison. Coach Rex Ryan played new pass rusher Jason Babin a lot, who’s learning as he plays. Seventh-round pick Trevor Reilly put pressure on QB and showed some burst. Calvin Pryor didn’t play–he had some type of injury early in practice.
It was only the third practice, so there’s much more to evaluate. But this was a good beginning–and encouraging to Jet fans!
