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TOJ - Camp Predictions (Good Read!)


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http://turnonthejets.com/2016/07/toj-roundtable-new-york-jets-camp-prediction-edition/

 

The TOJ Roundtable is back. Make sure to give everybody a follow on Twitter and to let us know your opinion down in the comment section below!

Make one BOLD prediction for New York Jets training camp…

 

Joe Caporoso – Two young under the radar players, Deon Simon and Deion Barnes are going to not only make the team but carve themselves out situational roles on the defense. This is an extremely talented unit and neither of those players have much name recognition right now but both have enough raw talent and upside to make an impact. Simon will eventually push veteran nose tackle Steve McLendon for playing time and develop into the long term replacement for Damon Harrison, while Barnes will become a regular in the sub package alongside Lorenzo Mauldin as a pass rusher.

Dalbin Osorio – I think the boldest prediction I can make is that the best player we will keep hearing about during training camp will be Dee Milliner. The former 9th overall pick has shown flashes when healthy, but those moments have been few and far between. I think he represents the most talented player behind Darrelle Revis and Buster Skrine. Milliner’s play and health could go a long way towards the Jets not having to invest in a corner to eventually replace Revis as he transitions to FS. He would also be able to give the Jets another body to throw at the TEs teams are employing now, since Milliner’s best performances have come against bigger wide receivers. Head Coach Todd Bowles will play the best guys at every position (except QB clearly) and if Milliner flashes, he will see the field. I think Milliner does just that in training camp.

Joe Malfa – I don’t really know if this is too “bold” anymore because there seems to be no end in sight in regards to the Ryan Fitzpatrick saga, but I believe that Geno Smith will be a pleasant surprise and show that he is capable of leading this Jets offense.

It seemed as if Geno Smith did more bad than good when he was the starter, but we cannot disregard the good entirely. In both of his seasons at the helm, he played very well down the stretch and looked like a legitimate NFL starter. We also can’t forget that he never had the chance to play with the weapons this offense currently has. He had Jeremy Kerley and Eric Decker, but he never had both at 100%. Beyond those two, he had guys by the names of Clyde Gates, Stephen Hill, T.J. Graham, another player who was always injured in Percy Harvin, and a Santonio Holmes in the twilight of his career.

Geno has a big arm, he is mobile, and with this current arsenal, I believe he will have a lot of success in Chan Gailey’s offense.

Kevin Zielaznicki – My bold prediction for Jets training camp is that fourth year cornerback Dee Milliner finally lives up to his potential and snags the other starting cornerback spot opposite from Darrelle Revis. After a great career at Alabama, Milliner was projected to be an elite NFL player and some mock drafts had him going first overall to the Kansas City Chiefs. But injury concerns, mostly about a torn labrum in his shoulder, caused Milliner to fall to the Jets at number nine and it seemed like a dream come true scenario. Prior to the 2013 NFL Draft, new GM John Idzik traded away Darrelle Revis to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for the 13th overall pick (used to draft Sheldon Richardson).

With the Jets trading away their star corner and having another potential lockdown defender fall in their laps, it seemed like the Jets defense wasn’t going to miss a beat. Unfortunately for the Jets, Milliner didn’t fare well being thrown into the fire and was benched several times in the first few weeks of the season by Coach Rex Ryan. Milliner finished the last month of his rookie season with some excellent performances and was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the month. Things looked good and many had high expectations for Milliner heading forward but the injury bug never left him alone over the last two seasons. 

Going into 2016, Milliner is finally healthy and is facing a make or break season as the Jets declined to pick up his fifth year player option. Milliner will have the opportunity to compete for the #2 cornerback spot, but it’s a longshot that he will prove he can do it. But as everyone who watches sports knows, anything can happen. I’m hoping that my bold prediction of Dee Milliner being named a starting cornerback comes true!

Alex Kaczynski My bold prediction this year is Jace Amaro absolutely dominates training camp and gives us a glimmer of hope for the 2016 season. I really want this one to happen because Jets need to have relevant, play making tight end again. The staff has high expectations going into camp and having a disappointing NFL career this far, why not now? I believe he will start to mold with Marshall and Decker and hopefully take some attention off the quarterback position if it happens to be Geno. He has the skill set to be very good and training camp is where it all starts. If the Jets manage to get that going there, you could really see this offense start to roll with whomever is under center.

David Aitken – My bold prediction is that Bilal Powell will emerge above Matt Forte as the number one running back on the depth chart. This is not to say that the signing of Forte will end up being a bust, but that Powell will carry his 2015 late-season form into training camp and cement himself as first choice at the running back position.

Powell’s late-season surge was no flash in the pan. Battling injuries during the middle of last season, Powell once healthy earned himself an important role as a complementary option the Jets were crying out for in the passing game down the stretch. Boasting a runner-receiver balance that Chris Ivory could not, Powell gave the Jets offense much needed unpredictability that both opened up running lanes and helped take pressure off the two star receivers. His ability to stay healthy will remain a question, but should he’ll be healthy for camp and has at last real expectations to contribute.  The Jets showed faith in Powell by prioritizing his re-signing this past spring and thus he will no longer be treated as simply a backup on the team’s depth chart. He’ll have the opportunity to prove himself the most viable option at running back, and I believe he’ll take it. Forte should still see 10-15 total touches a game and help give the Jets a consistent receiving threat out of the backfield, but Powell I expect will prove more explosive than the 30-year-old former Bear and already offers the versatility that has been a hallmark of Forte’s career.

Sean Walsh – The one bold prediction I will make is the that Jace Amaro will have a fantastic camp. The word around the team is that he’s working very hard on his blocking but will be very w’ell be very keen to see how he returns from his shoulder injury

He could play a massive role in the passing game especially with the Jets only having 9 catches total in 2015 from the TE position and with the way Gailey spreads out the field he will be vital as either a check down option or one on one against a LB. It will all come down to how well Jace can block so that will be something to keep an eye on during camp but as I said, expect massive strides from #88.

 

 

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Didn't McLendon say in a recent interview that he's not a NT and not truly replacing Damon Harrison in that role?  

He said he'd play all spots along the line.

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1 minute ago, AFJF said:

Didn't McLendon say in a recent interview that he's not a NT and not truly replacing Damon Harrison in that role?

He will play some NT but is more of a DT.  Ultimately I think Deon Simon will be getting the PT at NT. :-) 

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I would love nothing more than to see all of idziks picks, excel this year.  Milliner, Geno, Amaro, Enunwa, Pryor, Richardson, Reilly and Dozier.  It would go along way to shutting up all the know-it-alls who insist on writing off young players if they struggle their first few seasons.   

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7 minutes ago, JetBlue said:

He will play some NT but is more of a DT.  Ultimately I think Deon Simon will be getting the PT at NT. :-) 

Agreed.  First paragraph referred to him as "veteran nose tackle".

Exact quote from McLendon.

"I really can't say I'm a nose tackle.  I'm a defensive tackle.  He's (snacks) a traditional nose tackle.  I'm a defensive tackle" 

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7 minutes ago, AFJF said:

Agreed.  First paragraph referred to him as "veteran nose tackle".

Exact quote from McLendon.

"I really can't say I'm a nose tackle.  I'm a defensive tackle.  He's (snacks) a traditional nose tackle.  I'm a defensive tackle" 

The key phrase is "traditional" nose tackle.  

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1 minute ago, JetBlue said:

The key phrase is "traditional" nose tackle.  

Right.  The traditional guys eat up space and multiple blockers like Snacks often did.  

In that interview, McLendon said he was more of a 2-gap guy who relied on quickness in Pittsburgh's scheme.

I get it though...one guy leaves and fans assume the new guy is going to be expected to do the same thing the last guy did.

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Just now, AFJF said:

Right.  The traditional guys eat up space and multiple blockers like Snacks often did.  

In that interview, McLendon said he was more of a 2-gap guy who relied on quickness in Pittsburgh's scheme.

I get it though...one guy leaves and fans assume the new guy is going to be expected to do the same thing the last guy did.

Exactly.  That is why I think Deon Simon is going to see quite a bit of action as he fits more in the traditional role of NT and Mclendon is more along the lines of Sheldon Richardson as a DT. 

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It would be really interesting to see if Powell completely outshines Forte in camp.  The way Bowles handled Cro, you'd have to wonder if he would be willing to sit Forte in favor of Powell.  I doubt he would.  He seems to be a players coach who favors veterans.

And I sure hope the writers are right about Milliner and Amaro.  That would be HUGE for the Jets.

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47 minutes ago, JetBlue said:

I would love nothing more than to see all of idziks picks, excel this year.  Milliner, Geno, Amaro, Enunwa, Pryor, Richardson, Reilly and Dozier.  It would go along way to shutting up all the know-it-alls who insist on writing off young players if they struggle their first few seasons.   

while i concede, if the ^^ happened, that would definitely recalibrate the vitriol he gets about his drafts -- it still doesn't change how he muffed them from a talent management standpoint. He had a plethora of picks and holes on the roster that he failed to properly address. Coming away from 2014 with Evans, Saunders and Enunwa over the talent available is the worst display of incompetence this side of cleveland. that will never, ever change. 

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12 minutes ago, Matt39 said:

That website has put Geno in the hall of fame fwiw

actually no, they have just been a bit more objective and realize the situation he was drafted into and are not ready to totally write the guy off after just two seasons and one game cold off the bench. 

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1 minute ago, JetBlue said:

actually no, they have just been a bit more objective and realize the situation he was drafted into and are not ready to totally write the guy off after just two seasons and one game cold off the bench. 

Stop. Not that it matters but TOJ and Twitter vs reality couldnt be anymore different. Most of the stuff these younger writers are producing is comically one-sided. Fitz sucks, Geno weapons, blah blah. As if the turnaround last year happened by pure luck. 

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54 minutes ago, Matt39 said:

Stop. Not that it matters but TOJ and Twitter vs reality couldnt be anymore different. Most of the stuff these younger writers are producing is comically one-sided. Fitz sucks, Geno weapons, blah blah. As if the turnaround last year happened by pure luck. 

No you stop. You make that claim with no evidence to back it up. TOJ has been very neutral and like most commentators expected Fitz to have signed by now. He hasn't so they are focused on who is actually on the team. Sorry if that upsets you.

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Lots of bold predictions about Milliner. I just don't see it. I don't think he's a scheme fit or a talent fit for the Bowles defensive system. If he was, he would have played ahead of Williams and Walls when healthy last season. His option has aready been declined and I'm more interested in how Burris looks than delicate Dee. I think he falters again either with injury or ineffective play. 

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1 hour ago, CrazyCarl40 said:

Lots of bold predictions about Milliner. I just don't see it. I don't think he's a scheme fit or a talent fit for the Bowles defensive system. If he was, he would have played ahead of Williams and Walls when healthy last season. His option has aready been declined and I'm more interested in how Burris looks than delicate Dee. I think he falters again either with injury or ineffective play. 

Why not? He was drafted 9th for a reason.  His rookie season he was named Defensive Rookie or Player (I forget which) for the month of December as he was finally healthy and starting to figure things out.  It has really never been a question of ability with Milliner, it has been staying on the field.  If he can do that, a big if, and he is able to shake off the rust, his talent will be apparent for all to see.  I am really liking the depth of this unit. 

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3 hours ago, JetBlue said:

Why not? He was drafted 9th for a reason.  His rookie season he was named Defensive Rookie or Player (I forget which) for the month of December as he was finally healthy and starting to figure things out.  It has really never been a question of ability with Milliner, it has been staying on the field.  If he can do that, a big if, and he is able to shake off the rust, his talent will be apparent for all to see.  I am really liking the depth of this unit. 

The last time we saw him (3 years ago) play meaningful downs on defense, he was being torched by Jordy Nelson and benched. He's a zone cover corner and it's a man system. I just don't see him bouncing back. He was drafted 9th because the last GM was bad. 

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52 minutes ago, CrazyCarl40 said:

The last time we saw him (3 years ago) play meaningful downs on defense, he was being torched by Jordy Nelson and benched. He's a zone cover corner and it's a man system. I just don't see him bouncing back. He was drafted 9th because the last GM was bad. 

I've mentioned this before in some other thread and I know people forget because it was a blowout, but that's not accurate.  The last time we saw him play meaningful downs was a week or two after the GB game when he was 100%.

It was against the Chargers when the Jets got blown out and Milliner was excellent that day.  IIRC his total numbers were 2 receptions allowed for 7 yards and multiple PBUs.  It was after that the he was hurt on the opening kickoff against Denver and he hasn't played much since.

Just my two cents.

That being said...TOJ has been leaning toward Geno since last season from what little bit I've seen of theirs.

Joe does a nice job all-around though.

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20 hours ago, JiF said:

It would be really interesting to see if Powell completely outshines Forte in camp.  The way Bowles handled Cro, you'd have to wonder if he would be willing to sit Forte in favor of Powell.  I doubt he would.  He seems to be a players coach who favors veterans.

 

That's probably best case scenario, because I don't think Forte has really lost a step. Only reason his stats were down was because he got hurt last season. Played like typical Forte while healthy

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