Jump to content

flgreen

Members
  • Posts

    30,819
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    12

flgreen last won the day on June 27 2021

flgreen had the most liked content!

Reputation

30,689 Very Popular

About flgreen

  • Birthday 07/06/1912

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Not Telling

Recent Profile Visitors

30,582 profile views
  1. Roster News: Jets add four to Covid-19 reserve, including John Franklin-Myers 20 DECEMBER 2021 The Jets face more disruption following this weekend's game: Robert Saleh told the media today that he is hopefully each of these players can test out and still be available for Sunday. Franklin-Myers would be the biggest loss, although the Jets have other depth issues at safety and the gunner position.
  2. Jets' Rooting Guide for 2021 NFL Draft Implications of Week 14 JOE TANSEYDECEMBER 10, 20211 Stephen Brashear/Associated Press New York Jets fans should have their sights set on Houston in Week 14. The Houston Texans host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in a game that will significantly affect the first-round order of the 2022 NFL draft. Houston sits one spot above the Jets at No. 3. A Texans win combined with a Jets loss to the New Orleans Saints could shift that order. A Seattle win does the Jets no good because it would keep Houston at No. 3 and move the Seahawks, whose first-round pick belongs to New York, down the projected order. Jets fans should also have their eyes on the two games that affect the pair of selections owned by the New York Giants. The Giants visit the Los Angeles Chargers, while the Chicago Bears take on the Green Bay Packers. The Giants have the Bears' first-round selection. Wins by either the Bears or Giants seem unlikely, but that would set up the best-case scenario for the Jets' draft position coming out of Week 14. Texans over Seahawks 1 OF 3 Eric Christian Smith/Associated Press The Jets need both the Seahawks and Texans to struggle over the final five weeks of the regular season. Seattle has the likelier chance to end the campaign with a few victories since it hosts the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions in consecutive weeks. Houston still has to play the Jacksonville Jaguars, but that is the only win that could be left on its schedule after Sunday. The Texans have a chance to win two games in a row, which would be the ideal situation for the Jets to try and move into the top three. Houston closes the season with games against the Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans, all of which should be losses. Weeks 14 and 15 present the last time in which a team could jump out of the top three and allow the Jets to slide into those positions. If the Jets keep losing and Houston comes up with two wins, the draft dynamic beneath the Detroit Lions will change. Giants over Chargers 2 OF 3 Lynne Sladky/Associated Press The Jets would love for their closest rival to fall down the draft order. The Giants have not played well of late, but there is always the chance for an upset to happen. New York will have no pressure on it inside SoFi Stadium on Sunday since the Los Angeles Chargers are in the thick of a divisional and wild-card race. Los Angeles could have its guard down against the Giants since the NFC East side is dealing with injury issues at quarterback. Jake Fromm has been taking first-team reps for the Giants since Daniel Jones has not been cleared to play and Mike Glennon is in concussion protocol. Giants head coach Joe Judge was hopeful that Glennon would be cleared to play Sunday, per Michael Eisen of the team's website. The Chargers are in the perfect letdown spot after they earned a vital win in the AFC wild-card race over the Cincinnati Bengals. They could also be looking ahead to the Thursday night clash with the Kansas City Chiefs. A Giants win seems improbable, but an upset would likely move them down in the draft order from No. 7.
  3. New York Jets WR Denzel Mims is running out of time With five games left to impress the New York Jets in place of the injured Corey Davis, the time to impress is now for Denzel Mims. By Stefan Stelling - 12/10/2021 Denzel Mims, New York Jets, Getty Images Time is running out for Denzel Mims Joe Douglas‘s 2020 New York Jets draft class was well regarded following its first year. Pro Football Focus even had the class tied for third-best in their Re-Grade after the season. However, the class come under fire throughout its second season. Several picks in the middle rounds look like misses while the first three picks have been hampered by injury and drama. Left tackle Mekhi Becton was the crown jewel of the class, dominating top defenders in his rookie year. Coming into his second season, he had sky-high expectations. A poll of NFL executives even rated Becton as the sixth-best tackle in the league. Jet X Video 1 second of 15 secondsVolume 0% 00:09 13:12 However, a Week 1 injury has kept Becton out for the majority of the season, leading many fans to forget about his talent while some critics obsess over Becton’s weight. The Jets’ third pick, safety Ashtyn Davis, has struggled with injuries and when healthy has made several plays where he took a poor angle or just seemed lost in coverage. However, no other player has been more disappointing or involved with more drama than wide receiver Denzel Mims. When head coach Robert Saleh spoke to reporters in the summer, he said he was looking forward to facing adversity and seeing how the players responded. Mims has faced plenty of adversity over the past four years. In college, Mims played through a broken hand as a junior which hurt his draft stock as it led to a high drop rate. Following an impressive senior year and a dominant performance at the Combine, many expected Mims to be a late first-round pick. Instead, he slid to the Jets at 59th overall, making him the 13th wide receiver selected. Then, just before the start of his rookie year, Mims suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out until Week 9. After a good start to his rookie season, Mims missed the Jets’ game against the Seahawks in Week 14 due to personal reasons and has not been the same player since that point. Over his first six career games, Mims had 19 catches for 324 yards with 102 yards after the catch and four broken tackles. After returning the next week following the Seattle game, Mims compiled only four catches for 33 yards over three games to close the 2020 season. Mims’s struggles near the end of his rookie year have carried over into 2021. In eight games, he has seven catches for 133 yards with no touchdowns and just one broken tackle. Most concerningly, Mims has a ghastly 20.0% drop rate (league average for wide receivers is typically around 7%), dropping two balls over his very small sample of opportunities. The lack of production follows an offseason that was littered with controversy. Heading into his second season, enthusiasm for Mims quickly faded as he struggled to work his way up the depth chart throughout OTAs, minicamp, and training camp. Months after the fact, it was revealed that Mims got food poisoning from salmon and lost 20 pounds, leading to his absence in early offseason activities throughout the spring. In the preseason, Mims fell behind Keelan Cole and Braxton Berrios on the depth chart due to a limited route tree, an issue that was noted pre-draft. During the Jets’ season opener against Carolina, Mims played a mere three snaps but hauled in a huge 46-yard pass on third down in a crucial fourth-quarter drive (although he was left uncovered). After that, Mims was a healthy scratch for the next two games. Mims returned to action in Week 4 but didn’t play more than 35% of the snaps in a game until Corey Davis was injured in Week 8. He got two starts in place of Davis but tallied only three catches for 50 yards over that span. Next, Mims ended up missing three games due to COVID-19 before returning against the Eagles in Week 13. With Cole out and Davis departing in the third quarter, Mims played 21 snaps (36%), but he still only had one catch for four yards and registered the second-lowest overall PFF grade of all offensive players on the team at 50.7 (ahead of only rookie tight end Kenny Yeboah). It’s safe to say it’s been a tumultuous and disappointing two years for Denzel Mims. Joe Douglas invested a second-round pick in Mims. While Mims showed starter potential over his first six games, that means nothing in the NFL. Success must be maintained – flashes aren’t good enough. The front office showed faith in Mims by refusing to trade him at the deadline despite interest from other teams. Now, it’s up to the coaching staff to develop him into a long-term piece. If Mims cannot show signs of becoming just that prior to the end of the 2021 season, then the Jets will likely look into replacing him this offseason. That’s why it’s paramount for the coaching staff to get him involved and put him in positions to succeed. New York needs to see what he can do. Despite his struggles, there are reasons to believe Mims can turn it around. Why Mims can improve It has been over a year since the last time Mims cracked 40 yards (11/29 Week 12 vs Dolphins), so I understand why many fans have given up on him. However, it’s too early to write off a player with Mims’s physical tools who had such an inspiring start to his career. Mims is one of only seven wide receivers in league history to have at least 40+ receiving yards in their first six games. The other players are Andre Johnson, Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs, Michael Thomas, Ceedee Lamb, and now Ja’Marr Chase. That’s not a bad group to be a part of, especially considering he did it while playing for one of the league’s worst offenses. In his second year, Mims has struggled with drops, but over a much larger sample size in his rookie year, he only had one drop against 23 receptions (4.1% rate). Unfortunately, it will be tough for fans to forget his brutal touchdown drop against the Bengals in Week 8 of this year. Mims is at his best with the ball in his hands, averaging 4.5 yards after the catch per reception in his career. Comparatively, that would currently rank 46th out of 107 qualified wide receivers this year. What gives me the most hope are his measurables. Mims has an elite combination of speed and size that compares well with some of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Compared to every Pro Bowl wide receiver since 2000, only 12 have a better Relative Athletic Score (RAS) than Mims. This is how Mims compares to Julio Jones, one of the best athletes in the NFL. METRICDENZEL MIMSJULIO JONES Age22.622.2 Height (in.)74.8874.75 Weight (lb.)207220 BMI26.5728.35 Arm Length (in.)33.833.75 Hand Size (in.)9.389.75 40 Yard Dash (s)4.384.34 Bench Press (reps)1617 Vertical Leap (in.)38.538.5 Broad Jump (in.)131135 20 Yard Shuttle (s)4.434.25 Three Cone (s)6.666.66 Mims is an elite athlete that compares to one of the best wide receivers of all time. While physical traits alone don’t result in excellence, being 6-foot-3 and having some of the fastest drill times in the NFL certainly helps. Since 2017, six wide receivers over six feet tall ran a sub-4.4 in the 40 and were picked in the first two rounds: Mims, D.K. Metcalf, D.J. Chark, Ja’Marr Chase, Rashod Bateman, and Parris Campbell. That is a mostly successful group. While nobody is asking Mims to be at the level of players like Metcalf and Chase, he is capable of playing much better than he has. How Mims can improve To reach his full potential, there are several skills Mims needs to improve. Most importantly, Mims needs to improve as a route runner. Thankfully, his great short-area quickness gives me faith he can develop here, as offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur emphasized in interviews at the start of the year. Another area Mims needs to improve is in making contested catches. He was dominant in this aspect in college, using his size and body control, but has struggled in the NFL. According to PFF’s tracking, Mims has grabbed only four of 14 contested passes as a Jet (28.6%). More than anything though, Mims needs to stop dropping passes. There were concerns about Mims’s hands coming out of college as he had an 11.4% career drop rate dragged down by a rough junior year. In his senior year, Mims cut it down to 4.3%, even better than Jerry Jeudy or CeeDee Lamb. He will need a similar turnaround now if he wants to be trusted by Zach Wilson. At this point, the best-case career path I can think of for Mims is that of former Eagles first-round pick Nelson Agholor. Agholor was an athletic player taken early in the draft who disappointed in his first two years before developing into a respectable starter in his third season. Like Mims, Agholor struggled with drops early on and was at his best with the ball in his hands. Hopefully, Mims can follow suit with a similar year-three breakout. Agholor went on to average around 50 catches, 700 yards, and six touchdowns per season over his next four years following a brutal two-year start. The time is now for Denzel Mims Prior to the season, I was a huge Denzel Mims fan and believed he would break out in year two. Unfortunately, all of the promise he showed in his first six games as a Jet has disappeared, and I’m no longer confident he’ll be on the roster going forward, let alone a starter. With Corey Davis now out for the season following core muscle surgery, Mims is poised to step into Davis’ shoes and take on a big role over the remainder of the year for the Jets. Mims has five games to earn a role in New York moving forward. It’s now or never.
  4. Glad to see Walter get another look, and Ammendola is a good add to the PS. Guy might turn out OK with a few shots
  5. SNY @SNYtv 39m RT @RVacchianoSNY: Jets coach Robert Saleh had no update on LT Mekhi Becton, who has been out 11 weeks now after knee surgery that was supposed to keep him out 4-8 weeks. Doesn't sound like he'll be back this week. With just five games left, he might not have time to return this season at all. TV / Radio Network
  6. OFF TOPIC, NO PLACE ELSE TO PUT IT. Snap Count Analysis Snap Count Analysis | Which Jets Played the Most Snaps in Loss to Eagles? Five on Offense; Four on Defense Logged Most Playing Time Dec 06, 2021 at 11:00 AM Ethan Greenberg Team Reporter The Jets (3-9) lost to the Eagles, 33-18, at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Here's a look at the snap count and how playing time was distributed. OFFENSE Five Jets played all 59 snaps on offense – QB Zach Wilson, LT George Fant, LG Alijah Vera-Tucker, C Connor McGovern and RT Morgan Moses. RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif took 33 snaps (56%) before sustaining an ankle injury. Greg Van Roten, who started the first nine games of the season at right guard, took the remaining 26 (44%). Dan Feeney checked in as an eligible lineman on 5 plays (8%). WR Elijah Moore 51 (86%) was the only other player to take more than 50 snaps. He led the offense with 6 catches, 77 yards and he also scored his fifth touchdown in as many games. Jamison Crowder 46 (78%) was next, followed by Corey Davis 25 (42%), who re-aggravated his groin injury; Denzel Mims 21 (36%); Braxton Berrios 19 (32%); and Jeff Smith 15 (25%). Ty Johnson 28 (47%) led the running backs even though Tevin Coleman 23 (39%) led the group with 11 rushes and 58 yards. Austin Walter 8 (14%) rounded out the unit and FB Nick Bawden appeared in 6 plays (10%). Ryan Griffin 32 (54%) once again led the tight ends and scored his first touchdown of the season. Rookie Kenny Yeboah 14 (24%) saw his first action on offense in his fifth NFL game -- he's been limited to special-teams snaps until Sunday. Dan Brown took 2 snaps (3%) in his first game back with the Green & White after joining the practice squad on Nov. 3 DEFENSE Four Green & White defenders took all 71 snaps – LB C.J. Mosley, S Ashtyn Davis, and CBs Bryce Hall and Javelin Guidry. LB Quincy Williams 68 (96%), who tied with Mosley for a team-leading 13 tackles, and former Eagles S Elijah Riley 63 (89%) were the only other players to take more than 60 snaps. Riley had the team's only sack of the day, which was his first in the NFL. Michael Carter II 40 (56%) started at nickel but sustained a head injury and fellow rookie Isaiah Dunn 28 (39%) took the remaining snaps, with Guidry shifting inside to nickel. Sharrod Neasman and Jason Pinnock rounded out the secondary with 4 snaps each (6%). Other than Mosley and Williams, Jarrad Davis 6 (8%) was the only other linebacker to take snaps on defense. Quinnen Williams 49 (69%) led the defensive line, followed by John Franklin-Myers 45 (63%). Folorunso Fatukasi and Shaq Lawson each took 42 snaps (59%). Ronnie Blair 32 (45%) was next, followed by Kyle Phillips 31 (44%), Nathan Shepherd 24 (34%) and rookie Jonathan Marshall 19 (27%).
  7. ANALYTICS Zach Wilson made enormous progress vs. Eagles in 3 key areas Zach Wilson took big steps forward against Philadelphia Eagles, as evidenced by his progression in three important areas. By Michael Nania - 12/06/2021 Zach Wilson, New York Jets, Getty Images Zach Wilson continues trending upward with solid outing vs. Eagles Despite lackluster box-score stats, New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson took steps forward in important areas during his return start against the Houston Texans, putting together an underrated outing that featured tangible progress. Wilson continued his upward trajectory with another promising start against the Philadelphia Eagles. The rookie quarterback continues to show sizable improvement in areas that were his primary weaknesses prior to his four-game absence. 1. Overall accuracy Wilson’s accuracy was far from perfect against Philly, as even some of his completions were imperfect balls that required a strong effort from the receiver. There is still a long way for him to go in this area. Regardless, Wilson made some strides. He had his sharpest day yet from an overall accuracy standpoint. Wilson officially completed 23 of his 38 pass attempts (60.5%), but five of his incompletions were charted as drops while two were throwaways. Taking those things into account, his adjusted completion percentage was a sterling 77.8%, which is a new career high. His previous best was 73.5%, set in his NFL debut against the Carolina Panthers. Particularly, Wilson did a much better job at the easy stuff, which has been his weakness this year. Wilson posted an adjusted completion percentage of 84.6% on short throws (0-9 yards downfield), ranking as his second-best mark of the year following his 87.5% mark against Carolina. That is a solid number for Wilson to shoot for going forward. It is slightly above the current league median out of 34 qualifiers (82.8%) and would sandwich between the current 12th and 13th-ranked short passers. Wilson’s 75.0% adjusted completion percentage on intermediate throws (10-19 yards downfield) sets a new career high, beating out his 71.4% against Carolina. He went 7-for-12 with two drops. That is a tremendous output. The current median mark among qualifiers is 61.7%, and a 75.0% mark would slide between second-ranked Kirk Cousins and third-ranked Kyler Murray. To boot, Wilson completed all six of his passes behind the line of scrimmage. That minuscule accomplishment won’t get him a statue built anytime soon, but it’s a step forward considering he threw four inaccuracy-based incompletions behind the line of scrimmage over his first seven starts. Perfection is the goal on passes behind the line. It may be difficult for Wilson to drastically improve his accuracy in-season – perhaps the leap will not occur until he gets an entire offseason to refine his mechanics and hammer them down over months of practice – but it’s great to see him figuring out ways to stabilize things for the time being. 2. Time holding the football Wilson is clearly putting an emphasis on applying the lessons that he learned from watching the offense succeed during his four-game absence. He is making quicker decisions, seeing things better pre-snap, and taking more checkdowns when they are the best option available. Exemplifying all of these improvements is the average amount of time that Wilson is holding the ball. Wilson held the ball for an average of 2.66 seconds against Philadelphia, a new career low. His previous career low? That would be the nearly identical 2.68-second mark that he posted against Houston the previous week. These last two starts have been a massive step forward for Wilson when it comes to getting the football out on time. Through Week 7, Wilson was holding the ball for a whopping 3.10 seconds, ranking second-highest among all quarterbacks behind only Lamar Jackson. That was much too long for Wilson considering where he is currently at as a quarterback. The high-2.6 range is a great place for Wilson to be. It’s a perfectly middle-of-the-pack number – right now, 2.68 seconds is dead-even with the league median out of 32 qualifiers. We do not want Wilson to hold the ball too long, as that likely means he is passing up on easy throws and creating sack opportunities that do not need to happen. But we also do not want his release time to be too low. That would mean his deep passing and off-schedule abilities are not being unleashed. By settling into a middle ground, Wilson is striking a healthy balance of aggression and caution. He is improvising and taking shots when the time is right, but he is primarily focusing on working within the offense. 3. Keeping the offense moving There were no game-breaking plays from the Jets’ offense in this game, but the unit moved the ball efficiently on most of its drives. It was the most fluid and consistent that the offense ever looked under Wilson’s leadership, and that is exemplified by his career-best total of conversions thrown. Wilson tossed two touchdowns and 13 first downs against Philadelphia. His total of 15 conversions is a new career high, significantly beating out his previous best of 11 against Tennessee. Wilson averaged only 8.8 conversions per game over his first six fully-played starts. To toss 15 in one contest is a huge step forward for him. This stat is why Robert Saleh called this game “by far (Wilson’s) best game in terms of just working progression and playing within the scheme.” Sure, he hit a handful of explosive plays against Tennessee, but he was not as solid when it came to commanding the offense and moving the chains. The Eagles game was Wilson’s first performance in which he showed he could consistently move the ball. Jets fans should be ecstatic with the steps that Wilson is taking. It’s not as if Wilson is just making some flashy plays with his raw talent while crucial issues persist. Rather, he is improving in the fundamental areas where proficiency is absolutely necessary for a quarterback to achieve sustained long-term success. Even more impressively, it appears he has placed a concerted focus on fixing those weaknesses, showcasing the self-evaluation ability that is integral to long-term development. Wilson is slowly mastering the “boring” aspects of quarterbacking. Once he completes this mission, then his physical gifts can put him over the top. Audio Version available to members only. Learn more here.
  8. Really happy to see Walter get another look. Kid deserves it. Nice game against The Texans
  9. Almost time for the BIG one , For today I"M All in on DAWGS
  10. Eagles’ Jonathan Gannon praises Jets starter who was plucked from practice squad Updated: Dec. 04, 2021, 6:30 a.m. | Published: Dec. 04, 2021, 6:30 a.m. 30 NFL Week 12: New York Giants defeat Philadelphia Eagles, 13-7 By Mike Kaye | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com PHILADELPHIA — In the NFL, every opportunity matters. For Jets safety Elijah Riley, leaving his first and only professional team for a shot at significant playing time was absolutely the right move. After appearing in only one game for the Eagles this year, Riley was plucked off the practice squad by the Jets, who signed him to their 53-man roster. The Jets were battling injuries in the secondary, and the Eagles were collecting defensive backs left and right, so Riley clearly saw a better opportunity in the Meadowlands. After watching Riley closely during joint practices and a preseason game this summer, the Jets knew he’d fit in well with their defense. In just a month with the new squad, Riley has already become a starter. Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon was a fan of Riley’s, but the second-year defensive back got caught in a numbers game during final cuts and spent the first two months of the season on the practice squad. “I liked Elijah a lot,” Gannon said Tuesday. “We all did.” Riley, who initially signed with the Eagles as an undrafted rookie last year, started his first two games with the Jets, racking up nine tackles with extended playing time. After a strong camp this summer, it seemed like Riley could be a dark horse for a roster spot, but the Eagles decided to go light on safety, and the defensive back was spurned. Through two games with the Jets, Riley has picked up where he left off in camp. “It was tough to see him walk out of the building because, obviously, he’s a good player,” Gannon said. “But we feel good about the guys that we have now.” Buy Eagles tickets: StubHub, TicketSmarter The Eagles have chosen to focus more on cornerback development than lining their depth chart with safeties. Since Week 1, the Eagles have added three rookie cornerbacks — Mac McCain, Tay Gowan and Kary Vincent — to their roster. They’ve also used fourth-round pick Zech McPhearson, Andre Chachere and Josiah Scott on special teams, behind starters Darius Slay, Steven Nelson and Avonte Maddox. Meanwhile, the Eagles have just four safeties on the active roster — Anthony Harris, Rodney McLeod, Marcus Epps and K’Von Wallace — after working with three throughout the majority of the first half of the campaign. The team also has safety Jared Mayden on the practice squad, and he was elevated for the loss against the Giants last week. But Riley will line up against his former team on Sunday, and if he can make some plays at MetLife Stadium, the Eagles may regret letting him walk. So far, Riley has been impressive with his change of scenery, and his understanding of the Eagles’ offense and defense could help his new squad steal a win this weekend. Riley is looking forward to the opportunity, but won’t sweat playing his old squad. “It is going to be cool competing against guys that I shared the locker room with and stuff, but I am not changing my approach to the game whatsoever,” Riley said. “I am not treating it any different.”
  11. ANALYTICS These 5 must-watch trench matchups will determine winner of Jets-Eagles The New York Jets-Philadelphia Eagles game features a boatload of talent in the trenches, highlighted by these 5 great matchups. By Michael Nania - 12/04/2021 Alijah Vera-Tucker, New York Jets, Getty Images Jets-Eagles will be won in the trenches Your eyes should always be gazing upon the trenches when watching a football game. With that being said, this Sunday’s New York Jets-Philadelphia Eagles matchup will be about as good of a game as any to remain fixated on the line of scrimmage rather than watching the ball. Both New York and Philadelphia offer a multitude of talented players on the offensive and defensive lines. High-quality battles will be had on each side of the ball. The Jets’ defensive line has led the team to the NFL’s 13th-best sack rate (6.2%) despite missing star edge rusher Carl Lawson for the entire season and starter Bryce Huff for much of the year. Pro Bowl candidate Quinnen Williams and $55 million man John Franklin-Myers have 6.0 sacks apiece and lead a group that compiled five sacks in a win over Houston last week. Jet X Video 1 second of 15 secondsVolume 0% New York’s offensive line is playing much-improved football as of late. Since promoting Laurent Duvernay-Tardif into the starting right guard spot over Greg Van Roten in Week 11, the Jets are rushing for a sterling 5.0 yards per carry. Out in Philly, the Eagles’ defensive line has had a somewhat disappointing year as the team ranks 30th in sack rate (4.4%), but the unit has a couple of elite players at the top who have done their best to carry their struggling teammates. Philadelphia’s offensive line is playing great. It is the engine behind the NFL’s No. 1 rushing attack (157.9 yards per game) and ranks 12th out of 32 units in Pro Football Focus’ pass-blocking efficiency. If you want to see the player-versus-player battles that dictate the outcome of this game, direct your attention to these five matchups. Jets EDGE John Franklin-Myers (#91) vs. Eagles RT Lane Johnson (#65) After a career day in which he posted two sacks and an interception, John Franklin-Myers will be tested by one of the best right tackles in the business. Franklin-Myers lines up on the left side of the defensive line, where he takes on the opposing right tackle. Three-time Pro Bowler Lane Johnson will be his opponent this week. At 31 years old, Johnson is still going strong. With only 10 pressures and zero sacks allowed across 292 pass-blocking snaps this season, he ranks fourth-best among all qualified right tackles in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency. With Franklin-Myers currently tied for fourth among edge rushers with 39 total pressures off the left side of the defensive line, this is quite the marquee matchup. Jets DT Quinnen Williams (#95) vs. Eagles LG Landon Dickerson (#69) Quinnen Williams is putting together an excellent season. He is tied for second among defensive tackles in total sacks (7) and leads the position in defensive snaps per sack (65.9). Williams primarily plays defensive tackle on the right side of the line, where he faces the opposing left guard. Landon Dickerson mans that spot for Philly. A rookie second-round pick out of Alabama, Dickerson has struggled in pass protection. He ranks at the 25th percentile among qualified guards in pass-blocking efficiency, giving up the 15th-most pressures at the position (24) despite playing the 38th-most snaps (393). However, Dickerson is quickly getting much better in protection after a rough start to his career. Since Week 6, Dickerson has climbed to the 73rd percentile in pass-blocking efficiency. He has allowed only 1.1 pressures per game over his previous seven contests after yielding 4.0 per game over his first four. Dickerson will also challenge Williams in the run game. The rookie already ranks at the 75th percentile among qualified guards in PFF’s run-blocking grade (69.6). This Alabama-on-Alabama matchup features two guys who should be fixtures at their respective positions for years to come. Eagles DT Fletcher Cox (#91) vs. Jets RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (#72) Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has sparked the Jets’ offensive line since joining the starting lineup in Week 11. He is providing consistency in both phases that Greg Van Roten could not. Duvernay-Tardif’s most common matchup on Sunday should be 6-time Pro Bowler Fletcher Cox. Now in his 10th season, the 30-year-old Cox is still a workhorse but is not the playmaker he once was. He only has one sack in 12 games and is rushing at a less-than-stellar level as he ranks 14th at his position in pressures (28) despite ranking eighth in pass-rush snaps (328). Cox has been hot-and-cold, and his individual performance has been integral to the team’s performance. He has five games this season with at least three pressures, and Philadelphia is 4-1 in those games. He has three games with zero pressures, and the Eagles are 0-3 in those games. Duvernay-Tardif and Cox squared off back in 2017 while the former was a member of the Chiefs. Cox was held to one pressure on 31 pass-rush snaps, and Duvernay-Tardif himself pitched a shutout as he was credited with zero pressures allowed on 36 snaps in protection. The Jets need a replication of that domination from LDT. Eagles EDGE Derek Barnett (#96) vs. Jets LT George Fant (#76) George Fant continues to string together great pass-protection performances in a surprisingly strong season as Mekhi Becton’s temporary replacement. Fant did not allow his first sack of the season until Week 12 and has allowed no more than two pressures in all but one of his games this season. Fant will look to stay hot against Derek Barnett, who is Philadelphia’s primary edge rusher off the right side of the defensive line (opposite the left tackle). Barnett is a former first-round pick who has shown over the years that he is capable of busting out for a huge game every once in a while, but he has never been able to consistently put it together. This year, Barnett has been inconsistent as ever. Few edge rushers have been less productive off the right side than Barnett this year. He has gotten the fifth-most pass-rush snaps off the right side of any edge rusher in football (260) but ranks way down at 22nd with only 17 pressures on those plays. Overall, Barnett only ranks at the 45th percentile among qualified edge rushers in PFF’s pass-rush grade (64.6). The Eagles are 1-5 when Barnett is held to fewer than two pressures and 4-2 when he picks up at least two pressures. In the 2019 Wild Card Game, Fant started at left tackle for the Seahawks against Barnett’s Eagles, and Barnett beat Fant for three pressures as he helped Philadelphia hold Seattle to 17 points (albeit in a loss). Whereas the Jets need LDT to repeat history against Cox, they need Fant to reverse it against Barnett. Eagles DT Javon Javon Hargrave is Philadelphia’Hargrave (#97) vs. Jets LG Alijah Vera-Tucker (#75) s best pass rusher, leading the team with 38 pressures. He is ranked as PFF’s No. 3 pass-rusher among interior defensive linemen with a 90.6 pass-rushing grade. Hargrave typically lines up on the right side, so he will see plenty of Jets rookie left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. While he has been consistently excellent in the run game, Vera-Tucker has been a roller-coaster in pass protection. Here is a look at his pressure totals allowed throughout the year: First 3 games: 4.0 per game Games 4-6: 0.7 per game Games 7-9: 4.0 per game Last 2 games: 1.5 per game Right now, Vera-Tucker is hot, yielding only three pressures and zero sacks over his last two games. The goal is to keep that streak going through the end of the season so he can enter his second year having already established that he is capable of forging consistent production. That lofty goal will be tested by one of the most terrorizing interior rushers in the sport.
  12. Think they might have found their RG. The French Doc played well against Miami, and outstanding against The Texans. Guy seems to fit the system excellent.
  13. Be funny is JD steals two reliabled starters off The Birds. Think he already stole a good starter in the French Doc.
  14. ANALYTICS Elijah Riley has been a quietly solid addition to New York Jets’ defense Army product Elijah Riley was tossed into the New York Jets' fledgling defense mid-season and is holding his own. By Michael Nania - 12/03/2021 Elijah Riley, New York Jets, Getty Images A former Black Knight is settling into the New York Jets’ secondary The safety position has been a revolving door for the New York Jets. Due to projected starters Lamarcus Joyner and Marcus Maye finishing their 2021 seasons with a combined seven starts (1 for Joyner, 6 for Maye) prior to season-ending injuries, the Jets have used eight different safeties this year. Most of those safeties have struggled mightily to refrain from making costly mistakes. New York’s six backup safeties have combined for 12 missed tackles while allowing 535 yards and three touchdowns in coverage. Opposing quarterbacks are averaging 14.9 yards per target when throwing at a backup Jets safety compared to 8.1 yards per target when throwing at any other Jets defender. Jet X Video 0 seconds of 15 secondsVolume 0% 00:01 20:53 Only one backup safety on the Jets has been able to keep the blunders to a minimum: Long Island product Elijah Riley. The native of Port Jefferson, N.Y. attended the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., where he shined as a member of the Army Black Knights for four years. Riley signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2020. According to the Eagles’ 2021 media guide, Riley met Darrelle Revis at a Jets training camp practice when he was 12 years old. Now, he is following in Revis’ footsteps as a reliable member of the Jets’ secondary. The Jets signed Riley off of the Eagles’ practice squad on Nov. 9. Twelve days later, he was promoted to the active roster and thrown straight into the fire as the team’s starting free safety against the Miami Dolphins. Not only had Riley never started a regular season game before that afternoon, but he hadn’t even handled a sizable diet of playing time as a backup. Riley only played four defensive snaps in his career before joining the Jets. Riley played 64 snaps (89% of the defensive plays) in his starting debut against Miami and impressed the Jets enough to earn a second consecutive start against the Houston Texans. In the Jets’ 21-14 win, Riley played 45 snaps (79%). For a player with essentially zero experience who was tossed directly into a historically bad defense less than two weeks after joining the team, the body of work that Riley put together over his first two starts is remarkable. Riley has been excellent at finishing tackles with a high level of consistency, which is a crucial skill for safeties since they are often the last line of defense. He has made 11 tackles and is yet to be credited with a missed tackle. Most of Riley’s tackles have been productive. Of his 11 tackles, nine of them held the ball carrier short of the first down marker. Six of those nine resulted in a gain of four yards or less. Best of all, Riley has yet to find himself in the limelight for making an egregious coverage mistake. Riley dropped into coverage on 54 snaps over his first two starts and was targeted only once, which was a 6-yard reception that he stopped shy of the first down marker. Get Started: Learn More About Becoming A Jet X Member Among the 13 Jets defensive backs who have played at least 10 coverage snaps this year, Riley’s average of 0.11 yards allowed per cover snap is the best. To boot, the 23-year-old has not committed any penalties. It is not as if Riley is handling a vanilla role for the Jets. Riley has been moving around for the Jets quite a bit. Slightly over half of his snaps came at free safety (51.4%), but he has also frequently come down to play in the box (33.9%) while dabbling in the slot (14.7%). Handling multiple roles while accumulating zero penalties, zero missed tackles, and zero touchdowns or first downs allowed in coverage, Riley has been shockingly reliable for a player making his first starts at a position where big-time mistakes are common for inexperienced players. If his first two starts are a sign of things to come, the native New Yorker could prove to be one of the greatest underdog stories in recent Jets history.
×
×
  • Create New...