NYJets8

Was a good game, 15-20 years ago.

https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/stats/top-plays/fastest-ball-carriers/2017/all Eli registered one of the fastest mph runs of the season for any ball carrier last year.

When New York Jets special-teams coordinator Brant Boyer checked his inbox last season, he'd periodically find an email from Reggie Barlow, one of his old teammates with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Boyer knew exactly what each one contained: Video clips of Trenton Cannon, a touchdown machine at Division II Virginia State. Barlow, the school's head coach, did the work of a skilled PR man, promoting his player by sending out clips to some of his NFL friends. He and Boyer have what he describes as "a real cool relationship" -- Barlow returned punts and kickoffs for the Jaguars and Boyer blocked for him -- so he made sure to keep his buddy in the loop on Cannon. Thanks to the Boyer-Barlow relationship, the Jets developed an affinity for Cannon and drafted him in the sixth round, making him the first player drafted from Virginia State since 1996. They believe Cannon can make an immediate impact as a return specialist, a position that has haunted the Jets in recent years. His first real opportunity will happen Tuesday, when the team conducts its first OTA practice. This is how it goes in scouting. Coaches, general managers and scouts rely on their connections to get inside information on potential sleepers. Everybody knows about the big names such as Sam Darnold, Saquon Barkley and Baker Mayfield, prospects whose pro days and combine performances are featured on national TV. It's a different ballgame with small-school players. NFL evaluators need to be like investigative reporters, digging from crumbs of intel. "Brant Boyer did a great job with researching this guy and studying him over the last two years," Barlow told ESPN. "Coach Boyer and I have a relationship where he can trust that we see this guy and we think he's an NFL-caliber player. I think it's great that the Jets did their homework." Trenton Cannon rushed for more than 4,000 yards and 44 touchdowns in three seasons at Virginia State. Julio Cortez/AP Photo Barlow sent a variety of clips to Boyer, showing Cannon as a running back, slot receiver and kickoff returner. Boyer watched every video, often responding to Barlow with an enthusiastic comment about Cannon's potential. There was a lot to like last season as Cannon scored 22 touchdowns -- 17 rushing, three receiving and two on kickoffs. He averaged 33 yards per kickoff return, which excited Boyer, who spent two days at the Petersburg, Virginia, school during the run-up to the draft. He met with Cannon and worked him out, mainly studying his ability to return punts, something he didn't do in college. "He was extremely thorough," Barlow said of Boyer. "He came down, spent some time on campus, watching film. What I thought was really huge was [him saying], 'Let's make sure this guy fits the pedigree of a New York Jet. Let me talk with him.'" So they talked. "Typically, the first-round guys and maybe the second-round guys get that type of detailed attention," Barlow said. "[Boyer] knows how critical that position is to create that positive field position for yourself. I commend him on doing his homework and finding the guy that fits what the New York Jets are all about. He took the time to get to know him as a person." Cannon created a buzz in the scouting community when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds at his pro day at the University of Richmond. It was a chilly day, with temperatures in the mid-40s. The perimeter of the field was covered with snow, but Cannon came out smoking. "This was a guy that really kind of caught [Boyer's] eye, and our scouts liked him, too," Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan said. "He's an interesting guy. He's very athletic, maybe slightly undersized (5-foot-11, 185 pounds). We're going to use him as a running back, or line him up as a running back, but obviously our focus is to see how he can impact us as a returner. That's the part where we're very interested to see how he does." Let's not sugarcoat it: The Jets are desperate for a competent returner. In 2017, they averaged a league-low 4.5 yards on punt returns, barely exceeding what their leading rusher, Bilal Powell, averaged on runs from scrimmage (4.4). Since 2013, the Jets are ranked 32nd in punt return average and 22nd in kickoff return average. The Jets are one of only six teams since 2013 that hasn't returned a punt or kickoff for a touchdown. So, yes, they need an explosive player. Who better than someone named Cannon? "I played in the league for eight years and I know the pyramid you need to fit as far as size, weight, ability and explosiveness," Barlow said. "There aren't very many people I've seen that have that like Trent."

The NFL Draft is slightly over a week old, and the Browns have spent much of that time trying to convince their fans, and the general public, that Baker Mayfield was their guy all along. As you can expect, this has been a tough sell, given the fact that Mayfield is a 6-foot QB and the track record of players that small going in the Top 10 to the most important position in sports is not very good. According to MMQB’s Albert Breer, the Browns were the only team drafting in the Top 5 that had the Oklahoma QB ahead of USC star Sam Darnold, who fell 3rd to the Jets. Breer said this so on my Fox Sports Radio show Saturday morning (31:45 mark): The Browns front office can try to do as much damage control as possible, but nobody’s buying it. Things are going to get real interesting in Cleveland when Tyrod Taylor wins the starting QB job, and then has the Browns in contention for a playoff spot in November … and their #1 pick is pinned to the bench.

A nickname?..?? No.. none is better IMO. The topic just loses me a bit from the get.

In perhaps the most stunning personnel move since Chris Ballard waived Johnathan Hankins, he has chosen to trade former 5-tech defensive end Henry Anderson to the New York Jets for a seventh round pick. The move is shocking because Anderson was one of the more promising and productive players on the defensive line when healthy. The move makes sense because Anderson has struggled to get healthy and stay healthy during his NFL career and he doesn’t project particularly well at any position in the new Colts defensive front. He recently spoke during a press conference while Indianapolis was in the weight room after having dropped weight to move to the outside. Frankly, he didn’t project be a starter as an edge player in a 4-3 defensive front, he is not big enough to play on the inside every down and would be a rotational interior lineman at best. The Colts added players who project to fill those roles better through free agency and in the draft. The move saves Indianapolis money against the cap and potentially increases their carry-over in 2019. Anderson is entering his contract season as well, meaning that he is unlikely to be with the Colts after 2018. This is the second tough blow for the old guard at defensive line and will likely be unpopular with fans. Still, it will likely be better for Anderson’s long-term career prospects, will save the Colts some money, and will likely have very little impact on how the defensive unit would perform in 2018 given how much it would require Anderson to try to be something he is not. We wish Henry Anderson the very best. This is a kick in the stomach but there is a lot that makes sense about this move — even if fans won’t like it. https://www.stampedeblue.com/2018/4/28/17296714/colts-trade-henry-anderson-for-jets-seventh-round-pick-235-overall

Giants will take him, in the same thought process.

Haha yeah I got that too, but some points are there, left handed compliment type.

Think he just meant the 2 this year.. and then simply forgot to include next years 2 in his statement. Next years 2, should have been a 1, is why it’s deemed we did well.

Negative title, etc.. but a good read. Not even the Jets can screw up this NFL Draft | Politi Updated 7:33 AM; Posted 7:02 AM GM Mike Maccagnan will get his quarterback on Thursday night. (Brian Spurlock | USA Today) 11 10shares By Steve Politi spoliti@njadvancemedia.com, Columnist, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Mike Maccagnan might not be the best GM in the NFL, but he is the GM-iest GM in the league, and to understand what that means you had to sit in on his pre-draft press conference this week. Remember: The entire NFL world knows that Maccagnan is going to draft a quarterbackon Thursday night. If he doesn't draft one, Jets fans will converge on the team's Florham Park headquarters with pitchforks and torches. This is the worst-kept secret in the entire league -- even what the Browns will do with the No. 1 overall pick is a bigger mystery. Maccagnan didn't trade up three picks to take a guard. Still, after an awkward attempt at humor, he managed to give a perfect GM-speak answer to a question asking if taking the heir to Joe Namath's long-vacant throneis a forgone conclusion. "I would say simply that everybody seems to be locked in on that. We might actually take a safety this year -- I'm just joking," Maccagnan said. "I think like everything else, the quarterback is such an important position there's always going to be a focal point of, hey, this may be a position of interest, obviously for us, but we'll see how it plays itself out." This, folks, is peak draft-week GM. I found myself afraid of engaging in small talk with the guy for fear of how the conversation might play out ... COLUMNIST: Sure is nice outside! MACCAGNAN: Well, I would say that we're definitely having weather. There are going to be days when it's sunny, and days when it's raining, and days when it is just cloudy but not raining. I guess the word for that is "overcast." You have to prepare for the days when you have severe weather, too, including but not limited to hail, high winds, sleet, snow --- COLUMNIST: (Wakes up three hours later in an empty room.) If the first 326 words of this column seem like they're written by a guy trying to fill space before, you know, getting to the "point," congratulations -- you've hit the nail on Mel Kiper's head. It really is no secret what is going to happen on Thursday night for the Jets, no matter what Maccagnan did or did not say on Monday. He is going to take a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick. His future employment as a general manager and the next 15 years or so for this franchise rests on his picking the right one. Then again, can he really screw this up? I know, I know, this is not a question we should ask in relation to the NFL Draft and this franchise. Naughty Jets fans are destined to spend eternity with the flames tickling their toes and league commissioner Roger Goodell announcing, "the New York Jets are on the clock." Draft history shows that even teams with the third pick come up empty plenty of times. But no matter what happens, the Jets are going to have a very good quarterback prospect waiting for them. It is quite possible, if the Giants stupidly fail to take one, that they'll have three good options. Consider this scenario: The Browns decide they've fallen in love with big-armed Wyoming prospect Josh Allen at No. 1 and the Giants stay stuck in 1987 and take Penn State running back Saquon Barkley at No. 2. Maccagnan would have his choice of quarterback prospects Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen and Baker Mayfield. That would be an embarrassment of potential riches. Even if two quarterbacks are off the board when it is Maccagnan's turn, he'll have two good options. If it came down to Mayfield, the most exciting player in college football last season, and Rosen, the most technically sound quarterback in the draft, fans should be rightfully giddy. Maybe both will be busts. But I like his chances. Maccagnan already made his more important move last month when he shipped two second-round picks to the Colts to move from No. 6 to No. 3. That seemed like a steal when it happened -- the cost is usually a first rounder -- but given the desperation of quarterback-needy teams you can only wonder if the Colts regret making that move so early. Too late. The man nicknamed "Magic Mike," who has a solid but not spectacular record as a drafter so far, will now have his biggest opportunity to reshape this franchise yet. Things have broken his way, for the most part, on the first night of the draft so far The Jets will have a new face of the franchise at roughly 8:45 pm on Thursday. Who is it? No one knows. Forty years of evidence suggests that we should think otherwise, but not even the Jets can screw this one up.

The Los Angeles Rams made Trumaine Johnson the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL last offseason when they placed the franchise tag on him for a second straight year. It was the Rams’ only move after being unable to sign him long-term, and although he wasn’t the best cornerback in the league, he did have a fairly strong season. In 15 starts, he recorded 65 tackles, 14 passes defensed and two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. Johnson struggled in coverage against the likes of Pierre Garcon and DeAndre Hopkins at times, but in all, it was an above-average year for him. If you dig into the stats a bit more, too, you’ll find out just how good Johnson was in one particular coverage style: press-man. As one of the biggest, most physical corners in the NFL, Johnson is at his best when he can get his hands on receivers at the line of scrimmage. Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton proved that well-known fact for his forthcoming cornerback handbook, finding that Johnson was the best corner in the league in press-man coverage. It was in off-man coverage where Johnson wasn’t elite, although he still ranked 23rd by Wharton’s measures. Wade Phillips knows that Johnson’s best asset is his physicality, which is why he was viewed as such a good fit for this defense.

A closer look at the New York Jets start to 2018 free agency, including their additions on offense. BY PFF ANALYSIS TEAM • APR 10, 2018 Dec 24, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson (22) reacts as he walks off the field after his team defeated the Tennessee Titans 27-23 during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports The New York Jets made one of the more noteworthy moves of the 2018 offseason, even if the player they signed hasn’t played legitimate snaps since 2015. Teddy Bridgewater joins the QB mix in New York alongside Josh McCown and in all likelihood a new future signal-caller after the team moved up to pick No. 3 in the 2018 NFL Draft after a trade with the Indianapolis Colts. Bringing in Bridgewater wasn’t the only move the Jets accomplished this offseason so far as they also brought in linebacker Avery Williamson, tight end Clive Walford, running backs Isaiah Crowell and Thomas Rawls as well as center Spencer Long and wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, to name a few. In another big move, they’ve also brought in former Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson who played out two consecutive franchise tags in Los Angeles and will join Morris Claiborne to form a formidable cornerback tandem. Even with their additions across the board, the Jets still lost many key players from last season including linebacker Demario Davis, interior defender Muhammad Wilkerson and edge defender Kony Ealy, all of whom put up plus-grades last season. Pro Football Focus ✔@PFF It's been an exciting offseason for the New York Jets so far. @PFF_Sam and @PFF_Steve break it down in the latest video on our YouTube channel (which you should definitely subscribe to)http://bit.ly/2GmraOT 2:16 PM - Mar 24, 2018 30 See Pro Football Focus's other Tweets

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