JetNation Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Jets TE Jeff Cumberland struggled in 2014 By Glenn Naughton With the Jets having recently wrapped up their off-season minicamp, much of the focus regarding their skill players on offense has centered around newcomers Brandon Marshall and speedy rookie Devin Smith. Marshall, acquired in a trade with the Chicago Bears back in March, and Smith, chosen in the second-round of this year’s draft with the 37th overall selection, will each offer a valuable skill-set in 2015 that the Jets hope will open up opportunities for other players to make an impact. Marshall with his red zone presence (15 RZ TD’s in last 20 games) and Smith’s world class speed should make life a little bit easier on a couple of offensive players who struggled last season. Slot receiver Jeremy Kerley and tight end Jeff Cumberland both saw significant drops in production last season as quarterbacks Geno Smith and Michael Vick failed to throw the ball well with any degree of consistency. Cumberland, somewhat of an enigma for the Jets since making the team as an undrafted free agent back in 2010 out of the University of Illinois where he played wide receiver, has been inconsistent at best. Making the transition from college receiver to NFL tight end was a timely endeavor but one that the Jets hoped would pay off in the long run, as Cumberland’s size/speed ratio proved too enticing to pass up as the 6′ 5” TE was clocked in the forty-yard dash at 4.45 during his NFL combine performance. Despite having the measurables, Cumberland has struggled to break out as a playmaker while the Jets offense has sputtered for the better part of a decade with some of the worst QB play in the NFL. With head coach Todd Bowles recently referring to Cumberland as “the first-team tight end” as second-year player Jace Amaro will be used in more of an H-back role, one can’t help but wonder if this will finally be the year Cumberland becomes the type of player who other teams have to account for. Kerley on the other hand, has shown the ability to make plays when given the opportunity, hauling in 56 passes for 827 yards just two seasons ago during his sophomore campaign when an injury-riddled receiving corps led to an increased role for the TCU product. He would see those numbers dip to 43 catches for just 523 yards during Geno Smith’s rookie year in 2013, but his 15 receptions over last four weeks of the season gave some observers the impression that some chemistry was beginning to build between the two. Smith relied heavily on Kerley at a time when he was playing some of his best football as the Jets closed out the season winning three of their final four games. During that time, Kerley was targeted 29 times, a number that represented 40% of his total targets on the season by the time the season came to an end. However, that trend wouldn’t last long. Smith threw Kerley’s way 24 times, resulting in 15 receptions in Gang Green’s first three games of 2014. From weeks 4-17 however, Kerley played a total of 13 games and registered 3 or fewer catches in all but one, a week 11 38-3 blowout loss at the hands of the Bills when he pulled down five passes from Smith. For the most part, Kerley was essentially ignored on a struggling Jets offense. With the arrival of a new offensive coordinator in Chan Gailey and an improved quarterback situation with Smith being pushed by veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jets fans will wait and see if Kerley can get back to being the player he was in 2012 when he put up over 800 yards, and if Cumberland, who may be entering a “make or break” season in New York, can finally blossom in to another playmaker on what should be a much improved offense in 2015. View the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetBlue Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 To have a "bounce back" season means you must have excelled the previous year. Cumberland has been a tease his entire career and I don't expect much from him this year, assuming he even makes the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pointman Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Cumberland sucks. And his endzone celebration makes me nuts... both times he got to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdxgreen Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 I agree. Cumberland sucks donkey balls. Cue next year draft we take a LT and TE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREENBEAN Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Hey, you can't blame a coaching staff for being offensively inept and not include these guys as players who have been negatively affected. If these two should be legitimate contributors in addition to the players brought in this season we just may have something to root for this coming season. Kerley is the real deal IMO. I'm not so high on Cumberland but who knows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Cumberland has Julius Thomas-esque measurables. Its hard to give up on a guy like that too easily. His primary problems are age (he's already 28) and contract ($1.9M per season for this year and next). He can be cut at any time, freeing up that $1.9M in cap space, if a better TE2 option comes available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slats Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 If Devin Smith can come along quickly, it's gonna be tough for either of these guys to see the field. There'll be a lot of three WR sets, and Kerley and Cumberland could easily be watching from the sidelines. Kerley has the better chance, provided that he can demonstrate himself to be a chain-mover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcat Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 If Devin Smith can come along quickly, it's gonna be tough for either of these guys to see the field. There'll be a lot of three WR sets, and Kerley and Cumberland could easily be watching from the sidelines. Kerley has the better chance, provided that he can demonstrate himself to be a chain-mover. Add to that the fact that Geno plays much better when he has Kerley available for a check down... for the rare occasions when he bothers to check down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FidelioJet Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Cumberland sucks. And his endzone celebration makes me nuts... both times he got to do it. You can't have a bounce back season if you never bounced in the first place. I'm still astonished how this guy has stayed on the roster...He's can't catch!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetBlue Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 You can't have a bounce back season if you never bounced in the first place. I'm still astonished how this guy has stayed on the roster...He's can't catch!!! BINGO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southparkcpa Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Who is cumberland again??? Kerley is a solid JET. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdetroit Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Cumberland stinks. I think Decker is going to have a huge year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdetroit Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Cumberland has Julius Thomas-esque measurables. Its hard to give up on a guy like that too easily. His primary problems are age (he's already 28) and contract ($1.9M per season for this year and next). He can be cut at any time, freeing up that $1.9M in cap space, if a better TE2 option comes available. Wow I thought his primary problem was he sucked and can't block. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Wow I thought his primary problem was he sucked and can't block. That too. Gailey rarely uses 2-TE sets so if Amaro's blocking improves over time, and of course he stays healthy, Cumberland will hardly ever step on the field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdetroit Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 That too. Gailey rarely uses 2-TE sets so if Amaro's blocking improves over time, and of course he stays healthy, Cumberland will hardly ever step on the field. Didn't Idzik give him a 3-year deal? If that's not a red flag that the guy is retarded what is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slats Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 That too. Gailey rarely uses 2-TE sets so if Amaro's blocking improves over time, and of course he stays healthy, Cumberland will hardly ever step on the field. They're calling Cumberland the first team TE, and Amaro the H-back, that would seem to suggest that they expect them both on the field at the same time. It's the FB position that's dead. Both guys are probably in the same battle for snaps as Devon Smith and Kerley. Who's gonna be that fourth and fifth guy in spread formations? Who's getting taken off the field? As a converted WR, Cumberland has been a huge disappointment. Along with Sudfeld's injury, Wes Saxton probably has a very good chance to make the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Add to that the fact that Geno plays much better when he has Kerley available for a check down... for the rare occasions when he bothers to check down. We all thought that, but Kerley played every game last year and for some reason they started going away from him. The article mentions that the only decent game Kerley had after week 3 was Buffalo, but Vick started that game and played the first half. I am pretty sure a few of Kerley's 5 catches were not thrown by Geno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 They're calling Cumberland the first team TE, and Amaro the H-back, that would seem to suggest that they expect them both on the field at the same time. It's the FB position that's dead. Both guys are probably in the same battle for snaps as Devon Smith and Kerley. Who's gonna be that fourth and fifth guy in spread formations? Who's getting taken off the field? As a converted WR, Cumberland has been a huge disappointment. Along with Sudfeld's injury, Wes Saxton probably has a very good chance to make the team. Good point. I would guess Devin Smith will be the one that sits and learns in that case. I really don't know much about what the H-Back does to be honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdetroit Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Gailey's offense relies on the running back as the check down progression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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