TE Zach Sudfeld ~ ~ ~

[kelly]

Zach Sudfeld  gripped the football in both hands, looked between his legs, looked up, and launched the ball backward toward his "punter." Actually he launched it over the punter's upstretched arms, but not to worry. This is a work in progress.

"Emergency long-snapper. I've been working on it. You wouldn't know by a few of those," Sudfeld told me with a laugh after his post-practice session. "I'm a utility man. I'm just trying to be available for whatever the team needs."

He said he could even be a last-resorts punt returner if special teams coordinator Brant Boyer needed him. "I'll go out there and fair-catch it with the best of them," he said, "but I don't know if they want me with my lanky body returning any kicks."Sudfeld has returned to availability at tight end, against Jacksonville getting his first game reps and making his first game catch, a 3-yarder, since his season-ending knee injury over a year ago. And while he didn't play on special teams vs. the Jaguars, long-snapping or otherwise, he has a track record there after leading the Jets with 20 ST tackles in 2014.

"It was pretty cool just being out on the field, running out of the tunnel, getting my first couple of plays," he said. "It's been a long recovery process. The first couple of plays and everything, it's great to be back out there, and hopefully I can just build on it every week." And this week is a big one, not just on Zach's road back but on the Sudfeld family calendar. When the Jets take the field against Washington at FedEx Field on Friday night, it will be Zach's team going up against the new team of "little brother" Nate. The former Indiana quarterback was the Redskins' sixth-round pick and made a nifty pro debut at Atlanta last Thursday with 10-for-15 passing for 89 yards and a touchdown.

"He had a great game and he's having a great camp, from what I hear," Zach said. "It'll be a special moment for our family to have us playing each other. My twin brother, Matt, who played at Brown University, will be there, our parents will be there, and we'll have grandparents and family there, too."And the Sudfeld family's attention will surely be divided in the second half Friday, watching Nate add some more pro polish while also keep tabs on Zach, who'll continue to shake off the rust and move forward with his building plan.

>   http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-randylangefb/Big-Week-for-Zach-Sudfeldand-Family/a78080ca-da41-4a74-8552-9a1ff931513f

[kelly]

– There is not usually a lot of trash talk before a preseason game, but Jets tight end Zach Sudfeld has been burning up his cell phone this week with quips and taunts. Sudfeld’s younger brother, Nate, is a rookie quarterback for the Redskins.

The two spent this week looking forward to their first meeting in the NFL and their first meeting ever on afootball field Friday night when the Jets and Redskins meet. Separated by four years, the two have never played against each other or on the same team.“It’s going to be incredible,” Zach said this week. “It’s going to be really cool. Not many people have the opportunity to play against their brother in an NFL game even if it is the preseason.”

The full Sudfeld clan was expected to make its way to FedEx Field for the game – mother, father, brother, sister and grandparents.

“He’s the rookie, so he has to buy all the tickets,” Zach Sudfeld said. “That’s the rule.”

Sudfeld has been able to guide Nate through the rookie experience. From the pre-draft process to draft day to the preseason, Zach has been providing pointers.“It’s been really cool,” Zach said. “We’ve been able to talk through it all. I kind of helped him with what to expect and everything – everything from the time you’re here during camp through the rookie song. We talked that over. It’s been really cool to help him go through it, and he’s having a great camp from everything I’ve heard.”The Redskins took Nate in the sixth round of the draft. He is currently the third-string quarterback behind Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy. He went 10-for-15 for 89 yards in his preseason debut against the Falcons last week.

Nate talked this week with The Washington Times about facing Zach.

“It’s the first game of my life that my parents haven’t had to decide which game they want to go to,” Nate said. “So, very exciting to have my parents be able to watch both of us.”

It will be exciting for the Sudfelds, but also stressful.

“The most stressed-out person is going to be my mom watching the both of us,” Zach said. “Normally she gets a break when the defense is on the field and does not have to worry.”Zach said his mother, Michelle, planned on either wearing a split Jets/Redskins jersey or switching jerseys depending on who was on offense.Zach is entering his fourth season with the Jets. He is returning from a torn ACL in his left knee that cost him all of the 2015 season. He suffered the injury in minicamp last June, meaning he did not even get to training camp.

“It’s just great to be back out there,” Zach said. “With the injury last year and sitting out the whole time, you really miss it a lot. I’ve got a smile on my face coming out here every day. It’s been a blast. I’m trying not to take it for granted. There’s definitely some rust I had to work off to get back to a place where I could really contribute.”Sudfeld likely will be fighting Brandon Bostick for the third tight end spot behind Kellen Davis and Jace Amaro. Once nicknamed “Baby Gronk” in his first training camp with the Patriots, Sudfeld feels like he has made strides entering this season.

“I think the mental part of the game, just being able to see things from coverages to what the defense is doing, defensive fronts,” Sudfeld said when asked where he has improved the most. “I think that has really helped me a lot. But there’s a long way to go and a lot of stuff I can improve on.”

>      http://nypost.com/2016/08/19/jets-tight-end-plays-for-bragging-rights-against-rookie-brother/

[kelly]

 

As the Jets enter their final week of training camp, the competition remains fierce and tight end Zach Sudfeld  continues his fight to stick with the Green & White beyond the summer. The former undrafted free agent who suffered an ACL injury last year, furthered his case against Washington with three catches for 39 yards including a 19-yard touchdown reception from quarterback  Bryce Petty .

“It was a great feeling to be able to come back from injury last year, just to be out there, get into a rhythm and score a touchdown,” he said after Sunday’s practice.

Sudfeld played against his brother Nate, who is a rookie quarterback on the Redskins, for the first time in their professional careers. Needless to say, the second preseason game for both teams was a big day for the Sudfeld family from Santa Cruz, California.“My mom had a Jets shirt and a Redskins shirt cut in half, and she sowed them together. When we were on offense, she wore a No. 44 Jets jersey and then she threw on a No. 2 Redskins jersey when Nate was on offense,” he said.

Nate, a sixth-round pick from Indiana, went on to throw the game-winning touchdown pass in the final minute to overtake his big brother’s team, 22-18. “I’m glad that it’s over, so I don’t have to play against him again. Obviously he’s my brother, I’m rooting for him and really want him to succeed, but as a Jet, I don’t want him to succeed against us,” Sudfeld said. “It was a surreal experience. I didn’t know whether to be excited or upset, so I was just trying to focus on what I had to do in the game.”

Friday was a roller coaster of emotions for the 6’7”, 260-pound tight end who fumbled the football late in the fourth quarter after an 18-yard reception from Petty.“I had the fumble and that’s pretty devastating. You just need to put the ball away. I got a little too loose with it, so it’s something that you learn from,” Sudfeld said. “You’re glad that it happened in preseason, so you can go back and work on it in practice, and hopefully never let it happen again.”

Sudfeld, who entered camp No. 3 on the tight end depth chart, has four receptions in the preseason and he’s hoping he can make some contributions on Brant Boyer’s special teams unit.“You really never know where the coaches are with the depths charts, so you just work on improving your craft and let the chips fall where they may,” he said. “Hopefully, I can be utilized in whatever capacity here with the offense or special teams and just be ready to go whenever I’m called.”

video..

> http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-7/Sudfelds-Surreal-Experience/14c219fe-1a3e-46ca-965b-e21c48a53a2e

[LIJetsFan]

Fk the NE reject, Sudfeld.  Petty ran to congratulate him after his TD catch, and Sudfeld ignored him.  I was very surprised.  You don't ignore you QB.

[Copernicus]

Not sure why the 

14 minutes ago, LIJetsFan said:

Fk the NE reject, Sudfeld.  Petty ran to congratulate him after his TD catch, and Sudfeld ignored him.  I was very surprised.  You don't ignore you QB.

Not sure what the Jets see in him.. He really doesn't deserve the long look that he's getting 

[Tinstar]

14 minutes ago, LIJetsFan said:

Fk the NE reject, Sudfeld.  Petty ran to congratulate him after his TD catch, and Sudfeld ignored him.  I was very surprised.  You don't ignore you QB.

Nobody seem to have an issue when the team supposedly ignored Geno after IK broke his Jaw.  As a matter of fact, it's folk lore around here .