Connor Hughes Film Review

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Disclaimer: This is a film review of an NFL preseason game. Very little (if any) game planning went into this game. Make mental notes of these observations, not absolute evaluations of the players reviewed. 

OK, now that we've got that out of the way...

It was an up-and-down performance for the Jets in Friday night's preseason matchup with the Washington Redskins. There were highs, lows, and plenty of in-betweens. We've already gone over a few takeaways, instant observations andthree stars from the game. Now, having reviewed the film, we thought it would be a good idea to dive back in with a few more observations. 

Jets pass protection not bad: 

The Jets were without center Nick Mangold and right tackle Breno Giacomini against Washington. It didn't seem to impact them much. Absent a play or two when Washington brought pressure, the Jets' front five held up quite well. Below are a few screen grabs of the protection given to quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. 

Connor Hughes | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

Connor Hughes | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

Safety Rontez Miles is relentless

Miles is not the best safety on the Jets' roster. But his motor is unmatched. He goes 110 miles per hour on every single play, and out-performs players more physically gifted than him because of it. This could be the year (after being cut in 2013, 2014 and 2015) Miles makes the Jets' 53-man roster out of camp. It was almost impossible to watch Friday night's film and not see No. 45 flashing every other play. 

Linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin isn't all the way there yet 

Mauldin was a situational pass rusher for the Jets in 2015. As a rookie, he would come in on third down or passing situations. His primary goal was to go and get the quarterback. 

This year, he's the Jets' every-down linebacker. He's still getting comfortable in that role. 

There were multiple times Friday night when Mauldin worked himself too far up the field and out of the play. When he tried to cut back up the field, an offensive lineman would drive him further out of it. Mauldin also lost his footing a couple of times. This isn't a huge red flag, but it is something to monitor. 

Where is the Jets pass rush?

Muhammad Wilkerson hasn't played in a preseason game yet, which is likely a big reason for the lack of a pass rush from the Jets' front. Outside of Leonard Williams, Sheldon Richardson, Jarvis Jenkins and others have been quiet.

Against Washington, the Jets attempted to get pressure with just their defensive front. It didn't work. On several occasions, Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy was standing in the pocket with no one near him.  

Connor Hughes | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

Connor Hughes | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

Rookie linebacker Jordan Jenkins likes hitting people

Just about any time Jenkins has spoken this summer, he has told anyone who would listen how much he loves hitting people. In the Jets' preseason opener, he put a pretty good smack on Jaguars running back Chris Ivory. Against Washington, he drilled McCoy twice. 

Jenkins came unblocked on the first play of the game and planted McCoy. You cansee the photo here. A couple of series later, Jenkins again got McCoy on a bootleg. The rookie is progressing well through three weeks of training camp. 

Linebacker Erin Henderson stepped up before injury

Henderson avoided an injury scare Friday night. Near the goal line, Henderson dropped his head to make a tackle on Washington running back Chris Thompson. He fell to the ground after and hung his shoulder. Trainers took Henderson to the locker room with what looked like a serious shoulder injury. 

Instead, it was just a stinger. 

Before that hit, Henderson was flying all over the field. That might not be a coincidence. In the Jets' training camp practices before Friday's game, Henderson had gone from taking every rep with the first team, to splitting them with rookie Darron Lee. Did Henderson take his game to another level to show he still belongs on the field? Possibly. 

Geno Smith's interception

Quarterbacks make bad decisions. Even the best ones. 

Friday night, Geno Smith made a bad decision. 

Despite a clean pocket, Smith forced a ball into triple coverage and was intercepted by Washington cornerback Will Blackmon. The tape? It's not pretty. Check out the play broken down below. 

Connor Hughes | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

Connor Hughes | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

The alarming aspect of Smith's performance Friday was his inability to get off his first read. On more than one occasion, Smith locked onto his initial read and stared him down. This allowed the defender to react accordingly.  

Connor Hughes may be reached at chughes@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connor_J_Hughes. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.