11:40 AM ET
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    Rich CiminiESPN Staff Writer

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The good news about Darron Lee is that he's getting a lot of on-the-job training as an every-down linebacker for the New York Jets. He needs it.

As he showed last Sunday, it takes more than blinding speed to be a quality NFL linebacker. On the San Francisco 49ers' second series -- four plays, 81 yards and a touchdown -- Lee made a mistake on each play.Missed tackle at the point of attack. Missed tackle in pass coverage. Wrong gap on a 47-yard run. Out of position on a 4-yard touchdown run.

Coach Todd Bowles pulled him out of the game for a few plays, giving the rookie a chance to chill."Sometimes he gets a little bit too hyper, and when he gets hyper he blows an assignment here and there," Bowles said. "So we just had to get him out to calm him down and put him back in. He was fine after that. Early in the game, he was a little bit too hyped up. He missed a tackle or two and he got out of a gap one time."

The Jets have a lot invested in Lee, whom they selected with the 20th pick in the draft. His production isn't terrible -- he's second on the team with 52 solo tackles -- but he's still learning the nuances of the position. He was thrust into a starting role when Erin Henderson was placed on the non-football injury list in October, and the former Ohio State star is making his share of mistakes. Right now, he's performing at a backup/marginal starter level.

But the organization still sees potential.

"He’s great; Darron is great," Bowles said. "Darron is going to be a good football player."Lee is lucky to be playing alongside David Harris, a savvy veteran who provides a good example. Harris provided a brief pep talk after Lee's nightmarish start against the 49ers. A Michigan man pumping up an Ohio State guy? Oh, the irony.

 

"He sat next to me on the sideline and you could tell he was thinking about it," Harris said. "I told him, 'Just let it go, move on.' I wanted to settle his nerves a little bit. There was still a lot of football left in the game. You can't be slowed down by something that happens early. That's one of the biggest things for a young guy to understand."Lee's emotions got the best of him again in the fourth quarter, when Jets quarterback Bryce Petty was hit on the boundary by cornerback Jimmie Ward. The Jets' sideline screamed for a late hit, with Lee jumping in Ward's face. Bowles grabbed Lee's jersey and pulled him out of the fray, barking a few words to the rookie.

"We were just trying to see whether he was out of bounds or not," Bowles said Tuesday. "It was nothing important."Bowles, who doesn't laugh too much, was laughing when he said it. Translation: He singed the kid's ears.

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