Jets are rebuilding team chemistry -- with help from military

[Gas2No99]

Jets are rebuilding team chemistry -- with help from military

 

Jets coach Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Johnny Morton, right, keep watch over OTAs. Ed Mulholland/USA TODAY Sports

A look at what's happening around the New York Jets:

1. Team harmony? There are two ways to improve locker room chemistry: Get rid of the bad apples and create a positive, team-first environment. The Jets are attacking the issue from both angles.

In addition to shaking up the roster, coach Todd Bowles is trying to change the culture by exposing the players to outside voices. Guest speakers have addressed the team this offseason, including an Army unit that conducted team-building exercises with the players.

Bowles declined a request to talk about it, and players were hesitant to give away specifics on who and what, but it sounds like the new approach has been well received.

"A lot of times, when somebody from the outside comes in, you're kind of like, 'Man, I don't know,' but everybody he brought in had a good message," cornerback Buster Skrine said. "I think everybody who took part in those workouts and certain meetings really appreciated it, and we learned a lot -- how to be a team, how to lead."

Safety Rontez Miles said, "You see the change from last year. People are really serious about this. We're holding each other accountable, and I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes."

Kudos to the coach for taking steps to eradicate the bad karma that enveloped last season's team.

2. Candid coach: The Jets held their annual town hall last week, drawing more than 100 season-ticket holders to the team facility for a Q&A with Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan. It wasn't open to the media, but I got wind of a few things that were said.

Bowles was asked by one fan about the quarterback competition, and he was quite a bit more forthcoming than usual. From what I hear, he left the distinct impression that Josh McCown will be the opening-day starter. Bowles didn't come out and say it, but he told the crowd he has a pretty good idea of how it will turn out. He said McCown has an advantage over Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty because of his familiarity with the West Coast offense. But he also noted that he expects Hackenberg to play at some point.

These weren't groundbreaking comments -- Bowles stated what people have been reporting for weeks -- but he gave more context than his usual coachspeak at news conferences.

3. A deal for the ages: The Calvin Pryor-for-Demario Davis swap was a rare player-for-player trade. In fact, it was the Jets' first since they unloaded Wayne Hunter in 2012, according to Randy Lange of the Jets' official website. That's when they exchanged tackles with the St. Louis Rams. The Jets got Jason Smith, the Rams got Hunter.

Maccagnan has made several player trades during his three-year tenure, but the Pryor deal was the first time he dealt away a player. Why were the Jets so hell-bent on unloading him to the Cleveland Browns? It was a combination of factors, on and off the field. His fate probably was sealed when safety Jamal Adams unexpectedly slipped to the Jets with the sixth pick in the draft.

Those in Pryor's camp could point to the following stats, which show the pass defense was significantly better last season when he was on the field ... but apparently not enough to alter the Jets' plans:

Jets Defense With Calvin Pryor On/Off Field in 2016

Category	On Field	Off Field
Percentage of plays	78	22
Yards per play	5.5	5.4
Total QBR	62.3	89.0
Third-down percentage	37	54
Completion percentage	63	66
Touchdowns-interceptions	19-8	11-0
Yards per rush	3.7	3.9

4. Scouting report on Johnny Mo: Former Jets coach Eric Mangini held his annual youth football camp Saturday in Hartford, Connecticut, drawing more than 700 campers and dozens of pro and college coaches. One of them was the Jets' new offensive coordinator, Johnny Morton. Mangini and Morton were together for the 2013 and 2014 seasons on the San Francisco 49ers' staff, so Mangini witnessed up close how Johnny Mo -- as his friends call him -- operates.

"Johnny is really smart, really disciplined," Mangini told me. "He's not afraid to be multiple, he's not afraid to attack weaknesses. He's not afraid to use guys in different spots. I always liked that about him: his willingness to try new things. Sometimes that's hard for coaches -- to get out of their comfort zone.

"And he's tough," Mangini continued. "He's going to be demanding of the players. He's going to hold them accountable. I think he's going to be a really good hire."

5. Adjusting the books: The Jets gained $6 million in cap room Friday as Marcus Gilchrist's salary officially came off the books. Because they released the safety last month with the post-June 1 designation, the Jets had to wait until June 2 until his money was cleared. The post-June 1 route allowed them to spread the remaining prorated portion of his bonuses over two years ($1.375 million in each) instead of absorbing the full hit ($2.75 million) this year.

6. Money for nothing: While we're on the subject of the salary cap, it's worth noting that 10 percent of the Jets' total cap is devoted to players no longer on the roster -- about $16 million in "dead" money. They have a $1.14 million charge for Pryor. The biggest charges are Darrelle Revis ($6 million) and Ryan Fitzpatrick ($5 million).

7. Weight watchers: A week ago, I wrote about tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkinsand how he dropped 25 pounds since the end of last season. He's not the only player who has lost serious poundage. Miles told me he's down to 200 pounds, a 26-pound loss from last year. He's back to his college weight, and he believes it'll help his movement skills, especially in pass coverage.

8. Help wanted: One position that has fallen between the cracks for the Jets is fullback. Remember the fullback? They didn't carry one last season, as they ran one-back sets out of Chan Gailey's spread offense. Morton will use some two-back sets in his West Coast-based system, and the only fullbacks on the roster are the unproven Julian Howsare and undrafted rookie Anthony Firkser. The Jets flirted with a few in free agency, including former Minnesota Vikings fullback Zach Line (still unsigned). It wouldn't be a surprise if they address it in the near future.

 

9. OTA observations: Juston Burris is getting a lot of reps; he's working as an outside cornerback in the starting nickel package. He's a player to watch. ... Brandon Shell and Brent Qvale are splitting reps at right tackle. Ben Ijalana continues to hold down left tackle as Kelvin Beachumdeals with knee soreness. ... Is there a punt returner in the house? I could list the candidates, but you probably haven't heard of any of them. ... Dylan Donahue, the small-school pass-rusher from West Georgia, worked with the starting nickel package last week. He's relentless. ... Seferian-Jenkins continues to turn heads. ...

10. Calendar: The Jets have one more week of OTAs (four practices), followed by a mandatory minicamp (June 13-15).

[New York Mick]

If they could teach one of the QBs how to play it would be helpful. 

[T0mShane]

Cliff Notes version: Bowles is subcontracting the leadership of the team, Josh McCown is starting, and the Jets have more cash tied up in dead money than they do in any one position group outside of the OL and DL. 

[Integrity28]

2 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

Cliff Notes version: Bowles is subcontracting the leadership of the team, Josh McCown is starting, and the Jets have more cash tied up in dead money than they do in any one position group outside of the OL and DL. 

Cliff notes of your cliff notes: new regime, same as the old regime

[T0mShane]

8 minutes ago, Integrity28 said:

Cliff notes of your cliff notes: new regime, same as the old regime

At least the new regime doesn't celebrate its idiocy, I guess.

[Integrity28]

6 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

At least the new regime doesn't celebrate its idiocy, I guess.

I mean, what else could you really ask for?

[dbatesman]

1 hour ago, Gas2No99 said:

 

6. Money for nothing: While we're on the subject of the salary cap, it's worth noting that 10 percent of the Jets' total cap is devoted to players no longer on the roster -- about $16 million in "dead" money. They have a $1.14 million charge for Pryor. The biggest charges are Darrelle Revis ($6 million) and Ryan Fitzpatrick ($5 million).

The GENIUS of Macc

[Gas2No99]

56 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

Cliff Notes version: Bowles is subcontracting the leadership of the team, Josh McCown is starting, and the Jets have more cash tied up in dead money than they do in any one position group outside of the OL and DL. 

Reading is FUNdamental. Cliff Notes has led to the denigration of our society due to accepting the summaries of others to stand in for verifying and reading the material for ourselves; no surprise the notion of Fake News is rather prominent since so many suckers are too lazy to seek facts so they merely accept whatever diatribe is presented to them via their social media platform. 

[Gas2No99]

1 hour ago, T0mShane said:

Cliff Notes version: Bowles is subcontracting the leadership of the team, Josh McCown is starting, and the Jets have more cash tied up in dead money than they do in any one position group outside of the OL and DL. 

. . . . . but YES. that is a rather correct succinct summary. 

[Charlie Brown]

To the OP thanks for posting!!!

For me this was valuable info in so far it put somethings in perspective.  

[jeremy2020]

McCown will start so Bowles believes they'll be eliminated early and can possibly think about playing Hack...

[Gas2No99]

20 minutes ago, jeremy2020 said:

McCown will start so Bowles believes they'll be eliminated early and can possibly think about playing Hack...

[Jetscode1]

13 hours ago, T0mShane said:

Cliff Notes version: Bowles is subcontracting the leadership of the team, Josh McCown is starting, and the Jets have more cash tied up in dead money than they do in any one position group outside of the OL and DL. 

 

13 hours ago, Integrity28 said:

Cliff notes of your cliff notes: new regime, same as the old regime

As Jets fans, we're either of you expecting this to go easy?  Woody is still the owner, the team is still in the media capital of the world, we need to get worse before we get better.  Hell, I like these moves and the only thing that could improve the optics is they change the uniforms to green/white/grey camouflage.  

[Gas2No99]

42 minutes ago, Jetscode1 said:

 

As Jets fans, we're either of you expecting this to go easy?  Woody is still the owner, the team is still in the media capital of the world, we need to get worse before we get better.  Hell, I like these moves and the only thing that could improve the optics is they change the uniforms to green/white/grey camouflage.  

Don't feed the Trolls. Although they are quite funny and amusing, don't take them seriously  - just like Gremlins - keep them in the dark and don't give them water or they become worse. 

 

@T0mShane in the morning:

 

 @T0mShane upon reading Jets news:

 

with @dbatesman and @Integrity28 in tow:

 

[thadude]

14 hours ago, T0mShane said:

Cliff Notes version: Bowles is subcontracting the leadership of the team, Josh McCown is starting, and the Jets have more cash tied up in dead money than they do in any one position group outside of the OL and DL. 

But Macaganan and Bowles are doing a good job!

[Tony MaC]

Not gonna criticize them for adding some perspective to their players, that's just silly. Nothing wrong with that.

 

 

 

[Gas2No99]

35 minutes ago, Tony MaC said:

Not gonna criticize them for adding some perspective to their players, that's just silly. Nothing wrong with that.

Only on this board can you find CONSTANT complaining about anything and everything regarding the Jets. If the Jets won the SB, people here would b!tch about why it took so ling instead of enjoying the moment for ONCE in life. 

It's like a jewish mother-in-law convention in here most of the time:

 

leads one to yell:

[Jetscode1]

2 hours ago, Gas2No99 said:

Don't feed the Trolls. Although they are quite funny and amusing, don't take them seriously  - just like Gremlins - keep them in the dark and don't give them water or they become worse. 

 

@T0mShane in the morning:

 

 @T0mShane upon reading Jets news:

 

with @dbatesman and @Integrity28 in tow:

 

Trolls are my friends.

[AFJF]

6 hours ago, Gas2No99 said:

Don't feed the Trolls. Although they are quite funny and amusing, don't take them seriously  - just like Gremlins - keep them in the dark and don't give them water or they become worse. 

 

@T0mShane in the morning:

 

 @T0mShane upon reading Jets news:

 

with @dbatesman and @Integrity28 in tow:

 

When it comes to trolling this team and making us laugh so we don't cry, there is @T0mShane, and then there's everybody else.

[Integrity28]

11 hours ago, Gas2No99 said:

Don't feed the Trolls. Although they are quite funny and amusing, don't take them seriously  - just like Gremlins - keep them in the dark and don't give them water or they become worse. 

 

@T0mShane in the morning:

 

 @T0mShane upon reading Jets news:

 

with @dbatesman and @Integrity28 in tow:

 

I reject the notion that I am somehow aligned with these two buffoons. I have a complete chronicle of the material, themes and motifs they've stolen from me over the years. I am 1 of a kind. 

Also, kudos for using pictures so well to demonstrate how irritated you are by people on a message board.

[Gas2No99]

Just now, Integrity28 said:

Also, kudos for using pictures so well to demonstrate how irritated you are by people on a message board.

different means to get points across. 

you guys don't irritate as much as the old pissing vinegar lot which I apparently enraged in another thread now. LOL. 

[Integrity28]

Just now, Gas2No99 said:

different means to get points across. 

you guys don't irritate as much as the old pissing vinegar lot which I apparently enraged in another thread now. LOL. 

pretty sure it's piss & vinegar, not pissing vinegar lol

[Gas2No99]

1 minute ago, Integrity28 said:

pretty sure it's piss & vinegar, not pissing vinegar lol

You are correct. I like to say pissing vinegar so AT LEAST I can think it burns their respective urethra while they b!tch and complain about something. At least there is SOME discomfort and pain to them as they spew their bitterness; silly I know. 

[#27TheDominator]

On 6/4/2017 at 7:13 AM, Gas2No99 said:

In addition to shaking up the roster, coach Todd Bowles is trying to change the culture by exposing the players to outside voices. Guest speakers have addressed the team this offseason, including an Army unit that conducted team-building exercises with the players.

I know that they are probably just using typical team-building organizational motivational speakers, but the first thing I thought of when I read the thread title was Mangini in Cleveland. 

Jackson wrote that he had heard horror stories of Mangini’s time with the Jets while he was playing in Denver. But figured the tales had to be overblown. In his mind, they were not. And that was solidified when Mangini brought in a soldier who had lost his legs and his friends in a bomb explosition. The coach was “trying to draw an honest parallel between the bomb that killed his friends and the following evening’s preseason game against the Tennessee Titans,” Jackson wrote.

...and there he is!

On 6/4/2017 at 7:13 AM, Gas2No99 said:

4. Scouting report on Johnny Mo: Former Jets coach Eric Mangini held his annual youth football camp Saturday in Hartford, Connecticut, drawing more than 700 campers and dozens of pro and college coaches. One of them was the Jets' new offensive coordinator, Johnny Morton. Mangini and Morton were together for the 2013 and 2014 seasons on the San Francisco 49ers' staff, so Mangini witnessed up close how Johnny Mo -- as his friends call him -- operates.

"Johnny is really smart, really disciplined," Mangini told me. "He's not afraid to be multiple, he's not afraid to attack weaknesses. He's not afraid to use guys in different spots. I always liked that about him: his willingness to try new things. Sometimes that's hard for coaches -- to get out of their comfort zone.

"And he's tough," Mangini continued. "He's going to be demanding of the players. He's going to hold them accountable. I think he's going to be a really good hire."

[#27TheDominator]

Just now, #27TheDominator said:

I know that they are probably just using typical organizational, teambuilding motivational speakers, but the first thing I thought of when I read the thread title was Mangini in Cleveland. 

Jackson wrote that he had heard horror stories of Mangini’s time with the Jets while he was playing in Denver. But figured the tales had to be overblown. In his mind, they were not. And that was solidified when Mangini brought in a soldier who had lost his legs and his friends in a bomb explosition. The coach was “trying to draw an honest parallel between the bomb that killed his friends and the following evening’s preseason game against the Tennessee Titans,” Jackson wrote.

...and there he is!

 

[#27TheDominator]

I will use this double post as an opportunity to say that I guess those statistics above will be used to explain why Adams wasn't enough and we needed to add Mayes as well.  In fact, they probably only traded down in the 3rd because Melifonwu was scooped up by the Raiders in the 2nd!

[Integrity28]

25 minutes ago, Gas2No99 said:

You are correct. I like to say pissing vinegar so AT LEAST I can think it burns their respective urethra while they b!tch and complain about something. At least there is SOME discomfort and pain to them as they spew their bitterness; silly I know. 

No, no, this seems quite reasonable and in-line with things I'd expect from a normal person.

[Gas2No99]

33 minutes ago, Integrity28 said:

No, no, this seems quite reasonable and in-line with things I'd expect from a normal person.

doesn't it? 

Good to know I'm not the only one (sarcasm).