NorthJerseyRag: Takeaways, observations from the NY Jets' preseason win

[Gas2No99]

Takeaways, observations from the NY Jets' preseason win over the Falcons

 

EAST RUTHERFORD — All of the attention was on Sam Darnold and Teddy Bridgewater, who each made an impressive debut with the Jets on Friday night. 

But there was a whole lot more to digest from as the played their first preseason game against the Falcons at MetLife Stadium.

So here's everything you should know about the Jets' preseason opener. 

Starting defense

They were on the field for only two drives. And only one of those drives was against Falcons starting quarterback Matt Ryan. But the Jets’ starting defense looked good in its cameo appearance to start the preseason. 

The unit held the Falcons to back-to-back three-and-outs. Buster Skrine made the most notable play for the first-team defense, reading Ryan’s quick pass before he threw it and stopping receiver Calvin Ridley for a two-yard loss. Rookie Nathan Shepherd, playing with the first-teamers, made an immediate impact with two tackles in the first two drives. 

The Jets' starting defense on the field in the first quarter of Friday's win over the Falcons.

We’ll obviously learn a lot more about the defense as the preseason goes on. Expect to see more next week. But this was a good start. 

Good Cannon

We’ll start with the good stuff.  Rookie Trenton Cannon has a lot of potential as a running back. Cannon had 11 carries for 40 yards. The former Virginia State product continued to show the elusiveness and speed he flashed in training camp, running for 11 yards and 6 yards on his first two carries.

He can make guys miss. And he has a real chance to be the No. 3 running back at the end of the preseason. 

But he has a lot of work to do as a punt returner. 

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Bad Cannon

The Jets have been trying to groom Cannon as a punt returner, despite the fact that he never returned punts before being drafted in the sixth round in April. And in training camp, Cannon looked like a guy who had never returned punts before. He’s fumbled several returns in practice in the last couple of weeks. 

Coach Todd Bowles gave Cannon a shot at punt returner on Friday night, and it was more of the same: Cannon muffed two punts (recovering both). 

Still, Bowles doesn’t seem ready to abandon the experiment. 

“He can catch. He has some minor things he has to deal with. I think he’s looking at people coming down too long instead of adjusting to the ball, but that’s something he’s working on. He’s a young player. When he gets himself in position, he’ll be OK. That’s what preseason is for.”

But does Cannon have enough time to earn Bowles trust when the regular season is less than a month away?

“We’ll see,” Bowles said. 

The Jets do have a return specialist in Andre Roberts. We like his chances of making the roster. 

The kicker 

Speaking of special teams… Cairo Santos, the former Chiefs and Bears kicker, is the favorite to win the Jets starting job. But two weeks into training camp and after one preseason game, we still haven’t seen much of Santos at all. 

Bowles said the Jets have been doing kicking drills during walkthrough, which is not open to reporters. He also said that Santos has been bothered by a sore leg. Taylor Bertolet, who has yet to appear in a regular season game, handled all the kicking duties Friday night. He made a field goal from 45 yards and both extra points.

If Santos isn’t on the field against the Redskins for the second preseason game, maybe he’s not the favorite after all. 

Injury situation

The Jets suffered three notable injuries in Friday’s game: RB Isaiah Crowell suffered a head injury on his touchdown catch and did not return. Bowles said he was still being evaluated for a possible concussion after the game. …  Skrine injured his shoulder on kickoff coverage, on a play in which he became the first Jet to be flagged for lowering his head. He listed as probable to return, but didn’t play again because this is the preseason.

As expected, T Kelvin Beachum (foot) and DT Steve McLendon (leg) didn’t play. Bowles provided absolutely zero information about the seriousness or nature of their injuries or a timetable for when they might return. … S Marcus Maye and WR Terrelle Pryor have been practicing but didn’t play as they recover from ankle surgery. No reason for alarm, the Jets are just being cautious with both.

TE depth an issue?

Neal Sterling made a few impressive catches against the Falcons. (Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)

If Sterling’s injury is serious, and it didn’t look good, the Jets could have a depth issue at tight end. Rookie Chris Herndon, who has been a standout in training camp, wasn’t even on the sideline for Friday’s game. Bowles said he was dealing with “bruises” from practice. Jordan Leggett has missed the last week-plus of practice with an undisclosed injury. That leaves Clive Walford and Eric Tomlinson as the only healthy tight ends on the roster. Something to watch going forward. 

Battle at OLB

Veteran Brandon Copeland got the start at outside linebacker opposite of Jordan Jenkins. Copeland played only 16 snaps and didn’t register a tackle. But it sure sounds like Bowles is intrigued by the former Lion and Titan. 

“He’s athletic. He’s one of the guys we wanted to look at when we signed him as a free agent,” Bowles said. “ He’s done some good things, so it’s good to see him against a different team.”

Dylan Donahue of the Jets takes down Tyson Graham of the Falcons in the fourth quarter on Friday, Aug. 10, 2018 at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, in a preseason game. The Jets won, 17-0. (Photo: Chris Pedota/NorthJersey.com)

Bowles said he wanted to get a look at Copeland early in the preseason with the starters. Bowles didn’t offer an evaluation of Copeland’s performance, saying he’d need to check the tape. 

Meanwhile, Dylan Donahue had a good night. The second-year OLB recorded three tackles, two tackles for a loss and a quarterback hit. 

What’s next

The Jets travel to Richmond, Va., where they’ll practice with the Redskins on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. They play their second game of the preseason on Thursday against the Redskins  at FedEx Field in Maryland.

[joewilly12]

1 minute ago, Gas2No99 said:

If Sterling’s injury is serious, and it didn’t look good, the Jets could have a depth issue at tight end. Rookie Chris Herndon, who has been a standout in training camp, wasn’t even on the sideline for Friday’s game. Bowles said he was dealing with “bruises” from practice. Jordan Leggett has missed the last week-plus of practice with an undisclosed injury. That leaves Clive Walford and Eric Tomlinson as the only healthy tight ends on the roster. Something to watch going forward. 

Any updates on Sterlings injury?  I thought he just tweaked an ankle? 

[Gas2No99]

8 minutes ago, joewilly12 said:

Any updates on Sterlings injury?  I thought he just tweaked an ankle? 

I got to give Props when due. You CALLED IT on Sterling. He really brought a LOT of athleticism and speed to the TE position. He did a nice juke and in-cut to beat his man while "picking" another defender (off the WR doing an out route) on that seam route where TB threw it PERFECTLY and Sterling caught in GORGEOUSLY in stride. Only issue is that Sterling reminds me of Glass Joe from MT'sPO.

If he can stay healthy, WHAT a find. Good eye JW12, good eye!