TE Dept. - Chris Herndon.. ~ ~ ~

[kelly]

Chris Herndon had arguably the best season out of any rookie tight end in 2018, but he’s not stopping there.

The Jets second-year tight end out of the University of Miami jumped onto the scene a season ago, quickly emerging as one of Sam Darnold’s most trusted targets. Herndon finished second on the Jets with 502 receiving yards, which also ranked second among rookie tight ends. He led all first-year players at his position with 39 receptions, catching four touchdowns in the process.

Now, Herndon is entering his sophomore season with a bit more confidence.

“I think he’s a more confident player,” tight ends coach John Dunn told the team website. “Even from just getting here, before practicing and speaking with him and talking with him, just his confidence [is different]. He had a good year last year. And I think for him, the more he can understand defenses and not only what we’re doing, but what the opposing team is doing, now he can maximize his skillset. So that’s where I think he’s taken his biggest leap.”Herndon’s ability on the field has certainly helped overshadow his off the field concerns. He was arrested around this time last year for driving under the influence. It is expected that the league office will take some sort of disciplinary action at the start of this season.

While a punishment awaits him off the field, Herndon is putting more time into studying film this offseason.

“I feel like it’s very important,” Herndon of the classroom. “You could have all the skill in the world, but if you don’t know what to do, you’re not really going to get much playing time. Period. Before you can get out there and make plays, you have to know where to be and that’s probably the most important part. The athleticism and running comes easy.”The Jets may have found themselves a Pro Bowl caliber tight end in the fourth round of the draft. Herndon is effective in all three phases necessary for tight ends — blocking in the run game, receiving in the passing game and protecting against the rush.The Jets’ offensive success will largely rely on if Herndon is able to take his game up a notch in year two. While he is currently deemed to be a focal point in Adam Gase’s offense, it still remains to be seen whether he will suit up Week 1 against Buffalo.

>    https://jetswire.usatoday.com/2019/07/06/chris-herndon-new-york-jets-2nd-season-confidence/

[MindOverMatter]

Probably would have been a borderline 1st round talent, definitely a 2nd rounder, if he didn't get hurt at the end of his final year at Miami. 

Herndon along with Darnold will both take big steps forward in their development this season.

[NYJ1]

The best part about Herndon is no one really knows how good he is? We could have seen the best of him already (doubtful) or he could turn out to be the next great TE. That's what has me excited. Not knowing where his ceiling is, but guessing how good he can be. Only time will tell, but he's got to be a big part of Darnolds plan on the field.

[Nixhead]

Herndon is 6'4" same as Antonio Gates. Their weight is the same 255 lbs. Chris was drafted #103 Antonio 93rd. Herndons 1st season as far as production was better than Gates. Herndon also gets the good luck of probably having Sam Darnold as his QB for maybe his whole career. Herndon had some awfully good catches last season. I was impressed. Chris Herndon could be our Antonio Gates. Seems like most top QBs have a go to TE. Well we have one and he could be around for a long time!

[kelly]

Rich Cimini     ESPN Staff Writer 

Chris Herndon's four-game suspension, though not unexpected, is a big blow to the offense. Basically, it removes the tight-end position from the Jets' passing attack. The other tight ends — Eric Tomlinson, Daniel Brown and rookie Trevon Wesco — are more adept at blocking than receiving. This puts more pressure on QB Sam Darnold, who loses a quality, middle-of-the-field target. The silver lining: Coach Adam Gase can try to scheme around Herndon's absence because he has versatile players such as Quincy Enunwa and Le'Veon Bell. Enunwa thought his hybrid days were over, but he could go back to a tight end-type role.

>    https://www.espn.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets

[kelly]

The Jets were already thin at tight end. Now, they have to try to survive the start of the season without their best player at that position.

Chris Herndon was suspended for the first four games of 2019 on Friday, which stemmed from a drunk-driving crash. Herndon recently pleaded guilty to DWI in that case.Herndon’s case isn’t new, so the Jets have presumably been preparing for this moment for a while. They knew a suspension was likely, they just didn’t know for how long.But now that it’s finally official, how should new general manager Joe Douglas cope with the consequences? What moves could he make to help bolster his roster until Herndon returns?

Here’s a look at Douglas’ best tight-end options at this point:

Sign Ryan Griffin

Herndon was the only tight end on the Jets’ roster who is really a proven pass catcher. Now they have to fill that void in Sam Darnold’s arsenal. Griffin could help patch that hole. He lost his grip on the Texans’ starting job in the middle of last season, but still produced 305 receiving yards. In 2016, he topped 500 yards. (He was injury plagued in 2017.) So, he has a track record of production through the air – probably the best record of any remaining free agent. Plus, he could provide some secondary pass catching and depth once Herndon returns. Of course, this all assumes he isn’t also suspended for the season’s start; he was arrested for public intoxication and vandalism this offseason. The charges were later dismissed, though, so maybe he’ll escape league discipline as well.

Trade for (or wait for Eagles to cut) Richard Rodgers or Joshua Perkins

The Eagles are stacked at tight end position; Pro Bowl pass-catcher Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert make for a darn good combination. But the Eagles have a pair of solid veterans currently fighting for the No. 3 job behind those two stars – Richard Rodgers and Joshua Perkins. Douglas, of course, is familiar with both from his time with the Eagles. He could try to either strike a deal with his former boss, Howie Roseman, to bring one of them to New York or wait until one of them loses the battle – then try to scoop them up if/when they get cut.

Find another training camp casualty

Let’s face it – there’s bound to be some serviceable tight ends on the market once teams start making cuts. There always are – we just don’t know which names will be available yet. One to keep an eye on, though: Neal Sterling. The Jets cut him loose earlier this spring and he latched on with the Chiefs, but is fighting for a roster spot. There’s no guarantee he’ll make the team. If he doesn’t, he could be a perfect fit for the Jets to open the season, given his familiarity with the team and his pass-catching ability. He is a converted wide receiver, after all.

Lean on Trevon Wesco and Daniel Brown

This is an obvious solution – just stick with the other tight ends already on the roster. There’s some danger in that, though, considering the Jets have just three other TEs right now. And Eric Tomlinson is basically just a blocker, so that leaves Wesco and Brown to try and fill Herndon’s shoes in the passing game for four games. That could be a tall order, considering their histories; Wesco spent the past few years as a tight end/fullback hybrid in college and did very little in the passing game, while Brown has spent most of his four-year NFL career working on special teams. The Jets believe both have the potential to chip in offensively, though – and Brown flashed some nice hands during the spring. But are either of them really ready for primetime at this point? That’s an open question. Sticking with them and upping their responsibilities right out of the gate would be a serious sign of confidence.

Talk Rob Gronkowski out of retirement

Just kidding. This isn’t happening. Don’t even think about it.

>    https://www.nj.com/jets/2019/07/how-can-jets-replace-suspended-chris-herndon-joe-douglas-5-best-options.html

[kelly]

With tight end Chris Herndon suspended for the first four games of the 2019 season, the Jets will need a careful and well-executed game plan to win in his absence.

As New York Jets fans know all too well, sometimes a team’s season seems derailed before it even starts.While this year’s Jets have not reached that point yet, the news that starting tight end Chris Herndon will be suspended for the first four games of the season is certainly discouraging.Herndon had a promising rookie season, posting 4 receiving touchdowns and 500+ receiving yards last year.

Unfortunately, Herndon’s success has been largely limited to the football field, as a drunk driving arrest last year has resulted in his current suspension. If he wants to fully realize his potential and have a long career in the league, Herndon will have to show greater maturity in the future.In the meanwhile, the Jets need to find a way to win football games without one of their best offensive weapons. If they hope to win without Herndon and to start the season on a high note, the Jets should do the following.

1. Use other short-yardage receiving weapons

Young inexperienced quarterbacks benefit greatly from having reliable short-yardage receiving options. When facing confusing pass coverages or a fierce pass rush, having safe short-yardage receiving options allow quarterbacks to turn potentially negative plays (i.e. interceptions, sacks) into positive ones.Without Herndon, the Jets will need to find other players to fill that role for Sam Darnold.Newly signed slot receiver Jamison Crowder should play a heavy role in the New York offense, especially early on in the season (fantasy football players take note). Fellow newcomer Le’Veon Bell is an elite pass-catching running back, and the Jets should find ample ways to incorporate him into their offense as well.

2. Return to ground and pound

The Mark Sanchez/ Rex Ryan Jets illustrated that an elite running game and defense may not be a championship formula, but it can help a team get hot for a short period of time.Behind their superstar starter Bell, the Jets have a litany of options at running back.The Jets should use their depth to their advantage and run the ball frequently. Doing so would allow the Jets to dominate the time of possession, minimize mistakes from Darnold, compensate for a weakened passing attack, and wear out opposing defenses.

3. Take a chance on unknown players

With every injury or suspension comes new opportunity.Although the Jets would obviously rather have Herndon, his absence allows them to give snaps to other players.Perhaps rookie tight end Trevon Wesco exceeds expectations? Maybe Daniel Brown just needed a change in scenery to be successful?Future stars are sometimes discovered only after current stars are sidelined. However unlikely, perhaps New York will get lucky and strike gold. The franchise is certainly long overdue for some good luck.Although losing Herndon for the first four games is a significant blow to the Jets’ offense, the team has talent and depth. Gang Green fans can only hope that the coaching staff is able to effectively translate that potential into wins on the field.

>    https://thejetpress.com/2019/07/16/jets-chris-herndon-suspension-analysis/

[kelly]

The New York Jets have agreed to a deal with free-agent tight end Ryan Griffin, ESPN has confirmed.

The move comes after tight end Chris Herndon was handed a four-game suspension by the NFL for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, stemming from a June 2018 drunken-driving arrest in New Jersey.Griffin became a free agent when the Houston Texans released him in May, just weeks after he was arrested on charges of vandalism and public intoxication for allegedly punching out a front window in a hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, which was hosting the NFL draft.

Police in Nashville say hotel security followed Griffin after the window was broken, and when officers responded to the call, Griffin's left hand and fingers were bleeding and he appeared intoxicated and unsteady on his feet.Police say Griffin was arrested for his own safety rather than given misdemeanor citations. A friend of Griffin's said he had been    overserved,   according to multiple reports.

Charges against Griffin were ultimately dismissed.

News of Griffin's deal with the Jets was first reported by NFL Network.Griffin, who turned 29 in January, had 24 receptions for 305 yards last season and has 136 career receptions and seven touchdowns in six seasons, all with the Texans, who selected him in the sixth round (201st overall) of the 2013 draft.In other roster moves, the Jets placed free safety Marcus Maye on the active/physically unable to perform list. This means Maye, who had shoulder surgery following last season and was limited throughout the offseason, can be activated at any time.Rookie cornerback Blessuan Austin, a sixth-round pick out of Rutgers, was placed on the active/non-football injury list. He missed most of last season after major knee surgery.

>  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27239885/source-jets-agree-griffin-deal-add-te-depth

 

~ ~ " overserved "..  i guess i'm Not the only one

[kelly]

The Jets lost their best red-zone weapon when the NFL suspended tight end Chris Herndon for the first four games of the season. But after signing Ryan Griffin, Sam Darnold and the Jets will once again have a big-bodied target in the most important part of the field.

Griffin isn’t the best pass-catching tight end in the league, but he is efficient – especially in the red zone. All of Griffin’s seven career touchdowns have come in the red zone, with five coming inside the five-yard line. In six seasons with the Houston Texans, the 6-foot-6, 264-pound Griffin caught 61.5 percent of his targets (136 receptions) for 1,491 yards and the seven red zone touchdowns. Griffin is coming off back-to-back down years, though, only catching 37 receptions for 463 yards and one touchdown in 21 games.While not gaudy numbers by any means, Griffin’s stats alone make him the Jets’ most experienced and best receiving tight end option to start the season. The remaining tight end trio of Eric Tomlinson, Daniel Brown and rookie Trevon Wesco combined for only 51 receptions for 510 yards and two touchdowns in 80 total games.

Tomlinson, Brown and Wesco were never going to be the answer to Herndon’s absence, especially since all three are known more as blockers than pass-catching tight ends.Bringing in an experienced player like Griffin immediately makes the position more important to Adam Gase’s offense.Griffin, combined with running back Le’Veon Bell and the wide receiving corps of Robby Anderson, Quincy Enunwa and Jamison Crowder, give Darnold an arsenal of offensive weapons he never had in his rookie season. Griffin will also be a great option in the middle of the field for Darnold to target. He caught 73 balls for 886 yards between his own team’s 20- and 49-yard line over the course of his career.

The signing is the perfect stop-gap for the Herndon suspension while Darnold and the rest of the team continue to learn the offense. Wesco appeared to be in line for more targets with Herndon out, but the Griffin signing signals the Jets haven’t seen enough from the rookie to thrust him into a bigger role in the offense.This move is a perfect example of how new GM Joe Douglas operates given the available players. The Texans released Griffin early this offseason after he was arrested in Nashville during the NFL draft for public intoxication and vandalism. Griffin also allegedly punched out a window of a hotel, but the charges were later dropped. Douglas, realizing the Jets’ lacked a player with Griffin’s exact skillset, swooped in on a veteran pass-catcher the Jets needed.

It’s a low-risk move that fills a need and bolsters one of the more shallow positions on the Jets roster. Griffin isn’t the most tantalizing player, but he could be valuable in the short-term.

>    https://jetswire.usatoday.com/2019/07/23/ryan-griffin-red-zone-target-sam-darnold-jets-chris-herndon/?utm_source=smg&utm_medium=wasabi&utm_content=home-hero

[kelly]

With tight end Chris Herndon’s four-game suspension looming over their heads, the Jets have quickly added depth to their roster by signing Temuchin Hodges on Wednesday.

This, of course, comes off the heels of the team signing ex-Texans tight end Ryan Griffin on Monday afternoon. The Jets will enter camp with Hodges, Griffin, Eric Tomlinson, Trevon Wesco and Daniel Brown looking to fill the void.Hodges, formerly known as Bucky, spent three months in green and white last summer before finding a home on Pittsburgh’s practice squad. While he worked his way to a future/reserve contract with the Steelers in January, he was ultimately waived by the team in April.

Originally a sixth-round selection by the Vikings, Hodges never lived up to the expectations he had warranted from his time at Virginia Tech. It was there that he totaled 133 receptions for 1,747 yards and 20 touchdowns.New York has numerous options at tight end in terms of blocking. Where they’ll miss Herndon is in the passing attack. For Hodges to earn a roster spot, he’ll have to impress in that facet of the game.

In other news, the Vikings claimed RB De’Angelo Henderson from the Jets.

>    https://jetswire.usatoday.com/2019/07/25/jets-tight-end-bucky-hodges/?utm_source=smg&utm_medium=wasabi&utm_content=home-hero

[kelly]

Google Ryan Griffin’s name and won’t have to scroll down too far to see it.

“Ryan Griffin released after arrest ...”

The first part of that sentence is just business – NFL teams cut and sign players all the time. But the second half is ugly. And Griffin knows it.

“I’m not usually a public guy," Griffin, who signed with the Jets last week, said. "I don’t have any social media or anything like that. So for that to come out ... it really hurts because that’s not who I am. It was a mistake and hopefully I’ve learned from it.”

That mistake was made in late April in Nashville, on Friday night of the NFL Draft.

According to police, the 29-year-old tight end punched through a hotel window, then was found “stumbling on the sidewalk, almost going into the road and traffic on the road." His left hand was bleeding and he smelled of alcohol, police said.

He was charged with vandalism and public intoxication as a result.

About three weeks later, on May 17, the Texans let him go, ending a six-year relationship with their 2013 sixth-round pick.But the charges have since been dropped. And Griffin has since found a new home with the Jets.Now he’s determined to make his mark in another, more positive way.“(The worst part) is being defined by that moment – but I’m not going to let that happen,” Griffin said.Griffin opted to sign with the Jets on July 22, just two days before training camp began. But he said the Jets first showed interest shortly after his release. A few other teams popped up, too, but Griffin ultimately decided the Jets were the best fit – and the team that valued him the most.

It’s surely no coincidence that the Jets inked Griffin just a few days after fellow tight end Chris Herndon was suspended for the season’s first four games. The Jets were already thin at that position; now they need to cover a big hole early in the year.

Griffin believes he has a chance to be that guy.

“It just puts more pressure on me to get accustomed to the offense quicker and learn the intricacies of the offense so I’m ready if they need me," Griffin said. "Obviously, we’d love to have Chris out there, it just didn’t work out like that. But hopefully I can help fill that void that he leaves and hold it down for him until Week 6.”

Griffin is honest – he’s still very much at the beginning stages of learning Adam Gase’s offense. He knows he’s made some silly mistakes through the first week of training camp and has felt “like a rookie again” at times during this transition.But he’s also shown some flashes of the tight end he’s proven he can be – like on a 30-yard completion up the seam from Trevor Siemian on Sunday.Through five NFL seasons, Griffin has played in 77 games, including 36 starts, 136 catches, 1,491 yards and seven touchdowns. That’s a much deeper resume than any other tight end on the Jets’ current roster. So he believes it’s just a matter of time before this new system sinks in and the results follow.After all, he’s been through this before; he cycled through two different offenses at UConn and two with the Texans before this latest move to Florham Park.

“The plays are the plays," Griffin said. "There’s only so many plays you can put in – it’s just what you call them and the little details that make all the difference.”

Once that process is complete, Griffin’s next one will begin – putting the past behind him by making his name synonymous with something other than his current search-engine results.“I think there’s an opportunity for me to come in and help the team win immediately,” Griffin said. “With a young quarterback in Sam (Darnold), it’s a promising young team with a lot of talent on offense and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

>    https://www.nj.com/jets/2019/08/ryan-griffin-hates-to-google-his-own-name-but-hopes-to-change-that-with-jets.html