Jetsfan80 Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 https://www.nfl.com/news/afc-east-inside-intel-vital-rookies-key-position-battles-juicy-subplots AFC East inside intel: Vital rookies, key position battles, juicy subplots Charley Casserly NFL.COM ANALYST Charley Casserly spent three decades in the NFL, starting as an unpaid intern and ultimately serving as general manager of the Washington Redskins and Houston Texans, snagging three Super Bowl rings along the way. During his rise up the scouting ranks and eventual entry into the front office, Casserly made connections across the league -- lasting connections that extend to this day and provide rare access to the team-building process. In the Inside Intel series, our resident GM mines his sources across the league to relay the inside word on impact rookies, prominent position battles and remaining questions. You'll find the AFC East intel below. Buffalo Bills 2019 season · 10-6 IMPACT ROOKIES A.J. Epenesa, defensive end: With good size and long arms, Epenesa was a productive pass rusher at Iowa. He will compete for a starting DE position and will be best used as an end on run downs and DT on passing downs. Zack Moss, running back: A physical inside runner with competitive speed, Moss will be a good complementary back to Devin Singletary, who is best used as a change-of-pace back and doubles as a receiver. KEY POSITION BATTLES Table inside Article Position LG/RG Jon Feliciano Quinton Spain Cody Ford Daryl Williams RT Cody Ford Daryl Williams DE Mario Addison A.J. Epenesa Trent Murphy CB2 Josh Norman Levi Wallace Jerry Hughes will start on one side of the defensive line, but who starts opposite him is yet to be decided. ONE ADDITIONAL STORYLINE Will Josh Allen continue to improve? He's done so each season, but the Bills would like him to refine his deep accuracy and stay within the offense. The Bills brought in surrounding talent this offseason in an effort to help Allen, who tends to try to do too much. Playmakers like Stefon Diggs should help take pressure off the third-year passer. Miami Dolphins 2019 record · 5-11 IMPACT ROOKIES Tua Tagovailoa, quarterback: Tua is recovering "miraculously" from his hip injury. Once he is 100 percent, the question remains: Can Tua be the same strong player he was in college, one who played fast and showed good anticipation in his decision-making and throws? Tua is a great fit for Chan Gailey's spread offense but will need to carefully calculate when it's appropriate to be a risk-taker as a runner, especially in the middle of the field. The 6-foot passer will also need to learn to adjust to NFL pass rushers when he gets on the field, which won't be right away. There's no need to thrust Tua into the starting role Week 1. Austin Jackson, left tackle: The athletic rookie will be given a shot to be the team's starting left tackle; he could use a year of seasoning but might not have that luxury. Jackson's biggest deficiencies at this point are his strength and hand techniques, which could take time to develop. The loss of spring workouts with the Dolphins has not helped him. Robert Hunt, offensive tackle: Hunt is a powerful, nasty blocker who will get a chance to play right tackle. There are questions as to whether he can handle speed rushers on the outside, and he needs to improve his hand use. His hands are too wide at times, exposing his chest to defenders. If he doesn't work at right tackle, the Dolphins might move him in to guard. KEY POSITION BATTLES Table inside Article Position WR3 Allen Hurns Albert Wilson Isaiah Ford Jakeem Grant RG Jesse Davis Mike Deiter RT Robert Hunt Jesse Davis DT Davon Godchaux Christian Wilkins Raekwon Davis DE1/DE2 Shaq Lawson Emmanuel Ogbah Kyle Van Noy ILB Jerome Baker Kamu Grugier-Hill MIKE Elandon Roberts Raekwon McMillan NCB Noah Igbinoghene Nik Needham Jamal Perry FS/SS Eric Rowe Brandon Jones Bobby McCain There are still a lot of questions surrounding the safety position. Who are the starters? How is playing time broken up? Player roles must also be determined. ONE ADDITIONAL STORYLINE Will the revamped O-line come together? The Dolphins will have four new starters, so it could take some time for this unit to jell. Can Jackson hold up at left tackle vs. power rushers? And Hunt against speed rushers? Who will emerge as the starting right guard? Will it be Jesse Davis, who is a good athlete with strength but is a converted D-lineman, or second-year pro Mike Deiter, who needs to improve his handling of quick rushers and tends to play too high and with his hands too wide? Davis could end up as the right tackle if Hunt is unable to handle fending off pass rushers. The only two sure starters in this lineup are LG Erik Flowers and C Ted Karras. Otherwise, there are a lot of unanswered questions. New England Patriots 2019 record · 12-4 IMPACT ROOKIES Devin Asiasi, tight end: The rookie will compete for a starting spot, as he has the physical talent to be both a blocker and receiver. He must show he has the maturity on and off the field to be a consistently good player (he had one productive season at UCLA). Josh Uche, linebacker: Uche was drafted to fill the role of Kyle Van Noy, who now resides in Miami with Brian Flores. Uche showed he can play the run well, that he can cover and rush the passer at Michigan. He should help as a blitzer as well, but is he strong enough to set the edge vs. the run the way Van Noy did? KEY POSITION BATTLES Table inside Article Position QB Jarrett Stidham Cam Newton Brian Hoyer TE Matt LaCosse Devin Asiasi Dalton Keene SAM Ja'Whaun Bentley Josh Uche ONE ADDITIONAL STORYLINE A deeper dive into the new QB room. The Patriots' QB room got a whole lot better over the weekend when they signed Cam Newton to a one-year deal. Where he fits in is still unknown. Newton, if healthy (my sources tell me he is, but he still must pass his physical), can elevate the offense significantly as a dual-threat QB. Per NFL Research, the Panthers won nearly 70 percent of the games in which Newton rushed the ball eight or more times. There's upside, but having missed the offseason while waiting for a new deal on the free agent market, he'll have to catch up to whatever offensive system Josh McDaniels has in place. Newton is a total wild card. In Carolina, Newton was at his best on deep passes, deep-out cuts, RPOs, QB keepers and when running a no-huddle offense. He likes to throw to tight ends, so Asiasi will be an important player if Cam is the guy in New England. Another player to watch is receiver Damiere Byrd, who played with Newton in Carolina and has deep speed. That said, the Patriots are still high on Jarrett Stidham. He has first-round throwing talent but must make good decisions and protect the ball to gain the confidence of the coaches and win the starting job. Look for McDaniels to implement more deep passes and move the pocket more with Stidham. New York Jets 2019 record · 7-9 IMPACT ROOKIES Mekhi Becton, offensive tackle: A starter most likely at left tackle (George Fant will start at RT), Becton will be a big asset for Sam Darnold as the quarterback aims to improve in Year 3. As a run blocker, Becton is physical and can create movement, which should allow Le'Veon Bell more opportunities for success. Denzel Mims, wide receiver: He is another deep threat to pair with free-agent acquisition Breshad Perriman. Look for him to not only get targets downfield but on screen passes and hitches that will allow him to show his run-after-catch ability. He could see time as a starter in three-receiver sets. KEY POSITION BATTLES Table inside Article Position OLB/Edge Jordan Jenkins Tarell Basham Jordan Willis ILB2 Blake Cashman Avery Williamson Neville Hewitt Patrick Onwuasor CB2 Blessuan Austin Nate Hairston At corner, Pierre Desir will occupy one outside spot, while Brian Poole will be the nickel, leaving Austin and Hairston to compete for the remaining role. Jenkins, Basham and Willis will battle for a spot opposite OLB Harvey Langi. ONE ADDITIONAL STORYLINE How will the Jets' offense generate more explosive plays? The Jets feel like they've made progress this offseason in achieving more explosive plays. Perriman gives them a big-play threat downfield, as Jameis Winston had a 106.4 passer rating when targeting Perriman on passes of 20-plus air yards last season. Mims has size, speed and the catch radius to be an effective deep receiver and on short passes, providing the offense with a strong run-after-the-catch presence. Perriman and Mims should open things up for slot receiver Jamison Crowder and TE Chris Herndon, who was injured last season. Expect Herndon, who made 12 starts for the Jets in 2018, to be a big-play threat in Adam Gase's offense this season. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jetsfan80 Posted June 30, 2020 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 30, 2020 Casserly says Becton should start at LT. So it's a safe bet that Fant will be the Week 1 starter at LT. 3 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetstream23 Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 Explosive plays! Hopefully he means this in a positive way. Because we had some explosively bad plays in 2019. But in this regard I'd submit that the potential of this pass-catching group could be the best the Jets have had in more than 5 years (going back to Marshall, Decker, etc.). Perriman, Mims, Herndon, Crowder and Bell are a really, really interesting group 5 guys in the passing game that you could have on the field at the same time. Again, unproven and we're just talking about potential here. But as a composite group they check every box in terms of having some size, speed, hands, route-running, etc. IF the OLine comes together then the threat of the run and some play-action to Le'Veon Bell should allow Darnold to find all sorts of things open with those guys running down the field. And, say what you will about Gase, one of the things he is truly good at is designing route concepts IMO. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post derp Posted June 30, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted June 30, 2020 Harvey Langi is his locked in starter at OLB. Huh. 2 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Beerfish Posted June 30, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted June 30, 2020 Thanks for McCagnan and Bowles you tool! 4 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsis Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 Are we still pretending this season is happening? 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Jet Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 11 minutes ago, Arsis said: Are we still pretending this season is happening? Reading too much Mike Florio on PFT ? You can sit the season out. We'll let you know how it turned out in January. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsis Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 8 minutes ago, Thai Jet said: Reading too much Mike Florio ? You can sit it out. We'll let you know how it turned out. Who? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Jet Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 3 minutes ago, Arsis said: Who? He's a Negative Nellie POS from PFT . He wanted FA stopped since it was "the worse thing the NFL has ever done in it's history" . He said the same thing about this years draft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsis Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 38 minutes ago, Thai Jet said: He's a Negative Nellie POS from PFT . He wanted FA stopped since it was "the worse thing the NFL has ever done in it's history" . He said the same thing about this years draft. And? Does that have anything to do with the likelihood of the season happening? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 7 hours ago, derp said: Harvey Langi is his locked in starter at OLB. Huh. I was just about to post this. Welcome to the Wild, Wonderful, Wacky World of Charley Casserly. I know they supposedly liked Langi and he had some knee issues that may have slowed him, but he played less snaps than Jenkins, Basham, WIllis and a bunch of others. He played something like 8% of the defensive snaps, only 2% in the wins, and he only played more than 10 defensive snaps once after week three and didn't play any after week 10. Seems like a sure bet starter. FWIW, I honestly thought he was another ILB type. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slats Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 I didn't realize that the fishies' OL was in as bad of a shape as the Jets. They could be starting two rookies. Big, big drop off from Becton to Jackson, too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slats Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 6 minutes ago, #27TheDominator said: I was just about to post this. Welcome to the Wild, Wonderful, Wacky World of Charley Casserly. I know they supposedly liked Langi and he had some knee issues that may have slowed him, but he played less snaps than Jenkins, Basham, WIllis and a bunch of others. He played something like 8% of the defensive snaps, only 2% in the wins, and he only play more than 10 defensive snaps once after week three and didn't play any after week 10. Seems like a sure bet starter. FWIW, I honestly thought he was another ILB type. Just looked and Ourlads has Langi penciled in to start right now. Maybe that's Casserly's source? 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Jet Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 22 minutes ago, Arsis said: And? Does that have anything to do with the likelihood of the season happening? He's like you, negative about the season even being played. That's his "agenda" on PFT. The season WILL be played in one form or another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleedin Green Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 1 hour ago, derp said: Harvey Langi is his locked in starter at OLB. Huh. What, you don't think the 28-year-old with 17 career tackles / 0 sacks is their sure thing? I'm sure they'll have a wide open competition, but Jenkins really has to be the closest thing to a lock they have at the position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElBarrioJets Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 Yeah...why is Harvey Langi still on this team? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsis Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 6 minutes ago, Thai Jet said: He's like you, negative about the season even being played. That's his "agenda" on PFT. The season WILL be played in one form or another. I mean. Do things look promising out there? With Florida and Texas exploding with cases? I'm not negative I'm looking at the world and it doesn't look good for organized sports this season. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slats Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 Also, if they're keeping Zuniga at DE, that could signal a lot more 4-3 this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUM-KNEE Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 2 hours ago, Jetsfan80 said: Casserly says Becton should start at LT. So it's a safe bet that Fant will be the Week 1 starter at LT. I figured Fant was starting at LT anyway with the contract he got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted July 1, 2020 Author Share Posted July 1, 2020 15 hours ago, slats said: I didn't realize that the fishies' OL was in as bad of a shape as the Jets. They could be starting two rookies. Big, big drop off from Becton to Jackson, too. Yep. Brian Flores should have been a Coach of the Year candidate last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philc1 Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 17 hours ago, derp said: Harvey Langi is his locked in starter at OLB. Huh. From scenile clown who handpicked Macagnan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philc1 Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 9 minutes ago, Jetsfan80 said: Yep. Brian Flores should have been a Coach of the Year candidate last year. With that roster and Fitzgarbage? I’m shocked he won 5 games Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 15 hours ago, slats said: Also, if they're keeping Zuniga at DE, that could signal a lot more 4-3 this season. Which could also lean more towards Willis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 18 minutes ago, Jetsfan80 said: Yep. Brian Flores should have been a Coach of the Year candidate last year. 9 minutes ago, Philc1 said: With that roster and Fitzgarbage? I’m shocked he won 5 games Was he supposed to? Weren't they supposed to be tanking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonny Werblin Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 From the looks of this, Casserly is still getting his inside information from his protege -- Mike Maccagnan. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetluv58 Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 17 hours ago, Arsis said: Are we still pretending this season is happening? It might be that we’re willfully ignoring reality but people need hope. Until such time as the season is cancelled, let’s proceed as if it’s on! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted July 1, 2020 Author Share Posted July 1, 2020 34 minutes ago, #27TheDominator said: Was he supposed to? Weren't they supposed to be tanking? Front offices tank. Coaches and players don't. Flores maximized what little talent he had on the roster. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rangerous Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 18 hours ago, jetstream23 said: Explosive plays! Hopefully he means this in a positive way. Because we had some explosively bad plays in 2019. But in this regard I'd submit that the potential of this pass-catching group could be the best the Jets have had in more than 5 years (going back to Marshall, Decker, etc.). Perriman, Mims, Herndon, Crowder and Bell are a really, really interesting group 5 guys in the passing game that you could have on the field at the same time. Again, unproven and we're just talking about potential here. But as a composite group they check every box in terms of having some size, speed, hands, route-running, etc. IF the OLine comes together then the threat of the run and some play-action to Le'Veon Bell should allow Darnold to find all sorts of things open with those guys running down the field. And, say what you will about Gase, one of the things he is truly good at is designing route concepts IMO. good points about the receivers. obviously they have to put in on the field but they group doesn't look half bad. if darnold gets time from the oline it could get real interesting. i also look for bell to have an easier time gaining yards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 9 minutes ago, Jetsfan80 said: Front offices tank. Coaches and players don't. Flores maximized what little talent he had on the roster. i don't disagree. I was just pointing out that, if they are anything like us, in 3 years on FinsFanFever, or whatever it is called, there will be people bemoaning those five meaningless wins in a season that was over well before halfway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted July 1, 2020 Author Share Posted July 1, 2020 3 minutes ago, #27TheDominator said: i don't disagree. I was just pointing out that, if they are anything like us, in 3 years on FinsFanFever, or whatever it is called, there will be people bemoaning those five meaningless wins in a season that was over well before halfway. As they should. I have to assume Miami would have taken Burrow had they been picking # 1, right? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section314 Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 16 hours ago, slats said: Also, if they're keeping Zuniga at DE, that could signal a lot more 4-3 this season. Also will put Q in a spot where he will be way more effective. Think that would be the real reason to do this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section314 Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 4 minutes ago, Jetsfan80 said: As they should. I have to assume Miami would have taken Burrow had they been picking # 1, right? Or Chase Young. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted July 1, 2020 Author Share Posted July 1, 2020 3 minutes ago, section314 said: Or Chase Young. Yep. So either the top QB prospect or elite EDGE prospect. Tua may well work out and those 2 could easily bust, but there are big red flags attached to Tua that just weren't really there for Burrow. I have to believe Dolphins fans, if they aren't already, will bemoan the team's strong 2nd half of the season. Those wins don't carry over, and it's not like they were developing a young QB. They should have probably just thrown Josh Rosen under center to sink or swim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philc1 Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 1 hour ago, #27TheDominator said: Was he supposed to? Weren't they supposed to be tanking? Flores didn’t get the memo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derp Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 17 hours ago, #27TheDominator said: I was just about to post this. Welcome to the Wild, Wonderful, Wacky World of Charley Casserly. I know they supposedly liked Langi and he had some knee issues that may have slowed him, but he played less snaps than Jenkins, Basham, WIllis and a bunch of others. He played something like 8% of the defensive snaps, only 2% in the wins, and he only played more than 10 defensive snaps once after week three and didn't play any after week 10. Seems like a sure bet starter. FWIW, I honestly thought he was another ILB type. Good stuff. They certainly do seem to like him and by all means he could start since OLB is very up in the air as he was trying to point out, but man what a strange thing to (unintentionally) be very definitive about. And I thought he was another ILB type too. Williams obviously moves guys around quite a bit so I think he plays both, but he jumped out more there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.