JETSerious’ Recap: Green & White Scrimage

The New York Jets held their Green & White Scrimmage tonight, in Cortland, NY.

JETSerious was able to make it there, and provide a recap of what went down. Now, let’s get to it…

Enjoy!

I’d like to feed you guys a little appetizer before we get to the main course… the scrimmage. There was one picture in particular, that greatly illustrated how much goes on. Take a look.

Let’s start by looking from the outside, in.

• Tebow looks on as Sanchez gets the 1^st team reps.
• Quinton Coples is ready to rush off the edge, as a stand up LB/2-point stance.
• Darrelle Revis is watching the ball being snapped/Sanchez’s eyes.
• Mark Sanchez is taking a peek at Darrelle Revis. (Who wouldn’t)

Now to the Quarterbacks…

Mark Sanchez/TimTebow Update:

Taking the 1^st team reps, QB Mark Sanchez looked in command with his Offense.

Starting QB, Mark Sanchez (6), pump-fakes, during the New York Jets Green & White Scrimmage Saturday Night in Cortland, NY.

Sanchez looked sharp throwing the football. He released it quickly, often under a great deal of pressure.

Mark had a couple of plays where he didn’t like what he saw from his 1^st and 2^nd reads. He was hanging onto the ball for a little bit longer than the coaches and fans would like. However, he understands the importance of avoiding turnovers and mental mistakes.

I don’t think any fan would argue… it’s better to throw it away or take a sack, than to throw an interception.

Sanchez finished the day with 1 touchdown pass to RB Bilal Powell and 0 turnovers. That’s right, zero turnovers. That’s the plan for this run-heady (Tony Sparano) Offense.That’s the way it’s meant to be ran. Turnover free.

Tim Tebow, on the other hand, wasn’t as consistent. You can say one of his few mishaps happened during a broken play, in which he fell to the ground… but let’s be real.

Tebow fumbled a couple of snaps.

A fumbled snap simply cannot happen. Regardless of whose fault it is. With the limited practice time, due to the new CBA, players only get so much time on the field and have to make the most of their snaps.

Tebow ended the day 0 for 3 throwing the football, and was sacked once. He ran the ball a couple of times, though.

He can be a great threat running the ball, but Tebow’s passing game has plenty of room for improvement.

Running game was a little sluggish:

I have to be honest, when I say this; the Running Backs didn’t look all that great in tonight’s scrimmage. Shonn Greene picked up some tough yards (no surprise), but he didn’t break anything beyond the second level of the Defense.

Aside from the TD catch, courtesy of Bilal Powell, no RB stood out from the pack.

In fact, I was quite disappointed in Joe McKnight. Joe was in with the 2^nd or 3^rd team (not too sure which one), and should have run much better than he did. If McKnight is ready to take the next step and take over for LT’s vacancy, then he’s got to be able to run better than he did tonight. Let’s face it, if he can’t get it done against the backups, how can he handle the starters.

Powell, however, might have a decent shot to overtake McKnight for the #2 RB spot. Let’s see how it plays out through the pre-season.

The New Safeties

After watching the depth at Safety tonight, I came away satisfied that these guys can get the job done. I know a lot of fans were still worried about matching up with the Patriots, and don’t get me wrong, it’s a reasonable concern. I certainly don’t think we have a Troy Polamalu or Ed Reed in any of the 3, but I’ll say this… these guys can hold their own. I’m talking about Yeremiah Bell, LaRon Landry, and Eric Smith. If all 3 men are on the field, facing a Gronkowski and Hernandez Patriots spread…. I have faith. They understand that they’ve got excellent corners on the perimeter, and if they can take care of the middle of the field, it will be hard to pass on the Jets Defense.

Fresh Rotations

It was good great to see that Rex Ryan had such a solid rotation going on Defense. Players like Damon Harrison, Demario Davis, Ricky Sapp, Antonio Allen, Josh Bush, and Eric Smith…would frequently sub in. They’d step in for Mike DeVito, Bart Scott, Calvin Pace, LaRon Landry, and so on.

But the level of depth for the defense is definitely encouraging. This upcoming season seems to be quite a promising one for this Jets Defense.

Pass Rush gets Pressure

With all the fresh legs out there, the Jets have a plethora of talented Pass Rushers. I take a look at a guy like Quinton Coples, and think… “Wow, we’ve got great size!”

I take a look at a player like Ricky Sapp, and think… “Wow, we’ve got talent!”

Then I look at a kid with a great motor—Aaron Maybin, and think… “Wow we’ve got heart!”

New York Jets LB Ricky Sapp (55) gets aligned and ready to rush the passer during the Green & White Scrimmage.

Coples, Sapp, and Maybin, all had an impact today. Whether that was pushing the pocket, recording a sack, or setting an edge, these 3 were hard for me to miss.

Some say, “The Jets are missing that premiere pass rusher like Jared Allen or Jason Pierre-Paul.”

It may be true that nobody on the team has that type of ability, but the depth on the roster will keep an offense off-balance. You see, if there’s not one guy that you have to game-plan against, who do you focus on?

Maybin?

Coples?

Wilkerson?

Pace?

There’s no correct answer.

This provides an opportunity for everybody to play their role, and the sacks will come in time. The rotation plays a large part in who gets the sack… but having 4, 5, maybe even 6 guys that are capable of beating a 1-on-1 matchup is a great advantage to have on your side. It’s very difficult to game-plan against.

Rookie LB Demario Davis (49) looks left to receive the Jets Defensive signal.

Again, everybody will get their shot (like Maybin did last year), but it’s what you do with it.

Tonight was my first look at Demario Davis live, and in full pads. He was impressive. I wasn’t expecting him to have such a heavy workload, but he handled it like a man.

Taking signals from the sidelines at one point, Demario acted like a veteran out on the field. When you have such qualities in a Rookie in the NFL, you can bet he’s a true, born leader.

If you haven’t noticed yet, Rex Ryan has toned down this offseason, with his bold predictions and promises. He did, however, say this after picking Demario Davis in the 3^rd Round of the 2012 NFL Draft:

His face. His mannerisms. Passion. I see some things… It’s interesting… When you watch him on the tape, he pops off the tape. Like I said, he reminds me of a young Bart Scott: A guy that’s just full of energy, flying all over the place and couldn’t wait to hit somebody. That’s kind of how he reminds me.”

A few other notes:

Darrelle Revis (24), is covering TE Jeff Cumberland (86). But is he holding before the ball arrives?

*I apologize for any blurred pictures.

Darrelle Revis’ holding penalty

It was a medium-to-long pass from Mark Sanchez to TE Jeff Cumberland. Darrelle Revis was said to have gotten to Cumberland before the ball had arrived.

Darrelle  was complaining to the referee about the call, in which he clearly didn’t think the deserved.

<—— You be the judge on this rare holding call against Revis!

QB Greg McElroy (14), attempts to get a pass off, during the Jets Green & White Scrimmage

Mayhem’s pressure doesn’t give McElroy a chance:

Aaron Maybin may not record a 20 sack season, but he’ll disrupt a Quarterback’s rhythm. Take a look below, at how he was able to beat his man on the edge, and eventually cause QB Greg McElroy to cough up the football…

And last but not least…

Rookie lays a hit:

Jets Rookie Safety Antonio Allen (39), lays a hit, in order to stop the run during the Green & White Scrimmage in Cortland, NY.

Rookie Safety from South Carolina, Antonio Allen, laid a HIT earlier. Antonio was a steal late in the draft and has potential to be a great asset for this Defense in the near future.

That’s all from JETSerious tonight, at the Green & White Scrimmage in Cortland, NY. Please check back in on Monday… JETSerious will be at Jets Camp once again, and taking more pictures of our New York Jets.

Thanks for reading!

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