Any time now, Bubba.
Sometimes - actually most of the time - it's what you DON'T see at practice that's significant so maybe after we go in he catches everything. But during a receivers' drill during the 30 minutes we watched practice, Bubba Franks, on a deep out that covered just over 20 yards, dropped the ball. One play earlier, Dustin Keller made what seemed to be his 100th fluid-looking run-and-catch of the preseason. I still think Franks was a good pickup and a good player but, sheesh, he's had a lot of drops.
Here was the order of plays we saw in the red zone during one drill, one that included just the receivers and no defenders:
- Favre out left to Laveranues Coles
- Favre dump over the middle to Leon Washington
- Inside handoff to Thomas Jones
- quick slant to Chansi Stuckey
- quick out to Dustin Keller
- soft toss middle to Jerricho Cotchery
- a fade (YES, that play is still in!) to Stuckey right side.
Semi-humorous Favre comment, addressing a favorite topic of his - playbook size - from yesterday that I didn't put in here:
"Believe me, each and every playbook across the league, you can go to bat with a lot less than what they put in. don't know how many pass plays we have in, but we have a bunch. We won't run half of them. That's just the way it is. I could say that each year I've played. I feel confident with what we have in. It just comes down to execution."
* As frequent readers of this blog know, I tried to give extensive - if not long-winded - practice reports during training camp. That's impossible now, given our 30- minute allotment and not a lot of team drills done in that time. However, with special teams almost always getting worked on in that time frame, at least we get to observe Mike Westhoff, who recently rejoined the team, coaching.
"I want the fliers to give me the EXACT look Miami does!"
"There it is Leon! There it is!"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
The man is enjoyable to watch coach. I asked kicker Mike Nugent about Westhoff earlier today and, while he was very sincere in his praise of Kevin O'Dea, Nugent talked at length about how uber-prepared he is for, well, just about everything.
"It seems like what we use in film or our study and everything we see on paper, when it's put together on the field, it just seems like everything goes together right," Nugent said. "He just makes everyone so prepared on the field."
A couple of non-related notes: I'm off to Giants Stadium now to cover tonight's game. Well, that's not exactly accurate. I'm assisting on our coverage. Or, as Glauber would say when I'm not around, "detracting" from Newsday's coverage. I will not, however, be making a blog post on the game unless for some unfathomable reason a Jets happening, well, happens.
AND, by rule - and maybe even by law - I have to be off tomorrow so Jim Baumbach, always willing to travel anywhere [he dressed up as a NASCAR pit crew member over the summer for chassis' sakes] will be filling in. But I'm not leaving for Miami until Saturday morning so I'll be away but not so much. In fact, I will give my predicted score for the game, which I know blog commenter Scott P is waiting for.
Comments (32)
Get a date for tomorrow!! Make Mangini proud
Yeah, with a live person
Erik, It's time to dump the Solara and get an Infiniti. After all you've given us so far, the least I can do is help you out of that sled you've been driving for way too long. That's my business though and I'm here to talk about yours so here goes. We have 4 QB's and a lot of teams are struggling to find QB help. Give us some insights as to how the trade winds are blowing in florham park(first time I've said that. Feels good cause I live in NJ). Baltimore and Atlanta are starting rookies just to name a couple. Anything along those lines you wanna tell us about?
Boland, I have a great mission for you. We're discussing on the ESPN boards, why a player like Pociask would sign with a team like the Pats, knowing there's a 90% chance they're signing him just to extract info and will then cut him a few days later (as they did). I don't know if you have access to interview Pociask, but maybe you can ask him this if possible. Would it be:
1) He had no other interest at all from other teams? If he did have interest, wouldn't he know he's hurting his long term chances with NE cutting him?
2) Bitter that the Jets cut him, and want to give away some secrets to the enemy?
3) He didn't realize there's a chance he'd be used for info?
4) Figured something like a 10 grand signing bonus is awesome for a few days of work and knew he'd be cut.
Since this seems to be happening a lot with the 2 teams, you'd just think that nobody would sign with one of the teams just to be used.
Boland,
You’re so busted. A lady friend of mine just saw this add on Cyber Personals – Men Seeking Women:
Wanted. Beautiful woman who enjoys sports, is athletically inclined, into physical fitness and dancersize. You’d love to go for walks/talks with me in the rain under my umbrella. Prefer someone spiritual and a great cook but, if forced to choose, would take someone in her early 20s.
About me: Relatively new to New York. I’ve been told that I’m good looking and bright and besides, I have a car. Have a good sense of humor and write well. In addition to my wit and charm, perhaps my greatest virtue is humility. Work in the media, looking to settle down. Am easy to please, like life’s simple pleasures, haunted by “the awesome fragility of all cherished things.”
There’s one issue you should know about me. I have this futon fet ish. If this isn’t a deal breaker, I hope you’ll respond. Thanks.
C’mon, Erik. That’s you. It’s gotta be the Cleveland homeboy. Not quite a cry for help—but kinda touching. Fellow bloggers, forget PSLs and Miami for a day. If we want to stop our man’s public pining and let him win a worthy woman's heart, is there anything else he could say to help Bo-Brummel find the woman who is right for him?
Football is a business. I don't think anybody looking for work would care what the team is that is offering work. Nor would any team care that he tried to make another team.
When the game is over, CP will just be a friend that's playing for another team. Pace will offer to help him up when, time after time, he drills him into the infield dirt.
billvv, that last paragraph makes me smile. Nice fella that Pace.
It was comforting watching Pete Kendall getting abused tonight. I hope Cimini can get over it.
Eric since you had a chance to watch the JETS special teams, what kind of impact do you think Westhoff will have in such a short time?
In your opinion where in the NFL do you think our Special teams rank?
Are you concened about our Kicking game?
Thanks for the great work on this BLOG.
Bubba Franks dropping balls is becoming a regular occurrence. Unfortunately, this means we should expect more of the same during the regular season, rather than Franks somehow miraculously fixing his drops problem.
I said before they should have cut him. Thank God we have Keller to take some of those red zone catches
Maybe Bubba's just waiting for the real games to start. Anyways after watching the preseason unfold, Keller looks like he is going to raise hell on opponents defenses in the red zone. And let's not forget about Baker the Touchdown Maker...quite preseason, but he's got some pretty good hands, and I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes one of Favre's favorite targets early on. Hope TJ and Leon can get the running game going, but something tells me Schottenheimer is going to come out throwing this week, just a hunch.
Squish, hope you are correct but think he will be very conservative, keeping some things in his pocket for next week.
Main reason I think this will be close.
As for Kendall, he looked old, and JETVET you are right, Cimini must be a complete mess this morning.
Think he'll do a mea culpa?? Nope, all silent on the Eastern front.
Erik, whats the odds on Woody or Jenkins being carted off the field with dehydration?
Or Mangini, for that matter
Erik,
Any sign of Jason Pociask on the Boston - Jersey shuttle this morning?
I'm hoping/guessing he will be resigned to the Jets' PS, assuming he is still eligible (I think he is).
Wow, this "dating" just isn't going away anytime soon. But I'm game. Just wish I had game (RC Meany, 'awesome fragility of all cherished things"??). So...
dmb, you raise great questions and, if he does re-sign with the Jets as a practice squader - as is expected - I willl ask him all of those. In a general sense - and this stuff doesn't go on just between the Pats and Jets - I think the players feel they have no choice, even, to use your apt phrase, they're goin to "get used." A guy I talked to about this said the last thing any borderline player in the league wants is a reputation for refusing to "play ball" so to speak.
jetfan4life, Favre or no Favre, if Franks carries his dropsies into the regular season, what you propose will happen.
Mike from Foxboro, players are definitely excited to have Westhoff back. Not they don't like O'Dea but Westhoff is like that favorite teacher you had in high school where you actually looked forward to going to class. I didn't think the specials teams looked all that bad this preseason so a good unit just got better as I see it. The Jets had a pretty good special teams unit last year and I think they'll have one of the better units in the league again this year. I think the kicking game is solid. It's not the best in the league but it's far from the worst, either.
Wayne 80, haha. you're tough. All I can say with both those guys is they each have weight clauses in their contracts and neither has run into those issues as yet.
Coops, nothing on the Pociask front as yet. He is still eligible. Most of that stuff - league-wide - will happen after the first game.
Thanks for the Pociask info, Erik. Sounds like there is a decent shot of him ending up on the Jets' PS, which is good news. He had a very good offseason and I think he was very unlucky not to make the 53.
Looks like the guy in the Mercedes is starting to worry about the slug gaining on him in the Solara. My detached namesake is actually doing a live chat. Hope he doesn't hurt his back stooping. My, my. The order of the universe is changing before our very eyes.
Thanks Erik. By the way, Cimini copied your chat idea, he has one at noon.
E.Bola,
Hey, whatever happened to that Woodhead guy? Last I remember he was on injured reserve. Did Tangini make him disappear?
The Wood guy was Cut early on.
I travel to Miami one a month and not much worse than NY in August. This can't be a factor, unless the JETS can't stop the running of Ricky and that is a different issue. I think it is worse when teams travel to warm places in December and party their Arses Off...
Thanks E, love the Blog.
dmb, the signing and subsequent release of Pociask can best be understood this way (Boland, I'm SURE you can relate to this). Say you go to a party and your ex-girlfriend is there. She's getting hot and heavy on the dance floor with some guy you don't know, but you are still on good terms with her and no longer think of her as anything more than a friend, so you have no jealousy or bitterness toward her.
Suddenly this hot babe who is obviously out of your league starts coming on strong to you, She asks you to dance and starts grinding against you on the dance floor, and you can't believe your good fortune. As you sit down and begin to chat, visions of her naked body dancing in your head, you notice that her eyes keep wandering over to your ex and her new beau. She starts pumping you for information about your ex, making it clear not only that she knows you once dated your ex, but that she, herself, once dated and still has feelings for this new guy.
It is now becoming increasingly obvious that this hot babe, and I mean smoking, is only trying to make her own ex jealous, and you know in your heart of hearts that you are being used and will ultimately be cast aside. Nevertheless, do you play this out just to see how far she will go in order to make her ex jealous, figuring even one night with her would be worth a loss of self esteem? Do you fool yourself into thinking that, should you ultimately bed this damsel, if only to make her ex jealous, your superior skills in the bedroom will make her a frequent visitor to the world's second-most famous futon?
Or do you say, "Listen, Mariah, I'm flattered by the attention, but I see through your charade. I will not sacrifice my dignity for your benefit to be a pawn in your adolescent attempt to make an ex-boyfriend jealous. So button your shirt, lift up your dress and go find yourself some other desperate slob to play your silly game."
I think, dmb, that you too would have done what Posiask did. And I expect that today Posiask feels used and dirty, wondering why he didn't just tell his agent to give the Pats the proverbial drink in the face, his dignity intact and career in a shambles. It is truly a Faustian bargain if ever there was one.
We have 4 QB's and a lot of teams are struggling to find QB help. Give us some insights as to how the trade winds are blowing in florham park(first time I've said that. Feels good cause I live in NJ). Baltimore and Atlanta are starting rookies just to name a couple. Anything along those lines you wanna tell us about? SInce I'm the only guy who got skipped in your response, I'll try again but leave out the poor attempt at selling you a car.
Hey, hustler07, I can't believe that there would be much of a trade market that would return significant value for any of the three QB's, with the possible exception of Clemens. For example, no team would give more than a mid-round pick for either Ainge or Ratliff, given their lack of experience. So, with that said, what kind of realistic offer would you be willing to entertain for either Clemens or either of the other two?
Since Clemens was a #2 pick and has not yet proven to be #1 QB, I doubt anyone would offer a #1 for Clemens. So what kind of realistic offer would make you think seriously about trading Clemens, Ratliff or Ainge?
Any possibility that Posiack was cut by Bellicheat because he closed his eyes and turnes his head as that hot, bright, light shined in his face. I would love to believe that!!!! Go Jets 27-9
Hustler, i'll answer for you. Everyone currently has their roster set for game 1. If anybody was looking for a QB, they would have made a move by now. That doesn't mean something can't happen after game 1/down the road, but as of this moment nothing is going on. On top of that, none of the 3 have any value. Ainge has zero value for a trade, Clemens and Ratliff have at best late round value. You won't see a first day pick, so at this point there's no payoff.
Is it Sunday yet?
Yo, Joe Musgo: Stupendous. Three thumbs up. The best analogy of the year. And more ink than Pociask ever got before.
Hustler07, my apologies! The skippage (it's a word now) was unintentional (and your car stuff was good, btw). Here's the short answer: there's nothing on the trade front in regard to the Jets QBs and if there is, they're doing a better job than usual in terms of keeping it quiet. Here's the thing: they know Favre is one year, maybe two, so next year's QB battle is going to be between Ratliff and Clemens - who they haven't completely given up on - with Ainge still learning the ropes. But that's not to say if a whole bunch of QBs go down early this season, an out-of-this-world offer could end up moving Clemens. Ratliff isn't going anywhere.
Joe Musgo, you're entering RC Meany and Mr. Green T territory with that dance floor metaphor!
Also, yes, I will have a fresh post here in a few minutes...
Joe, forget the dignity, go for the futon. I would have.
I'm sure Pociask got some cool Patise t-shirts out of the deal.
and a paycheck or two
What did we get for Brooks in that trade? 3rd rounder? Not bad considering he was a slim built guy with "moxie". My point is there is always some GM that things he can develop a star out of someone else's 2nd stringer. I think Ratliff would net us a 3rd rounder after his pre-season coming out party. I would take it.
Ratliff shows promise and who knows if BF will even finish this season let alone be back for 09.
In my opinion , we keep Ratliff and find out more about him.