Mike Maccagnan has taken his share of heat drafting Christian Hackenberg when he did and cleaning house cutting Decker, Marshall, Harris, Richardson etc. But if you look at the way he worked the waiver wire and trades which rarely happen in the NFL, the Jets have kind of a new look from when training camp started.
Picking up Jermaine Kearse in the Sheldon Richardson trade has looked great! The same goes with the Terrence Brooks trade picking him up from the Eagles.They picked up David Bass who had a sack against the Dolphins and Kony Ealy has made his presence felt. They are probably destined to be a 5 or 6 win team this year but it is somewhat refreshing that some moves the Jets have made are working. I still think one of his best moves was taking a shot at Austin Seferian-Jenkins who everyone knew had talent but also had baggage. Jenkins is still a work in progress but he seemed to have turned his life around and having him on the field will open things up offensively.
Robby Anderson Can Be A Star
I keep hearing that Robby Anderson will become a good number two receiver. I shake my head when I hear that. I truly believe this player has star potential. Going back to last year Anderson started eight games and had 42 receptions for 587 yards and two touchdowns. And that from Ryan Fitzpatrick who had an awful year. Let’s face it, on some of his passes they looked like a nurf ball. This year Anderson has a modest nine catches for 145 yards with one TD. He has been ahead of the field open at least seven times this year. In defense of McCown, he did not play too many reps in pre-season so a chemistry never had time to develop with him and Anderson. Going into the fourth game of the season, keep an eye on #11 as McCown seems much more comfortable throwing to him. A couple of other factors should help. Picking up Jermaine Kearse as well as getting Austin Seferian-Jenkins back on the field will help loosen things up for Anderson. If the offensive line continues to improve I expect Robby Anderson to open eyes around the league. This guy has a tremendous upside!
Under the Radar
Wesley Johnson who got called for a bogus hold on that beautiful run by Bilal Powell has been steady in the first three games. It is tough to replace a player like Nick Mangold but Johnson has done more than hold his own. Johnson was a 5th round draft pick of the Steelers from Vanderbilt who the Jets picked up off waivers in 2014.
Punter Lac Edwards is off to an excellent start. Jet fans expected him to get a lot of action this year with the Jets offense. Edwards had some awful punts last year but looks to be much more consistent and is actually hitting some high and deep punts.
Marcus Maye the “other” safety drafted in the second round is playing very consistent. As the Jet rookies adjust to the speed of the NFL, keep an eye on Maye who has only made a few small mistakes.
Dylan Donahue the rookie linebacker plays hard and has a tremendous motor. The Jets are bringing him along slowly but this rookie from Division 2 West Georgia looks like he can compete in the NFL.
Shout Out
To ex Jet Burgess Owens who did a great job on Tucker Carlson’s show this week on Fox.
2018 QB Watch
The three amigos:
1) Sam Darold USC-Darnold was 26-38 for 223 yards with two touchdown passes one interception in a 30-20 win over California.
2) Josh Rosen UCLA-Rosen was 34-56 for 463 yards with three touchdown passes, two interception in a 56-34 loss to Stanford.
3) Josh Allen Wyoming was 9-19 for 92 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions in a 28-21 OT win over Hawaii
Others
4) Baker Mayfield Oklahoma was 13-19 for 283 yards with three touchdown passes and no interceptions in a 49-41 win over Baylor.
5) Lamar Jackson, Louisville was 18-22 for 299 yards with two touchdown passes and two interceptions in a 42-3 win over Kent.
6) Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State was 22-41 for 398 yards with two touchdown passes and two interceptions in a 44-31 loss to TCU.
I’ve broken down the draft since 1975 and which quarterbacks were taken as the first, second and third pick of the draft.
There is no guarantee in the draft and for every Peyton Manning and John Elway taken as the first pick there is a Tim Couch
or JaMarcus Russell.
#1 Picks of the draft that were quarterbacks starting in 1975
1975 Steve Bartkowski QB California Atlanta Falcons
1983 John Elway QB Stanford Baltimore Colts
1989 Troy Aikman QB UCLA Dallas Cowboys
1987 V. Testaverde QB Miami, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1990 Jeff George QB Illinois Indianapolis Colts
1993 Drew Bledsoe QB Washington St. New England Patriots
1998 Peyton Manning QB Tennessee Indianapolis Colts
1999 Tim Couch QB Kentucky Cleveland Browns
2001 Michael Vick QB Virginia Tech Atlanta Falcons
2002 David Carr QB Fresno State Houston Texans
2003 Carson Palmer QB Southern Cal. Cincinnati Bengals
2004 Eli Manning QB Mississippi San Diego Chargers
2007 JaMarcus Russell QB LSU Oakland Raiders
2005 Alex Smith QB Utah San Francisco 49ers
2004 Eli Manning QB Mississippi San Diego Chargers
2009 Matthew Stafford QB Georgia Detroit Lions
2010 Sam Bradford QB Oklahoma St. Louis Rams
2011 Cam Newton QB Auburn Carolina Panthers
2012 Andrew Luck QB Stanford Indianapolis Colts
2015 Jameis Winston QB Florida St. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2016 Jared Goff QB California. Los Angeles Rams
#2 Picks of the draft that were quarterbacks
1993 Rick Mirer QB Notre Dame Seattle Seahawks
1998 Ryan Leaf QB Washington St. San Diego Chargers
1999 Donovan McNabb QB Syracuse Philadelphia Eagles
2012 Robert Griffin QB Baylor Washington Redskins
2015 Marcus Mariota QB Oregon Tennessee Titans
2016 Carson Wentz QB North Dak. St. Philadelphia Eagles
#3 Picks of the draft that were quarterbacks
1979 Jack Thompson QB Washington St. Cincinnati Bengals
1986 Jim Everett QB Purdue Houston Oilers
1994 Heath Shuler QB Tennessee Washington Redskins
1995 Steve McNair QB Alcorn State Houston Oilers
1999 Akili Smith QB Oregon Cincinnati Bengals
2002 Joey Harrington QB Oregon Detroit Lions
2006 Vince Young QB Texas Tennessee Titans
2008 Matt Ryan QB Boston College Atlanta Falcons
2014 Blake Bortles QB Central Florida Jacksonville Jaguars
What the Jet scribes are saying:
Rich Cimini, ESPN
Winning in the NFL is hard, and no one knows that better than Jets QB Josh McCown. Before yesterday, he had lost 27 of 29 games, going back to his two seasons with the Browns. He hopes yesterday can be a confidence builder for the Jets. "With this group, as young as we are, it was important for us to get that first win," he said today. "I was in a situation in Cleveland where it dragged out for some time." He meant last season, when they started 0-14 and finished 1-15.
Brian Costello, NY Post
While we’re throwing around credit, Jets coach Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator John Morton deserve some. One of my biggest criticisms of Bowles through the years has been a lack of creativity in the game plan. He shut me up Sunday. The Jets used defensive lineman Lawrence Thomas as a fullback, a very creative use of personnel. Thomas played some fullback at Michigan State, blocking for Le’Veon Bell there. The Jets knew that and without a true fullback on the roster, moved him over there. He even had a catch for 15 yards, which made the Jets defense cheer from the sideline. The move did not pay huge dividends. The Jets struggled to run the ball still, but I appreciate Bowles and Morton attacking a problem with an unconventional approach.
Ganesh Mehta, NY Daily News
Hotshot college signal callers are no sure thing at the next level, but Darnold and Rosen sure have the look and feel of future difference makers in this league. NFL talent evaluators paid to dissect college players agree: These guys are the real deal.For all the folks consumed by Darnold, Rosen and Allen's stats, focus on the types of throws they're making rather than the raw numbers. College statistics might prompt water-cooler talk, but they're largely meaningless. Remember this: It's not about how good a quarterback is right now. It's about how good he can become in the NFL given his skill set and capacity to learn. The particularly paranoid contingent will tell you that its deathly afraid Darnold and Rosen will unwittingly screw the Jets by deciding to stay in school for another year. That would be the doomsday scenario for a team that won't be a consistent threat to anyone until they find a long-term solution at the game's most important position. It's more likely that both signal callers will declare for the NFL draft upon learning that they won't make it out of the Top 5 of the 2018 draft in a league filled with quarterback-needy teams. The 1-2 Jets will have plenty of competition though.
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