Mekhi Becton addresses his doubters with custom shirt
New York Jets social media continues to buzz with speculation about offensive tackle Mekhi Becton. While head coach Robert Saleh provided an update on Becton’s injury status and availability, it’s what Saleh refused to say that has fans worried.
Saleh declined to comment about Becton’s weight, saying only that his knee is fine and that he should be ready to go for training camp. This is what Connor Hughes of The Athletic had to say about Saleh’s evasiveness:
Robert Saleh & others have gone out of their way to openly praise — over & over again — Denzel Mims for being in incredible shape. They’ve done same with Zach Wilson gaining muscle.
If Becton was also in great shape, or at weight they wanted, they wouldn’t stop saying it.
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) June 15, 2022
Some might say that this is a stretch or nitpicking. That could very well be the case. But the fact remains that Saleh has gone out of his way to compliment Zach Wilson and Denzel Mims on their physical conditioning. The omission of any such comments about Becton speaks volumes, since he is the one whose physical shape is the most in question.
Becton clearly hears the doubters and the rumors. He has adopted the moniker “The Big Bust” instead of his usual “Big Ticket.” On Wednesday, he showed up for his press conference with a shirt reading “Big Bust” encircled by the words “fat,” “lazy,” “injury prone,” and “out of shape.” Becton takes all of this doubt as motivation.
#Jets OT Mekhi Becton showed up to his press conference wearing a shirt that says "BIG BUST" & surrounded with words like "Fat, lazy, injury prone, out of shape."
Becton doesn't understand why people are writing him off. "I'll make them eat their words."pic.twitter.com/ryWVdKAvnc
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 15, 2022
When asked whether people have written him off, Becton said, “Yeah, and I don’t understand why. But it’s all good, though. I’m going to make them eat their words.”
That’s quite a statement from the behemoth left tackle. He continued on to say that he intends to win the starting left tackle position but is willing to play on the right side, as well.
While many expect George Fant to start on the left side due to his clearly superior play on the left side vs. the right, it would no doubt calm the minds of many Jets fans to see Becton make it an actual competition.
There is still a month and a half until training camp. Becton has time to get back into playing shape, but the questions and rumors continue to swirl. Becton now has time and motivation to put his money where his mouth is.
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All I care about is whether Becton is in shape for TC and how he plays after that. He is coming off a major injury and is still rehabbing. It would be natural for him to be somewhat out of shape and overweight Rehabbing an injury is different than doing aerobic conditioning or working to lose weight.
I’d agree if not for a few things: first of all, the fact that he not only blew past the 4-6 week timeline for rehab, but missed the entire season and is still rehabbing at this point, is alarming. It means that either the Jets hugely misevaluated his injury or Mekhi is taking much, much longer in his rehab than he should have. Though Becton’s trainer seems to claim it’s closer to the former, many Jets fans suspect that it’s the latter. Until the last few weeks, we didn’t even have any idea that his knee still required rehab. Hearing… Read more »
I trust Duke Manyweather much more than I do Jets fans many of whom are cynical, impatient, ignorant, and some of whom never wanted Becton in the first place. It was a more serious injury than Saleh claimed and is largely to blame for underselling it. It sounds to me that Saleh has a problem with Becton. Between the two, Saleh would be the one to go if I was running the team. Saleh needs to get his own house in order and do his job a lot better. His D sucked, and his practice regimen may have led to… Read more »
I would have trusted Duke more than Jets’ fans too except that the information coming out of Dallas was that Becton was at a good weight. It’s not his conditioning that has fans so up in arms; everyone understands that it takes some time to get back into game shape. But in the glimpses we got of him on the field and at the press conference, he appeared to be in the 390 pound range. That’s concerning. I agree 100% that it’s Saleh’s fault for underselling it. I don’t know why he did so, and you have to wonder if… Read more »
Your last sentence/paragraph is basically what I said in my initial response. I’m not going to obsess and worry about it unless or until it becomes a reality. I believe Becton when he said that he is going to make people eat their words and prove them wrong. He is a huge man, and most of it is muscle mass. His body fat content is not very high. He’s working with a dietician. I believe that he will be ready. Jets fans like to obsess over potential negatives. Many, are cynical and very negative in their perspectives, probably due to… Read more »
Yes, that’s true. The thing is that in the absence of other more newsworthy items, many fans are going to obsess over Becton. The data about his muscle mass and overall work to get in shape is encouraging. He’s definitely taking the negative press as motivation. Yes, Jets fans do obsess over negatives. It’s a common trait among those who have been burned one time or 1000 times too many. This is a classic defense mechanism, trying to anticipate the problems so you don’t get hurt by hope. Overall, there is a lot of optimism surrounding the fan base. I… Read more »
I totally understand. I’ve been a Jets fan since 1964 and have seen a LOT more bad than good, and have seen more dumb ownership moves, bad hires, horrible drafting, incompetence, ineptness, and bad luck than most Jets fans. Before JD was hired I had about lost hope, but made a decision that I was never going to become a negative nellie like many Jets fans and hang on when they have no hope. If I can remain positive, and not obsess over potential negativity, they can too. It’s a choice. I believe that many “Jets fans” are not really… Read more »
It’s impressive to make such a choice to keep believing that things can get better for your team. You’re right that when you seriously have no hope for them anymore, not just for now but for the future, you’re not really a fan. Fandom is all about hope. There is room to hate some of those people or criticize them but still be a fan. Certainly there is blame to go around, but it’s impossible to look at the moves Douglas has made this offseason and say that he did not do a good job. Fans may debate over the… Read more »