Yes, ladies and gentlemen of the New York Jets, football is back. The Florham Park, N.J. version of NFL training camp kicked off on Wednesday morning, which brought all the proper vibes.
Finally.
The far more cynical human utters, “Yeah, of course the right vibes are back; it’s freaking day No. 1, and as it relates to the Jets in the last 15 years, the only time for proper vibes is now.”
Nevertheless, this is football, and, more critically, this is the hard-salary-cap version of the National Football League. Thus, everybody has a chance at a relevant season, no matter anybody’s depth chart (on paper) opinion and organizational success in recent history.
The David Bailey plan looks right
David Bailey simply could not solve Armand Membou. Granted, this is the first day of a multi-day ramp-up phase — courtesy of the 2012 CBA — but to watch the tackle dominate the rookie wasn’t exactly awe-inspiring.
Even worse, the absence of shoulder pads (helmets only) gives the defensive lineman an advantage. With less surface area to work with, pass protection becomes more difficult.
Yet, fans shouldn’t worry about it in the least.
What’s far more important is the plan.
Bailey’s first step and quickness, coupled with his pass-rush mentality, are more than enough to squash any semblance of pass-rush concern, no matter how poorly it went on day No. 1 of training camp. What is needed is an entire mindset shift that prepares him for life within a legitimate NFL defense.
Unlike what he experienced in the Big 12, with Texas Tech — where he was provided with freedom to freelance and use action at every turn, even on balanced downs (rush-pass) — David Bailey has entered a completely different arena as a pro.
The most critical goal for Aaron Glenn, Karl Dunbar, and the rest of the defensive staff is to force Bailey’s habits into one that can work as one of 11. That means certain things will have to be drilled into his subconscious, day in and day out, in the hopes that, eventually, his defensive instincts become more balanced.
Only if and when that happens will he have a chance to sprout into a dominant defensive player at this level. The good news is that, on day No. 1 of New York Jets training camp, the signs that the Jets coaching staff has the same plan in mind were evident.
Staying true to reads and keys
Warning: The following plays are neither flashy nor exciting. They are, however, extremely important.
On a rush concept that demanded the backside edge defender to stay home — just in case the quarterback pulled it — the rookie did precisely that. Better yet, once he recognized and sniffed the ball, he chased down the line to help out on the tackle from the backside.
The more impressive key-read moment for David Bailey happened when the Jets offense came his way on a naked boot. Instead of sniffing too far down the line, Bailey remained true to his read, stayed home, and put himself in the right position.
Courtesy of that discipline, he was then able to use his quickness to get into Geno Smith’s face and force the busted play (incompletion via short throwaway).
Granted, again, this is just day No. 1 of the ramp-up phase. Things change in a hurry when the pads come on, and the play goes to 100% with thud action.
But as it concerns the plan for David Bailey, so far, so good.
Geno and the offense
The aforementioned Geno Smith lamented his role in potentially becoming a distraction for the team on Tuesday, whereas on Wednesday, he played the part everybody expected.
Geno was far from perfect, but he was also far from horrid. He found sophomore tight end Mason Taylor a couple of times early in team sessions, along with a modest Garrett Wilson connection on the first play of 7v7 sessions (finding a soft spot in the underneath zone).
Speaking of Mr. Wilson, he and new offensive coordinator Frank Reich were chopping it up during QB-WR drills (in between reps):
Speaking of 7v7, AD Mitchell separated himself down the left sideline from Brandton Stephens, but Geno could not get the timing or placement right enough. The underthrown ball allowed Stephens to close the gap, even if he did get away with a nice tug of the jersey (or hip) while recovering.
Rookie Cade Klubnik didn’t stand out much either, and he was actually responsible for the offense’s lone turnover (a deflected, fluky-type that Mykal Walker took advantage of). One play in particular was interesting, however.
Recognizing middle open (not sure if the defense started single-high or two-deep), Klubnik unloaded a beauty down the middle of the field, 50-60 yards ahead. Although Arian Smith got his right fingertips on it and it fell incomplete, it shouldn’t be classified as a “drop.”
It instead spoke more to Smith’s struggle to adjust his route in real time. Had he read the throw quicker, he could have gotten skinnier (up the field), which would have given him a chance to snag it in stride. Instead, it looks like he took it a bit too flat, making the catch more difficult.
The top positive surprise was rookie tight end Chase Curtis (No. 87), who finished the day with multiple receptions (at least two, perhaps three).
Notes and highlights
Rookie Omar Cooper Jr. was relatively quiet on the day, but he continues to showcase the trust the staff already has in him. The fact that his role feels cemented this early in his career is worth noting.
Another rookie, Kenyon Sadiq, showed no ill effects of the hernia surgery from this past spring. Although he didn’t splash in any significant way, he seemed comfortable out there.
The most notable Sadiq play was a negative, however. With Isaiah Davis finding room to the edge, the rookie tight end was called for holding (against Will McDonald) when there was absolutely no need for it. It was one of those plays in which simply running away from the defender would have been the better option, considering how well the play came together in real time.
D’Angelo Ponds didn’t practice on Wednesday, as Glenn classified it as a calf injury that nobody should be too concerned with. Unlike T’Vondre Sweat (recently placed on the NFI list) and Joseph Ossai (placed on PUP), the Jets haven’t moved Ponds to one of the injury-designated lists, which means they expect him back soon.
The second day of New York Jets training camp is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. ET on Thursday.
