A-TowN.-

I was at the game, and I thought our 1st stringers looked really good. Some really solid depth play as well (Kazee, Gage, Wreh-Wilson, Saubert.)

I’m disappointed in his play as well (returning). I do like his cutting ability and hands though. I want to see him in space more...just not on kickoff returns. That was rough.

Celestin stood out to me the most at LB. Nice closing speed, downhill, solid tackler, and he has great range & instincts. FO looked good as well. Would like to see both of them get more time with the 1s.

We gave up 3 sacks and didn’t garner much of anything in the run game. They committed a ton of penalties too. As a whole I wouldn’t consider that a positive performance.

He definitely did. Early on in one drive he beat his man twice and disrupted the plays. He gives a lot of effort as well. I did see him on the ground a few times though, but when his conditioning improves I think that will happen less. Yeah Kazee needs to gain some weight so his body can hold up better. I am worried he might hurt himself with his playing style.

Last night was a good test for our team, and it was pretty obvious they had their struggles. Let's not forget though that most of the players out there were year 1 or year 2 guys trying to make the team, so you can understand why it was a rough game. There were penalties (10 for 71 yards), coverage breakdowns, missed tackles, gap breakdowns (both offense and defense), and a few other issues. Not all of it was bad though, and I wouldn't panic just yet since we have yet to see just how good the starters can be. This was strictly a game to evaluate our depth, and while we did have our fair share of problems, there were some bright spots. The Good: Demontae Kazee - Kazee was flying all over the field, and stood out the most to me. He has natural instincts in zone coverage and really always seems to be around the ball. Kazee really played downhill and closed incredibly quick on a number of plays. He wastes zero steps and it seemed every time a runner got into open space, he was able to close the gap (flashing across the screen) and lasso them down. 11 tackles on the night (great open field ones) and really showed his potential. Jonathan Celestin - He got some reps later on, but I really liked his ability to play downhill and attack the gaps. He has natural instincts versus the run, and he was doing a nice job of reading and diagnosing the plays. Celestin also showed some range by effectively pursuing the ball carrier to the edge. 3 tackles and 1 sack on the night. Foye Oloukun - Oloukun also flashed tonight. Like Kazee, he made a couple nice open field tackles as well. One play in particular I saw him maneuver around 2-3 blockers and make a nice tackle. I really like his ability to avoid blockers and filter through the traffic. Foye was able to diagnose plays and close in very quickly on the ball carrier. As a safety turned linebacker, his range/speed is impressive as he eats up yards in a hurry. 3 tackles on the night. Ricky Ortiz - We ran a lot of single back sets, but when we did use a fullback, Ortiz stood out. He made some great head on blocks tonight, and he really doesn't shy away from contact. Ortiz showed a lot of power by consistently locking onto his man knocking them off balance. Devin Gray - Gray was making plays all night. He made some very clutch catches to help extend drives. Gray has impressive hand strength and really showed an ability to attack the ball. He also got some nice separation and was able to exploit zone coverage on a few routes. 4 receptions for 83 yards, averaging 20.8 yards per catch, Gray really was our best target. Malik Williams - Williams seemed to be the only running back who could break through the Jets defense. He displayed solid north/south downhill running, and when Williams was given some room to work with, he hit the gap quickly. Williams is a tough runner between the tackles, running the ball with purpose. He didn’t go down easily as he always kept his feet moving, fighting for extra yards. I was also impressed with his balance and spin move. 6 carries for 19 yards. Kurt Benkert - Kurt flashed to me tonight. He throws with some zip and velocity. His deep throw accuracy could use some work, but for the most part he did a nice job of putting the ball on target to give his receivers a chance. Things finally seemed to open up once he got into the game. Benkert showed good pocket movement and was able to escape a few times for decent gains. 9/17 for 125 yards and 1 interception (off the hands of a wr). Anthony Wimbush - Wimbush was the only player causing pressure on the edge. He flashed quickness with the ability to turn the corner. Wimbush was solid at the point of attack and beat his blockers on more than one occasion. 1 tackle on the night, but was disruptive in his limited time. Other notable players who did well: Deion Jones, Dontez Byrd, Eric Saubert, Deadrin Senat (hot and cold, but flashed), Tyson Graham, Derrick Shelby, Ron Parker, Justin Zimmer, Isaiah Oliver (on defense), Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Emmanuel Smith, Marvin Hall, Reggie Davis, Austin Hooper, and Matt Bosher. The Bad: Offensive Line - Our offensive line depth really struggled to open holes and protect against the blitz. Not to mention the lack of discipline in regards to penalties. I will go back and watch to see which players in particular, but it seemed they were out of sync and couldn't get much of a push in the run game. Duke Riley - Riley had quite the bad showing. While he was playing MLB and that isn't his natural position, he didn't show any flashes during his play time. He has the tools, but I question his awareness/feel for the game. There were too many instances where he was late to diagnose plays. Riley struggles to attack the ball and take on proper angles to limit gains. In zone coverage, he consistently lacks the awareness to take on routes that enter his zone. Maybe he is overthinking what to do, but I hope he turns it around. Ito Smith & Justin Crawford - It is obvious the Jets defense had our number on offense, so I will give credit where it is due. They swarmed against the run and gave very little room to run. Our offensive line really had it's hands full. However, Smith and Crawford ran more yardage east/west than they did north/south. Against this defense, you cannot dance around, and you really can't afford to go anywhere but vertical. Gaps close quickly, so attack even the smallest gap. Crawford showed potential as a pass catcher. However, Smith and Crawford had a combined 7 carries for only 3 yards. I want to see Smith with more opportunities since 2 carries isn't much to work off of. Garrett Grayson - Grayson didn't look great. Inaccurate passes and didn't really look comfortable opening things up. He showed athletic ability, but the decision making and accuracy were an issue last night. 3/10 for 38 yards on the night, but let's see how he does with more game time. Justin Bethel - We all knew Bethel was a ST ace, and that is the main reason for his signing. He had a hard time at corner last night, especially when it came to change of direction and minimizing separation. He struggles to close the gap when the receiver makes a break on their route. He gave up a touchdown, but it was called back for PI. On the very next play he gets beat again for a touchdown, and this time it counted. Isaiah Oliver - This particularly for his play as a returner. I know there wasn't a large sample size, but he didn't look to have the explosiveness to return punts. He also needs to work on jamming his receiver since he lost the battle on the LOS a couple of times. Other than that, he showed fairly well at corner. Interior DL Depth - This was a rough game for a few players here. They failed to anchor and hold their gaps on multiple occasions, providing large running lanes for the offense. I believe we will miss Poe from time to time, but hopefully we can find a good rotation there. I feel like this might be the first pick in the next draft (trenches in general), but for the time being we need someone to step up as a good compliment to Grady Jarrett. Not only did they struggle to hold the POA, there wasn't much pressure being put on the QB. Not every play was terrible (there were a couple flashes), but there was a few series where their OL had their way with our DL. That is my evaluation of how the night went. I am not too worried since there were some good teaching moments from this game. It was a great learning experience for the young guys. There were ups and downs, but its important to remember the circumstances of this game. This was the first preseason game so not everyone is in peak condition, the starters don't typically get much time to play/get in rhythm, the play calling is simplistic to benefit the rookies, and everyone is working out the kinks. We have always typically used the preseason to experiment and try different things, so I don't think it is wise to use preseason games as a gauge for how the regular season will play out. With all of that said, I am excited to see what steps we take next week. Rise Up!

I agree we need to give it time, and he was playing out of position, but I didn’t see one positive play from him. He was slow to diagnose and just wasn’t physical. Especially in coverage he needs to be more aware of players crossing into his zone. I see a lot of Worrilow in his game. Has the tools, but isn’t quite there as far as feel for the game. Maybe he’s just overthinking because I see a lot of hesitation on his part. I just want to see him attack the ball and make decisive downhill plays. His awareness and ability to attack the ball really needs work. Maybe it’s going to take more reps for him to get comfortable so that’s what the preseason is for.

Duke had zero awareness on that first TD.

Madden looks worse than 18 this year. I need the NFL 2K to come back. Please!

Yeah ever since Jay Adams left, the media team has been almost nonexistent. Hopefully TC will be different.

Just camp coverage in general I feel like has been lackluster this year.

Only thing I heard is that Quinn likes Zimmers power and hand use. Said he has a nice club and rip. I’ve only heard that Grady has taken Senat under his wing. Coverage has been pretty bad this year.

He just can’t separate. Has amazing hands, just isn’t the quickest which doesn’t help him sepearate.

I really hated that Southward pick. I also wanted Donald so **** bad. Overall not a terrible draft though. We got a steal in Freeman. Also it’s crazy to think not one of those LBs stuck after drafting four of them. Is this the year we got Worrilow and Bartu? I can’t remember.

Good vid even though it was recorded on a potato.