During Monday’s Jets practice, the defense won the day to begin the second week of training camp. Head coach Aaron Glenn said he liked what he saw during the team’s first padded session, and Tuesday gave them a chance to build on that optimism before their preseason opener against the Buccaneers on Aug. 14.
And they did just that.
Tuesday was a more balanced practice with neither side of the ball being able to get the better of the other. It also didn’t hurt that the showers that hampered the offense’s effectiveness on Monday were nowhere to be seen on Tuesday, giving it equal footing with the defense.
So, when Glenn walked to the podium following day five of training camp, there was excitement from what he saw on both ends of the field.
“I really like what we did in today’s practice,” Glenn said. “Today was more third and two, so the advantage was for the offense today. I thought both sides did a good job. I saw turnovers from the defense, and I saw explosive plays from the offense.”
After not practicing on Monday, rookie Kenyon Sadiq was out for a second straight day. Glenn had stated Monday that it was a routine rest day, but came back with some not-so-great news for Jets fans.
The former Oregon pass catcher suffered a setback in his recovery and will be out for an indefinite amount of time. He had hernia surgery during the offseason and was being monitored during camp before this, which was the main reason he didn’t practice yesterday.
Despite the injury, Glenn expects the 16th overall pick to be back before the regular season opener against the Titans on Sept. 13.
“I’m not really worried,” Glenn said. “I want to make sure that I make the right decision so that he can be ready for the regular season.”
The Jets’ offense still chugged along without their top offensive draft pick. They looked better than the day prior, even with quarterback Geno Smith getting picked off for the second straight day.
Smith attempted a pass to tight end Mason Taylor, but the pass was deflected and went into the hands of Brandon Stephens. Smith then nearly had another turnover when passing the ball to wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who was blanketed by Az Thomas and almost took the ball the other way.
Stephens was a player Glenn spoke about last week, wanting to see consistency from him day in and day out.
“Every day I have to see that consistency from him,” Glenn said. “The one thing he’s always wanted to work on was his ball awareness and understanding where the ball is, and ball placement is in his hands. I think through the offseason, he did a really good job working on that.”
Still, Smith’s day was successful as he found his rhythm, going 7-12 passing on the day during the 11-on-11 period. He hit wide receiver Omar Cooper on a quick screen route and also had a connection to Wilson, who snagged a toe-tapping catch on the sideline. Smith also had a 30-yard completion to Isaiah Wilson, who slid to make the grab.
Smith has built a connection with his receivers and took the time to work with them this offseason. He, Taylor, and Adonai Mitchell worked out in Florida to build chemistry, and despite the heat, it helped them translate that into training camp.
“It’s always great when you get a chance to go one-on-one with the quarterback,” Mitchell said. “Just understanding his mind, understanding the way he thinks, understanding the way he says the game…anytime you can get on the same page with the quarterback it will always be great.”
Thomas is someone that Glenn is excited to see after the second-year corner from Florida State’s season was cut short with a shoulder injury after 12 games. While the former cornerback has liked what he’s seen, he has also noted there is still rust after missing some offseason programming.
Thomas has been in a position battle with Nashon Wright, something that will continue for the remainder of camp. When someone asked about it, Glenn was short and sweet about the competition that was still going on with the team just putting on pads two days ago. Still, he is optimistic about Thomas’s ability.
“Just understanding the total defense, because in the offseason he wasn’t able to do everything we needed him to do because he was still rehabbing,” Glenn said. “I think going to training camp, and everything is starting to add up with what we’re doing. You can tell he’s thinking, but I know for a fact that it will be gone real soon. It’s just the reps he’s got to get into his system.”
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