Termine » Five takeaways from the Jets’ preseason loss

to the Giants Here are five thoughts I have from the Jets’ preseason loss to the Giants last night.Sam Darnold should be the starting quarterback Week 1.Again New York Jets Hats , Darnold had a pedestrian stat line. He was only 8 of 16 for 84 yards. The stats were deceptive. Before I went to bed last night, I rewatched all of his throws to try and make some sense of the disparity between his numbers and my perception. I was a little sleepy when I was watching, but of the eight incompletions, I saw four hit his receiver in the hand, three throwaways, and one batted down at the line. So every single pass Darnold where Darnold was targeting a receiver last night and got it over the line was on target.This isn’t to say he played a perfect game. I saw two notable rookie mistakes. One was an intentional grounding penalty. The other was a clock management mistake near the end of the first half. I also haven’t gone through to make sure he made the proper read on every play.But the biggest takeaway from preseason should be that Darnold doesn’t seem to be in over his head. We aren’t talking about throwing Christian Hackenberg to the lions when he can’t execute basic functions. There are going to be moments where Darnold makes mistakes and looks very bad. But there aren’t any basic skills Darnold needs to develop from the practice field and the bench. I don’t see the benefit in holding him out.2. The tight end hype should end.There has been this weird disparity between the amount of hype the tight ends have been getting from training camp practices and the lack of talent/upside the group has. Things came to a head last night as the tight ends played a brutal collective gain. I estimated that Sam Darnold lost somewhere between 50 and 55 passing yards from throws that hit his receivers in the hands and were not converted into receptions. The tight ends were responsible for approximately 40 of those yards on 3 such passes. The group also accounted for 5 penalties.Jeremy Bates’ philosophy is built on using the tight end position, but there just isn’t any quality there for the Jets.3. Special teams was so bad that it was comedic.During the Kotite Era, the Jets special teams coach was a guy named Ken Rose. If you go back and read news accounts during that era, you probably wouldn’t believe how bad the special teams unit was. Some of the stuff you read seems implausible.The Ken Rose era is the only thing to which I can equate last night’s performance.The Jets committed four penalties on special teams, fumbled a kickoff away, missed an extra point, and allowed a punt return for a touchdown.The only comforting thing is that things have to go up. It’s impossible to sustain a performance that bad over the long haul.4. The cornerback play is kind of concerning.The Jets have more money tied up in the cornerback position this year than any team other than the Houston Texans. Without a single proven pass rusher on the team, this defense is going to lean heavily on coverage holding up.It, therefore, is disconcerting to see Eli Manning throw for 188 yards in the first half. Trumaine Johnson held up his end of the bargain and played very well. Morris Claiborne, however, was toasted on a deep route, and Buster Skrine was repeatedly beaten.The Jets still haven’t given up a touchdown in the preseason, but that isn’t going to sustain itself. This isn’t a bend but don’t break system that’s willing to surrender yardage and get tough in the red zone. This is a high risk defense where success is determined by how the corners cover one on one. I foresee pain if things don’t get better.5. Penalties are also kind of concerning.One of the ongoing themes of training camp was that the Jets were taking a lot of penalties in practice. Last night they committed 13 penalties.Some of this is just based on a lack of talent. If you are less skilled, you are going to be beaten and apt to commit a penalty. With that said, there are other discipline issues the team needs to clean up quickly. We have some heavy hitters squaring off this week. Bama will finally go up against some competition. I will be prioritizing games with prospects that fit our primary needs. Those are as follows: Edge, T, G, RB, WR, and CB. Here are just a few games to check out, and who you should keep a keen scouting eye on throughout.Georgia Vs. Kentucky (Sat 11/3 New York Jets Womens Hoodie , 3:30 PM EST, CBS)Edge, Josh Allen, Kentucky (#41)Bosa is the clear #1 edge this year, but Allen has been a terror for QB’s this year. He has improved at every level. There really isn’t any glaring weakness to his game.Edge, D’Andre Walker, Georgia (#15)Walker has been the most reliable edge this year for Georgia. He has taken a step forward since last year.RB, Benny Snell, Kentucky, (#26)Snell is a power back, that will almost alway find positive yardage. He keeps his legs moving, and is a load to bring down. His vision is top notch as well.RB, Elijah Holyfield, Georgia ( #13)Holyfield is a very smooth runner. As soon as he gets the ball in his hands you can see the patience and vision at work. His smooth cuts make him hard to wrap up.CB, Derrick Baity, Kentucky (#8)Baity has very good size and moves well. He doesn’t have a lot of wasted motion. Baity has the speed to hang with vertical threats.CB, Deandre Baker, Georgia (#18)Baker is a bit of a conundrum. Is he a corner? Is he a safety? His lack of long speed and hip flexibility is troubling, but he makes up for it with technique and physicality.Other Notable prospects: DT, Tyler Clark, Georgia #52 - S, J.R. Reed, Georgia #20 - TE, Isaac Nauta, Georgia #18 - TE, C.J. Conrad, Kentucky #87 - LB Womens Customized New York Jets Jerseys , Jordan Jones, Kentucky #34 - S, Mike Edwards, Kentucky #7Penn State Vs. Michigan (Sat 11/3, 3:45 PM EST, ESPN)Edge, Rashan Gary, Michigan (#3)Gary is a raw slab of athletic ability and a motor that never runs cold. Give him some time to refine his technique and he will be a problem.Edge, Chase Winovich, Michigan (#15)Chase is a very heady player, that like Gary, has an endless motor. You won’t see Winovich caught out of position or chasing ghosts.WR, Juwan Johnson, Penn State (#84)Juwan Johnson is a big man, especially along the sideline. Johnson has a vast catch radius and has strong ability to make special catches over defenders. Speed is an issue.RB, Karan Higdon, Michigan (#22)Karan is a explosive little back. Once he gets into the open field, he jumps into a 2nd gear that is hard to chase down. Higdon gets to the 2nd level by using his patience and understanding of how the blocks will develop.CB, Amani Oruwariye, Penn State (#21)Oruwariye has outrageous length, which allows him to be a monster in contested high pointing. Amani is powerful and fluid which allows him to dominate at all levels.CB, Lavert Hill, Michigan (#24)Hill uses his hands very well to gain leverage in man coverage. In the run game though, he can stand to be a little less soft.CB, David Long, Michigan (#22)Long isn’t the tallest corner, and maybe that has helped him develop his quick hips. He has the physicality to jam receivers at the line www.jetscheapshops.com , and fight for position down the sideline.Other Notable prospects: QB, Trace McSorely, Penn State #9 - QB, Shea Patterson, Michigan #2 - S, Tyree Kinnel, Michigan #23 - LBer, Devin Bush JR, Michigan #10Alabama Vs. LSU (Sat 11/3, 8:00 PM EST, CBS)Edge, Anfernee Jennings, Alabama (#33)Anfernee is a powerful edge setter that uses his hands very well to gain leverage. He isn’t that explosive or fast though, which hurts his pass rushing ability.OT, Jonah Williams, Alabama (#73)Jonah Williams is probably the most well put together tackle in the draft. He is also scheme fluid, which will drive his stock up to being a top pick in 2019.G, Garrett Brumfield, LSU (#78)Brumfield isn’t the biggest guy, but he plays with an anger and an edge. He is a smooth mover, and quick. He would look very good in a zone blocking scheme like ours.G, Lester Cotton, Alabama (#66)Cotton is an immovable boulder that sets the tone with aggression, and attitude. When he starts pulling, he can latch onto his blocks and utterly destroy them.RB, Damien Harris, Alabama (#32)Harris is a very confident runner. He doesn’t waste any movement or time finding his running lane New York Jets T-Shirt , and hitting it hard. Harris has good balance through contact.CB, Greedy Williams, LSU (#29)Greedy is one of if not the best defensive backs in this class. He has a near flawless resume, but does tend to be in chase mode a lot.Other Notable prospects: DT, Rashard Lawrence, LSU #90 - DT, Breiden Fehoko, LSU (#91) - DT, Raekwon Davis, Alabama #99 - DT, Isaiah Buggs, Alabama #49 -DT, Quinnen Williams, Alabama #92 - C, Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama #71 - TE, Irv Smith, Alabama #82 - LBer, Mack Wilson, Alabama #30 - S, Deionte Thompson, Alabama #14