INDIANAPOLIS — The consensus is the Jets have to have a big improve at their ability positions to enable Sam Darnold in 12 months 2 … unless you listen to new mentor Adam Gase, that is.
Gase talked up some of his ability players this week at the NFL Scouting Blend. To listen to him, you by no means would have assumed the Jets have been 29th in full offense last yr. He praised tight stop Chris Herndon, jogging back Eli McGuire and extensive receivers Robby Anderson and Quincy Enunwa.
He did not sound like a mentor who just took in excess of a workforce that went prolonged stretches without having scoring touchdowns and experienced a five-video game midseason stretch all through which they did not crack 20 factors.
Gase, who changed Todd Bowles in January, showered his most effusive praise on Herndon, the second-yr tight stop.
“I feel Chris is exclusive,” Gase claimed. “I really do not feel you discover a whole lot of tight finishes that are equipped to be on the industry all 3 downs. He’s a pretty excellent receiver, he’s pretty excellent in the run video game and he did a definitely excellent occupation in pass protection last yr. He’s a unicorn-variety player exactly where you really do not see a whole lot of these fellas who can do all 3 phases of the video game.
“When you have a person like that now, if you have to have to put into practice a person who’s a blocking tight stop or an additional obtaining tight stop, you have some flexibility there since he addresses a whole lot of floor there. I feel he will help those other fellas that are there, the receivers, to exactly where men and women have to account for him and then dictate some different coverages.”
But Herndon was not the only goal of praise. Gase is a supporter of Enunwa, who has battled injuries the past two several years.
“I’ve been pretty impressed with what I’ve observed,” Gase claimed. “Obviously, he experienced a whole lot of excellent online games in opposition to us [the Dolphins]. He was actual physical. He’s the variety of person that you just want to get the ball in his hands. You definitely really do not treatment how you do it. His physicality as a runner is exclusive. I really do not feel you see a person with that variety of dimension that can do what he does. He’s a major person for a extensive receiver. You almost really do not comprehend it. Particularly when you see him on the industry in particular person, you comprehend this person can be a variable on a whole lot of different concentrations.”
At last, Gase claimed Anderson was the player that astonished him the most when he viewed movie of last yr.
“I was pretty impressed with his pace. It’s exclusive,” Gase claimed. “You really do not see a total bunch of fellas who have what he has and the way he tracks the ball down the industry. I really do not feel I’ve ever been close to a player that does it as sleek. He is so sleek that when he sticks his hands out and at the pace he’s jogging, to see him just pluck the ball and hold on rolling.
“We’re just heading to hold attempting to feel of methods to get him the ball, methods to build assortment in his routes. Instead of just carrying out 1 or two factors, possibly we can open up that detail up to five, six, seven factors to exactly where he’s a threat on a number of concentrations, no matter whether it be beneath, intermediate or down the industry.”
