So might J.C. Tretter, the Cleveland Browns’ center and the union president.
Both have criticized NFL team offseason workouts such as OTAs and minicamp.
Brady said on a union conference call that the NFL is the only league with “overly competitive” offseason drills.
“There’s no f—ing pro baseball player that’s throwing 95 mph in mid-December,” Brady said.
Does the 43-year-old Brady or the 30-year old Tretter, a Cornell graduate and eight-year NFL veteran, need offseason workout programs at the team facility? Maybe not. However, young players, who need a ton of work on technique, conditioning and learning the system, probably do.
This situation isn’t complicated. Younger players need it, but older players, perhaps not as much. So maybe older players like Brady and Tretter shouldn’t rail against offseason programs. Maybe they can avoid the workouts, but not encourage young players to do the same.
Jets coach Robert Saleh recently addressed the importance of NFL offseason programs.
“I am biased, obviously, to our coaching and our performance staff,” Saleh said. “I think there’s no better or safer place to get better than at your home facility where everybody knows you and everybody knows what you need to reach your maximum potential to take advantage of your 2021 season.
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FIRST DOWN- A lot of potential, but a lot to learn
There is a lyric in an old song by the rock group Chicago that sums up where Zach Wilson is right now:
IN HIS OWN WORDS WITH DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JEFF ULBRICH - Ulbrich breaks down Jets' defensive personnel
(Marcus Maye) can do it all. I would feel comfortable with him (at free or strong safety). He’s a guy that, to me, he can play deep, he can play the half field, he can play the middle third, he can do that and you feel comfortable with it. I think he’s got range, speed and athleticism. I think he’s got ball skills and instincts to be a deep safety. But I think he’s got enough size and girth and want-to and courage to play in the box. It’ll be fun to utilize all the things that he does. He can cover tight ends; he can cover some of the wide receivers in this league.
Dan's Minicamp Diary
Becton bombarded with weighty questions
Saleh calls Wilson ‘relentless' as a worker
QUESTION SESSION WITH QB ZACH WILSON
Jets hope initiatives will increase winning edge
Aside from adding as many good players as possible to help the Jets improve, coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas are trying to turn over every stone to find extra ways to give their team a winning edge, and two examples of this were announced over the course of the offseason, with the additions of a game management coach (Matt Burke) and the installation of an Athletic Care and Performance Department. Let’s take a closer look at these two moves and how they might help the Jets:
Dan's Spring Camp Diary
This time of year for learning, experimenting, not stats
AUDIBLES-Saleh doesn't cave on offseason work
Tom Brady might be wrong about this one.
SAFETIES
Justin Simmons, Broncos 6-2 • 202 pounds • 27 years old
OFFENSIVE TACKLES
Trent Williams, 49ers 6-5 • 320 pounds • 32 years old
LINEBACKERS
Lavonte David, Buccaneers 6-0 • 226 pounds • 26 years old
