Q: What was your reaction to C.J. Mosley opting out?
Gase: We had multiple conversations. Whether it was his conversations with me or Joe (Douglas, Jets GM). If he wasn’t comfortable with the situation, he had the ability to opt out. He made his decision, and fairly early in the process he said he was thinking about it. We will obviously miss him this season. As always, we will have the next-man-up mentality. We do have a lot of depth at that position. Guys will step up and try to fill the void.
Leberfeld: The NFL and NFLPA made Mosley’s decision fairly easy. In the deal the league and union came up with to alter this season with the COVID-19 issue, they included an opt-out option for players. According to one of the provisions in the opt-out language, Mosley was allowed to keep a $10 million bonus he received in March, and also take the season off. Not a bad deal if you can get it.
I have no issue with the NFL and NFLPA allowing players to opt out who aren’t comfortable, and giving them a $150,000 stipend (they have to pay back next year), but to allow a player to collect a $10 million bonus, and then not play, that’s a little bit of a head-scratcher.
So now Mosley will take the year off, and as he put it, “kind of find that flame again.”
As Gase said, “Next man up.” The Jets showed last year if a team has a good pro personnel department, it can find adequate inside linebackers, and it doesn’t take $51 million guaranteed to do it. Guys such as Neville Hewitt and James Burgess played well at ILB after injuries to Mosley and Avery Williamson.
Q: Is Avery Williamson a good option to replace Mosley at the middle linebacker position?
Denne historien er fra September 2020-utgaven av NY Jets Confidential.
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Denne historien er fra September 2020-utgaven av NY Jets Confidential.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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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
