Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh explaining how he's going to make things happen.
It’s gameday New York Jets fans and we need to properly prepare you for Saturday night’s festivities against the New York Giants.
Snoopy Bowl? Battle for New York? Big brother vs. little brother? What do we even call this annual battle anymore? Regardless we’ll have the Jets and the New York Giants squaring off in the middle of the football octagon.
We already talked about the not-so-obvious Jets players you should keep an eye out for this game and now it’s time to address the obvious players to watch.
This article should likely be sponsored by that Captain Obvious guy from those funny commercials, maybe if this picks up some steam we’ll make some calls.
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Offensive Guys Will Shine Bright in the Spotlight
Zach Wilson, quarterback
Let’s get the most obvious question out of the way immediately, how the heck will this talented rookie passer perform with the lights shining?
Wilson has had some up and down moments throughout training camp and recently things have been going very well. The Giants aren’t expected to play a ton of their starters, if any at all, which should set up for a huge potential confidence-boosting game for Wilson if he can seize the day.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh has been all over the place with his projections. At one point he said the former BYU stud would play “at least a quarter” then he walked that back a few days later saying he’d “play a couple of series.”
Hopefully, the more the merrier because the green and white only have three preseason games to get out all the kinks ahead of the regular season when it really matters.
Denzel Mims, wide receiver
I don’t think there is a player Jets fans want to see have a bigger game than wide receiver Denzel Mims. Since the offseason began he has been much maligned by some fans and the media.
Despite some of his struggles with food poisoning, drops, and falling in the rotation he has a chance to set the record straight. Mims is a super talented player and it’s about time he reminds everyone how good he is.
Other Big Questions Remain
CJ Mosley, linebacker
Back over a month ago I engaged in an open Twitter conversation with Jets linebacker CJ Mosley. During our back and forth I asked Mosley how does he look and if he was ready for the season?
He provided the best possible answer to the question by tweeting out, “August 14th at MetLife Stadium.” That was in reference to the Jets’ upcoming first preseason game vs the New York Giants.
Mosley essentially hasn’t played in over two years and he’s a different man both physically and mentally. Physically he has cut over 20 pounds from his previous playing weight and looks ready to make plays. While mentally he’s in a better headspace after stepping away from the game and reassessing what’s important to him.
Can’t wait to see how he looks running around and playing against a team of a different colored jersey.
Chris Herndon, tight end
Herndon has been a polarizing player during his three-year career thus far. Some people love him (me included) and believe he has a path to stardom. While others believe he’ll never put it together.
In the unofficial depth chart that was released by the team ahead of the preseason opener, Herndon sat atop the depth chart. During training camp, he has had some bright moments (crazy touchdowns) and he has had some bad ones (horrific drops).
Now it’s time to prove he’s finally going to blossom in a contract year.
Carl Lawson, EDGE rusher
Although to be honest, the most fascinating question we saved for last and everyone is thinking it. Is the Jets offensive line garbage or is this defensive line actually this good?
If the answer is the latter just imagine how it’s going to look next week when Quinnen Williams re-joins this group! Oh my.
Although more specifically the one player that has dominated whoever he has lined up against is Carl Lawson. According to my unofficial stat counting, the former Cincinnati Bengal star has racked up over 30 sacks so far in camp. That total is more sacks than he had cumulatively over the last four seasons.
If Lawson is half as good as this run during camp suggests, the rest of the NFL is in a lot of trouble. He has a rare combination of speed, get off, and “strong as s***” ability as he put it to the media.
Time to see if the hype lives up to reality in this first preseason game!
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