Jets Work Out Hayden Smith
by bobdolethesnapplelady on Feb 1, 2012 10:39 AM EST
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There are reports from Jake Steinberg that the Jets have worked out Hayden Smith, a rugby player, as a tight end. Smith is 6'7", 240 pounds, which would make him the second tallest player on the team after 6'8" Ropati Pitoitua. Smith was first noticed, before rugby, as a basketball player.
There isn't a lot of information on Smith or this workout, but I do like the concept. People have been clamoring for a physical, size mismatching player ala Rob Gronkowski. Smith's an athlete and a physical freak at that. It also raises an important question on what the Jets are planning on doing with Dustin Keller. They already have two pass-catching, blocking-deficient TEs. The problems with Matt Mulligan are well documented. It seems unlikely they would keep looking at these pass-catching TEs (like they were at the Senior Bowl) unless they were planning to dump one of the main two. Then again, they may just be doing their due diligence and have no intention of dumping Keller.
In any case, let us know what you think in the comments below.
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I think Rex is a little jealous of New England's 2 TE sets
I don’t blame him. I am too. Who said Sanchez was the only person on this team that needed to be pushed? Keller needs that competition also.
Get busy winning or get busy losing.
I think this is Sparano getting his TE group
IMO is looking for physical TE’s for his offense. This may be a further indicator that Keller is on the block. Would recommend that we all reread CervezaVerde’s outstanding post" The Inbred World of NFL Coaches and Our New Old Offense" demonstrates the need for physical TE’s. Keller IMO will wind up with Schotty in St. Louis, to assist in installing his offense, the Jets receiving St. Louis’s 4th round pick and a conditional 6th in 2013
If that’s all we get for Keller, I’d be pissed.
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by bobdolethesnapplelady on Feb 1, 2012 11:19 AM EST up reply actions
That’s probably market value, which is why I think we should keep him.
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Just seems low to me. He had what, 65 catches? with a terrible quarterback this year and an even worse offense. He’d be a beast in a system that actually works to his advantages. Feels like he is worth more than that.
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www.ganggreennation.com
by bobdolethesnapplelady on Feb 1, 2012 11:42 AM EST up reply actions
Nobody except the Raiders gives up first rounders. Second rounders tend to go to top flight talent, which Keller isn’t. Maybe a late or conditional third if we’re lucky (?). IDK…you just seldom get equal value in trades in the NFL.
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With that said...
I’d find it an incredible value if we traded Eric Smith for pack of Juicy Fruit and a Pepsi.
you wouldn't get a bottle of piss and chewing gum stuck to someone's shoe for smith
follow me on TWITTER @tinley24
i want jeffery in green at pick 16
Notre Dame vs. Navy: The Emerald Isle Classic
Date:Sept. 1, 2012
Location:Dublin, Ireland
I really hope Sparano doesn't have a set system.
A set system won’t work out because he needs to see what he can do with the players already on the roster. If he has his mind set on a TE that will be a physical blocker, he may end up under-utilizing DK, our leading receiver this year (who can have 1,000 yard seasons in the future IMO). I think it would be best to get a dual threat TE, hopefully in the form of Jeff Cumberland, instead of getting rid of DK. It will both strengthen the running game and give us two match-up problems for defenses, a la Gronk and Hernandez.
i watch a lot of rugby so i know this guy well
the guy was also a basketball player before he took up rugby . i have watched him live numerous times and is a standout player on the U.S national team . not many guys move from the U.S to play abroad so his talent is there ,certainly on the rugby field .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0iHjKGYyI0
follow me on TWITTER @tinley24
i want jeffery in green at pick 16
Notre Dame vs. Navy: The Emerald Isle Classic
Date:Sept. 1, 2012
Location:Dublin, Ireland
Catch, yes.
Block, maybe not. There’s no blocking in rugby. He plays lock, though, which should mean he should be able to keep his feet when he goes to drive someone.
them rugby guys are fairly tough
he can certainly catch as that is the main thing he is used for in rugby . he is mainly used as a lineout jumper but would also have to be very strong for set formations like rucks, mauls and scrums .
he will just need work on fooball technique is he is to be successful as i think he has all the physical attributes to be a very good player
follow me on TWITTER @tinley24
i want jeffery in green at pick 16
Notre Dame vs. Navy: The Emerald Isle Classic
Date:Sept. 1, 2012
Location:Dublin, Ireland
And the obsession with Gronk begins...
Rob’s frame and body type are not easy to come by in the college football ranks when your looking for TE’s.
A lot of pro Rugby guys are blessed with unnatural height, muscle mass and great ball skills.
This should be interesting.
It does seem like this kid is an all natural talent. He’s only been playing Rugby for a few years and that was only after the basketball team he was going to play for folded. He picked up rugby as little more than a hobby and grew to be great at it.
It looks like he chose to play for the American rugby teams over his native Aussie team.
Maybe he has a little infatuation with american sports and all the attention that come along with them.
Who is to say he can’t be great at american football as well?
And the obsession with Gronk begins…
Brings me back to the years after Antonio Gates broke out when every team started signing college basketball players to try out at tight end.
Editor-In-Chief
Gang Green Nation
SB Nation's Jets Blog
http://www.ganggreennation.com
You are soo right.
The league is soo fickle. One player can change teams obsessions in the blink of an eye.
The reality of the situation is probably that offensive trends are really only dictated by the great QB’s in this league. Gronk wouldn’t be half of what he is with another QB let alone one like Mark Sanchez. But that doesn’t stop the rest of the league from watching one of the greats do his thing and then trying to fit their average QB’s with the same kinds of talent that guys like Brady excel with.
Please...
…get off your knees and stop blowing Brady. He gets that enough from…well, EVERYWHERE!
And if you think Gronk wouldn’t be good elsewhere you’re utterly insane. A guy who is 6’7", weighs 270, can run, block, and has great hands is a stud anywhere. And I can’t stand the guy!
by struckanerve9 on Feb 1, 2012 1:17 PM EST up reply actions
your name is fitting...
GANG GREEN ALL DAY!
"We’re on a 10-0 run! This other team is panicking, the crowd is roaring… oh yeah… time for a heat check… make that 3 heat checks in a row." -StarksMiddleFinger on Knicks Basketball.
Eat shit asshole.
I said good QB’s set trends for the league and make good players better.
Your the one who actually sucking somebody off by saying Gronk would be a “stud” on any team.
Both of you, calm down. There’s no need to make this a personal thing.
Staff Writer
www.ganggreennation.com
by bobdolethesnapplelady on Feb 1, 2012 5:09 PM EST up reply actions
with this guy...
I can see alot of penaltys already, hes a Rugby player and thier rules are alot different than ours, just imagine this big doof is one on one with a Safety and here comes the ball…he looks at the Safety and then forearms him under the chin and turns around to make the catch and runs in for a TD only to have it brought back because of Illegal Hands to the face :(
"The message to the rest of the league is, hey, the Jets are coming, and we're going to give you everything we got. And I think that's going to be more than you can handle"
There's more rules regarding contact that you might think in rugby.
And it’s a pretty heady game. I’m sure he can handle it. You’re only allowed to stiff arm with an open hand in rugby and without pushing off (i.e., keeping a literal stiff arm).
kinda like Danny Zuko in the movie Grease when he tried out for Basketball
"The message to the rest of the league is, hey, the Jets are coming, and we're going to give you everything we got. And I think that's going to be more than you can handle"
LOL
when he punches the guy in the stomach. i see what you mean but i think with the rules protecting offensive players more he would be fine. maybe his size would cause DB to grab him before he gets a chance for the ball? you never know until he tries.
by np3 on Feb 1, 2012 1:15 PM EST up reply actions
Interesting
Maybe the team is thinking outside the box. I’m interested on seeing where this goes. Still i don’t want the team to trade away DK.
bleed green and white
by greenandwhite4ever on Feb 1, 2012 12:26 PM EST reply actions
So Brandon Jacobs said Plexico won't be back
He wanted to sign with the giants before the season
"We're not there yet, but we're going somewhere," Johnson said. "And we're going to Brooklyn. We're not going to contract. We're going to Brooklyn."
by Atronic on Feb 1, 2012 12:36 PM EST via Android app reply actions
Really...
then why didn’t he?
Frankly, I don’t care what Plax does. He was a one-trick pony for us all year. He was so easy to cover between the 20s that I doubt the CBs on him ever broke a sweat!
by struckanerve9 on Feb 1, 2012 1:18 PM EST up reply actions
agreed
personally i hate plax and wish the Jets never signed him, i find it funny that Brandon Jacobs says that Plax doesnt want any part of whats going on with the Jets, I think Plax might have been a big part of the problem
"The message to the rest of the league is, hey, the Jets are coming, and we're going to give you everything we got. And I think that's going to be more than you can handle"
That would be surprising considering his stellar reputation He received more good conduct credits
than any other prisoner in H-Block.
by Putnan Prince on Feb 3, 2012 9:13 PM EST up reply actions
Jeez... the dude never even played football?
Why waste ur time on the guy? Not only will he have to learn to play the sport, he’ll have to learn to play it at a world class level.
Can’t we just stick to chasing actual football players? Can’t we focus on finding the next “Gronkowski” at OLB?
by Crackback on Feb 1, 2012 1:40 PM EST via mobile reply actions
You never know where you will find a gem
It’s not like we can sign free agents, or draft prospects right now anyway, so what’s the harm?
Get busy winning or get busy losing.
If that’s the case, its probably not a good idea to be shopping ur already pretty decent TE. If the guy can’t play OLB or safety, then what purpose does he serve really?
by Crackback on Feb 1, 2012 3:10 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Hey Graham
neither did Graham on NO till the last minute and look at him
If Keller could play Hernandez to this guy's Gronkowski we might have something.
Unfortunately I’m not as sold on Keller as a lot of you seem to be. He drops too many balls, and for a speed tight end he has a tough time getting separation from LB’s, let alone safeties. If we could trade him for a 3rd or some other combination of picks I would do it in a moment. He is not the TE you want for a ground and pound offense, and if you use him only in passing downs you might as well just get a megaphone and announce the play in advance. We need an all-around TE, and that is not Keller, since he couldn’t block himself in a mirror.
by Traveling Man on Feb 1, 2012 1:41 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
I'm with you on this traveling man
It’s funny, he led the team in receptions, but really what’s the point of a tight end who can’t block? He’s just a slow wideout.
by Clarke W. Griswald on Feb 1, 2012 5:03 PM EST up reply actions
I agree too
founding member of PACOS (People Against the Constant Overuse of Sarcastic font)
GGN-Moderator
Face hits
He got hit in the face at least twice without looking at the ball no excuse for that
could become a decent movie.
Something like, invincible or even air bud. Disney is already salivating.
by nyj-nyy-nyk on Feb 1, 2012 2:13 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Interesting move
I dunno if this is actually gonna go anywhere, but it’s nice to see that the FO is trying to do something regarding the roster. I’m still not sure if i want Keller gone though.
So we got
Usain Bolt at one wide out, Hayden Smith at one TE and maybe we could get some MMA guys for OLBs and Unger “The blood of the guards is gonna flow like the rivers of ancient Babylon!” from the original Longest Yard movie as the guy that breaks anybody’s freakin’ nose that tries to sack Mark Sanchez—what am i missing?
Y not
Hey no harm in working him out, hey u never know. I need a TE who is physical and can take hits.
More importantly, it’d be fun to see this guy DELIVER a hit.
Staff Writer
www.ganggreennation.com
by bobdolethesnapplelady on Feb 2, 2012 10:11 AM EST up reply actions
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