Jets Training Camp: Reflections From the Weekend

If you have been following the site, you probably saw that my schedule afforded me the chance to be in training camp on Saturday and Sunday. Here are some thoughts I had.

Passing game looks crisp: Sunday's practice was more even than Saturday's, but I really liked what I saw from the passing game, particularly the first team. The timing and chemistry was there. If you followed our Twitter feed, you might have noticed a lot of catches on Darrelle Revis, but he was in really good coverage for all but two or three. The timing and accuracy of the throws was spot on. These guys looked on the same page.

The difficulty of evaluating: You can understand intellectually how difficult it is to evaluate what is happening at training camp when the players aren't frequently in pads, and the practices aren't full contact. It's another thing to see it in person. The tackling is kind of half-hearted as to not injure players. Pass rushers slow up as they near the quarterbacks, who wear red noncontact jerseys. It's easier to evaluate plays on the edge. You can see receivers vs. defensive backs. You can see whether throws are accurate and on time. You can see whether the back can hit the corner on outside runs. The inside stuff is tougher to tell, such as run blocking or how the quarterback handles pressure. It is a reminder to take what you hear from camp with a grain of salt.

The limited number of reps: Practices only last so long, and there are only so many reps to go around. That makes having four quarterbacks tricky. Christian Hackenberg's game is clearly in need of development, but I only saw him throw one pass in two days during full speed action. I do like the idea of carrying four quarterbacks for a few reasons, but limiting needed reps is a drawback.

Who stood out: There were a couple of guys from whom I liked what I saw including Charone Peake and the just signed Lache Seastrunk. If we want to go deeper into the roster, I'll pick out Chandler Worthy. I liked how smooth he looked in drills. He seemed to have solid short area quickness, and he made some plays in the eleven on eleven battles. Near the end of Sunday's practice, he got big separation deep and hauled in a 60 yard touchdown from Geno Smith. I think Worthy is a long-shot to make the roster, but I'll keep my eye on him as preseason progresses. Maybe he is a practice squad candidate.