Five losers from the Jets’ preseason game against the Falcons

The Jets beat the Falcons last night in a preseason game. A little earlier we discussed some of the winners from this game. Now let’s look at people who did not help their own cause.

Taylor Bertolet: The Jets are still trying to figure out the kicker spot. After an up and down week of practice, a solid game from Bertolet could have calmed some nerves. Instead the Jets had a pair of missed extra points for the second straight week. Bertolet did make a long field goal try and did well on kickoffs, but reliability is the most important attribute for any kicker. Bertolet did not show it in this game, and he has no track record to fall back upon. At the very least his path to making the Week 1 roster got more precarious.

Cornerbacks: I must note that the Jets were missing a couple of cornerbacks at the top of the depth chart. With that said, this was a pretty ugly night for the guys the team ran out there. One of the best parts of the preseason is when somebody comes out of nowhere and claims playing time with surprisingly effective play. Snacks Harrison in the 2013 preseason comes to mind. Expectations for the cornerback group were low entering this game, but that left an opportunity for somebody to make plays and show they should be in the mix. Nobody did.

Jachai Polite: I see a few people out there throwing the “bust” label at Polite. Those people are being ridiculously premature. With that said, Polite turned in a second straight game where he showed very little. Going against third and fourth stringers in the second half, he should have dominated based on raw talent alone.

Elijah McGuire: McGuire might have speed, but I don’t see any ability for him to create his own yardage. He doesn’t have great vision. He doesn’t make people miss. He doesn’t run through contact. Trenton Cannon has a lot of the same issues, but Cannon at least has theoretical special teams value. I don’t see how McGuire stays over him, and there isn’t room for both.

Davis Webb: At this point I see Webb as a bunch of raw tools and no concept of how to play quarterback. You can justify keeping a rookie who fits that description. By year three it isn’t good enough.