In an otherwise meaningless game, three players stood out in the New York Jets first test of the 2016 NFL preseason.
Football is back.
Well, it’s kind of back.
Last night the New York Jets played their first game of the preseason. The defense showcased some missed tackles, which is usually expected as there isn’t much contact in training camp.
The starters were pretty much done after the first quarter, so it was time for us to get a look at guys we don’t know very well. Here are three guys that stood out in the Jets first true test of the 2016 NFL season:
Bryce Petty, QB
Bryce Petty played the entire second half. We didn’t get to see Christian Hackenberg which came as a bit of a surprise, but we really got to see how Petty has changed since last year.
Petty went 7 of 14 passing with 93 yards. His Quarterback rating was only 71.4 which doesn’t exactly jump off the charts but his stats don’t show the entire story.
Petty’s arm looked good and he was making throws deeper down the field, as seen here.
Nice throw from Petty. With some zip on it #Jets pic.twitter.com/zQEA4C39vb
— Matt O’Leary (@MattOLearyNY) August 12, 2016
It was big for Bryce Petty to show something in the game last night. The Jets may have to keep four QB’s on the roster, but if they decide against it Petty could be the odd man out considering how in love Mike Maccagnan is with Hackenberg.
It wasn’t the case last night because Geno Smith played much better after his first two lousy drives, but if Smith really struggles and Petty proves he can be a backup then possibly Geno could be the one packing his bags.
We have a lot more time for the QB situation to be figured out, but you have to be pleasantly surprised from what you saw from Petty.
Quincy Enunwa, WR
Quincy Enunwa began to have a nice role with the Jets last year. The Jets lacked a TE so Enunwa who is a bigger WR began to fill that role. With Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker on the outside taking up a lot of attention from defenses Enunwa can find some catches as Fitzpatrick’s third option.
He had two catches last night both going for big yardage. The first:
Big play alert: Fitz to Enunwa #Jets pic.twitter.com/Loy6rPw89x
— Matt O’Leary (@MattOLearyNY) August 12, 2016
And then the second from Quincy, which led to a Bilal Powell score:
Fitz and Enunwa shred the zone leading to a Bilal Powell 4-yd TD. 10-7 #NYJ trail. #JAXvsNYJpic.twitter.com/Oz5Lrik6ib
— Elite Sports NY (@EliteSportsNY) August 12, 2016
Enunwa showed a preview of what his role will be with the team. He’s not your prototypical slot receiver, but is a good third option behind Marshall and Decker. I think a healthy Jace Amaro will help this offense out, but defenses can’t overlook Quincy Enunwa as well.
Jalin Marshall, WR
Jalin Marshall only had one catch for 10 yards but his impact was felt more on special teams with his long kick off return.
Oh yeah…this guy is a bonafide weapon. RB vision with NFL explosiveness. Jalin Marshall everybody. #NYJ #JAXvsNYJ pic.twitter.com/IM43inh2R0
— Elite Sports NY (@EliteSportsNY) August 12, 2016
wait I just want to watch that Rontez Miles block one more time
Check out the block from Miles on the nice return #Jets pic.twitter.com/KR07G1ECWa
— Matt O’Leary (@MattOLearyNY) August 12, 2016
The Jets special team was an area of concern for the Jets this past year. If the Jets can find a kick returner in Marshall that would be good. The big plays like this are fun to watch, what concerns me on kick offs is fumbles so Marshall’s got to hold on to that football.
Marshall was signed as an undrafted free agent, he played his college ball at Ohio State. It’s always fun to watch the guys no one knows a lot about in these preseason games like the Danny Woodhead‘s and John Conner‘s of the world.
The Jets next preseason game is a week from today so we are going to have to sit tight for a while but there were definitely some positives to take away from this game.
