QUINCY WILLIAMS
Since 2022, Jets players have witnessed many horrific season-ending injuries including Breece Hall, Aaron Rodgers and Alijah Vera-Tucker. When Jermaine Johnson was carted off the field late in the 3rd quarter of yesterday’s game against the Titans, you saw empathy for their teammate, and the concern for themselves. That’s when the Jets emotional leader stepped up.
On the very next play, Quincy stuffed Tony Pollard for a one-yard gain, jumped to his feet and went into his signature celebration. It was as if he was pushing his teammates to turn the page and put their focus back on the field. CJ Mosley and his brother Quinnen are the leaders of the defense, but the passion Quincy brings is infectious and will continue to be needed moving forward.
SPECIAL PLAYER
Undrafted WR Irving Charles came into this, his 3rd season, with just 12 games under his belt. That was enough for Jets and Special Teams Coordinator Brant Boyer to decide that he was capable of replacing former Pro-Bowler Justin Hardee, Sr. as the “bell cow” (Saleh’s phrase) on special teams. Yesterday, as the gunner on punts, Charles made back-to-back stops of 0 and -2 yards in the first half. In the 3rd quarter he blocked a punt that led to a field goal. He could be the next Jets special teamer to make the Pro-Bowl.
QB MIND GAMES
We’ve all been guilty of looking down on the field with green colored glasses. Personally, I was very excited about the arms of Browning Nagle, Glenn Foley and even Bryce Petty, but what I’m seeing now is different. Does Rodgers have a good arm? Yes, of course. But it’s his mind that has been most impressive. It’s apparent that Rodgers is still searching for rhythm and timing. Yesterday he said the fact that Saleh had to call two timeouts and he took a penalty for play clock violations was “embarrassing”. His track record shows that it will get better. There had to be some rust and some time for the offense to gel.
On the flip side, his mind doesn’t seem rusty at all. He plays QB with a calm not seen often in these parts and it’s felt right through the TV. Whether he’s getting out of a bad play, giving a signal to a receiver to do something off-script, or just managing his messaging through the media, this guy is different. It’s a shame he’s already 40 years old because you can tell that he has so much to teach us. All of us; his teammates, his coaches, the media and the fans.
JOHN FRANKLIN-MYERS
When JFM was traded to Denver in April, we felt that his all-around game would be replaced by the ascending Johnson on one-side, and the other side would feature the primary pass rusher in Haason Reddick. That would leave Michael Clemons and Will McDonald available to rotate in. Now that those two are starters, it’s clear that the Jets are going to have to resolve Reddick’s holdout and look to the trade market to pick up a suitable run-stopper.
Which brings us to JFM. It’s early, but it looks like Sean Payton and the Broncos are in for a long year. Would they be willing to ship JFM back to the Jets? Considering the need, JFM’s new affordable contract and the made-to-order fit, it’s a call that Joe Douglas should make. The Jets received a 2026 6th rounder from Denver, perhaps sending that pick back plus a 2025 5th rounder would make it worthwhile for the Broncos. Talk about pumping up a locker room, reacquiring JFM would do that.
