Unidentified Tapping
Why do the Jets only do this with Zach Wilson?
Good morning Jets fans. It’s Thursday which means it’s time to start another week of Football. We have a couple more days to wait for the Jets/Eagles game, but tonight we have the Dallas Cowboys in New Orleans, and as the fantasy owner of CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz, I could do with a few points.
Today’s newsletter is a little different. It’s going to be in two set parts. The first is a general question to all readers around something I noticed on tape, and the second is going to cover some of the expert mock drafts that have flooded the internet over the last week or so.
First of all, let’s get into something that has left me pretty confused.
On the face of it, there is nothing overly interesting about this play or formation. But just before the snap, LDT at right guard looks back to make sure Zach is ready and then Zach lifts his leg to signal he is, LDT taps McGovern and McGovern snaps the ball.
Lifting the leg isn’t anything new. It’s usually used in noisy stadiums as a visual queue that the ball is about to be snapped (or to send a receiver in motion). Houston certainly wasn’t a noisy stadium, it was half empty by the looks of the All-22 footage. It didn’t seem to be a silent count as on broadcast you could still hear Zach, and the snap came almost immediately after the tap.
At first, I thought maybe this is just something the Jets do, it’s not something I’ve seen before personally, although I’m sure other teams do it. So I went back and watched the Miami game, and the Jets didn’t do it with Flacco. Flacco is a veteran, so I decided to check out Mike White at the Bills game, and the Jets didn’t do it with White either.
My next thought was maybe this is a post-injury thing for Zach or it’s because we have a new RG in, so I went back to earlier in the season, and it’s there every week, including week one against the Panthers, and while GVR’s tap is far more delicate than LDT’s, it’s there.
I went back and forth with what this could be. Is it to allow CMG to concentrate on setting his protections, but if it were that, I’d expect to see it for White as well, unless White set his own protections. If it was based around protections I’d also expect to see it from every shotgun snap, and there were shotgun snaps on film where this didn’t happen.
In all, I counted this unidentified tapping 18 times against Houston. The only consistency is that they all came from shotgun snaps. They were on different downs, different distances, different formations, and on pass and run plays.
It’s interested me enough that I asked 5-6 people who I know watch a lot of football, and nobody really knew. It seems to be a little tip because the ball is snapped almost immediately after the tap. Something to just keep a watch on. If you know why the Jets do this, leave a comment below.
Mock Draft Season
The draft is now an all-year-round event and while it’s frustrating that this is often the only thing we have to look forward to halfway through the season year after year, take solace in knowing that fans of playoff-contending teams are looking at the draft as well. A friend of mine is a Tampa Bay fan and he messages me almost daily about prospects.
Today I thought it may be useful to collate the mock drafts around the web to give you a sense of where the experts see the Jets going. Then I’ll just pop a few thoughts down.
Players unavailable at the point of Jets pick: Hutchinson, Thibodeaux & Neal
CB Derek Stingley Jr (LSU) & OT Ikem Ekwonu (NC State)
Quick thoughts: On the surface, I don’t have too many issues. My preference is still to move back. But if we’re sticking where we are, this combination makes me nervous. Stingley Jr’s tape in 2019 was elite, one of the best CB tapes you’ll see. But 2020 wasn’t close to as good and neither was 2021, before the injury. I like Ekwonu but he’s never played on the right side of the line and that’s where he’d need to play for us. #5 is too high for me for Ikem.
Players unavailable at the point of Jets pick: Hutchinson, Corral, Ekwonu
DE Kayvon Thibodeaux (Oregon) & Evan Neal (Alabama)
Quick thoughts: If the draft goes this way, you won’t find a happier man. Evan Neal is my #1 prospect in the entire draft, he’s as pro-ready as you’re going to get. Thibodeaux and Hutchinson are closer now than they’ve ever been, but I still think Kayvon’s explosion suits this defensive system. Sign me up for this draft immediately.
Cam Mellor - Pro Football Network
Players unavailable at the point of Jets pick: Thibodeaux, Olave, Neal
CB Derek Stingley Jr (LSU) & Aiden Hutchinson (Michigan)
Quick thoughts: See my thoughts above on Stingley Jr. Hutchinson is the flavour of the month at the moment after his performance against Ohio State. I wouldn’t be upset about Hutchinson, he’s that tough, high motor guy that you can imagine fans and coaches loving. He’s set Michigan’s single-season sack record in 2021, and is quickly climbing to most people’s #1 overall prospect, so getting him at #5…can’t complain. He’ll also test very well at the combine.
That will do for today, thank you as always for reading. We’ve had great support so far for the newsletter. It started around a month ago with 20 reads on the first one, we’re well up over 500 now and I really do appreciate all of you who subscribe and share the posts on your social media.