The Jets officially wrapped up training camp Wednesday with a team activity. After a walk-through Thursday and the Jets-Giants annual summer clash Friday night at MetLife Stadium, summer will officially be over. The Green & White will cut down the roster to 53 by Sunday evening and then assemble a practice squad before preparations for Week 1’s contest against the Tennessee Titans shift into overdrive.
We’re about to find out if summer progress translates into regular season wins, but there is excitement building at 1 Jets Drive. Our in-house reporters decided it would be fitting to hand out camp awards before transitioning to fall business.
Most Outstanding Player: QB Geno Smith
Geno Smith, a well-traveled veteran embarking on his second stint with the Jets, quickly digested offensive coordinator Frank Reich’s system and commanded the unit with pinpoint precision. There were a couple of okay days, but Smith was excellent this summer. You can go back to that 11-of-11, 4 TD performance on Back Together Weekend or the great opening drive against the Steelers (7-of-7) that culminated on the TD pass to TE Jelani Woods. When the Jets finished up camp on Tuesday, Smith was nearly flawless again as he hit on 15 of 18 in team drills.
“He is dialed in – not only mentally as far as how smart he is and how much he understands football and the big scope of things,” Reich said of Smith. “It’s just his mindset, the way he comes to practice. He just comes to practice to get better. He just comes to practice every day to get better, and I just think the team feeds off of it. I think he’s highly competitive, doesn’t want to lose a rep. It’s a good thing for our locker room and our guys. … He’s certainly setting the tone.”
Smith is deadly accurate, throws with anticipation and trusts his arm. He oozes confidence and calm, but he’s a flamethrower looking for explosive plays. Smith is an attacker who will stretch the field and makes every skill position live. The Jets offense will be multi-dimensional this season.
Poised to Make a Jump: TE Mason Taylor
Back in March, head coach Aaron Glenn told reporters he thought Mason Taylor was going to have a “hell of a year.” If training camp was any indication, Glenn will prove to be prophetic. With a true offseason under his belt, Taylor dedicated himself to being more of a threat down field and being more dangerous with the ball in his hands.
“He identified just wanting to be better run-after-catch guy,” said tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts. “He wants to be that guy – he wants to be on the grass all the time. He wants to be an efficient, active blocker and all those things. … I knew he had talent coming out of LSU and those things. You can see that growth, you can see his size, you can see his strength, you can see his maturity and how he approaches the game.”
Taylor had one of the most productive seasons by a rookie TE in franchise history with 44 catches. He showcased his reliable hands throughout camp, but he also got chunk gains down the field and he popped in the red zone. Plus, Taylor has become a much better blocker.
“He’s a guy, to me, who’s that safety net, he’s always in the right spot, he’s got great hands, he runs great routes,” Smith said. “We put a lot of work in the offseason – he was always willing to get out there. It was super hot, but he didn’t mind it. South Florida kid, seemed to be that way. But he’s a guy who I think is going to be a great player in this league for a long time”