Jets lose safety Middleton to torn pec
The Jets received more bad news about their already banged-up secondary.
The Daily News reported Monday morning that safety Doug Middleton is expected to miss the rest of the season with a torn pectoral suffered during Gang Green’s 37-17 loss to the Vikings on Sunday. Middleton missed all of the 2017 season after tearing his other pec last summer.
Todd Bowles, who later said he heard that Middleton might have suffered a torn pec and is undergoing further tests, is now down to thirdstring safety Terrence Brooks. Middleton started four games for injured starter Marcus Maye, who missed the first three games with a foot injury and is currently shelved with a broken thumb.
The Jets are also without two of their top three cornerbacks (Trumaine Johnson and Buster Skrine).
Bowles & Co. will eventually add safety Rontez Miles (knee) off the PUP list.
They also have two safeties on the practice squad: 2017 sixth-round pick Jeremy Clark, who has been converted to safety, and undrafted free-agent Brandon Bryant. Veteran J.J. Wilcox, who was cut a couple weeks ago, might also be an option.
ANDERSON’S THROW
Bowles said he spoke to Robby Anderson on Monday about the wide receiver’s decision to throw the ball in the direction of an official after an incompletion in the end zone late in the game. Anderson apologized for his actions through reporters after the game.
“I didn’t like it,” Bowles said Monday. “We discussed it... We’re good.”
NO TIMEOUT
Bowles defended his decision not to take a timeout in the final minute and a half before halftime. The Jets opted to let the clock run from 1:27 to 47 seconds after a Vikings’ third-down completion that was short of the first down.
The Jets took over at their own 32-yard-line with 42 seconds left and three timeouts after Dan Bailey missed a 42yard field goal. Would they have been better off with about 1 minute, 20 seconds to go and two timeouts? Bowles evidently didn’t think so.
“We had enough time to go with three timeouts to work a two-minute drill,” Bowles said Monday. “So, we felt like 40 seconds was more than enough time from where the ball was had he missed the kick…. We’re good with our decision.”
The Jets were in a similar situation a week earlier when they started a drive at their own 28 with only two timeouts. The drive resulted in a 32-yard field goal.
POWELL INJURY
Bowles didn’t provide an update on RB Bilal Powell, who left in the first half with a neck injury… Center Spencer Long, dealing with a finger injury the past couple weeks, had more shaky shotgun snaps against the Vikings. One led to a poor QBRB exchange that resulted in a lost fumble. Long didn’t play the final six snaps after getting “nicked up a little bit,” Bowles said.