Rookie tandem impressing early
Jets coach Todd Bowles is not one to gush over rookies. But gush he did Sunday.
Bowles heaped some praise on his rookie safety duo of Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye. Both of them are already in the starting lineup, and don’t expect that to change anytime soon.
“They can play,” Bowles said. “It’s rare that these types of things happen, but those guys showed so much in the spring in what we brought them along with. They can only get better. Their maturity level, as far as learning the plays, exceeded our expectations for a rookie, so we think those guys are ready to play.”
The Jets took Adams in the first round out of LSU and Maye in the second out of Florida. The two are rooming together during training camp and helping each other study the playbook when they have any downtime.
“Me and Marcus, we have a phenomenal opportunity,” Adams said. “We’re back there working together, running with the ones. We’re just trying to take advantage of every opportunity.”
The two come from the SEC, which Adams feels gives them a jump on the transition to be a pro. He called it a “mini-NFL.”
The Jets will hold their first padded practice Monday. It is also the first practice open to fans. Bowles, who always downplays non-padded practices, is excited to see his team out there hitting.
“It’s good because that’s when camp really starts,” Bowles said. “You get to see T-shirt and shorts here. Two-hand touch is fine, but you’ve got to see if guys can get off bumps, you’ve got to see if guys can get off blocks, you’ve got to see if guys can block, you’ve got to see if quarterbacks can throw with timing disrupted, you’ve got to see if DBs can cover and re-route and all those types of things so you get a better assessment.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will be at the Jets’ training center Monday to participate in a “fan forum” with select Jets season-ticket holders. … CB Morris Claiborne was excused from Sunday’s practice for personal reasons. He is expected to be back Monday. … CB Bryson Keeton was waived/injured after tearing an ACL in practice Saturday. … The Jets signed CB David Rivers. … OT Ben Ijalana (knee) participated in team drills Sunday after sitting out Saturday. He is rotating at left tackle with Kelvin Beachum. Brent Qvale and Brandon Shell are rotating at right tackle.