Resurgent Kerley handling everything thrown his way
JEREMY Kerley, who’s having a terrific renaissance season of sorts this year in his second stint with the Jets, probably isn’t going to like this. But you can’t help yourself if the first question you ask him is: What happened? What happened on the one pass that was thrown his way in the first six weeks of the season that he didn’t catch? We’re not talking about Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak that no one has sniffed in the 76 years since, but Kerley had an impressive streak of his own going through the first five-plus weeks of the season, catching the first 19 passes thrown to him. Kerley had a perfect season entering last Sunday’s game against the Patriots, having caught all 17 passes quarterback Josh McCown had thrown to him. He caught two passes for 61 yards and a touchdown against New England to push the streak to 19 before it came to an end on the final play of the game, a 24-17 loss at MetLife Stadium. So, who’s fault was it? Was it his fault? McCown’s fault? Or just a good defensive play by the Patriots?
As it turned out, it was none of the above. It was fourth-and-16 from the New England 49 with the Jets trailing by a TD and 20 seconds remaining. McCown heaved a desperation pass somewhat in the direction of Kerley that fell harmlessly to the turf with 12 seconds left in the game.
Just like that, Kerley’s impressive streak was over.
“As soon as it happened, I was like, ‘Ah, they might give me that target,’ so I kind of knew this might be the end of that,’’ Kerley said Friday of the streak-buster. “It was like a desperation throw, and they gave me the target since the ball kind of hit in my area, but I don’t necessarily think it was thrown to me. It wasn’t like a specific target, like I had a chance to put my hands on it.’’
None of this, of course, will matter when the Jets (3-3) play at Miami (3-2) on Sunday. But Kerley, who has become a focal point of the offense, might have something to say about the Jets getting to 4-3 by sweeping the season series against the Dolphins, against whom he had five catches (on five targets, of course) for 42 yards in the Jets’ 20-6 home win on Sept. 24. Targets for NFL receivers only began to be recorded in recent years and are an unofficial statistic. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Kerley’s streak of 19 consecutive receptions on which he was the intended receiver is the longest in the NFL this season.
There were only three streaks of similar length in the NFL last season — Washington’s Chris Thompson with 23, Green Bay’s Davante Adams with 19 and Minnesota’s Jerick McKinnon with 19.
“For him to catch 19 in a row, that’s absurd,’’ fellow Jets receiver Jermaine Kearse said Friday. “He’s just got a dog mentality. That’s what I appreciate about his game the most. He’s going to do whatever it takes to win. That’s someone you want playing next to you.’’
In many ways, Kerley is a symbol of these surprising 2017 Jets in that he was an afterthought of sorts with not much expected of him from the outside world.
The Jets signed Kerley five days before the season opener to give them a veteran presence inside a receivers room practically equipped with a diaper-changing table, there are so many young players.
Before his arrival, which was met with more “ho-hum” than fanfare, the Jets were planning to ride with Robby Anderson (60 career NFL receptions), Charone Peake (20 catches) and rookies ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen.
Through six games, Kerley has 19 catches, Anderson 18, Peake 1, Stewart 4 and Hansen none.
Jets cornerback Morris Claiborne said he wasn’t even aware of Kerley’s target-catch streak, but it didn’t surprise him.
“That speaks a lot about the guy, that he’s a guy you can rely on,’’ Claiborne said. “He’s quick, fast and he can get open. Some guys can get open, but can’t really catch. He’s catching the ball and making plays.’’