Top Preseason Storylines: Jets vs Falcons

Football! Yes, ladies and gentlemen football is back. And yes, it is preseason so these games do not count towards the overall record which “tells the NFL who is a good team and who isn’t.” But remember, these games do count.

For the rookies and players fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster they count greatly, however. This is the time for them to shine and make some noise. Saquon Barkley made some noise with a 39 yard run the first time he was handed the rock. Can Thomas Rawls or Terrelle Pryor make the same kind of noise? Yes, they are not rookies but they are on the Jets and their positions and spots on the roster are in jeopardy.

The Jets will get back Quincy Enunwa and a few other veterans this season. Enunwa went down last season with a neck injury which opened the door to Robby “the Speedster” Anderson to come in and take over. It also allowed Jermaine Kearse, the new Jets No. 2, to record a record year for himself after being traded from Seattle. But the bubble guys including Rawls and Pryor also include Kearse, Buster Skrine on defense, Bilal Powell in the RB department and a handful of other wide receivers for the simple fact that they have too many at both positions. But the flipside is they have little talent that allows a true number one.

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Yes, the game against the Atlanta Falcons is both a team building mechanism and a roster cutter. On one hand it allows both the offense and defense to build with each other and allow the team chemistry to thrive. This helps builds strong teams, playoff football teams types, and eventually Super Bowl winning football teams types. If you can get the right people to mesh together and work on each other then the sky is the limit.

On the other hand, these preseason games are also for cutting down the roster. These guys worked, bled and sweat together all while being scolded by coaches, and that kind of things will bring people together. So it hurts when you see your brother is cut and has to leave because the brass thinks that someone else will do the better job. While the NFL is a business, it still hurts on some level that can set back progress on the team building. So in a way, while it doesn’t matter record-wise all that much, you can say that the preseason hurts for some.

Now down to the nitty-gritty of Game One.

What to watch: Top Storylines

Sam Darnold: Week 1 material?

We saw Super Sam spring out just a little bit at practice with his play action passes. This is a good sign because he was terrible coming into camp about reading the defense and throwing PA, but now things seem to be moving in the right direction. But those interceptions still loom overhead and that could spell trouble. Tonight we’ll get a first glimpse as to see if he is Week 1 material.

To Tight end or Not To Tight End…

The Jets tight end battle is more like watching a victorian man slap another man with a white glove. Funny to watch but won’t go very far. With Chris Herndon on the hook for his arrest on the DUI, it brings it down to Jordan Leggett and Clive Walford to duke it out for number one TE position receiving wise. However, Eric Tomlinson still wins when it comes to blocking and not much else.

Wide Reciever, Small Room

The Jets currently have 12 wide receivers on their roster and that could spell trouble for ArDaruis Stewart who just got suspended for violating the NFL’s drug policy. And with Chad Hansen looking more like a go-to guy, that battle here will be an interesting one. Not to mention Enunwa, Anderson, Kearse and Pryor duking it out for number one in the charts.

This will be an interesting spell: Pryor looking for a comeback from his one-hit wonder so many seasons ago. Anderson is looking for his first thousand yard year. Enunwa is looking to redeem himself and show the league he’s still got the talent, and Kearse is just looking to stay on the team and keep racking up the yards.

– Alessandro Senatore is a staff writer for Full Press Coverage Jets and covers the New York Jets. Like and follow on Follow @AMS1928 Follow @FPC_Jets