Quarterbacks coach David Lee didn’t want to the spill beans when asked if Geno Smith already was watching film and preparing for the Raiders because he won’t play in Thursday’s final preseason game against the Eagles in Philadelphia.
“I’ll defer to Rex [Ryan] and Marty [Mornhinweg] on that,” Lee said, referring to the Jets head coach and offensive coordinator.
Smith, meanwhile, had no problems divulging has been watching film of the Raiders “pretty extensively” in preparation for the Sept. 7 season opener at MetLife Stadium.
“They’ve got new players,” Smith said. “They’ve got the same defensive coordinator, so there will be some similar things from last year. There will be some differences, but the key thing is finding out exactly what’s changed and what’s different and being able to go out and execute.”
Truth is, all of the starters not ticketed to play against the Eagles have been watching film of the Raiders from not only this preseason, but also last season.
Only guard Brian Winters might see action in Philadelphia. The rest of the starters on offense and defense will be cheerleaders Thursday night, helping the second and third stringers do the best they can. The starters, however, already are gearing for the Raiders.
“That’s what most of us are doing,” said defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. “It’s just more preparation. We should know whatever wrinkle they might have in their game-plan as far as attacking us.”
It’s being treated almost like a bye week, a chance to rest, heal and mentally prepare for a game in the distance. Formal implementation of the game plan won’t begin until next week, which is why center Nick Mangold described watching film of the Raiders this way: “You can take a peek, but without a game plan it’s like watching a movie without the sound,” he said. “You’re just trying to get jump-started a little bit.”
Even Ryan had the Raiders on the brain when he noted the near 90-degree weather during Tuesday’s practice session in Florham Park.
“I like this weather,” he said. “I hope it holds out for the Raiders, putting them in those black jerseys at 1 o’clock. If the humidity is up that would be nice.”
Ryan admitted the practice session was longer, “because we’re looking at two different teams,” meaning the Eagles and the Raiders.
The Jets are nowhere near a finished product yet. Their issues in the secondary have been well-documented. There also are decisions to make at wide receiver and Lee wants Smith to fine tune his game.
“Just tighten up everything a little bit better,” Lee said of Smith. “Keep my eyes downfield a little bit longer and if I’m going to run pump twice and take off and run, just putting those things together.
“Hopefully, we’ll be ready to go when the games start. We’re not quite ready right now.”
It’s not like the starters don’t care about the game in Philadelphia. Actually, they care the young teammates they have nurtured throughout training camp do well in what amounts to their last chance to impress the coaching staff.
“We going to support the guys that are out there and support them as much as we can,” Mangold said. “This is their time to shine. You want to make sure they put their best foot forward.”
Veteran offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson put it this way.
“The ultimate goal is to get our 53 and then prepare for the Raiders,” he said. “But this is a great opportunity for the guys to make the team and show their stuff. Then those individuals will help our team when we do play Oakland. It’s important. We’re all putting time into our preparation.”
Ryan didn’t want to discount the importance of Thursday’s preseason finale in Philadelphia, in which players such as wide receiver Stephen Hill could be fighting for a job.
“It should be a heck of a night,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for guys to show what they’ve got one last time.”
Then it’s on to the Raiders for real.