NFL camp openings: Jets Forte fires back at Marshall, naysayers

Jul 28, 2017 - 11:12 PM FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- When the New York Jets reported for training camp here Friday (July 28), there were two key, overriding, related questions: who will start at quarterback and just how bad is this team?

When veteran running back Matt Forte arrived, he disputed claims -- especially those by former teammate Brandon Marshall -- that the Jets will be very bad this year.

Marshall, now a New York Giant after being at the center of locker-room acrimony with the Jets last season, said, among other things, that Gang Green "doesn't stand a chance" in 2017.

"It doesn't matter," Forte said Friday. "He's not here. He hasn't been here the whole offseason or whatever, so he doesn't know what chance we have or anyone has. So that's Brandon speaking on Brandon. That's about all I have to say on that."

Forte agreed that the Jets fell apart on and off the field when the team went into a tailspin last season.

"Any season like that, there's going to be people that do that," he said. "And that's a good thing in a way because it shows who that person is, and you can get rid of him. It's good for the young guys to have experienced something like that because they know once you go through a season like that, you don't ever want to do that again, and you know that feeling, and you don't want to have that feeling again. ... We don't harp on last year. We're looking to move forward."

And the No. 1 topic as the team moves forward in training camp is the quarterback position.

The battle between Josh McCown, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty is far more likely to be a battle of attrition than a down-to-the-wire duel between big-time players.

But it will be nonetheless interesting as head coach Todd Bowles tries to divvy up reps and give all three players a fair chance at the job.

McCown is definitely the most accomplished of the trio, but Hackenberg reportedly closed the gap during OTAs and Petty is the only one of the three to see actual regular-season snaps for the Jets last season, for whatever that is worth.

McCown's veteran presence and ability to generate some plays when he's on the field should give him the leg up.



THE FACTS:

TRAINING CAMP: Atlantic Health Jets Training Center; Florham Park. N.J.

COACH: Todd Bowles

3rd season as Jets/NFL head coach

15-17 overall

THE BREAKDOWN

2016 finish: 4th AFC East (5-11)

STATISTICS

TOTAL OFFENSE: 329.3 (26th)

RUSHING: 112.6 (12th)

PASSING: 216.6 (27th)

TOTAL DEFENSE: 342.4 (11th)

RUSHING: 98.8 (11th)

PASSING: 243.6 (17th)



2017 PRESEASON SCHEDULE

All times Eastern



Aug. 12, TENNESSEE (Sat), 7:30

Aug. 19, at Detroit (Sat), 7:30

Aug. 26, at N.Y. Giants (Sat), 7:00

Aug. 31, PHILADELPHIA (Thu), 7:00





UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS

QUARTERBACKS: Starter - Josh McCown. Backups - Christian Hackenberg, Bryce Petty.

Welcome to the most uninspiring quarterback battle in the NFL. The most damning indictment of Hackenberg and Petty is that McCown was signed to be the starter even though he is 2-20 as a starter since 2014. Supposedly, Hackenberg closed the gap on McCown during spring OTAs, but it's still hard to envision a player who couldn't get on the field ahead of Petty, Ryan Fitzpatrick or Geno Smith last season progressing enough to win the job by Week 1. McCown offers leadership and competence, the latter at least in small doses, so he should win the job this summer before eventually giving way to Hackenberg so the Jets can do their due diligence before looking for a legit franchise quarterback next spring. Petty proved last year he's stretched even as a No. 2 quarterback.

RUNNING BACKS: Starter - Matt Forte. Backups - Bilal Powell, Elijah McGuire, Brandon Wilds, Jordan Todman, Romar Morris, FB Julian Howsare, FB Anthony Firkser.

Forte, a 31 year old with 9,415 career rushing yards, is the equivalent of the lone remaining original cast member on a long-past-its-prime TV show. Powell was far more impressive last season, when Forte ran out of gas after being saddled with 66 touches in the first three games, but a legitimate timeshare is likely, especially given how proficient Powell and Forte are as pass-catchers. McGuire should get an extended audition to see if he can replace one or both backs in 2018. Todman and Wilds will vie for the short-yardage role, while Howsare should win a job in an offense that plans to utilize the fullback again.

TIGHT ENDS: Starter - Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Backups -Jordan Leggett, Eric Tomlinson, Brian Parker, Jason Vander Laan.

The Jets laughably ignored the tight end the last two seasons under then-coordinator Chan Gailey, but Seferian-Jenkins is a darkhorse candidate to lead the Jets in receptions even though he'll miss the first two games while serving a suspension stemming from a DUI arrest last year. Tools have never been a question for Seferian-Jenkins, who went through alcohol rehab and shed 25 pounds heading into the final year of his rookie contract. Tomlinson is a capable backup while Leggett put up impressive numbers at Clemson, though there are some questions about his work ethic.

WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters - Quincy Enunwa, Robby Anderson, ArDarius Stewart. Backups - Marquess Wilson, Charone Peake, Chad Hansen, Myles White, Jalin Marshall, Devin Street, Frankie Hammond, Deshon Foxx, Chris Harper, Gabe Marks, KD Cannon.

The least-impressive quarterback corps in the NFL will be throwing to the league's most underwhelming group of wide receivers. The 14 receivers headed to camp with the Jets have a total of 255 career catches, or 66 more than Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker combined for in 2015. Enunwa would be a No. 3 receiver anywhere else, but he'll be the top wideout for the Jets as they figure out what they have in second-year speedster Anderson and the rookies Stewart and Hansen. Wilson, Peake and Marshall will also get chances they wouldn't likely receiver anywhere else, though Marshall's roster spot is jeopardized by his four-game PED suspension.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters - C Wesley Johnson, RG Brian Winters, LG James Carpenter, LT Kelvin Beachum, RT Ben Ijalana. Backups - G/C Dakota Dozier, T Brandon Shell, T Brent Qvale, G Craig Watts, OL Alex Balducci, OL Chris Bordelon, OL Ben Braden, OL Jonotthan Harrison, T Jeff Adams, T Javarius Leamon.

The release of Nick Mangold this spring capped a two-year overhaul of the once-sturdy offensive line that leaves the Jets with an uncertain line of defense protecting their unknown quarterback. Carpenter, who was the only lineman to start every game last season, and Winters, who signed a four-year extension, are the building blocks. In the best-case scenario, Johnson proves to be a capable starter after serving as Mangold's understudy the last several seasons, Beachum regains the form he enjoyed with the Steelers prior to tearing his ACL in 2015 and Shell supplants Ijalana as a starter. But it's more likely the Jets are looking for at least one and possibly two linemen in the draft next spring.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters -- DE Muhammad Wilkerson, NT Steve McLendon, DE Sheldon Richardson, DE Leonard Williams. Backups - NT Deon Simon, DL Lawrence Thomas, Anthony Johnson, DL Mike Pennel, DL Brandin Bryant, DL Patrick Gamble, DL Claude Peron.

If the Jets are going to surprise people this year and not contend for the No. 1 pick, they'll do so because their defensive line meets expectations. There was a time when the Jets believed Wilkerson and Richardson would be building blocks into the 2020s, but both players underperformed on the field last year and served as nuisances off it. There is some hope Wilkerson will revert to his productive, low-maintenance form as long as he's fully recovered from the broken leg he suffered in January 2016, while Richardson should be on his best behavior as he looks to land a big payday with someone else next spring. Richardson plays as a hybrid lineman/linebacker. At least Williams looks like the real deal. McLendon was a solid replacement for Damon Harrison last season. There isn't much depth behind the starters, so the Jets will be in even bigger trouble than most anticipate if injuries or inefficiency dog the line.

LINEBACKERS: Starters - ILB Demario Davis, ILB Darren Lee, OLB Lorenzo Mauldin, OLB Jordan Jenkins. Backups - LB Freddie Bishop, LB Bruce Carter, LB Corey Lemonier, LB Josh Martin, LB Julian Stanford, LB Frank Beltre, LB Dylan Donahue, LB Connor Harris, LB Spencer Paysinger.

Outside of Lee, who is expected to assume David Harris' role as the leader of the defense, there are no long-term building blocks in the linebacking corps. Davis, whom the Jets let walk as a free agent following the 2015 season before acquiring him from the Browns in exchange for Calvin Pryor on June 1, will replace Harris in the lineup. The Jets hoped to find a couple mid-round steals in Mauldin and Jenkins, who were third-round picks in 2015 and 2016, but they combined for just five sacks last season. Other than Martin and Stanford, who have been valuable special teams contributors, the depth at the position is mostly comprised of journeyman free agents, so this is another area the Jets will be looking to improve upon in 2018.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters - CB Morris Claiborne, CB Buster Skrine, FS Marcus Maye, SS Jamal Adams. Backups - CB Marcus Williams, CB Juston Burris, CB Dexter McDougle, CB Darryl Roberts, CB Jeremy Clark, CB Xavier Coleman, CB Derrick Jones, CB Bryson Keeton, DB Corey White, S Rontez Miles, S Doug Middleton, S Ronald Martin, S Shamarko Thomas.

Spending big on Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie failed in spectacular fashion, so the Jets are going low-risk at cornerback, where the mistake-prone Skrine will team up with Claiborne to form an underwhelming duo. Williams has displayed big-play ability, while Burris seems likely to get increased playing time in his second season. The Jets became the first team in a decade to use its first two draft picks on safeties, so if everything goes according to plan, Adams and Maye will be the defensive anchors the next time the Jets contend for a playoff spot. At the least, they should provide an immediate upgrade on Pryor and Marcus Gilchrist. The Jets actually have some decent depth in the secondary, with Miles and Middleton both having performed passably in the past as fill-in starters.

SPECIAL TEAMS: K Chandler Catanzaro, K Ross Martin, P Lachlan Edwards, KR/PR ArDarius Stewart, KR/PR Jalin Marshall, LS Tanner Purdum.

Catanarzo had a nightmarish 2016, but will look to regain the form he enjoyed in Arizona, when Todd Bowles was the Cardinals' defensive coordinator. Martin showed a big leg last summer and will push Catanzaro if he continues to struggle. Edwards didn't live up to his draft stock last season, but will get another chance to solidify the position. With Stewart battling various injuries and Marshall suspended for the first four games, the Jets will probably once again be scanning the waiver wire for a kickoff and punt returner come late August and early September. Purdum is the answer to a sad trivia question: Name the only remaining Jets player from their back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances following the 2009 and 2010 seasons.