I mentioned this as an issue since Werner dominated us in the first preseason game.
FLORHAM PARK – Willie Colon looked into the camera and started asking questions. It was Monday afternoon in the Jets’ locker room, a day after a 19-14 season-opening win over the Raiders. Colon was working on a video package for the Jets’ website, for which he was about to interview Breno Giacomini.
The piece apparently had something to do with advice about going to college, or memories of college. Colon and Giacomini got to talking, with Colon recounting how his microwave in college had its own flavor, because he never cleaned it. Put pizza in the thing, and it would come out smelling like chicken, Colon said.
He and Giacomini had a good laugh during the “interview,” which lasted a couple minutes. The offensive line mates clearly get along well. They are both outgoing, talkative guys. Colon has the sort of candor and charisma that would play well on television in an analyst role, after he retires. (Colon is 31.)
But on the field, the Jets’ right guard, Colon, and new right tackle, Giacomini, are still developing a rapport. After watching film of Jets-Raiders, Giacomini had mixed reviews for how the right side of the Jets’ line played.
“It was a little slow,” he said. “We’ve got to get better on tons of stuff. Penalties crushed us early. But the double teams (blocks) were there. They’re getting better. We’ve just got to keep working with each other. Communication is there, so that’s good right now, right away. Now it’s just: How is this guy going to play this, versus this?”
Among Colon’s detailed tendencies that Giacomini is trying to pick up: “Where he lines up when we go on a silent count,” Giacomini said.
On the Jets’ first drive, Giacomini was called for a false start and Colon drew a holding penalty. Colon got flagged for a false start in the second quarter, and then a face mask in the third quarter.
One reason Giacomini and Colon are still trying to familiarize themselves with each other: Colon didn’t get to work with Giacomini until training camp, because Colon had arthroscopic surgery on his knee in the offseason. Even after Colon returned, the Jets worked Oday Aboushi – their universal backup guard – with the starters, in order to get Aboushi work and give Colon’s knee some rest. The downside to this is that Giacomini and Colon got to spend less time alongside each other during practice.
“It’s good to rotate guys in on the offensive line, just in case something does happen,” Giacomini said. “But the more reps you get with somebody (who you are actually going to play alongside), the better it is. You know how it is. O-line play, it can be tough, especially when we didn’t have a full offseason together.”
Colon said developing a rapport with Giacomini is “just a feel thing. I’ve been in and out because of my knee, and it’s just us growing chemistry, getting better. It’s just going to take time, but we’re working at it.”
Colon knew, even back when he first started practicing during training camp, it would take some time to get clicking with Giacomini. The Jets’ use of double-team blocks on power run plays – something Giacomini rarely did in Seattle – was going to be one significant hurdle the duo would have to overcome.
But by the end of camp, assistant offensive line coach Ron Heller was comfortable enough with the Giacomini-Colon pairing that he could say they “look like they’ve been playing together for quite a while.”
After Ryan watched the film, he said Giacomini, the Jets’ only new starter on the offensive line, “had a great game.” Obviously, Ryan noted, he could not say the same about Colon, because of the penalties.
“I know it bothered him big-time,” Ryan said.
Colon’s three penalties reminded Ryan of the start to 2013 season. Colon got off to a slow start with penalties. He had three in the first two games, four in the first three games, five in the first four games and six in the first six games. Then he had another in Week 7. After that, he had just five penalties for the rest of the season. Colon finished the season with 11 penalties (because one of those aforementioned 12 was declined) and he tied for second in the NFL in penalties, largely because of his slow start in that area.
“To start the season, we had a few too many penalties and then we got better,” Ryan said. “In particular, Willie did. His hands were inside. Sometimes, when your hands are outside, those things happen. We’ve just got to do a little better job.”
Getting your hands outside of a defender’s shoulder pads is the quickest way to get called for holding. Colon already has one holding call this year. Last season, he had four – in Weeks 3, 6, 11 and 17. Colon was called for holding eight times in 2012.
Giacomini is looking forward to eventually getting such a solid rapport with Colon that speaking isn’t even necessary, though neither guy minds talking at all.
Still, Giacomini would love “to get to the point where we can just look at each other, and we know what we’re talking about. That comes with a lot of experience together, though. So we’ll see how it goes. But it’s Week 1. It’s early. All we’ve got to do is work. We’ve got to get a lot better. I’m not saying that we played bad, but it looked like a Week 1 film.”
Said Ryan: “They’re two physical guys. When all of it comes together, I think that’ll be an outstanding right side. I don’t think there’s any doubt about it.”
FLORHAM PARK – Willie Colon looked into the camera and started asking questions. It was Monday afternoon in the Jets’ locker room, a day after a 19-14 season-opening win over the Raiders. Colon was working on a video package for the Jets’ website, for which he was about to interview Breno Giacomini.
The piece apparently had something to do with advice about going to college, or memories of college. Colon and Giacomini got to talking, with Colon recounting how his microwave in college had its own flavor, because he never cleaned it. Put pizza in the thing, and it would come out smelling like chicken, Colon said.
He and Giacomini had a good laugh during the “interview,” which lasted a couple minutes. The offensive line mates clearly get along well. They are both outgoing, talkative guys. Colon has the sort of candor and charisma that would play well on television in an analyst role, after he retires. (Colon is 31.)
But on the field, the Jets’ right guard, Colon, and new right tackle, Giacomini, are still developing a rapport. After watching film of Jets-Raiders, Giacomini had mixed reviews for how the right side of the Jets’ line played.
“It was a little slow,” he said. “We’ve got to get better on tons of stuff. Penalties crushed us early. But the double teams (blocks) were there. They’re getting better. We’ve just got to keep working with each other. Communication is there, so that’s good right now, right away. Now it’s just: How is this guy going to play this, versus this?”
Among Colon’s detailed tendencies that Giacomini is trying to pick up: “Where he lines up when we go on a silent count,” Giacomini said.
On the Jets’ first drive, Giacomini was called for a false start and Colon drew a holding penalty. Colon got flagged for a false start in the second quarter, and then a face mask in the third quarter.
One reason Giacomini and Colon are still trying to familiarize themselves with each other: Colon didn’t get to work with Giacomini until training camp, because Colon had arthroscopic surgery on his knee in the offseason. Even after Colon returned, the Jets worked Oday Aboushi – their universal backup guard – with the starters, in order to get Aboushi work and give Colon’s knee some rest. The downside to this is that Giacomini and Colon got to spend less time alongside each other during practice.
“It’s good to rotate guys in on the offensive line, just in case something does happen,” Giacomini said. “But the more reps you get with somebody (who you are actually going to play alongside), the better it is. You know how it is. O-line play, it can be tough, especially when we didn’t have a full offseason together.”
Colon said developing a rapport with Giacomini is “just a feel thing. I’ve been in and out because of my knee, and it’s just us growing chemistry, getting better. It’s just going to take time, but we’re working at it.”
Colon knew, even back when he first started practicing during training camp, it would take some time to get clicking with Giacomini. The Jets’ use of double-team blocks on power run plays – something Giacomini rarely did in Seattle – was going to be one significant hurdle the duo would have to overcome.
But by the end of camp, assistant offensive line coach Ron Heller was comfortable enough with the Giacomini-Colon pairing that he could say they “look like they’ve been playing together for quite a while.”
After Ryan watched the film, he said Giacomini, the Jets’ only new starter on the offensive line, “had a great game.” Obviously, Ryan noted, he could not say the same about Colon, because of the penalties.
“I know it bothered him big-time,” Ryan said.
Colon’s three penalties reminded Ryan of the start to 2013 season. Colon got off to a slow start with penalties. He had three in the first two games, four in the first three games, five in the first four games and six in the first six games. Then he had another in Week 7. After that, he had just five penalties for the rest of the season. Colon finished the season with 11 penalties (because one of those aforementioned 12 was declined) and he tied for second in the NFL in penalties, largely because of his slow start in that area.
“To start the season, we had a few too many penalties and then we got better,” Ryan said. “In particular, Willie did. His hands were inside. Sometimes, when your hands are outside, those things happen. We’ve just got to do a little better job.”
Getting your hands outside of a defender’s shoulder pads is the quickest way to get called for holding. Colon already has one holding call this year. Last season, he had four – in Weeks 3, 6, 11 and 17. Colon was called for holding eight times in 2012.
Giacomini is looking forward to eventually getting such a solid rapport with Colon that speaking isn’t even necessary, though neither guy minds talking at all.
Still, Giacomini would love “to get to the point where we can just look at each other, and we know what we’re talking about. That comes with a lot of experience together, though. So we’ll see how it goes. But it’s Week 1. It’s early. All we’ve got to do is work. We’ve got to get a lot better. I’m not saying that we played bad, but it looked like a Week 1 film.”
Said Ryan: “They’re two physical guys. When all of it comes together, I think that’ll be an outstanding right side. I don’t think there’s any doubt about it.”
