If McIntyre makes the team it's strictly to rush the passer and play some special teams. He isn't going to be out there to play in coverage or play in space. So if he looks good rushing the QB and lost doing the other things, then that's fine for now. The other things can come, but rushing the QB is the hardest part and if he can do that, he will make the team. Mauga appears to be a lock to make the team as the backup MLB. Pitoitua and Kenrick Ellis both looked very good for the 2nd team I thought. Pitoitua was even getting some rotational work with the 1st team in the 1st quarter which was nice to see.
Jon Gruden loooooooved Ropati Pitoitua during the game.. sure he couldn't pronounce his name at all, but he had a ton of praise for him. Ropati will only get better as the season goes along too..
to be fair, gruden loves pretty much everyone who steps onto the field. i liked what i saw from pitoitua though. i'm sure rex's reaction to his season ending injury last year on hk put pitoitua on all our radars. excited to see him play this year.
Kenrick Ellis is a monster. I've stood next to the guy, scary - Lets hope his Self Defense claim holds up for his own sake and ours. I wish Kris Jenkins stuck around for 1 more year, just to show some of these kids the ropes.
Who was the DE that got inside leverage on the LT forcing the LG to double him and freeing up Mauga from the edge to get the sack?
Wilkerson. Although Wilk didn't do anything special, he might have been out of position one time. Good game for the rook. Ellis did have a better game though. Ellis looked mean out there. I'm excited about that kid.
Thought it was Wilkerson. That was really good stuff by Wilkerson there, doesn't show up on the stat sheet but is an impact play nonetheless.
He commited a bad penalty on ST but he played pretty well defensively, I think he had a hit on the QB as well.
Dixon, Ropati, and Ellis all looked promising. I would like to see a little more penetration off the line, and a little more rush generated off single blocking. Dixon actually stood out the most in that respect. Ellis wasn't pushing the pocket, but showed good awareness and had nice lateral hustle. I think he'll make an impact on the rushing game. Collapsing pockets may take more time to learn. Ropati was solid, especially against the run. Mauga looked hungry and in position. Was great to see as i've been concerned on ILB depth. Also noticed a lot of different fronts the Jets were trying. Good amount of 4-3 variations, and some others i couldn't identify like a NT, DT, and DE on strong side, and just DE playing contain on weak side. Overall there was def some things to like.
as far as the DL guys go, I really was excited about Ropati, but maybe even more so Marcus Dixon. Dixon busted a block on the back side at one point and hustled full tilt straight down the line of scrimmage and made a tackle right at or just behind the line. It reminded me so much of the Big Katt I was floored. He has me excited as I expect he will be our #4 lineman first in the rotation this season...
For the most part he held is part of the line on running plays, which is his job. He did not get the seperation on passing plays to make much of an impact. He has t he size and speed, but needs to work on his technique, especially his hands. Going up against Brick everyday will help.
