ATLANTA — Adam Gase sounded like he was getting ready to take on the Hawks — and not the Falcons — when talking about his wide receiver corps this week.
“Well, the way I look at it is, we want with all the different skill guys, you want five different guys, you want a basketball team,” Gase said. “You want to be able to make sure the defense can’t just say, ‘Play us like this because they are all the same.’ We want guys that can do different stuff.”
The Jets have a diverse starting group with their receivers. They don’t have much depth, but each of their top three offers something different. Robby Anderson, Quincy Enunwa and Jamison Crowder can give defenses trouble this year if they can stay healthy.
“I think we all bring a unique characteristic to the game, to the offense,” Crowder said. “Robby is the speed guy. Quincy has speed, but is more physical. I try to be the more short-area quickness guy. That’s tough to defend when you have three different body types and playing styles to guard. I think we complement each other really well. As long as we stay healthy, I think we’ll be pretty solid this year.”
Gase has had high praise for the receivers in training camp.
“I love working with that group because there is unselfishness there,” Gase said. “You never hear any of those guys complaining about, ‘Hey can I get more targets, can I get more catches.’ They just keep working, which makes it really easy when you are a play caller.”
The Jets will be missing three starting offensive linemen on Thursday against the Falcons. Guards Kelechi Osemele (strained pectoral) and Brian Winters (shoulder) are not expected to play. Center Ryan Kalil still has not practiced fully. Jonotthan Harrison should start at center with Tom Compton at right guard and Alex Lewis at left guard.
The Jets hope to maintain the tempo they showed last week, even with backups in there.
“Regardless of who’s in, we’re going to keep pushing the envelope for the quarterbacks,” offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. “This offense is run through the quarterbacks, and obviously, the offensive line will be second because those are the two hardest jobs. Then, the next hardest job is probably tight end. So, we’re doing everything we can as a coaching staff to get [Sam Darnold] prepared to play in the regular season, and then we’ll figure out the rest of it as it goes. But, the offense and the playbook is predicated on the quarterback.”