New York Post, Monday, August 19, 2019nypost.com44
By MOLLIE WALKERJets head coach Adam
Gase admitted he made a
bad decision.
In Thursday night’s pre-
season matchup with the
Falcons, linebacker Avery
Williamson was still playing
late into the second quarter,
while all other Jets starters
were on the bench. William-
son was slow to get up after
a play in the end zone where
teammate Tevaughn Camp-
bell collided with his right
knee. An MRI exam later re-
vealed the worst, a season-
ending torn ACL for the 27-
year-old Williamson.
Gase expressed his regret
for leaving in one of his
starters and said he told Wil-
liamson that.
“We had [Williamson] at a
new position compared to
what he’s played in the past.
He and Neville [Hewitt]
were together. The thought
process was getting Neville’s
feet wet, as far as playing
‘Mike’ linebacker, he’s play-
ing a different position,”
Gase said following Sunday’s
Green and White practice at
MetLife Stadium. “[We]
wanted Avery to be in there,
because Neville would be
with a guy that’s a starter.
Just looking back on it, hind-
sight 20/20, I wish I
would’ve gotten him out of
there a series earlier.
“I’ve talked with him. It’s
on me. I’m the one that has
to make that call and get him
out of there and we didn’t.
It’s a shame because he was
having a good camp.”
Despite the season-ending
injury, Gase says Williamson
is “as positive as he can get
right now.” The first-year
Jets coach said he expects
the former Titans linebacker
to continue to guide theyoung players and to be a
presence around the team.
The loss of Williamson,
who is in the second year of
a three-year, $22 million con-
tract, is colossal. He led the
team with 120 tackles last
season with three sacks, an
interception, two forced
fumbles and a fumble recov-
ery.
“It’s tough, man. He’s not
only a great football player,
but he’s a hell of a dude,”
safety Jamal Adams said. “I
feel bad for him. But obvi-
ously it’s the nature of thebusiness — things happen.
It’s hard to replace a guy like
that. But, you know, obvi-
ously we have guys that are
going to step up and going to
learn the role and hopefully
leave off where he left off,
you know what I mean?
“At the end of the day, it is
tough. We’re praying for
him. He’ll be back better
than ever.”
Williamson was beginning
to get comfortable at weak-
side linebacker after making
the switch from Mike line-
backer, which he primarilyplayed last year. C.J. Mosley
was brought on to become
the new Mike linebacker,
prompting Williamson’s
switch.
In Williamson’s absence,
Gase said he expects to use a
variety of players in his
place, with Hewitt leading
the pack. Hewitt has had a
strong training camp and,
despite only starting four
games last season, has
proven reliable.
Linebackers Anthony
Wint and James Burgess also
could get an opportunity,
with Burgess looking the
most promising after a pick-
six against the Falcons.
Rookie Blake Cashman is
also in the mix, but he is still
working his way back from a
leg injury suffered in the first
preseason game against the
Giants.
Gase officially guaranteed
that running back Le’Veon
Bell won’t see any preseason
game time, admitting that
Williamson’s injury solidi-
fied that decision.
Electing to withhold star
players from preseason
games is a common strategy,
with the Giants setting an
example with star running
back Saquon Barkley. But
Gase has now made the mis-
take once with Williamson,
and clearly isn’t going to let
it happen again.
“I was about 99.9 percent
sure what we were going to
do [with Bell during pre-
season]. That probably made
it 100 percent,” Gase said.
[email protected]Gase says he messed up
by leaving in Williamson
Bell won’t play
til games count
By BRIAN COSTELLOJets fans will have to wait until the regular season
to see new running back Le’Veon Bell in action.
Coach Adam Gase said Sunday night that Bell will
not play in the preseason.
“I was about 99 percent sure heading into the pre-
season,” Gase said of the decision. “It was all based
off how he practiced, conditioning, all those types of
things. We talked about it before we started. I told
him I wanted to increase the reps last week. We’re
going to do the same thing this week.”
The Jets face the Saints on Saturday at MetLife
Stadium in their third preseason game and then fin-
ish the preseason against the Eagles at home on
Aug. 29.
The question whether Bell would see any time in
the preseason has been one that hung over the Jets’
training camp. The team signed him to a four-year,
$52.5 million deal this offseason. Bell did not play at
all in 2018, sitting out the season because of a con-
tract standoff with the Steelers.
There was some thought Bell should shake off the
rust in a game, but Gase feels Bell will be ready
without any preseason snaps.
“We’ll just get him as game ready as possible,”
Gase said. “He’s not really going to know until we
get him in a real game, but I feel like he’s in great
shape. He’s been contacting about as good as any-
body out on the practice field. I feel confident he’ll
be ready to go Week 1.”
Gase said seeing Avery Williamson tear the ACL
in his right knee against the Falcons on Thursday
solidified the decision for him.
“I was about 99.9 percent sure what we were going
to do,” Gase said. “That probably made it 100.”Kalil excited to
be back on field
By MOLLIE WALKERPrior to Sunday night’s Green and White practice
— the last public practice of the season — Jets cen-
ter Ryan Kalil couldn’t contain his excitement.
It was Kalil’s first practice participating in team
drills since he came out of his brief retirement to
join the Jets after 12 seasons with the Panthers.
“Everyone was making fun of
me, I was pacing the locker
room like 30 minutes before
anybody else was dressed,” Ka-
lil said following practice. “It’s
why I came back. I love football. I just do. We all do.
It took me walking away to know that it was done
that I really wanted it to not to be done quite yet.
“So, I’m so fired up. I really am. I’m nervous, obvi-
ously, because I want to do well and I want to play
well and I want to contribute, but that’ll come and
we’ll just keep rolling.”➤Safety Marcus Maye practiced fully for the
first time Sunday night after participating in a no-
contact jersey because of a shoulder injury. Gase
says he is leaning toward playing Maye in Saturday’s
preseason game with the Saints.
Gase said he doesn’t expect guards Kelechi Ose-
mele and Brian Winters to be back in time for Sat-
urday, however.
“I think KO [Osemele] looks like he’s going to
start bugging me about going out to practice this
week. But, as of right now, I don’t really have plans
for those guys playing,” Gase said.JETS
NOTES