Most observers would consider last year to have been a breakout season for Jermaine Johnson.
He recorded 7.5 sacks, 55 tackles, seven passes defended, 11 tackles for loss and one interception and was selected to the Pro Bowl as an alternate.
But it didn't measure up to his standards.
“As far as the pass rush, we had a lot of wasted movement off the ball,” Johnson said Friday as the Jets continued to prepare for their Monday night opener against the 49ers in the Bay Area. “A lot of times, we just didn't have a plan or a counter off the ball. [move] It didn't work.”
In fact, Johnson didn't think this was a great season for him, and the third-year pro looked at tape and found some concerning aspects of his performance.
He spent this offseason working on improving his overall skills and building confidence in his secondary and motor.
For him, the most important thing this season will be to stop thinking too much about the game.
“You've got to get to the quarterback as quickly as you can,” Johnson said. “You can't be indecisive. You can't be unsure of your moves.”
“I want to be the best edge rusher in the NFL. The best thing about football is being able to prove it. That's my goal this year.”
For Javon Kinlaw, his first regular season game with the Jets after spending the first four years of his career with the 49ers will be against that very same team.
“It's going to be awesome. I'm going to see some old faces and friends,” the defensive tackle said. “It's going to be funny. It's crazy. I'm excited for the opportunity.”
Kinlaw, the 14th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, didn't live up to expectations with the 49ers, but he did perform well last year in a limited role with 3.5 sacks, 25 tackles and four tackles for loss, and the Jets have high hopes for him.
“A monster in his own way,” Quinnen Williams said of Kinlaw. “I'm super excited about it.” [to play with him]”I came to practice and saw how dominant he was. Sometimes he's not playing at 100 percent, he's playing at 50-75 percent, but he's just destroying plays, he's dominating, he's destroying a lot of different offensive linemen, he's just unblockable.”
Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will be calling plays from the sideline this year and communicating directly with Aaron Rodgers.
Hackett gave the instructions to senior management to play after Rodgers suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1 last season.
Offensive linebacker Wes Schweitzer (hand) and linebacker Zaire Barnes (ankle) did not practice with the Jets on Friday.
Star 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles/calf) was limited for the second straight day but is expected to be available on Monday.
