Breece Hall put two fingers together, leaving a few inches of space between them.
The Jets' rushing attack was on the verge of exploding in their Week 1 loss to the 49ers.
“We've only just scratched the surface,” the standout running back said Friday. “For me personally, just knowing that if I do the little things now, I'm going to have everything I want with my playmakers in the run game and the pass game, that's huge. It's just about working on the fundamentals and technique to make a leap on game day.”
Coach Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and several offensive linemen echoed Hall's sentiments.
As a unit, they were held to 68 yards on 19 rushes by San Francisco.
Watching tape from the loss, there were enough positives to be encouraged that the ground game can begin Sunday against the Titans if the necessary adjustments are made.
Of course, the Jets will also benefit from not having to face the 49ers' potent front seven, anchored by three-time All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner.
According to tight end Tyler Conklin, there were some big runs that Warner negated on his own.
“The way he was running around during the game, it almost felt like there were three of him, so it was a different feeling watching that on the other sideline for the first time in his career,” said Saleh, who spent three seasons with Warner in San Francisco before coming to the Jets. “There were some plays that went for touchdowns against 25 other teams.”
The offensive line is mostly new.
The only remaining players are center Joe Tippmann and right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, who only played in the first five games of last season because of a torn Achilles tendon.
Tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses and left guard John Simpson are all rookies.
They didn't use the first game they played together as an excuse, pointing out they went through a full training camp together, but the team chemistry has yet to improve.
One area of focus going forward will be aggression.
The Jets felt the 49ers got ahead too often.
“I think the biggest thing was understanding how they were playing and adapting,” Simpson said. “When it comes to running the ball, it's just about getting to the linebackers and creating movement up front.”
Hall did not escape criticism.
He lost a fumble on a shovel pass, dropped a pass and made the wrong read on what he felt could have been a big running play.
There were plays he left on the field as well.
That was the overwhelming feeling for the Jets when it came to the running game.
They made some correctable mistakes, and they plan to fix them against the Titans.
“Going into that game we knew we could do it, and after that game we're still pretty confident we can do it,” Tippman said. “We just need to attack it the right way and execute it the right way.”
“This will set the stage for our running game for the rest of the season,” he added.
