Last week, as the Jets concluded offseason workouts with a three-day minicamp, TE Jace Amaro said he had indeed begun to fully understand the Jets’ system, with training camp in Cortland, N.Y., set to begin on July 23.
“Since whenever that first time I came out and didn’t have a very good day, I feel like I’ve taken some really big strides since then,” he said. “That was the first week of OTAs, and that was one of the more heavy playbook days. It was just one of those things where I knew I’m not going to be perfect out here and I’m going to make mistakes. That’s what this period of practice is for, is to get ready for training camp and make sure you’re fundamentally sound on all the playbook stuff. Right now, I feel really good about it.
“I just know the whole playbook now, and I know exactly what I need to do on every single play. It’s just a lot more relaxing out there. I can read the defense and I can see who I expect is going to guard me on a certain play. I feel a lot better about it. That’s probably the biggest thing. I know what I can do (physically) and what my game is. That’s all going to come along. The mental part about it and the playbook part about it is the biggest thing.”
Amaro said he learned the playbook through “hours and hours of looking at the plays and memorizing them. It’s just one of those things where it just takes a lot of reps and just a lot of studying.”
During offseason workouts, the Jets housed their rookies at a hotel near the team’s facility. Amaro spent about two hours every night studying his plays alone his room, “and going to bed with all of that stuff in my head,” he said. “It’s working out for me pretty well.”
Amaro has to beat out the capable Jeff Cumberland to get starter's snaps, and it's generally unlikely for a rookie TE to have much of a fantasy impact. Plus, the Jets' passing offense isn't exactly potent. There are a lot of factors working against Amaro right now, but he's a player to monitor.
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