Jets running back Breece Hall figures it can’t get any worse.
Hall had some tough moments in his NFL debut last week against the Ravens, with a fumble in the red zone and a dropped pass.
“Obviously, I felt like I could have done a lot better,” Hall said. “I had a dropped pass and a fumble and everything like that. I felt like I had all my rookie moments in one day. It was good to get that out of the way. Just knowing that the coaches still have faith in me, they still want to get me the ball whenever I’m in the game, it feels good.”
The Jets need Hall and his fellow back Michael Carter to both have strong games Sunday against the Browns. Cleveland’s pass rush, led by Myles Garrett, could make it a long day for the offense. But if the Jets can run the ball effectively, they could slow down the rush.
“We’re going to have to stay ahead of the sticks,” Hall said. “We’re going to have to slow those guys down, get chips on those guys, try to confuse those guys in any type of way. That’s going to be big for us this week. It’s going to be big for me [Carter] to run the ball.”
Head coach Robert Saleh said last week was a learning experience for Hall and all the rookies.
“They’re not trying to make a mistake, they’re not trying to fumble, he’s trying to fight for extra yards, he spins out of it, you just got to remind him this league is different than college,” Saleh said. “The players are too fast, they’re too smart, they’re too ball-focused, so a great lesson for him.
“There was even one he was just talking about, he saw a crease and big Calais [Campbell] just grabbed him, and he’s like, that’s never happened to him before. So it just grabbed him, just to stop and he’s like, ‘Jeez,’ but for him, it’s just all of these guys, just that lesson. He didn’t realize how strong these guys are, so there’s just a different mindset when you’re trying to hit those creases, where in college he probably would’ve been gone.”
Hall said his coaches’ belief in him has kept him confident.
“I feel like they want to make me and [Carter] the identity of our offense,” Hall said. “Just knowing that they have that faith in me feels nice. I’m just focusing on the little things, squeezing the ball, protecting the ball, catching the ball and just let my natural ability take over. I’m not too worried about anything. I know I’m going to progress week by week.”
The Jets elevated OL Grant Hermanns and TE Kenny Yeboah from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.
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