Justin Fried

This is the story of professional football’s most persistent ghost. The story of a man who has carved out a 12-year career as a pro punter without ever appearing in an NFL game. He’s existed on the margins of the league for one very specific reason: his left foot. He is proof that extraordinary careers can unfold entirely in the shadows. And the dream isn’t dead yet. This is the story of Brock Miller. LINK: fansided.com/nfl/life-of-a-l…

Another stellar week for Armand Membou who recorded an 80.7 PFF grade and allowed just one pressure. Membou’s 81.2 PFF grade since Week 4 ranks 4th among all qualified OTs (min 100 snaps). The only OTs ranked higher: • Penei Sewell (90.9) • Trent Williams (86.1) • Tristan Wirfs (85.6) Pretty good company for the Jets second-year RT.

Jarvis Brownlee was the Jets’ lowest graded player by PFF (32.1) in Week 8. Brownlee was targeted 4 times on 16 coverage snaps, allowing 3 catches for 49 yards and a TD. He allowed a 155.2 passer rating when targeted and was also penalized twice (nearly thrice). Since Week 4, Brownlee’s 38.8 PFF grade ranks 75th out of 78 qualified CBs (min. 150 defensive snaps). D’Angelo Ponds played 1 snap in Week 8 despite coming off the most encouraging game of his pro career so far the week prior. It’s beyond time to give Ponds a shot at the starting nickel job. Let him take his lumps.

Geno Smith’s 81.8 PFF passing grade currently ranks 4th among all qualified QBs this season. The only QBs graded higher are Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, and Lamar Jackson. Geno Smith is on pace to set new Jets single-season franchise records in passing yards, completion %, and TD/INT ratio (h/t @bjfmangoldhof2). The Jets rank 11th in offensive EPA and 8th in passing success rate in 2026. Geno ranks 5th with a 7.97 YPA. Only teams higher: Bills, Patriots, Jaguars, and 49ers.

Braelon Allen ranks from Weeks 4-8: • Rushing yards: 504 (2nd) • YPC: 5.42 (2nd) • Yards after contact: 357 (3rd) • Missed tackles forced: 25 (2nd) • 10+ yard runs: 19 (1st) Extrapolating that over an 17-game sample size, Allen would be on pace for over 1,800 yards. It’s one of the best 5-game stretches by a RB in Jets history. Recognize what you are witnessing.

The Jets offense had the highest EPA/play by a WIDE margin in Week 8. Their 0.22 EPA/play was 0.06 higher than any other team and the difference between the 2nd and 7th ranked teams. Over the last two weeks, the Jets have the highest total offensive EPA (25.22), the 4th highest success rate (51.8%), the 5th highest YPA (9.31), and the 2nd highest YPC (5.71). They are 0-2 in those games.

Lowest-graded #Jets by PFF in Week 8: • Jarvis Brownlee: 32.1 • Demario Davis: 37.2 • Isaiah Davis: 47.1 • Omar Cooper Jr: 49.4 • Andre Cisco: 50.1 • Brandon Stephens: 50.6 • Jeremy Ruckert: 54.1 • Kingsley Enagbare: 54.6 • Jowon Briggs: 54.7 • Harrison Phillips: 55.2

The Jets unsurprisingly had the highest EPA/play and highest explosive play rate in the NFL in Week 8. And, of course, they lost their game. More numbers on that in a bit.

LONG RAMBLING THOUGHTS on the Braelon Allen/Breece Hall situation: I’ve said this multiple times on the pod but never here i don’t think. Braelon Allen is a rhythm runner. To put it in basketball terms, he’s clearly someone who thrives as a 35 MPG starter but struggles to translate his game when he’s coming off the bench and playing in short 4-min spurts. He’s a starter, not a role player. You don’t want to dramatically reduce his role because that’ll also reduce his effectivess. Gotta ride the hot hand. If Hall is still on the roster, he’s the change-of-pace guy. That’s what the split should look like. The politics of it all make the situation extremely tricky. I can’t imagine Breece will be pleased with that set-up, and that could quickly become an issue. It’s why a trade might be the most prudent solution. Only issue is his value is likely diminished. You couldn’t get a 3rd last year, you’re not getting one now. Do you sell for a 4th? Do you even get offered a 4th? Idk man. Complex situation, but the optimal on-field approach is clear IMO. Keeps rolling with BA. You might have something special here.

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Jets rookie DT Darrell Jackson Jr. currently ranks 3rd among qualified iDL with an 11.4% run stop rate (min. 100 run defense snaps). Jackson has recorded 13 run stops and has yet to miss a tackle this season (20 total tackles, 0 missed). 11 of those run stops have come in the last 4 weeks. He also has 4 pressures, a sack, a QB hit, and 2 batted passes over his last 3 games.

David Bailey has played a ridiculous 95.5% (127 of 133) of Jets defensive snaps over the last two weeks. He played 97.1% of snaps in Week 6 and 93.8% in Week 7. The last time a Jets DL/EDGE played 90%+ of defensive snaps in a game was Leonard Williams in Week 15 of the 2018 season. Williams played all 53 (100%) of the Jets’ defensive snaps in a 29-22 loss to the Texans.

The Jets defense ranked 23rd/26 teams in EPA/play allowed in Week 7. 24th in EPA/pass allowed and 18th in EPA/rush. The Jets blitzed Malik Willis 42.9% of the time, the 3rd highest rate in Week 7 and he made them pay. Willis completed 10-of-13 passes for 176 yards and a TD vs the blitz. When NOT blitzed, Willis was just 4-of-8 for 32 yards. Amazingly, the Jets had a higher pressure% when NOT blitzing: 53% vs 45%, although Willis’ Time to Throw of 3.45s when NOT blitzed was 2nd highest in the NFL this week. Basically if the Jets didn’t blitz Willis, he had an eternity to throw. When they did blitz him, Miami diced up the Jets defense. Glenn/Jets had no solution for a Miami passing attack that ranked 32nd in the NFL in EPA/pass entering the week.