FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The most memorable kick of the day was delivered by a wide receiver.
Frustrated by a sloppy offensive performance, New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall picked up a football Tuesday afternoon and booted it over the bleachers, which were half-filled with kids from local day camps. The impromptu punt came at the end of practice, moments after a two-minute drill stalled with a dropped pass by running back Dominique Williams. Marshall picked up the ball off the grass and decided to make like Ray Guy.
"That one didn't go very far," Marshall said half-jokingly of his kick. "Almost got sued. It barely went over the stands. I saw a lady go, 'Ahhhh!' That wasn't good."
In a previous football life (Denver, 2009), Marshall infamously punted a ball in practice, contributing to the Broncos' decision to suspend him for conduct detrimental to the team. That occurred in his days as a malcontent; he has matured since then. Tuesday's outburst stemmed from the team's struggles, specifically, the two-minute offense, which never got going.
It was one of those days. Unofficially, Ryan Fitzpatrick completed only 18 of 35 passes with one interception, including a handful of dropped passes. It didn't help matters that Fitzpatrick didnt' have four starters on the offensive line: Nick Mangold and Ryan Clady rested, and Breno Giacomini and James Carpenter sat with injuries.
Marshall admitted he "may have overreacted," but he explained his actions by saying he has high expectations for the offense. The Jets finished 10th in total offense, and he said he believes "we can be a lot better" in 2016.
After practice, Fitzpatrick gathered his receivers, discussing what went wrong and how they can improve.
"Sometimes you need that to show people it's not acceptable to come out and practice like that," Marshall said.
The starting offense still isn't whole, so it's premature to draw conclusions. Aside from the Carpenter and Giacomini injuries, running back Matt Forte (hamstring) still hasn't practiced. He was in pads and did positional work for the first time but sat out team drills. He figures to be a key component in the passing game.
Plus, the Jets have had only five practices, and, let's not forget, Fitzpatrick missed the entire offseason because of his contract dispute.
Afterward, Fitzpatrick didn't make excuses.
"It's important for us to remember we can't waste any days," he said. "We did some good things today, but we did more bad than good. We have to be able to learn from that. We have to keep trending upward. We have to be getting better each practice, and we did not perform the way we should've today, and there were a lot of reasons. We have to come out tomorrow and have a much better day."
In case you're wondering, coach Todd Bowles had no issue with Marshall's punt over the bleachers. Obviously, it would have been a penalty if it happened in a game, so Marshall needs to restrain himself in that respect. But Bowles said he was cool with it, even finding some humor.
"If we need a second punter," he said, "we might just bring him back there and pooch one."
