#Listen to Episode 32 of ‘Gang’s All Here’: Are Jets’ Injuries a Major Concern? feat. Alex Lewis

The Jets season is under two weeks away and injuries have been the dominating story so far from training camp. To get into everything going on in Jets land, we present to you Season 2 of the “Gang’s All Here” podcast. This season, I’ll be joining Jets beat writer Brian Costello in hosting the show, bringing you two episodes a week once the season begins.

I open up the show with Coz talking about headlines and him not writing the ones on his stories. Coz recounts a few stories of overblown headlines. We then get into how odd it has been covering the team so far and what the COVID protocols have looked like. There will only be postgame Zoom sessions and it could be a week-by-week decision on covering road games in person. Coz and I then get into the meat and potatoes of the team, which has been a whole lot of injuries. Sam Darnold has not had much time working with his receivers as top guys Denzel Mims, Breshad Perriman and Jamison Crowder have all missed practices with injuries. Are the nagging injuries and receiving depth a concern? Will Donte Montcrief make the roster? Coz breaks down what the WR depth chart could end up looking like for Week 1.

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Coz and I get into how important Chris Herndon and Ryan Griffin will be for Darnold this season, especially if receivers end up hurt during the season. We get into the backfield, Le’Veon Bell’s tweet about not getting enough reps and Coz explains why Bell just does not look that good so far in camp. Will we see Frank Gore and La’Mical Perine get a good share of carries? Coz also touches on the Adam Gase-Bell relationship and how the RB has said he likes the head coach. We touch quickly on the offensive line, which is pretty much set and has mostly stayed healthy so far. Coz and I shift to the defense and cornerbacks being a big issue right now for the team. Who is going to step up in the secondary? Who will the vocal leader be to replace Jamal Adams? How has Adams replacement Bradley McDougald looked in camp? Why is Avery Williamson not a shoe-in to start? Not having C.J. Mosley is a huge hole at linebacker and for the defense. We wrap it up talking Sam Ficken, and another year in which kicking will be a big question mark.

Jets starting left guard Alex Lewis then joins the podcast. Lewis talks about the cohesion with the offensive line, standing next to a “house of a human being” in Mekhi Becton, learning a new offense, the offense being dangerous and Darnold’s growth. The second-year Jets offensive lineman also discusses blocking for Bell and the strong running back core, the fights that happened at camp, adjustments during COVID, playing in front of no fans and why Gase is a great coach. Lewis also gets into going up against Quinnen Williams, who the vocal leader is without Adams on defense, the conversations he has had on social justice issues with his teammates, the bonding the team has had and what his first purchase was when he got a big $18.6 million contract extension in March.

Lewis on social justice conversations with teammates: 

“That whole day we sat together as players for a good three hours and tried to come up with a plan of action of what we want to see moving forward when it comes to social injustices. Talking to guys, listening to their perspectives, and being a white guy, I think it’s very important to not just listen, but hear their teammates and understand where they’re coming from and how we can make this world better for everyone involved. I’m excited for the plan that we got. Guys like George Fant have stepped up with working with PR. It really hits home and these are guys you go to war with and battle with and lift with and eat with. At the end of the day, they’re teammates but they are considered family. You’re around more than you are your family. It hurts you to see your teammates struggling with pain and what not and you want to better that so you can go out and win football games and make this world a better place.”

Lewis on team bonding this season: 

“If you were to compare last year to this year, I feel like our bond is 100 times stronger. Granted, we may not have that superstar name that you might see, but this game is a team game, and it takes all 22 guys on that field to win a game and all of them working on the same page and making sure they’re just doing their job, and I think we got the right guys on the team and in the building to do that.”

Catch up on all episodes of “Gang’s All Here,” a New York Jets podcast, by subscribing to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Coz and Jake on Twitter @BrianCoz and @JakeBrownRadio for updates on the show. The next episode of the podcast drop Tuesday, previewing the Jets season and Week 1 matchup against the Bills.