FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Frank Reich added an eyebrow-raising wrinkle to the New York Jets' offense last Sunday that had even the most keen-eyed observers wondering if they were seeing things.
There were, count ‘em, five tight ends lined up on one play in the third quarter of the Jets' 23-10 win at Tennessee.
That’s right, five.
On the same play.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been on the field with five tight ends at one time,” said a smiling quarterback Geno Smith, who's in his 14th NFL season.
Rookie Kenyon Sadiq was set up to Smith's right in the backfield. Mason Taylor was lined up wide right. Three players were wide left: Jeremy Ruckert, who was off the tackle, Jelani Woods to his left and then Andrew Beck to the far left.
“Split out, get out, let's go!” Beck said with a laugh.
Oh, and while Beck is listed on the roster as a fullback, that's a label only. Arguably an inaccurate one.
“Yeah, he's a tight end, for sure,” Smith insisted.
Added Reich: “Beck has not been in a running back meeting the whole year, just to set the record straight on that. He’s always in the tight end room.”
But what does Beck consider his official position?
“He's the boss,” a smiling Beck said. “So, I'm a tight end, man.”
There you have it: Five tight ends, one play. Or, for the technical football types, it was a rarely used “05 personnel” package.
“I had one of our analytics guys see, ‘Has this happened before?’” Reich said. “I was thinking maybe there wasn’t. That’s not why we did it. It was just that we have five good tight ends. So, he went back 20 years and he couldn’t find any evidence of 05 personnel.”
While the numbers fluctuate each week, most NFL teams only carry three tight ends on their active rosters, let alone four. And forget five, if you count Beck in the group, as the Jets do.
“I think that room is a weapon for us,” coach Aaron Glenn said.
And that package apparently worked against the Titans, who gave up a 7-yard run to Smith with the five tight ends on the field — and then were called for too many men on the field on Breece Hall's touchdown run on the next play with just two tight ends lined up.
“We're laughing and joking about the five tight ends stuff, but really, it speaks more to his creativity as a play caller, man,” Beck said of Reich. “And I think that's what makes us so dangerous is we can do a lot of different things out of a lot of different personnel groups.”
Smith and the coaches have raved about the tight ends group since training camp, saying it's a key to the revamped offense under Reich.
While blocking is the strength for Ruckert and Beck, Taylor — the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor — was a second-round pick last year out of LSU who caught 44 passes in 13 games as a rookie. Woods is a 6-foot-7 tight end who can create mismatches, especially in the red zone.
Then there's Sadiq, a first-round pick in April out of Oregon whose speed and athleticism make him one of the team's most versatile playmakers. He showed it last Sunday by joining Cleveland's Ozzie Newsome (1978) as the only NFL tight ends to score on touchdown runs in their debuts. Sadiq did so on a 3-yard scamper during which he outraced a few Titans defenders to end end zone.
They all certainly give Reich options on offense, and a package of three tight ends, one running back and one wide receiver — also called 13 personnel, a growing trend in the NFL — could be a common sight for the Jets.
“They’re a well-rounded group, very talented group,” Smith said. “They work extremely hard — kind of the glue guys. They bring everything together on the offense. And so it’s great to see all five of them out there on the field at once and we’ll try and get the ball to each one of them when we can.”
And maybe even use a few more of those five-tight end looks along the way.
“I like it for those tight ends,” Reich said. “It’s something funny. You've got to have those little things in this league. This is a hard business. There’s a lot of ups and downs. If you don’t have some ways to have some fun, try to be creative like that and do fun things for the room and the unit, you can do that and still not compromise your principles. That’s just all we’re trying to do.”
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