Olu Fashanu is feeling proper …. deal with that’s.
The Jets first-round decide labored at proper deal with final week, together with in Saturday’s preseason sport with the Panthers, after starting coaching camp at left deal with.
The Jets are attempting to cross prepare Fashanu in order that he may be their swing deal with in the course of the season and be the first backup at each spots.
For Fashanu, it’s a fully new place. He by no means performed proper deal with earlier than this week.
“It positively is an adjustment from all the time enjoying left deal with to transitioning to proper deal with,” Fashanu stated. “I positively had my justifiable share of reps that I wanted to work on. However I feel I’m in a great spot proper now and I simply must proceed to get higher.”
The Jets took Fashanu out of Penn State with the No. 11 decide general on this yr’s draft.
For a lot of rookies taken that early within the draft, the expectation can be to begin straight away. However the Jets hope Fashanu doesn’t should play in any respect this season. That will imply veteran tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses remained wholesome in entrance of Aaron Rodgers.
The Jets know all too effectively how unlikely that’s, although.
Accidents alongside the offensive line have plagued this crew lately.
They used 13 totally different beginning offensive line mixtures final season. That was a part of the rationale they chose Fashanu within the first spherical. They now really feel they’ve depth on the road in case accidents crop up.
Fashanu spent the primary three weeks of camp working completely at left deal with, his pure place.
The Jets needed him to get comfy there earlier than introducing the appropriate aspect. Final week, he spent your entire week at proper deal with.
Towards the Panthers, Fashanu allowed just one stress in 16 pass-blocking snaps, per ESPN. He additionally was flagged for holding. Jets coach Robert Saleh praised Fashanu after the sport.
“Yeah, new spot. It’s by no means simple,” Saleh stated. “I assumed he did a pleasant job. He dealt with it effectively. That first apply he was at proper deal with was fairly tough for him, and I assumed he received higher because the week went on. He had the holding penalty [Saturday], however general I assumed he did a fairly good job.”
Fashanu has performed the primary half of each Jets preseason video games. The Jets need to get Fashanu as many reps as doable now as a result of the expectation is he gained’t play a lot as a rookie.
For the informal soccer fan, it could look like transferring from left deal with to proper deal with isn’t any large deal, however Fashanu defined how awkward it could actually really feel.
“I feel it’s positively like a sense factor,” he stated. “You’re all the time so was once in a staggered [stance] together with your left foot again and now whenever you swap it to the appropriate, at instances it could actually really feel like a very totally different factor. At instances, it felt a bit bizarre. The extra reps you get, the higher it feels ultimately.”
Some linemen have in contrast the transfer to utilizing your non-dominant hand to put in writing.
“I simply strive not to consider it an excessive amount of,” Fashanu stated. “On the finish of the day, it’s all simply soccer. I’m simply switching over to the opposite aspect of the ball. For me, it’s extra so simply ensuring I management all my controllables and I’m getting off the ball on time, ensuring I’m not late off the ball, ensuring I’m in the appropriate place to make no matter block I must do.”
Fashanu is aware of that with the ability to play both spot is barely going to assist him in his younger profession.
“It was an excellent expertise,” Fashanu stated of the sport. “Clearly, I’ve by no means performed at proper deal with earlier than in an precise sport. It felt actually good simply getting sport reps. It’s simply going to assist me in the long term for my profession simply being versatile and with the ability to play a number of positions.”
