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- Jets wide receiver Denzel Mims has been lost in the conversation in New York but coach Robert Saleh put the kibosh on any speculation surrounding the second-year wide receiver on Wednesday. Saleh made it a point to say the Jets are “absolutely not” giving up on last year’s second-round pick, via SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. The rumor mill theorized Mims’ rotation on the WR depth chart thanks to the free-agent signing of Corey Davis and the glowing reviews of rookie Elijah Moore all summer, and his absence from OTAs may’ve shifted the hearsay into a higher gear. Speaking with the media on Wednesday, Mims revealed a case of food poisoning in the spring forced 20 pounds of his 6-foot-3 frame, going from 217 to 197 pounds, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Mims says the bad salmon he ate forced his absence during OTAs and prompted a rough preparation for Year 2 that would soon be cluttered with unfounded speculation. Feeling good now, he says, Mims could be seen working with the first-team offense this week and is putting in the extra work after practice as he heads into a competitive preseason within the WR room. “That’s something I choose to do,” Mims said. “You don’t have to catch extra balls, but I want to get extra time so that I can be ready.”
- Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest coach of them all? An unprompted poke from Falcons coach Arthur Smith to Packers coach Matt LaFleur has led to a morning after follow-up on Wednesday. It all started when Smith was asked some off-the-wall questions from the media on Tuesday in order to try and get to know the rookie coach. Responding to if he’s superstitious at all in his choice of gear on the field, Smith replied, “I don’t think I’m sweet and awesome — I don’t spend an hour, like Matt LaFleur does, looking in the mirror before he runs out there… You can tell Matt I said that.” LaFluer’s Wednesday response: “I’m honored that he would think of me. First of all, you know Arthur and I did share a locker room together in Tennessee. I might have been looking in the mirror getting my clothes right while he was trying to get his hair right with that Just For Men.” And there’s already a response from Smith: “I’ve been graying since 20. I don’t look like I’ve got black shoe polish in my hair, so go figure. But no, I love Matt LaFleur. He’s one of my good friends in the business… But again, (the rebuttal) did take him a day.” Unfortunately this won’t build into a scheduled Falcons-Packers clash in 2021 for the former Titans coaches, but evidently that isn’t keeping these offensive minds from exchanging friendly jabs through the grapevine.
