Some fans and reporters looked at the Jets-Lions play count numbers and scratched their heads. Two offensive plays for Charone Peake? Isn't he supposed to be one of the main men in the young, restructured wideouts unit?
On the other hand, maybe it was a sign of confidence that head coach Todd Bowles and coordinator John Morton felt Peake was peaking well enough in camp that, as Bowles put it "I just wanted to see some other guys."
Peake himself wasn't worried at all about what the numbers foretold.
"Everything's up to Coach. It's not really in my hands," the 6'2" second-year man told me after practice this week. "He's given me two plays, so it's up to me to make those two plays the best two plays I can make them and do the best I can. I'm out there on special teams a lot, too, so it's just however many plays I do get, just help in any way I can, help the team win."
Peake has demonstrated he can help when called on. Last season he had 19 receptions on a limited number of 35 targets. Four of those catches converted third downs, he had a team-leading two fourth-down conversion catches, and his 86% rate of six "crunch-down" conversions on seven total first-down catches was easily tops on the offense.
This summer, at Detroit, he and Christian Hackenberg couldn't hook up on an early third-down slant. But in the opener vs. Tennessee, he converted the early third down for the Jets' only touchdown of the preseason on Josh McCown's 4-yard toss.
The small sample size may skew the numbers, but as Peake said, "I take pride in those moments. That's when your team needs you the most and that's how you win games, fourth and third down, so you really have to sharpen up on those downs and take advantage of them."
We anticipate Peake will get more exposure Saturday night against the Giants. He's anticipating the contest, but not because it's the Green & White going up against Big Blue.
"I know a good bit of guys on their team. I went to high school with one of their safeties, Trey Robinson, I played with [linebacker] B.J. Goodson at Clemson, and [former Clemson RB] Wayne Gallman's there. I'm looking forward to playing against them."
And it's another chance to help the wide receiver group make greater strides.
"We lost our leader in Quincy [Enunwa], we're aware of it," Peake said. "We all know we have to step up more and just take advantage of the opportunity that's given."
