The Jets kicked off training camp on Tuesday, but without an important member of the Gang Green family.
Passing game coordinator Greg Knapp died this past Thursday at age 58 after being struck by a car while riding his bike on July 17 in California.
It is tough for the Jets to get going without thinking of Knapp, but head coach Robert Saleh knows his assistant would want them to push forward.
"It is an absolute tragedy, and knowing him, he’d be really, really upset if we didn’t move on with a positive attitude," Saleh said. "He’s a tremendous man, a tremendous leader, a tremendous father, tremendous husband. He’s going to be sorely missed.
"As for as the group and the team, there’s been a lot of tremendous support not only within the organization but outside the organization and I know he’ll be with us throughout the entire season."
Jets left tackle Mekhi Becton said he will be playing for Knapp this season, as he and Quinnen Williams had some goals that he laid out for them to fulfill. He doesn’t want to let him down.
"He meant a lot to us. It hurt us pretty well. He meant a whole lot," Becton said.
"Me and Q would be in the weight room every day and he’d come in there and tell us goals to do, what we need to do for the season. So I feel like me and Q are going to fulfill those goals – try our best to fulfill those goals and we’re going to do it for him for sure."
Knapp joined the Jets to help mentor the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Zach Wilson, and spent the last 23 years as an NFL coach. He won a Super Bowl ring in Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos, and also spent time with the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, and Houston Texans before coming to New York.
"Greg's infectious personality is most people's first and lasting memory of him. The phrase 'He never met a stranger' encapsulates Knapper's zest for life,” the Knapp family wrote in a statement last week. "He had a unique gift to make everyone feel special, and to Knapper, they all were."
