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New York Jets assistant Matt Cavanaugh says he hopes to make late friend Greg Knapp 'proud' in passing game role

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Longtime NFL assistant Matt Cavanaugh was walking off a golf course in South Carolina when he received word that close friend Greg Knapp, the New York Jets' passing-game specialist, had been struck by a motorist while biking in California.

"I just send him a text: 'Bro, I'm praying for you. You can pull through this,'" an emotional Cavanaugh recounted Thursday. "I found out later how serious it was. I was crushed."

Knapp, 58, died five days later, July 22. The Jets were counting on Knapp to tutor their young quarterbacks, led by second overall pick Zach Wilson.