I'm so tired of hearing how Vilma couldn't play 3-4. He had 114 tackles in the 3-4 in '06. And he was injured half of '07. What in the hell says he couldn't play in the 3-4? Cause he isn't 250lbs? That's the biggest crock of sh-t. If you say Vilma couldn't play 3-4, then your an idiot and your credibility of having any football knowledge is gone.
Um, how about he couldn't get any penetration and couldn't shed any blocks? Your stat argument is weak and has been proven wrong like 1000 times on this board. Why don't you go back and search some of the threads and spare us your moron argument, Gang51Green.
I know. God, like that sh-tty MLB in Baltimore who couldn't penitrate for 3 years until they got Ngata....what's his name again? Moron
Does the fact that most of his tackles were after the ball carrier had already gained 5+ yards play into it at all.......Mr. Lombardi?
So he should be punished because the piss poor NT in front of him let the RB get 5 yards down the field? At least he made the tackle. His tackle numbers were inflated because he was making up for a player deficit elsewhere, but he was MAKING UP FOR A PLAYER DEFICIT ELSEWHERE. /= Rocket Science
Would be great to be able to wear my 51 again... would be glad I held onto it. Seriously though, I was under the impression that there was a ton of bad blood with Mangini and Vilma, especially when he disclosed or at least played coy about his injury and how he felt it was sort of stupid not for him not to be able to discuss it. I think the "can't play in the 3-4" was an excuse to jettison a player Mangini (or Sutton) didn't like, and I feel perhaps he would be a good fit back with the team if you had say, a Rex Ryan as HC, who could utilize JV in that 3-4, 46, 4-3 hybrid he runs...
Lowery did not regress. You lack the fundamental knowledge of football. Did Revis have a stellar rookie campaign. No. If I remember correctly, I saw the top receivers in the game, i.e. Randy Moss, Chris Chambers, Plaxico Burress, and Santana Moss, continually burn him. He rarely gave up the big touchdown catch, but he had his struggling moments. He began to get accustom to the game in the Cincinatti game when he perpetually had Ocho Cinco on lock. Lowery was benched for Ty Law, I absolutely place the blame on the coaching staff for that, and was one of the many reasons I could not watch the remaining games of the season. To me, it was an ultimate act of desperation, and lack of trust in your team. He lost the team when he brought on Ty Law, and his poor decision making further impacted the effects of that. You take a rookie, who has incredible potential and the desire to win, evident in his offseason/preseason performance, if anyone saw his pass breakups in the regular season, college tape, combine workouts, and put him opposite of Darrelle Revis, and you have very promising tandem. You call a veteran off his couch, who missed OTAs, Team practices, and Preseason. Thats disgraceful. And Mangini is a former DB Coach. Ultimately it was his flawed decision making that "regressed" the team, not the individual players.
I'll take option A, kind sir... I do think there is a lot of talent on that defense. With a few additions (CB, ILB, Pass Rusher, or Gholston rebirth after LT LB school) and a coach with a clue how to scheme, utilize athleticism and be aggressive and attacking, (read: R. Ryan), we would have a tough defense next year. And we are going to need it, with how difficult the schedule looks right now.
I agree he was no longer a no name and under the radar. As he was in 2007. Welcome to the NFL put up or shut up.
^^ His best games were his first handful in his rookie season. Even before his injury this season, he didn't look like half the player he was in his first few appearances in 2007. Despite the addition of Kris Jenkins, Harris was not as quick at plugging gaps, still struggled immensely in coverage, and frequently 'guessed' and gave the RBs cutback lanes. He remained a very effective pass rusher, and showed glimpses of being able to run-down stretch plays and screens very well. After his injury, he looked even worse, and his 'guessing' grew to the point where he'd occasionally commit so fast, that he'd run right past the RB. That, my friend, is regression.
i agree that Vilma regressed a lot, some was based on the 3-4 switch and also due to his injury. Maybe a little to do with coaching as well (who really knows, he did play pretty well this year but he wasn't as good as he was in his 1st few years with the Jets) On Lowery. He played great in the season opener against Miami. But throughout training camp, i read plenty of reports saying he looked great at times, but was getting beat for big gains by Stuckey and Clowney. So that is pretty consistent with how he was all season. He makes some great deflections, but gets beat for a TD every other game. Lowery appears to have all the skills and technique to be a great CB, he is just not fast enough
