I am attempting to trade the Jets 2nd round pick + Dwight Lowery to the Raiders for Nnamdi Asomugha. Talks have stalled but with the addition of a depth player it might go through.
Another guy I'm targeting in FA is Ray Willis RG/RT from the Seahawks. He has starting experience at RT, also plays RG and is young (was drafted in the 2005 draft). He can bring much needed depth and a future replacement for Woody. He could even outplay Woody and start next season. His cap hit will be either 1.25 mil or 1.5 mil.
Canty has now gone up to a 6.5 mil cap hit. Is it worth it, or should I just aim to draft a guy like Jarron Gilbert in the 3rd? I think what will end up happening is I will sign Channing Crowder instead for the 1st year cap hit and look to draft a 3-4 DE. There are no good 3-4 ILB prospects in the draft that the Jets will be able to get (except for Worrell) while there are a bunch of good 3-4 DE prospects all the way into the 6th/7th round. Crowder is the coverage/speed compliment to Harris and he can stuff the run too. He had 113 tackles and 6 PBUs last season.
No. Forget Canty and draft a DE within the first few rounds. Channing Crowder would be a great signing.
A free agent that should be a 500k cap hit that I will now try to sign is Derrick Martin from the Ravens. He is familiar with Rex Ryan's system and he is only 23. In his rookie year (2006) and this past season he didn't really play at all only playing in 4 games this year and starting none, but he had limited playing time in every game in 2007 and even started 3 games -- in that season he had 40 tackles, 7 PBUs and 2 INTs. This was his draft profile from 2006: "Martin is a versatile pass defender who excelled as a boundary cornerback during his junior year after playing the field position during his first two seasons with the Cowboys. Explosive out of his cuts, Martin's athletic ability and quickness helped him develop into the Mountain West Conference's premier pass coverage defender. In addition to his playmaking ability on defense, he is one of the top kick blockers in the nation, returning two blocked punts for touchdowns during his career." He should make for good depth in our secondary. He is 5'10 and 202 lbs. This is what the Ravens head scout said about him after they drafted him: "Derrick Martin is a corner, and it's very hard to get corners on the 2nd day of the draft," said director of college scouting Eric DeCosta. "He's very, very athletic. You'll be hard-pressed to find a corner in this year's draft that tested better in Indy. He's got unbelievable feet and he's very fast. He can jump out of the building. He's very good when the play is in front. He's outstanding on special teams. He's a very good gunner. He's blocked kicks and with his size and speed, he's a tremendous value in the latter half of the 6th round."
Just updating - FAs are starting to sign with teams I got 3 so far on my list Check the 2nd post on page 1 for updates
Getting to know the free agents 1) Jarrad Page, S, formerly of the KC Chiefs Measurables: 6'0, 225 lbs Page is a very underrated, very talented safety in the NFL. He is very young (turned 24 in mid-October) and has 3 years of NFL experience. He will be overlooked in free agency because he is a good player on a very bad team and he is just starting to sniff his full potential. By that I mean in college at UCLA he was a two-sport athlete playing both football and baseball and is just now starting to master the nuances of being a safety. He is extremely athletic and was a very good centerfielder for the Chiefs last season. He started 2 games his rookie year in 2006 and ended the season with 35 tackles (30 solo), 5 PBUs, 3 INTs and 1 sack. In 2007 starting all 16 games he had 59 tackles (43 solo), 6 PBUs, 3 INTs, 1 FF and 1 FR. This past season in 2008 he had 85 tackles (63 solo), 12 PBUs, and 4 INTs. He is a versatile safety because he has the awareness and ball skills to be a very good FS and the size and tackling/blitzing ability to come up in the box as a SS - much like Kerry Rhodes. In Rex Ryan's defense Jarrad Page should shine and we now have 2 versatile experienced safeties to make Rex Ryan's defense click. Page might not be the only answer at our safety hole opposite Rhodes, but he is certainly a very good one and will be with us for a while. Signed to a 6 year deal. http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80b5d315
How this mock works is if you have a UFA and he doesn't get a bid from any other team he will go back to your team without any cap hit -- such was the case for Richardson who is still a Jet. Richardson is good for another year, but Weaver can be a great FB and he adds another running/receiving threat to a committee like the Ravens had. And he's young so he'll be here for a while for only a 250k cap hit.
Assuming I sign all of the following: Jarrad Page, S -- starting S Byron Leftwich, QB -- starting QB//competes for a starting spot Derrick Martin, CB -- 3rd CB Leonard Weaver, FB/RB -- power RB and future FB replacement Ray Willis, RG/RT -- starter at RG or RT Channing Crowder, ILB -- starting ILB This is my preliminary draft -- I currently I traded our 4th and Lowery for the Lions' 5th and Bodden, and I plan on moving down a little in the 1st and picking up a midrounder. 1 - Hakeem Nicks, WR 2 - Jarron Gilbert, DE 3 - Cody Brown, OLB 5a - Mike Wallace, WR 5b - Sammie Lee Hill, NT 6 - Lee Robinson, ILB 7 - Zach Potter, DE I'm also looking to trade Coles. I think a WR core of Nicks, Cotchery (two possession guys) and Wallace and Clowney (two speed guys) would make for a dynamic passing game. Adding 2 DEs to be our future and 1 for our present in Gilbert and Potter, 2 LBs in Robinson and Brown, and one NT for depth and a future starter in SLH. I personally like that. If I can trade down in the 1st I will have an extra 3rd or 4th at the least.
Asomghua would be a perfect fit opposite Revis... They're not trading him straight up for Lowery though.
I already traded Lowery for Bodden. While Bodden isn't Asomugha, he is still one of the best man-to-man CBs in the game.
He had 1 down year on the worst overall team in NFL history. Try to name the top 5 man-to-man CBs in the NFL, it is very hard to leave him out. And if he does fall out, he is definitely in the Top 10 list. 1) Nnamdi Asomugha 2) Champ Bailey 3) Darelle Revis 4-7) Al Harris, Leigh Bodden, Antoine Winfield, Carlos Rodgers (in no order) He could be better than he has ever been playing on a winning organization and on a talented team.
Gilbert seems like a great fit for the GG. I would have expected a CB and an OL in the draft somewhere instead of all the depth on D. I realize you traded for Bodden and signed FA's but the draft should be used for some depth on the OL.
Bodden was an undrafted rookie - he made a name for himself on special teams before earning a starting spot. He's only had two solid seasons as a STARTING corner - 2005 and 2007...he was injured for most of 2006. Fabian Washington, Chris Gamble, Cortland Finnegan, Terrence Newman, Rashean Mathis, Asante Samuel...and so on. I'm not saying Bodden is a bad player, but he's certainly not as good as you're making him out to be.
I really hope Fabian Washington was a joke... While Gamble and Mathis might be better overall CBs they play mostly in zone coverages -- I was talking about the best CBs in man coverage. I personally don't think Newman or Samuel is as good as Bodden, Bodden doesn't get recognition because he wasn't the glamorous 1st day pick but he shuts down the opposing team's best WR when he is on his game and that is good enough for me. Cortland Finnegan is a gambler, and he may be better than Bodden but I personally don't like him for his dirty play and attitude. Bodden is usually not thrown at if the team can help it, and now that he is opposite Revis he will get his opportunities to put up good INT and PBU #s.
