i am intrigued by the possibility of getting a guy like golden tate. allowing him to develop as the #3 would give him an easier transition to the pro's. if he can develop into a solid receiver along with jco, edwards, keller, and leon we would have quite the offense to deal with along with a 2nd or 3rd year rex ryan defense. i disagree with your post because tate is definitely a luxury pick. as much as we bitch about some of our guys we are a pretty solid team going into next year as is so i believe we have the ability to make such a pick. i guess the main thing i had a problem with is you justifying the pick because of ball control and field position. the return of leon will take care of both of those problems. he is no where near as explosive on punts as he is kickoffs but he is a solid and reliable. his ability to take the dump off pass for a first down will also open up our pass game and allow us to move the chains on third down. i would not be disappointed with adding another weapon to this offense, but it is truly a luxury pick if they make it.
There is so much I disagree with in this thread I don't know where to begin. A big No on Tate. First, you draft a player in the first round to be a starter, not a #3 WR. Edwards and Cotchery are young and Keller is really a 3rd WR. Second, first round WRs bust more than any other position. Third, the Jets were ineffective as a passing team because they played a rookie QB. The offense will become more potent as he matures. The lack of passing had nothing to do with a lack of weapons. You have to realize that WRs produce based on the system they play in as much as talent. Put Edwards and Cotchery on a pass first team and they both gain over 1000 yards. Put Wayne and Garcon on the 2009 Jets and you get 700 yard receivers. Fourth, you never ever ever aim to beat just one team in the future. The Jets will have to play 16 games next year and at least 3 more to win a SB. Who says they even meet the Colts???? In the early part of the decade after two losses to Oakland in the playoffs, many on this board were saying that the Jets needed to find a way to beat Oakland. Oakland has sucked ever since. You build the best team you can - a team that is able to beat anyone, not just a passing team. Fifth, if this is becoming a "win now" team, and I think it is, the last position you take in the first round is WR. It is a wasted pick. No position takes longer to develop in the NFL than WRs. A WR typically doesn't produce significantly until his third year in the league (with very few exceptions), if at all. So if Tate is drafted, expect him to produce below 600 yards and TDs a season until 2012. I'm not willing to wait that long and neither are the Jets. There are far more crying needs than WR. The Jets desperately need a pass rusher and this draft is full of good pass rushing ends and outside LBs. That is what the Jets should target. CB is another need. So is OL depth. The OL is the heart of this team and Faneca and Woody are not getting any younger. One injury to a key OL and this team could suffer.
Yeah gotta agree about the WR thing. Look at our #3 WR Clowney, he only played like 3 games this whole season. The jets offense works with lots of big blockers on the field. Hell I think HB/FB depth is far more important than a #3 WR. Although if we could trade down, earn some extra picks then maybe grabbing a mid round WR would be nice, ala Barnes
That's because we had a rookie quarterback, and the offense had to be simplified in order for him to lead scoring drives. With more experience, Sanchez will get better and better - the offense will become more and more aggressive as Sanchez develops as a pro passer.
Look what happened with Flacco and Ryan. Both of them had notably better rookie seasons than Sanchez, and they still kept things simple last year. I wouldnt expect Sanchez to go from a rookie to a gun slinger overnight. its going to be a learning process, and I really expect the jets offense to run very similar to last year unless issues arise at the hb position.
Joe Flacco wasn't better than Mark Sanchez as a rookie. I don't get why so many people think that. However, Flacco's stats were much better in his second year. The Ravens opened up their offense more...they just have horrible receivers, and he has terrible accuracy and pocket presence. Matt Ryan had to deal with lingering injuries in his second year. Having Roddy White really helped his development though. No one said that will happen, but getting him weapons will help his progression.
Id say you could attribute Flaccos significiant spike in performance increase to Ray Rice. Ray rice became an absolute monster this year, and had almost 800 recieving yards as a HB vs around 200 last year. And Flacco struggled MIGHTLY in the latter half of this season. The last several weeks of the year he had terrible games, including lke 30 yards in the playoffs vs the laughable New england Pass defense
Joe Flacco's stats weren't that good though...especially if you count the playoffs. I'm not saying Mark Sanchez was better as a rookie, but Joe Flacco didn't do much better. He turned the ball over less, but as a passer, he was very similar to Sanchez. People act like Flacco was an amazing quarterback as a rookie, when really, he threw more INTs then TDs if the you count the playoffs.
Our offense was poor statistically because we had a rookie QB starting. He looked good in the playoffs, and I expect improved play next year. Plus, he'll have Edwards for a full season and year 2 with Cotchery. Then there's Keller in year 3...Leon playing for a contract probably (or trying to prove he deserves it)...Jones on his last legs...Greene in his 2nd year...What we have on offense right now should improve by itself. Same for defense...having Leon back alone means one more target for Sanchez to play with next year. So if WR is BPA, then hell yea. But really, the only WRs I think should definitely go in the first are Bryant and Williams. I might also like Gilyard more than Tate, who is slightly overrated right now. Would you use a first on Gilyard? What makes Tate so special? There's tons of guys who'd make a nice #3 WR for Sanchez. Plus, our D is older than our offense...
Or Percy Harvin. Like somebody else said, if the Jets FO thinks he can have that kinda effect for the Jets (a threat to score every time the ball is in his hands) then you absolutely pull the trigger on that draft pick, esp for a team with a young QB and with the uncertainty regarding LW's health we need that kinda player (dangerous in space)
That would be Leon Washington, Braylon Edwards, and even Greene. We already have enough young starters on offense, and they all haven't even gelled yet. I say let the nucleus develop as is plus maybe another RB and another WR later. I mean, would our offense really get hurt if our theoretical rookie WR merely had an Eddie Royal type impact? Or a Mike Wallace impact? Do we really so desperately need Percy Harvin? Braylon Edwards is a huge X-factor on offense. He could have some Plaxico type seasons with Sanchez if we let that develop.
Unless you're taking a back-up at QB, OL,P or K and have a glaring need somewhere else...there's no such thing as a luxury pick in today's NFL. It's all about having a good foundation on both lines and then stockpiling weapons at skill positions. This provides creativity and flexibility for the given coordinators and gives the opposition something else to prepare for. The days of 2 Wr(3-4 on passing downs), 1 te, an RB and a FB are gone. A truly conventional offense is a thing of the past....as is a conventional defense. Everyone is so uptight about INSISTING that we fill one specific need based on who we do/don't already have. To some degree that made sense 10 years ago..but not in today's NFL. It's about adding as much elite talent as possible across the entire roster...specifically to the front 7, and offensive/defensive skill players once the lines are solid. Now again, I'm not saying that Tate or slot WR is our only option in the first round or ANY round. But w/ the way teams are winning in the NFL...to pinpoint one or two positions that may or may not present proper value at our pick is beyond ridiculous. It's no longer about "Who cares about value? Why'd we pick this player when we need ___?" Now It's about " This player presented proper value and helps the team short term AND long term". That's really all you can ask for. In the present landscape GOOD players are going to find their way on the field in SOME capacity regardless of who is in front of them.And when you have good players who can fill week to week roles that is a VERY good thing to have it your disposal...especially come playoff time. I think we all agree this is a playoff calibur team.
I love how people who are limiting Tate to a "slot receiver". I'm guessing most of them have watched little of him play, if at all. He could play well out of the slot and will need to trefine his route running, but he is also a deep threat and has a good knack for getting the ball at its highest point. He was a HS running back and still shows good moves and power after the catch. This is not a Stucky type player. He has a much thicker build and a more agressive mentality with the ball in his hands. Speed, hands, Run after the catch, elite punt return ability. This guy would be another weapon on offense, not just a third receiver. Just thinking about a wildcat formation wtih Smith taking the snap, Washington in the backfield, and tate coming in motion gives me goosebumps. The possibilitys would be almost endless of that set and the defense would have to be on thier toes to stop it. That all said, I really think he will be gone before our pick, if not I would have no problems at all with taking him over most defensive players falling to 29. ... and obligatory highlight video if one was not posted yet. [YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWfA5-Q0s-0&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
Anything other than a OLB/DE, CB or OL is FAIL. How about drafting another pass catching TE? (notice sarcasm) Can't have to many of them. Another weapon for 2nd yr QB who has Edwards, Cotch, Keller & LW. Think of it, Keller and new guy next to tackles at the same time, driving LB's crazy.... c'mon, use your head. Regardless of who's in there, Sanchez needs to get better, adding a slot receiver isn't going to do shite. Having no CB or needing to blitz to get to the QB isn't going to help the defense.
