Never seen Suggs play? Pettine called Suggs' 5 sack season arguably his best one at the time. I saw him line up against the slot WR once in the playoffs, I'm pretty sure. He had several sub-10 sack seasons that were excellent because of his general play against the pass and the run. We need more size, speed, youth, and athleticism in the front 7 is what we need.
No baiting me bro. Suggs can and has played in coverage. He does it extremely well. 35 passes deflected for his career...5 INTs....
Yes, background info is interesting and has some merit or insight into who the player is, but much, much more important is what the player is doing now and what type of ceiling he has. Reed has plenty of athleticism, he has the 10 yard split of a RB for Pete's sake. As for his size, he may an inch or two shorter than desired, but his weight is right there where Rex likes his OLBs. That's cool. We'll just have to agree to disagree about Reed. It's obvious that you don't like him, and that's fine. I think college production is important, but not that important. It's just another clue or piece of the puzzle. IMO you have to look at the system the kid was playing in, what kind of coaching he received or didn't receiver, what the level of competition was like, and why the player may or may not have racked up stats. Reed is older, but not that much older. Pouha was older too, and that didn't stop the Jets. If the Jets take Reed and win the next two SBs do you really think anyone will care how old Reed is or how long/short his career may be? I don't want a pass rusher because they're exciting. I'm sorry, but that's kind of juvenile, imo. I want a pass rusher because it's the Jets biggest need. It's the thing that kept them from beating the Colts and going to the SB in 2010, and definitely hurt them again this year. It's insane having to send 5-6 players to get any kind of real pressure vs the QB, and then having all of them still get there too late to generate any real pressure. The only thing that will resolve that is a player with smarts, desire and speed. I think Reed is that kind of player. Coverage is a bonus, but not necessary. As I said earlier, just because Ayers was able to cover people in the Pac 10 doesn't mean he'll be able to in the NFL, especially as slow as he is. The Jets can pick up another LBer or S to cover those TEs and RBs over the middle. The Jets need a player who can supply consistent pressure, not a well-rounded player who's only ok at everything. I like Wilkerson, but not Heyward. I think there are DE prospects as good as him that can be had in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, and maybe even lower. Heyward has almost no pass rush ability and talk about having a poor motor. He took entire games off in college, not just plays.
Magilla, Your list surprises me somewhat. One, no Martez Wilson? I thought you were really sold on that kid. Two, do you not think that Kerrigan is better-suited to playing DE in a 4-3? I just don't seem him as a 3-4 OLB. Three, you list Houston, but then say you don't want him on the team. Why?
Do you really believe that? If so, how can you value Ayers over Reed. Reed can run circles around Ayers.
To begin with Reed isn't smaller. He's 6'2 1/2 and weighs over 260 pounds. He may be an inch or so shorter than desired, but weight-wise, he's right there where Rex supposedly likes his OLBs to be. Second, I'm not saying that Reed is the be-all and end-all, but if Rex can't see that what this D and pass rush needs most is an infusion of real speed, then he isn't as smart or as good a coach as everyone thinks he is. He's had the big guys and they don't cut it. They don't have the speed or agility to get to the QB.
^^ I like Reed quite a bit. Just not as a first rounder. Not when a Christian Ballard or Ayers or someone even better is available. *In the 40 yard dash.
To not project the thoughts of our fans into the mind of our coach. He's done more with less with this team. He knows what he needs. The reality is that we do know, we can only speculate.
I agree. I think he is smart and a great coach, that's why I believe he's going to add some speed in this draft.
I agree that Ayers is probably the better athlete. Luckily, I think Rex values football players over athletes.
Ahh shit, that's my fault. Martez completely slipped my mind, it was a busy day for me. He goes before Houston on my preference list, even with his slipping stock. I still believe his "stiffness" comes from the lack of a defined role for his entire career at Illinois, he was basically told to go out and play off his athleticism. I think Kerrigan can play OLB, he's got a great motor and an ever present desire to get better, something Gholston didn't have. He's not the super athlete that everyone wants, but he just produces. I listed Houston because even though I don't necessarily like him, OLB is still a need for the Jets, so he still has to be considered. I'm not gonna completely knock him down the list, but I'm not gonna have him high either. He's lost a lot of luster in my eyes, he just doesn't jump out on the tape the more I watch him. I just don't see anything special, like Kerrigan's effort, Ayers' footwork, Wilson's athleticism, or Reed's instincts. I'm starting to question if he can even play OLB in the NFL...
See, the thing that Ayers has made very clear in his time at UCLA is that he can play football. The sum of his parts are what makes him such a strong prospect and candidate for this D. He's the most comfortable of all the DE/OLBs in space, and that's a big deal when it comes to playing todays passing offenses. This isn't an athlete vs. football player thing...all these guys can play football.
Thanks for your response. I'll take another peek at Kerrigan. Regarding Wilson, do you think his instincts will markedly improve when he gets to the NFL? Do you think it's just a matter of not enough mental work and film study, or could it be lack of smarts?
No sir, I'm not fucking joking sir. Ballard's a productive 300 pounder from a big program in a big conference who ran a sub-4.8...Reed is some guy who's been hyped up since January that suddenly became many Jet fans' favorite first round pick. What exactly is so special about Brooks Reed? What's he have that no one else has? Why am I not worried in the least about him lasting to 30? Why isn't any other team even rumored to be interested in using their first on him? Personally his hype here is about 40% the position he plays...the almighty possible pass rusher. Then there's 20% due to his play and the YouTube clips most have seen of him. Then there's the other 40, which comes from him kinda/sorta resembling Clay Matthews right off of a Matthews Super Bowl win.
I think if he gets under the right coach they will improve. Nothing against Ron Zook and Vic Koenning, but they aren't the best coaches to exactly harness ability. Zook has a great eye of talent, but that's probably the best thing you can say. Koenning, on the other hand, is still living off the players that Troy produced when he was DC. He's not a bad DC, but he isn't exactly elite either. I'm not saying Martez Wilson is a sure thing, quite the opposite. He's got the same amount of questions you'd have with a DE that you plan on making a OLB, a bet on the different end of the spectrum. I think once he gets on an NFL team and is given a specific role, it will be easier to cover up his average instincts, as a unitasker instead being the center of the D like he was in college. I think both parties could have put forth more effort for the best of the team, when Martez Wilson said he'd never participated in any of the LB drills he did at the Pro Day before, it's a black eye to both his coaches and him in terms of preparation. He's a risk, but I still like his potential...
Ballard's 280. Sub 4.8 at 280 is different than at 300lbs. If we're going to use measurables, Reed's 10 yard split was up there with the top RBs and WRs. So his explosion and motor are what you want out of a OLB. And why did Ballard put up 16 reps at 225 on his pro day? That's shitty. Ballard has the ability to dominate, but its not consistent. Same with Reed. With the Jets needs, they should go OLB at 30 with a guy who's stock warrant the selection instead of a DL who is a pure reach at 30.
