I know this isn't the safe prediction for who will stay or go, but I think Bart Scott is about to play his last game as a Jet. Yes, he's Rex's guy, but I think that might have taken him as far as it can. Pettine had to bench him a bunch of times this season due to a lack of effort and attention. Kris Jenkins' big criticism of the Jets after he left was that too many players were more interested in branding themselves than in working, and I'm pretty sure he was talking about Scott. His play on the field has at times been good, it's never been great, and hes missed far too many plays for my liking (it might just be that his mistakes are very visible due to his position in the defense, but I feel like I see him whiff at least once a week). Scott has played three years of a 5 year deal and is owed about $20 million over the final two years. Nothing he's done in green and white suggests Scott will play like a $10 million dollar man in 2012. David Harris is the star in the middle, and now he has the contract to match; the Jets could give him a much cheaper sidekick and be no worse off. Tanenbaum could use the cash he doesn't pay Scott to bring in a safety like LaRon Landry or Michael Griffin, and no matter how cheap they go at ILB, it'd be hard to imagine the defense not improving. Not to mention the glaring vacancy at RT; there's no chance, after this brutal season, that Wayne Hunter is the opening day starter in 2012. At best, Scott is an overpriced luxury sharing a position with one of our best young players. At worst, he's an unproductive loudmouth on a team that gets more than enough hot air out of its head coach. I don't see him as a guy who would take a pay cut to stay here, and I don't see Tanenbaum being happy enough with his play to keep on paying him like a core player. Bart Scott was a big part of one of the best two year stretches in Jets history, but I think he's not long for this team.
According to ProFootballFocus, Bart Scott is the 7th best ILB in football against the run. He is 12th best in the league overall. He is the least of our problems; I don't understand why everyone is in such a rush to get rid of him. He is very under appreciated around here.
Of course Bart is slow, that's why he's not in on 3rd downs. Several guys come out of the game on passing downs, but you don't want to replace them. He's the guy who eats up blockers so the other LBs can get the glory. Its what he has always been, I don't think he has lost anything in that department. When it comes to replacing guys, I think we have maybe 10 other spots to worry about first.
People who don't understand football don't like him. Hes not a pass rusher its just not his position. He is very good at what he does and is the heart of our defense. People keep complaining we cut too many leaders like garbage Thomas Jones and Faneca. Now they want Scott gone. Mediocrity is making people brain dead.
You don't need every LB to be fast. We have a solid run D and he's a big part of it. He also does a great job filling in the gaps to allow other people to make plays. Scott has actually been our best LB'er according to all the metrics. Stats don't lie.
Because it's a passing league we use him in situations...like against the Pats we ran nickel so much he barely saw the field. No doubt he's lost a step.
I'm aware of Scott's job description. I'm less concerned with the fact that he doesn't often get to the quarterback than with the fact that he appears to me to often be out of position in the running game. Calvin Pace is probably my favorite current Jet, and by most statistical measures, he spent this year on IR. Pretty sure the stats are lying on that. I heard the criticism of Scott's effort from Pettine in one of his press conferences. Josh Mauga got a fair amount of extra playing time around midseason because Pettine needed to get Scott's attention. I don't know what Profootballfocus does or how they reached that ranking, but even if we agreed that Scott is the 7th best ILB out there, that doesn't mean he's worth $10 million a year. Even leaving aside the fact that he's had a shockingly small number of 'big plays' through three seasons, Scott's play has never been great. He's very obviously the second best ILB on this team. Call me crazy, but I think Scott would have to be playing much better than he is for Tanenbaum to commit $20 million in cap space to the ILB position. Also, those noting that he's not a nickel type player and doesn't see the field that much should ask themselves what it is they're arguing. The less the team needs him on the field, the less the team will be inclined to pay him (the more money you have to spend on your fifth defensive back, the less money you can afford to give your two-down linebacker). I also disagree entirely with the leadership arguments; don't confuse visibility with leadership. I see leadership on this team coming from Tomlinson, Revis, Moore and Leonhard. As I said in my initial post, my perception has been that Scott is more about himself and his 'Can't Wait' t-shirts than about working. There's no C on his chest, he doesn't break the huddle I'm not trying to make a scapegoat out of the guy. I just don't see him contributing enough to this team to earn a giant 2012 paycheck.
Harris is really good in coverage. This year he's not so good against the run and in pressure. Solid player, for sure, but having a bit of a down season.
FYI Wayne Hunter 6th worst tackle in football according to this website. That shouldn't shock anyone.
He is not making 10 million a year. Not close. 6 year 48 million and this year made something like 3.5 and next year makes 5.5ish. A lot of it was front and back loaded so he will most likely be cut or restructured after next season.
