Surely you misunderstood where I was coming from. If it is the penetration, sure DeVito and Pouha are both getting their share of it. That is not even the point. First and foremost, the defense was not stout against inside runs. Secondly, since the DLs were almost unable to absorb blockers, ILBs were always in a situation to deal with guards more often than not. Of course that can happen if Jets were running some variation of Fairbanks/Bullough 3-4, but from the way Pouha and DeVito were lining up (not at 0 tech/5 tech) that is not even remotely true. From the way DLs were lining up, it was closer to the Phillips 3-4 than F/B 3-4, with the exception of designated LB rusher off the edge on run downs (that would be Bryan Thomas; which does not exist in Phillips 3-4, by the way.) Look. The inability of this DL to absorb blockers is VERY WELL DOCUMENTED, and Jets have been suffering A LOT from it. Recall the colossal clusterfuck they called blitz against Peyton Manning in AFCGG 2 years ago. Was there a free lane? NO. The rushing OLBs (Bryan Thomas, of all people!) got tangled up at LOS and were dancing jitterbugs with OLs there. Is that how you say "Good Fucking Job!" really? Ok. So what if Jets are not really running that Phillips shit? What if Jets are trying to turn to F/B 3-4? Then Harris does not fit. He was seen taking on OLs here and there - I've seen it too - but 1. he is too small for that and 2. he is not strong to attack OLs and lastly, but not the least 3. he does not shed the block like ILBs in F/B 3-4 scheme are supposed to. By now, I ain't got the vaguest fucking clue as to just what the fuck this defense is trying to achieve. Pressure is completely non-existent (and that is very generous assessment) and the middle of the field is always fire zone for the offense to attack thanks to the slow LBs. Last, but not the least, the rush defense is not even stout enough to force the offense to go one way either. And among all these steaming pile of horseshit is the dismal DL play. Am I missing something here?
If a team is in win now mode and has a SB ring in its sights there is no telling what they would do. I only mentioned a trade because cutting them outright would have an adverse impact on the cap and extending them isn't a good option either. Having limited options does not mean that you have no options.
I would love to see us target these two players Tyvon Branch- S Paul Soliai - DT I really doubt the Raiders will let Branch go though.
The disparity between the older and younger fans on the board is comical. Being one of the older ones, 31 years of heartbreak, I've seen it time and again. Since the early 80s, the Jets have been good often enough to tease all the younger fans into having hope. It is cyclical, and I've gone from bright eyed and bushy tailed with optimism to what the young guys are apparently calling SOJFs. Its a stone cold FACT that the Jets have repeated the same type of behavior, on and off the field, for decades. That is not disputable. Those us that have lived through multiple cycles have a natural tendency to expect more of the same. To understand this, try kicking your dog every third time you see it. For a little while, the dog will remain somewhat optimistic, even hopeful, that you won't kick it, but after a few cycles, the dog will be afraid of getting kicked each time you are near it, regardless of what you did last. Doesn't mean dog doesn't still love you. And it doesn't mean the older fans that are shellshocked don't love the Jets. Hopefully they'll win soon and you won't have to be cynical like us. We are rooting hard for being wrong, trust us. This is fascinating, and I think it's time it got its own thread.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see if any trade market develops for either player. I'm guessing but not, but Lord knows I've been wrong before. But even if you do unload one or both of them, your just opening another hole on the roster. Who's gonna play along side Harris in the middle? You already have a huge need at OLB and pass rusher, how is trading away your best player at that position gonna help for 2012? Also, I know it's been a rough year Jets fans, but don't kick your dog
Yeah Tyvon Branch is the #1 free agent safety on the market - there is no way he wil be available and if he is there is no way we could compete to sign him. There are only about 3 or 4 safeties on the market better than Leonhard and I am sure he will be back if he is even 90% sorted. Same situation with Soliai - I cant see the Jets being able to compete for either player (sadly)
The question isnt safeties better than Leonhard, but ones healthier than him. I also think hes gotta take a paycut to stay. He does us no good on IR, and having 2 injury risks like Leonhard + Landry, thats a big risk
obviously it assumes leonhard is healthy - but if he is then the thing is that there are hardly any FA safeties that are better than him which is why i think he will be back, its a really poor year for safeties in FA and in the draft - which is not good considering how many teams have a problem at that position.
I have been taking a closer look at our cap and what is available in free agency. If we are serious about winning in the near future (1-3 years) I think we need to roll the dice a bit and also get some cap relief now even if we have to pay up later. As I see it there are some guys that need to take a pay cut or find another team to play for. Let's go down the list: 1. Wayne Hunter RT - Clearly the weak link on the offensive line. He did ok as a stopgap at the end of last season for 2-3 games but over the course of the 2012 season his glaring weaknesses were exposed when matching up with half decent pass rushers. Cutting him saves us $2.5 mil against the cap with no dead money at all. If he takes less than $1 mil we can keep him for depth but with Ducasse on the bench we can live without Hunter. 2. Eric Smith S - Base salary of $1.2 mil is an OK deal but if he thinks he is getting his $700K roster bonus or his other $50K bonus. Either he plays for $1.2 mil or we can cut him outright with no dead money for a savings of $2.05 mil. 3. Mark Sanchez QB - Total cap hit this year $14.25 mil ($8.5 salary, $2.5 prorated bonus, $2.75 roster bonus, $0.5 other bonus). If we cut him dead money is $5 mil for $9.25 mil in cap savings. I would much rather give him another year to prove himself than cut him loose now but no way do I pay another $9 mil much less $14 mil for the performance I saw from him last year. The solution I think is to nicely ask him to take a pay cut and to explain how the money will be used to upgrade the OL and get him a WR (Braylon Edwards or Brandon Lloyd). 4. Brandon Moore RG - Total cap hit this year is $4.45 mil ($2.75 salary, $1.45 prorated bonus, $250k other bonus). If we cut him the dead money is $1.45 mil and we save $3 mil against the cap. On the bright side, Moore made the pro bowl this year, is one of the strongest players in the league and has played well for us in the past. With that said, he looked bad coming off a hip injury and Hunter didn't exactly help him ward of defenders. The last time we cut him we were able to resign him for less. I would like to find a younger replacement but don't know that Moore would take a pay cut. Given the pro bowl berth maybe we could trade him. 5. Dustin Keller TE - Costing us $2 mil and would only save about half of that if we cut him. Big target but was inconsistent last year and his blocking is weak. He is s free agent at the end of the year and I wouldn't give him a big contract. Good candidate for trade bait. 6. Santonio Holmes WR - Why Tanny? Why? Braylon signed for $1.5 mil and what did you give this assclown? See below: Year Salary Bonus (prorated) Dead Money 2011 3,250,000 1,250,000 2012 9,250,000 1,250,000 12,750,000 2013 12,500,000 1,250,000 3,750,000 2014 10,750,000 1,250,000 2,500,000 2015 9,250,000 1,250,000 1,250,000 Cutting him this year would cost us $3.5 mil against the cap but at least we would be off the hook next year. As much as I hat the idea of giving him another 9.25 mil I don't see how we can field a decent team if we take the entire hit this year. Especially since cutting him next year would save us money against the cap that year. Like Sanchez I think Holmes gets another year to prove he is worth keeping. 7. LaDanian Tomlinson RB - He is one of the best RBs in the history of the game and will go into the HOF, most likely on the first ballot. Great character guy as well. Nothing personall but we drafted Joe McKnight who has the youth and speed that Tomlinson no longer has (and a much lower price tag to boot). I would rather use the money to upgrade my #1 RB spot than resign Tomlinson to compete with McKnight. 8. Shonn Greene RB - He is inexpensive but hasn't really done much. He will be a free agent next year and it doesn't look like he will be resigned. He gets another year to prove himself until then but I would give Powell more carries and bring in a veteran for competition. 9. Bryan Thomas OLB - I like him and would love to have him back but the price has to be right. He might flourish on a team that has a better pass rushing OLB across from him or could even benefit from a move to ILB, 10. Jim Leonhard S - Gutsy player, very intelligent, a leader but after losing two years in a row to injury it is time to look for an upgrade. 11-14. Plaxico Burris WR, Mark Brunnell QB, Kevin O'Connell QB, Brodney Poole S - Buh-bye The rest of the roster is either dirt cheap or would cost us money to dump them so any cap savings comes from getting the guys above to take a paycut, a trade, or a kick out the door. On the bright side, most of the money and draft picks we use will be to fill the holes they have left / will be leaving. Free agent targets (in order of priority): 1. John Abraham OLB - Atlanta Falcons OK I get the objections to this one. He is going to be expensive. He is so old. He had sand in his vagina when we played the Steelers in the playoffs. He likes to party and NYC could ba a bad place for him. Now that the objections have been aired here is why we sign him. 1. We haven't had a pass rush since we lost him 2. We don't have to give Mangold back if we sign Abraham 3. He is still one of the top 5 pass rushers in the league 4. Since Holmes (and Sanchez?) is a gonner in 2013 we can backload Abraham's contract and spread his money over 7-8 years to get him under the cap now 5. We can use our draft picks to fix other holes 6. Unless we sign Bryan Thomas we are filling a gaping hole on our defense with a top 5 player 2. Laron Landry S - He ain't gonna be cheap but the guy is a stud. You want to stop Gronkowsky and Hernandez here is your answer. 3. Demetrius Bell - RT - The Bills are a mess and will be busy trying to keep their #1 WR from leaving. Huge upgrade at right tackle coming from a bad team could be a huge steal. 4. Sione Pouha DT - Gotta keep him 5. Braylon Edwards WR - Should come fairly cheap considering the injury otherwise Brandon Lloyd or Robert Meechum are decent options 6. Shaun Hill QB - Potential starter and excellent backup. Looked like a stud filling in for Stafford, has experience, and doesn't have the price tag / hype of Matt Flynn and others 7. Cederic Benson - Great compliment for McKnight can pound the rock up the middle. Should come fairly cheap. I would give him a 2-3 year deal which should give us time to develop or find a replacement assuming Greene and Powell aren't up to the task. 8. Our own free agent keepers Rob Turner OL Jamaal Westerman LB restricted Patrick Turner WR restricted Aaron Maybin OLB restricted Marquice Cole CB restricted Martin Tevaseau DT exclusive Ellis Lankster CB exclusive The draft Round one - David DeCastro G Stanford Not too many guards get drafted in round one but if you want a slam dunk safe pick this is it. Moore is unlikely to take a pay cut and is not getting any younger. We could move Slauson to the right side and have a LG with the mobility that Faneca used to have. If we get DeCastro and replace Hunter at RT is lowers the bar for the rest of our offense. Greene and McKnight can run through huge holes, our WRs have more time to get open, and Sanchez has all day to find his targets. We may have to move up from 16 to as high as 12 to make sure we get him. Round two and beyond - Best available player I was thinking safety in round two but with few holes to fill in free agency I think we spend the money to get a stud before the draft. Even though we start two safeties we would be ok with someone like Eric Smith if we had Landry in the other spot. This could be a QB, RT, RB, WR, TE, or even a defensive player. If we backload the free agents I am shopping for we need to get the best players we can out of the draft. Benson, Pouha, Edwards and Hill should come cheap as should the rest of our own free agents that I would keep. Abraham, Landry, and Bell are not cheap but unlike Holmes and Sanchez I think these three players have proved themselves to be worth every penny that they will get this year. You give me all three of these guys with Castro and I could live with Shaun Hill as my starting QB if it came to that. Thoughts?
I dont know if youve been following him this off season but hes gonna be PRETTY cheap, possibly a 1 year contract. The guy has had quite a bit of injury problems over the last year, and went AGAINST doctors orders and opted NOT to have surgery on his Achilles. So he could actually be a hell of a bargain, if we gave him a legit contract (as in what he should earn if he were healthy) I think were making a huge mistake and taking a massive risk. So either a short prove it contract, or a longer significantly underpaid one or else this could be trouble . Also one thing I didnt notice is Jim Leonhard actually is a free agent. I thought he was under contract. If we actually went out and replaced both Leonhard/Poole and gave Smith the vet min to be a #3 safety thats not too shabby. Though I think id prefer a UDFA as the #3 since at least he would have potential
Also gonna toss in Leonhard isn't likely to be ready to play by opening day next year, so id say his return is pretty grim at best. I just hope to dear god that theres no way on the planet that Eric Smith is a starting safety
Given the injury problems we could give him a contract with lots of incentive bonuses / roster bonuses. He would have to prove himself to be productive and healthy before we could commit too much. His upside would be through the roof.
He was a really good player but will be 34 next season and on the decline Great signing IF healthy, but he pretty much never is. Second best FA tackle is not going to be allowed to slip away on the cheap. I doubt we could afford him. Anthony Collins would seem worth a look. Absolutely. Would love to see Braylon back. Lloyd has already said he wants to follow McDaniels - so I assume to see him up the road this season replacing Ochocinco/Branch. I would be happy with Shaun Hill as the back-up. Will cause less controversy than Kyle Orton. Could also look at Jason Campbell or Josh McCown to fill Brunell's spot. What no Ray Rice I agree we need another body back there given how much running we are going to do and how fragile Shonn can seem at times. Kahlil Bell would be interesting.
That Abraham contract would be bobby Bonillaesque..7-8 years...he is 34 !??! Landry is a 1 yr $3 million contract with bonuses at best as he is a walking injury Smith / Hunter are gone Holmes will be traded for some bag of shit 2013 draft pick based on perf which the Jets will try and sugarcoat and tell us it isn't shit. Sanchez has to be restructured as his cap is crazy based on perf and they have to make a stance as a GM/HC/QB that they are taking steps as a unit to bring about changes.
7-8 years is a bit of an exaggeration. My point is that if most teams will only gice him a 3-4 year offer we give him an extra year to spread the cost and lower the average salary. We will pay a price later but if we win the big game in the next three years, his contract won't kill us. Also, with Holmes and possibly Sanchez coming off the cap next year we can use that cap space to convert part of Abraham's contract to roster bonus. First of all, Levi Brown is second best free agent tackle and I would think he is unafordable. If Bell is the second best tackle in free agency it is only because the rest of the tackles available are hot garbage. I looked into Collins because I thought the character issues would help the price tag but from what I could tell, the other tackles available in free agency (Collins, Whimper, etc.) are in the same class as Wayne Hunter. I was originally thinking we could draft our RT in round one but I am really warming up to the idea of taking DeCastro. Given Landry's injury history he would fall into the bargain basement category with the other free agents I mentioned aside from Abraham. I would find the money for Abraham and Bell even if it meant cutting Sanchez and suffering through one more year with Santonio Holmes.
Speaking of fan frustration, sacks and Mark Anderson, I got one for you. In 06 draft we trade away John Abraham leaving a gaping whole in our defense in terms of the pass rush. Note going into this draft the FO knows that the plan is to implement Mangenious's 3-4 defense with Herm the Perm's Cover Who personnel. Given these facts one would think that the FO would jump at the chance to draft a 3-4 OLB prospect. I'm no GM but I'm thinking in a perfect world the FO would love to find a fast athletic DE prospect that was about 6-4 260 lbs with some pass rushing ability. It would be great if the prospect played against quality competition. It would be even better if this guy had some experience playing LB. And since we are talking perfect world how about this prospect dropping to like the 3rd or 4th round or something. Que in Mr. Anderson who met every single one of the criteria mentioned and having to painstakingly watch him fall all the way to the 5TH ROUND. Next having to watch him post double digit sacks his rookie season while Victor "the Hobbit" Hobson manned our starting ROLB spot. Fast forward 5 years later, we still have no pass rush. Mr. Anderson is now available as a FA and we don't make a play, worse the Patsies get him for NOTHING (1.375 M). The worst he posts another double digit sacks (2.5 against Jets) season with one of the worst secondaries while helping the Pats get to yet another f%cking SB against who else? The NY f&cking football Giants!!! That is frustrating. BTW-Do you know the kind of sack totals a guy like Anderson could rack up in our defense with the way we blitz and cover in the back? Makes me sick to my stomach thinking about it. Way to go Tanny.
Has Levi Brown been cut already? I know he almost certainly will be if he doesnt restructure but at the moment he is not (AFAIK) a FA. The rest of the OT FAs are pretty terrible - but that just means there will be more competition for the few that are capable of starting.
