Is it though? I mean yeah they are solidi n blocking the run but Pouha and DeVito are both pretty one dimensional. Keeping both would seem like a bit of wasting resources. PS I'm playing devil's advocate here fyi...
Ellis was completely invisible last year. He could've been on IR all season and I wouldn't have noticed. Pouha was great. The ends are pretty quiet, but I think that's to be expected in Rex's system. Isn't his defense usually predicated on the d-linemen focusing on stopping the run/taking the o-linemen while the blitzing OLBs or DBs get the sacks?
Bring back both. DLine is an area that we can't afford to take a risk on. Hopefully with a full off-season and no conviction, Ellis will be ready to step up his play.
I think Devito is gone. We went 4-0 without him this year and while that may not tell the whole story, it speaks to how his back ups stepped up and performed in his absence. Admittedly, he is stout against the run and still not very old. However, for run-stopping to be his forte, we certainly were gashed off tackle a lot this year. As Kurt alluded to, Rex has plugged in many people at DE in his time here and it's worked out great. Pouha is too vital at a vital position. Give him a contract and make it as cheap as possible. At least put a 'games played' clause so we are protected from him suddenly falling off the proverbial age cliff. We can use the 3 million from Devito to spread the wealth. We need O-Line help and S help. At least one of those should be addressed via FA, probably both since relying on a rookie on the O-line in all likelihood isn't any better than what we saw in 2011 and the draft class for S is weak according to the draftniks around here. At this point (before FA starts - lots of changes coming) we can't afford a game breaker WR or LB in free agency, but we can get one at 16 if the cards fall right.
This whole thread is predicated on the fact if only one stays between Pouha & DeVito then he's the one playing NT (so if we don't re-sign Pouha DeVito becomes our new NT). I agree DE is not a flashy position in Rex's D and we already have a good one in Wilkerson (who will only get better with one full off-season). Wilkerson-DeVito-Pitoitua as starters with someone-Ellis/Tevaseau-Dixon backing them up sounds good to me.
Yeah, I don't quite think Devito is enough of a force to handle double teams down after down so for me he is not a suitable replacement at NT just to avoid paying Pouha starter money while Ellis marinates or someone else comes along. And we need money for flexibility. We may have to subtract from our really nice depth at D-Line to find NFL calibre players at RT, S. I also think Murrell's proposition of moving to a 4-3 once Scott leaves is interesting and even promising.
First off I'm pretty sure Devito is still signed to this team? He's a free agent in 2013. Unless you're implying that we should cut him, which would be just plain dumb since he's our best run stopper, only 27, and very cheap. He'll be on this team in 2012. And Pouha will be resigned with ease. Probably for around 3 million per year if that. He's worth the money, he's one of the more underrated players I'm the league. To chop up the DLine for some extra cash just wouldn't make any sense.
Many different opinions...! (and yes DeVito is signed @ 3.1 no guaranteed money) Also changing 1 guy in a 6 man rotation is hardly chopping the DL up...
Devito and Pouha are leaps and bounds better than Ellis, Dixon, and Ropati. It would hurt our team big time by getting rid of these guys. Theyre diamonds in the rough, they do their jobs very well and don't command much money. They're also extremely loyal to this team, a rarity in players these days.
In my opinion 6-7 mill between the two is quite a lot of money for what they bring to the table. How exactly did you form an opinion on their loyalty? We'll see this summer how that holds up, especially in Pouha's case (but I'm sure DeVito will be offered a new contract if the intent is to keep him so his "loyalty" will be tested). They do seem to be two good-team first- human beings, I'll give you that.
I completely disagree. 6-7 million COMBINED for two starters who do a good job on the line isnt much at all. Most top rated Nose Tackles make between 5-7 million dollars, 3 million for Pouha who does a great job at Nose for us and makes plays on a consistent basis is a bargain. If he was younger he'd be demanding a big contract , we're lucky he's in the situation he is with his age. Devito, prior to his injuries, was rated as one of the highest ranked run stoppers in the league at 3-4 DE. Most high priced DE's make about the same as high rated nose tackles (5-7 million). At 2.5 or 3 million for Devito is also a complete bargain as well. Also, their loyalty is blatantly obvious. Pouha happens to be one of the captains on this team for starters (and yes I know Holmes is also a captain but theyre two completely different people in terms of personality), even though he is not signed to this team he always talks about how excited he is for next year with the JETS and always talks to and defends teammates on this team. There is no doubt in my mind Pouha loves this team. With Devito , I remember reading an article on him about how the Jets "saved him" and believed in him when no one else did. They gave him his shot in the NFL and he proved he was an effective starter. This is where he wants to be. Maybe not 100% "Proof" theyre loyal but certainly some excellent signs towards that.
I'd keep Devito and let Pouha go and find a DE that can accualy get to the QB.Lets face it our DL does not scare anybody.
Pouha & Devito have done a very good job since Jenkins became a physical liability ('09) I think Pouha wants to stay. Wilkerson shows promise. I thought he would be a Sean Ellis clone, but he didn't have the same impact Ellis did in his first year. He needs a good cast around him Of the subs/situational players Marcus Dixon showed the most promise last season I don't see what others see in MTV I don't know why everyone is so down on K. Ellis Ropati (a Rex favorite) did not have a great season Could it be that hasn't recovered from the achillies? I f you have to get rid of someone, he could be it (he saves a million off the cap) Everyone would improve if an impact OLB came aboard
Your complete misunderstanding of how Rex's defense works is showing. You should try to cover that up a bit, its unsightly.
As for what to do, its a tough situation. I think we need to find a way to keep Pouha. If cuttign DeVito frees up enough $$ to do that so be it. We have decent young Depth along the D line and its one area where we can afford a loss of a body ATM. What we can not lose is an experinced NT who from all accounts is a team leader.
Just an FYI for everyone ,Devito is under contract . So if you're talking about not resigning him or wondering how much he will demand your info is wrong. Tired of seeing that in this thread.
Signing Pouha is going to cost way more than 3m per. We are probably looking at 6m or higher since the Jets won't want to be on the hook for the long term. That's why I said that about Devito, he may become a cap casualty. There will be no dead money if he's cut plus whatever his roster bonus is. It is unorthodox admittedly but while we are looking to fill holes in almost every unit, we may have to subtract from one of our deepest. IMO saving 3m for releasing a run of the mill guy may be worth it. All of this is assuming they want to re-sign Pouha, who I think is almost irreplaceable at this point.
