You know what, I was going to respond to all of this but I just have the feeling it's going to be wasted on you. I'd say you're undervaluing the talent on our team and in the draft, but when the season roles around I'll be sure to check back with you and see how it all went. Have fun in your castle of negativity, something tells me there aren't many people who can stand to be around you but whatever.
The team was 8-8 last season with luck and an easy schedule. I don't see any real improvement to the team, and do not expect a spectacular draft to change that. I will ignore your personal attack, but note that is all you have apparently to counter my points. If you just want to talk to people who agree with you, there are plenty of your homeristic sort here to suit you. Good luck with that.
A spectacular draft would absolutely make them a playoff team bar none. A spectacular draft to me is getting 4 to 5 quality starters.
How do you figure a "spectacular" draft would not dramatically improve the team? Good Lord. I just do not understand this sort of relentless negativity.
If you'd like, I'd be happy to quote the numerous posts I've made that counter your points. It will take me a few minutes to accumulate them, but don't worry. Each time you ignore my counters and decide to say the same exact things, which is why I feel you're a lost cause. If you think I'm a homer, I'd also be happy to go back and find the numerous posts I've made that specify all of the things the front office has done that I haven't liked the past few years. Again, it may take a while but don't worry.
By the way, while I'm accumulating these posts, have you done any research at all on the players in the draft? If not perhaps you should look into it.
Also, came across this while looking back through. Do you want me to explain again how this is blatantly false or have you already been embarrassed enough by the other posters and I who have proven it wrong? How can you think you know what you are talking about after being repeatedly proven incorrect? ps. Still gathering up those posts
Is it great draft only for the Jets, or does the rest of the league get to participate? Why do you think only the Jets will benefit from the draft?
You don't have anything. Nothing I said is false, blatant or otherwise. The point is Idzik has a very limited track record running things as the GM. His resume does not show otherwise. His background in Seattle was as a capologist.
Talk about blatantly false. You said I only said Cb and Wr were important holes to fill. Find the post where i said that. Meanwhile look at my post at 870 where in addition I mentioned OL. You can't win this game.
I have not ignored anything of substance in your posts. And I only said you wanted homeristic chatter here when you said I reside in a castle of negativity. I figure since I have posted plenty about what I like, only a homer would say that about me. I believe my concerns have substance. If you want to talk about substance, we can. If you want to call me names, don't be surprised about what comes around.
Alright, well I was hoping you'd let it go so I wouldn't have to dump all this here, but since you won't... Let's start here: Although I agree with Idzik's moves, it is not because I think he can do no wrong. This first post here I made back on Feb. 15, well before free agency started. I took a deliberate approach, knowing full well exactly how much cap space we would have. So firstly, whether you disagree with the approach or not, here is direct proof it has nothing to do with me applauding Idzik thoughtlessly. As you can see, I knew exactly what our team is all about at this point. There is plenty more to come.
->One thing you have to ask yourself before you really can make prophecies about the Jets' offseason is what is the makeup of the team, and what is their direction? I see 2013 as a season that tested both Rex's coaching ability and his compatibility with John Idzik (a sentiment not singular to myself). After apparently testing well, Rex has a core of what has the potential to be an excellent defense. While spending modestly in free agency, he filled every roster hole with low profile players, primarily on short term deals. In the 2013 draft Idzik went BPA down the line, and basically made sure to draft versatile players and build some depth to the team. Since we had filled every roster hole before the draft, each player selected was made to compete as opposed to being handed the starting role (with exception of Dee Milliner). You can look at the Seahawks as a sort of blueprint for what Idzik has planned, but don't expect a perfect replication since what they have achieved is a result of a lot of luck and truly exceptional talent evaluation. Our team is built around a dominant defensive line, and hopefully in this coming year an overall dominant defense. Wilkerson and Richardson are the centerpieces, and Harrison is the perfect compliment to them as a top tier run stuffer with a very very low cap hit. Wilkerson and Richardson will be demanding double teams on most plays, and with a front three that strong versus the run many run plays will be designed to hit the outside. Coples is basically a glorified defensive lineman, and his primary job is to rush the passer taking on single blocks, curtesy of the 'sons. Coples' superior athleticism for a D-end is one of the reasons he had a number of stops in the run game; he can play from the hash-marks to the sideline better than the average D-end, hence Rex's utilization of him in the OLB position. It is definitely a modified OLB, because they don't require him to cover as much. One of the reasons they are able to do this stems from DeMario Davis' speed and coverage ability from the center of the field. Pace was able to have an excellent year since he is an intelligent, diligent player who's experience in Rex's system gave him numerous opportunities to exploit opposing offenses who gave too much attention to the 'sons. Pace is a role player, but unless we somehow draft/sign an immediate 3-down OLB we should definitely keep a roster spot for him. He should be able to be used well in rotation with Barnes, a speed-rushing smaller OLB. Our secondary is clearly our weakest defensive corps, and it is likely to see the most change this offseason. Milliner came on strong at the end of the year, and his confidence boost combined with his very high ceiling leads me to anticipate a breakout season for him in 2014. Cromartie is an interesting player, as it is unclear whether his best playing days are past him or not. Just looking at common patterns in CB's, I expect Cro to be a red chip player for a few years yet. He is still exceptionally athletic and much more mature; he was leading into the 2013 season and we all expected a season resembling his 2012 outing, possibly even an improved version. I see no reason to expect a big drop off in his play assuming he regains his physical health. I foresee Cro being cut and re-signed or signed to an extension that spreads his money out over another couple years. Our safeties are then the biggest question, and the position with the most variety in options. There are a few blue chip safeties available to be signed, but Rex hasn't signed a blue chip safety as a FA in his tenure with the Jets. LaRon Landry was arguably a blue chip safety, but remember they signed him to a prove it contract so I see no reason to expect the Jets to sign TJ Ward or Jairus Byrd. Honestly I expect the Jets to go into the draft with Josh Bush, Antonio Allen, and Dawan Landry as the safety rotation. Don't be surprised if Ed Reed makes his way to the Jets training camp as well. Offensively, we have many more free agents and overall roster holes. Geno showed enough this season to be one of the key competitors for starting QB, but not nearly enough to run away with the job. The Jets need someone who is going to be legitimate competitor, someone who can step in for injury or can take over mid-game if Geno wins the competition but struggles. The only players who I believe can do these things are Michael Vick, Matt Schaub, or Matt Moore (who is not a FA but is a potential cap-causalty. If the Dolphins are smart they'll keep him around). Our offensive line is not as bad as some people seem to think, and they've been remarkably hard on Brian Winters who is a 3rd round rookie after all. He has the tools to become a very solid starter, so depth would be good but with a pro offseason program I see no reason not to expect Winters to start at LG. I like that Howard is in contract talks, because he has preformed well and as long as the Jets are smart about the negotiations I think Howard will soon outplay his contract. For a young QB, continuity is ideal so I believe the Jets will have 4 of 5 linemen starting again this coming year. If Geno continues to be our starter, we're going to want to have powerful running game to take the pressure off of him. We have the makings of just that, but RG should be a position of strength to give Ivory some solid holes to burst through. Will Campbell is an ex-defensive lineman converted to play offense, so he has good measurables but will need to continue to work on a lot of technique. He is a project player, so he is a bit of a mystery as to what his potential will be. If the Jets see he or Aboushi as having true starting potential, they may not dedicate much to an outside RG. I see them as depth for the 2014 season, perhaps more down the line, but if Idzik is trying to model the Jets after the Seahawks, these late round players may have a substantial role sooner than we think. Our WR corps was our worst position group, but that also means it will be the most fun to watch during FA and the draft. Holmes will probably be out, so our corps will consist of Kerley, Hill, and Nelson. That is truly dreadful. Now personally I'd really love to sign Decker and Maclin as free agents, because we need two starters at the position. If we don't sign both starters as FA's, it forces us to reach for a starter in the draft. I'd like to get Decker to a multi year deal and sign Maclin to a one year prove it deal post injury. I know that is idealistic but we have the cap space. I don't want to overpay for either, so we'll see if the price for WR FA's becomes inflated. Sanders is on the radar as a #2 guy as well, the problem is that if Decker gets pricey and we end up taking Maclin and Sanders, Sanders tops out as a #2 and if Maclin is not at top form after his injury, we're stuck without a true #1 receiver again. If we can get Decker, we are getting a guy who is perfect for our offense as a #1 because he is a consistent blocker, which is great for a run first offense. Maclin has the potential to be a game breaker if he does come back fully from his injury, so we would suddenly have a position of strength where we so recently had weakness. At TE I'd like to bring back Cumberland, although he did not produce as much as I'd hoped in 2013. I think he can be had at a very reasonable contract, and will likely be a much better producer with a better cast of receivers around him. He won't be a top option but will give us a big guy in the middle. I feel as though we don't need to sign another RB unless Goodson looks like he'll be spending significant time unavailable due to legal troubles. Ivory is capable of both carrying the load and making big plays, and will be a big part of our offense in 2014 barring injury. If I had my ideal situation, positionally we'd look like: QB: Geno Smith, Michael Vick RB: Chris Ivory, Mike Goodson, Bilal Powell FB: Tommy Bohanon WR: Eric Decker, Jeremy Maclin, Jeremy Kerley, David Nelson, Stephen Hill, Martavis Bryant (3rd) TE: Jeff Cumberland, Jace Amaro (1st) LT: D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Ben Ijalana LG: Brian Winters C: Nick Mangold, Dalton Freeman RG: Will Campbell RT: Austin Howard, Oday Aboushi LDE: Muhammad Wilkerson NT: Damon Harrison, Kenrick Ellis RDE: Sheldon Richardson LOLB: Quinton Coples, Trent Murphy (2nd) ILB: DeMario Davis, ILB: David Harris, Nick Bellore ROLB: Calvin Pace, Antwan Barnes CB: Antonio Cromartie, Dee Milliner, Kyle Wilson, Louchiez Purifoy (3rd) Ellis Lanskter S: Dawan Landry, Antonio Allen, Josh Bush, Ed Reed Anything below the 3rd round is a bit ridiculous for me to put on paper at this point, even the 3rd rounders I've listed could be any CB and WR with a high ceiling. I'm all for value in the draft, but if it shook out like this I'd be happy. I'm sure the players I have the Jets drafting will change after the combine as well.
Next, I explain specifically why I came to these conclusions well before any rumors other than the Austin Howard contract talks came to light. ->Note that I made this post back on Feb 15, well before any news of the Jets FA plans except that they were talking to Austin Howard. Personally I feel that this is strikingly similar to what the Jets have proceeded to do in FA, and I used my knowledge of Idzik to make this thread, which is why it is so ridiculous to me when people think Idzik somehow did not accomplish what he wanted during FA. The way Idzik evaluates FAs is similar to how he evaluates draft prospects, he uses a combination of algorithms and eye tests/gut tests to basically assign a value to a player. He is a staunch proponent of maintaining that initial value, which is why he will likely never get caught in a "bidding war." The phrase "Idzik Guys" is just a vague way of referencing guys who Idzik believes will buy into the team, the system, and the coaching. Basically they are high motor guys with work ethic and passion. If you have an inspirational coach who can get the best out of players who buy in, every time you get a guy who buys in you are basically giving yourself a minimum production quantity that you can be sure of. I'll talk about this a bit more later. So now why did I determine each of these players a good fit for the Jets? I looked at what was a real problem last year, and that was QB play and WR/TE quality. With the overpaid vets Sanchez, Holmes, and Cro being certain cuts, there was no doubt we had to get a QB. Despite his past, Vick has proven to be a hard worker, and a very professional, head-on-straight type of guy these past few years, plus he was good in a mentor position for Foles. Combine that with the fact that he was the best QB available and the connection with MM, it seemed the logical fit. By signing a legitimate starter, Geno will be either pushed or overtaken. That's the good thing about a second round QB, if he tanks and has no promise for 2015, we look for another QB. Decker was also a logical fit. If you are Idzik and you know you don't want to give big contracts out, you find the very best high character (Idzik Guy) on the market, and create your assigned value for him. Decker is a very intelligent player, and surprisingly versatile. If you're curious, read The Jets Blog's article on Decker and it shows how versatile he really is. His willingness to do whatever the team needs of him (his blocking is key) and his production dictated he actually was worth more than most players to Idzik, therefore garnering him a 5 year deal. Idzik always builds a back door escape though; with only $15 mil guaranteed to Decker means unless Decker is clearly still worth $7+ million/year in 2016, the Jets can walk away. These two positions were key, because these positions were where Idzik didn't believe a guy on the team at the time could provide what Idzik wanted. I can pretty much guarantee the Jets would have been all over the 1 year deal the Eagles gave Maclin, but they never got the chance. Sanders could have been another other guy, but I think they didn't want to sign 2 WRs to multiyear deals which is why Maclin would have been perfect. James Jones also got a multi year deal, and with so many draft able WRs it's just a bad allocation of money. Cumberland again is a known factor, and a player that Idzik believes will be at minimum as valuable to the team as the extension he signed. TE was very empty, and looking around the league there was no TE with the combination of youth, upside, familiarity, and bargain value that Cumberland could offer. Notice the Jets haven't signed any older players to deals of more than 2 years since Idzik came on board. Austin Howard would have been a very similar situation to Cumberland, but the Raiders desperately needed help and overpaid for the RT. Idzik immediately jumped to Breno Giacomini, a guy who he was familiar with in Seattle. Want to know what an "Idzik Guy" sounds like on the field? Find Breno's "mic'ed up" for the SB. Talk about passion and team enthusiasm. Breno is a quality player, and while he's no elite tackle, Idzik got his familiarity, character, and value. Even though they didn't end up with Howard, they targeted him for these reasons as well. As far as guard, I'm sure the Jets looked at other FAs but I didn't see any that seemed to fit. I was unsure about Colon because of his injury but if the team doctors are confident about that, so am I. Pace was an obvious guy to re-sign, he trains hard, plays hard, plays smart, happily plays a position that is very selfless in that he is always in the trenches fighting O-linemen and making tackles, and it requires a lot of pre-snap and mid-snap reads to help take up blockers for other guys. He costs little and fits perfectly into our defense, especially with Antwan Barnes who is still on the roster for a year. People were clamoring for Lamarr Houston or Worilds, but why? Coples is about to enter year 3, and will probably make significant improvements at his OLB position. There's no reason Pace can't have 10 sacks again and a number of stops, with the 'Sons eating up linemen, and Houston is more of a DT/DE than DE/OLB. Pace had as many sacks last year as Houston has had the last two years combined anyway, and we committed for a about a third of the time and less than a third of the annual salary. On top of that, we have Barnes waiting to come back and contribute. I'd rather have Pace and Barnes and a developmental, young, cheap, OLB with one of our 12 draft picks. Cro I have to be honest, bringing him back was more about personal attachment than anything, what with how pro he's been since Revis left. As I looked more though, his injury can be very nagging. He had a strained tendon in his hip, which doesn't heal in the same precise way as a bone or muscle. With age, the elasticity can get funky and the injury may never leave for good. From what I understand, basically Idzik was shown the contract the Cards offered, and said sorry we won't match that. The Cards are in it to win it though, not in the process of assembling talent as we are. I think the strength of their secondary made taking a risk on Cro much easier to stomach for them. Lankster was very valuable to us as an option for nickel/dime corner and ST player last year, and he played hard every play, so I wanted him back. Add in the low cost signing for a youthful and talented corner in Walls for competition, and we are set to enter the draft. People complained about Revis not coming back, but who really knows what he would consider taking from various teams. Personally I would not have wanted to give up half our cap space to bring him back for 1 year, plus with the history it's too messy. DRC will likely go down as one of the worst signings this offseason. Woopie for the Giants, they got an up and down corner who has only played a fraction of his seasons in the league at a very high level, and they committed for multiple years. A couple months ago DRC was saying he might retire if the Broncos won, does that sound like a passionate, committed, all-in type of team player? Not to me. I think that if the Jets don't get a legitimate competitor at CB in the draft, I wouldn't be surprised if they bring in Carlos Rogers on a cheap 1 year deal before camp starts, but even if they do I also wouldn't be surprised if he's cut after losing the job to Walls. I guessed that Idzik would hit the draft with the safety rotation untouched, because we actually have a lot of youth, potential, and value there which most people don't realize. Ed Reed could come back between the draft and training camp if they feel they don't have enough competition in that group. I even forgot to put Jaiquawn Jarrett on there, another young safety with potential (he was originally the Eagles 2nd round pick in 2012.) You can pretty much ignore the draft part of the post, I knew at the time it was way to early to properly speculate about who we'd draft but I threw it in anyway. The thing that people don't realize is that these guys they are calling for Idzik to sign are big names more than anything. Don't believe the media BS, Idzik has a plan and is sticking to it. I'm not going to sit here and tell you you have to blindly follow Idzik. Personally, I feel like I understand his goals and the way he goes about attaining them, and I buy in. What I am saying is feeling panicky about missing out on FA should actually be relief that Idzik didn't get swept up into any of it and sign away the teams future. I think people should be more excited about the 12 picks we have, that's 12 new guys we get to try out. Finally, we have some guys who are coming up for an extension. Actually, the cap does roll over into next year, so we can go into the 2015 offseason with about $60 million in cap space. Theoretically, we will have probably the youngest team in the league, a fresh extension for our best player, and a LOT of money to play with. By continuing to draft and sign short term value deals, we put ourselves in ideal position to accumulate amazing depth (see Seattle Seahawks), the youth and continuity to stay on top of the league for a long time (see Seattle Seahawks), and luxury picks and cap space to strike on the player we want (see Seattle Seahawks, e.g. Percy Harvin).
So you agree that Idzik should have dumped our best CB by far with no plan at all of how he was going to replace him? I don't. Now we have to use another high round pick, make a trade (no idea for who) or plan to give up about 30+ points a game.
Here I talk about the draft and why it can be so useful to us. Of course other teams get to use the draft, but your argument is useless because every team gets to use free agency to add to their team too. Some teams are better at prospect evaluation and drafting, just as some teams are better at free agent evaluation and contract talks. ->This offseason is a major step in Idzik's tenure, more specifically this draft I should say. He has 12 pics in what is considered a deep draft, so making multiple signings before the draft is not a good idea. I'm less concerned about getting more than 2 starters for 2014 out of this draft, and more concerned with getting starters and key role players for 2015 and beyond. Every player Idzik drafted last year is still on the roster, and if he intends not to just waste picks we will have 12 new players on the roster just from the draft. Don't forget it doesn't really matter if you draft a guy in a position of "need" because there are players who if drafted improve other areas by association. A perfect example of this is taking Richardson in the first last year; most people would have said DT is not a position we should spend a first round pick on, but in taking the BPA on the board in Rich, we got an impact player and subsequently moved Coples to fill the OLB spot, a position of "need." In this coming draft, I see no reason to expect us not to go BPA again. I think BPA for us could be just about any position, OL, WR, TE, OLB, ILB, CB, or S. I kind of doubt DT will be the BPA at 18 just because this is a more shallow year in terms of DT talent, which is good for us I think. If Gilbert or Dennard are available at 18, and the FO thinks one of them is the BPA, it will have been unnecessary to sign an expensive CB. Even if we get a CB in the second or 3rd, competition with Wilson and Walls will help bring the most productive player into the starting lineup. What Lee is there at 18 or somehow Evans is, and the FO considers them BPA? Then we've signed a WR to a contract who will likely play very little. In a draft so deep at WR, why sign a guy when we could get a couple solid contributors? Hill and Nelson will be competing with I'm sure at least 1 or 2 rookie WRs, and all we need are successful role players. We could go OLB or S or even ILB if that were the case, although ILB as BPA in the first is unlikely as well. Why not bring in 12 new players, see what we have, and if necessary make moves after the draft?
Here is specifically how we have improved as a team, before the upcoming draft. As I said, the draft is a very important part of the offseason, so I think making judgements before it is silly but people were in uproar so... ->Every CB in the league is a downgrade to Revis. I'm not making any claims about Nelson other than that he and Kerley and Decker make a better 1-2-3 than Holmes and Kerley and Hill. That's all I'm saying. I think Antonio Allen is a year better so I think our safety group is better than this time last year. Don't forget we didn't have Ivory on our roster before the draft either, so that's an upgrade. Winters is an upgrade to Vlad as well, so I'd say O-Line is a wash. Lets just compare starters from right now all the way down the line, from today and from before last years draft. QB: Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, David Garrard--->Michael Vick, Geno Smith, Matt Simms RB: Mike Goodson, Bilal Powell, Joe McKnight--->Chris Ivory, Mike Goodson, Bilal Powell FB: Lex Hilliard--->Tommy Bohanon WR: Santonio Holmes, Stephen Hill, Jeremy Kerley, Clyde Gates--->Eric Decker, Jeremy Kerley, David Nelson, Stephen Hill TE: Jeff Cumberland, Kellen Winslow--->Jeff Cumberland, Zach Sudfeld OT: D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Austin Howard--->D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Breno Giacomini OG: Vlad Ducasse, Willie Colon, Stephen Peterman--->Brian Winters, Willi Colon, Will Campbell C: Nick Mangold---> Nick Mangold NT: Kenrick Ellis, Damon Harrison--->Damon Harrison, Kenrick Ellis DE: Muhammad Wilkerson, Quinton Coples, Antonio Garay--->Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, Leger Douzable OLB: Calvin Pace, Antwan Barnes, Garret McIntyre--->Quinton Coples, Calvin Pace, Antwan Barnes ILB: David Harris, DeMario Davis, Nick Bellore--->David Harris, DeMario Davis, Nick Bellore CB: Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, Kyle Wilson, Darrin Walls--->Dee Milliner, Kyle Wilson, Darrin Walls, Ellis Lankster S: Dawan Landry, Antionio Allen, Josh Bush--->Dawan Landry, Antonio Allen, Jaiquwan Jarrett I think we are better at QB right now, better at RB, better at WR, better at OG, a wash at TE, OT and C. I think we are better at NT, better at DE, better at OLB, better at S, worse at CB, and a wash at ILB. If you are comparing the roster now vs before the 2013 draft, we are undoubtedly better even though I think it's a stupid comparison. A much better question when talking about FA is are we better than the last day of the regular season. Here is the comparison. QB: Geno Smith, Mark Sanchez, Matt Simms--->Michael Vick, Geno Smith, Matt Simms RB: Chris Ivory, Mike Goodson, Bilal Powell--->Chris Ivory, Mike Goodson, Bilal Powell FB: Tommy Bohanon--->Tommy Bohanon WR: Santonio Holmes, Jeremy Kerley, David Nelson, Stephen Hill--->Eric Decker, Jeremy Kerley, David Nelson, Stephen Hill TE: Jeff Cumberland, Zach Sudfeld--->Jeff Cumberland, Zach Sudfeld OT: D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Austin Howard, Oday Aboushi--->D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Breno Giacomini, Oday Aboushi OG: Brian Winters, Willie Colon, Will Campbell--->Brian Winters, Willie Colon, Will Campbell C: Nick Mangold--->Nick Mangold NT: Damon Harrison, Kenrick Ellis--->Damon Harrison, Kenrick Ellis DE: Muhamad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, Leger Douzable--->Muhamad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, Leger Douzable OLB: Quinton Coples, Calvin Pace, Antwan Barnes--->Quinton Coples, Calvin Pace, Antwan Barnes ILB: David Harris, DeMario Davis, Nick Bellore--->David Harris, DeMario Davis, Nick Bellore CB: Antonio Cromartie, Dee Milliner, Kyle Wilson, Darrin Walls, Ellis Lankster, Isaiah Trufant--->Dee Milliner, Kyle Wilson, Darrin Walls, Ellis Lankster S: Dawan Landry, Ed Reed, Antonio Allen, Jaiquwan Jarrett, Josh Bush--->Dawan Landry, Antonio Allen, Jaiquwan Jarrett, Josh Bush Guys in bold were FAs, so if they are on the team Idzik made moves with them. I think QB and WR were our worst units by far, and they are both improved. I don't think we are worse off at really any position, so we did exactly what we expected Idzik to do. We addressed the major problem corps in FA (WR, QB) and now we will go into the draft without major pressures to take any particular position, and the ability to target BPA getting good value and in effect making our team better with every pick.
