I think this is true. Andre Johnson is huge but isn't great at contested catches. You don't see him going up for jump balls or end zone fades. For all his talent, he is pretty pedestrian in the red zone. In fact, he's never cracked the 10 TD mark in a season. And then you look at a guy like Steve Smith (Sr.). He is 5'9" and doesn't have a great vertical, but he does at least fight for the ball when it's in the air and is more tenacious than a lot of bigger bodied WRs who seem allergic to contact (Stephen Hill ?) and don't make use of their size to their advantage.
I think the definition really is that they are "not long term"---- and not necessarily cheap. Short timers who let you get the new guys ready.
very good move by the Jets. it's essentially a guaranteed 2 year deal. for a very stable and very consistent player, the guarantees don't bother me. i thought 6M would've done it, but not going to cry about the extra mil of cap space eaten, when we have to meet a minimum. glad to see him back.
exactly. Marshall is really a hold the fort guy too, who will contribute well in that short period of time. i figure 2 years for him, just like Harris. allows us time to find and groom ultimate replacements.
Harris received a little more money than I thought he would, but I like the deal since he only is guaranteed 2 years. He is still a good tackling ILB. His weakness is that he isn't good in coverage, but Bowles plays a lot of sub packages on passing downs anyways.
agree; what we lose in coverage he makes up for in blitzes and run stuffing.I always said keep harris but lose pace and babin.
I think all three players have value. And I see no reason to lump them together. Having all these guys means you have flexibility with drafting/acquiring their eventual replacements. These guys are NOT every down players but can be effective in specialized roles.
I know a lot of people are freaking out about the money but this was a solid move by our FO. It ensures our run d will remain dominate as well as freeing us up in the draft to pick whoever we want. Like it or not guys the there are not that many good backers our there this year and harris is more than good.
3-4 ILB's have to be stout against the run. not many match up well against a RB on a crossing route. Harris is excellent against the run, tackles well in space, and can lay crushing hits in the backfield. he's a savvy veteran, and so is Bowles. like you said, they'll minimize the liabilities on subpackages and make it work for the bigger picture..
I'm happy with this move. We don't have anyone waiting in the wings to take his place, and I'm sure that Rex Ryan would plan on showing up at his door the very moment it became allowable for coaches/teams to contact free agents. He would've gone right over to Buffalo. I give him credit for not waiting for free agency, for not starting a bidding war between the Jets and the Bills. Clearly he wanted to stay here, and I like that. At $15m guaranteed over 2 years; that's not cheap, but he's reliable and I think it was worthwhile to overpay him a bit, all things considered. He's an excellent tackler, almost never gets hurt, and he serves as the brains of the defense. I think he's also a great guy in the locker room, and with a young and rebuilding team you want a savvy vet like David Harris to help bring along the new players.
Harris is better at blitzing than he gets credit for as well imo. Bowles blitzes a lot, I assume Kacy Rodgers will have similar views.
In my opinion the value of the contract reflects much more than his stand alone contribution as an ILB, but perhaps even more significantly, it recognizes the importance his leadership, respect on the field and the defensive continuity he can provide Bowles and Rodgers as they transition their new defensive schemes. He will be looked upon to provide the glue that keeps the core defensive players familiar with the field general play calling as they institute their new defensive schemes. He will probably be called upon to train the FS and or SS to take over in a seamless fashion the play calling duties in the future. What better person for that than a leader the front 7 have become accustomed to depend on? I think it's incredibly smart of the front office to look around at the heart and soul of the team and ask him to take the lead in transitioning the defense to a different scheme with his leadership and field presence. Recognition and respect brings out the best out in a good man. He is a Jet through and through will plenty left in the tank
The best part about this signing is that it threw a wrench into Rex's plans. Rex Ryan traded Kiko Alonso in hopes that he would sign David Harris. Now there's a gap in their defense (although there are still decent LBs out there). Still...feels good to stop Rex's momentum. As far as overpaying...yea...they overpaid. They also saved 2 million today by signing Marshall and eventually cutting Harvin. They can afford it. Harris is one of the most cerebral players I've seen that coordinates the defense. He's not good in coverage, but without him, this defense loses it's "QB"
