One of the things I really like about how Mac and Bowles are building this team is the balance of experienced vets and youth at just about every position. In years past letting solid locker room guys go like Shaun Ellis, Cotchery, Brandon Moore, Thomas Jones, Revis and Cro go left this team lacking leadership at many important positions. At the same time you try to keep all of your vets you become an old and slow team very quickly which we have also been in the past. I really like the balance we have at most positions moving forward. QB- I am hoping that the biggest contribution that Fitz makes on this team is in the film room with Geno and Petty. I am not sold on Fitz as a QB as I've seen him play horrible enough times within the AFC east over the years. I believe he will be a better player/coach than a player. Huge upgrade from Vick in terms of the atmosphere day in and day out in the QB meetings and on the sidelines. Has the I telligemce to step in as a back up with limited practice time reps which is important. O-line - obviously have Mangold and Brick holding the fort down here as well as Colon who is a good leader. Could use some more talented youth at this position. We've got a ton of young big bodies and need guys like Dozier or Harrison to step up into starting roles. O- line is most aging position and will be addressed in the draft next year I am sure. Wideouts - really versatile group of guys not only In experience but in ability. I look at wideouts like a basketball team. You don't just run 5 guys out there and call them basketball players. Each guy should have a unique skill set to create the proper spacing and mismatches.. Especially in the red zone with bigger bodies. You need guys that can score in the post, guys to hit the 3 pointer, guys to take it to the rim, and guys to handle the ball. Decker and Marshall are both similar players with Marshall being the physical presence in the red zone and more gifted athlete. Kerley and Smith represent your back court. Kerley struggled when put in a position to be a major contributor but as a ball handler and a guy who will knock down the open shot he will play a complimentary role. Devon Smith will be our home run hitter... The guy you set the screens for to drain the long distance 3 to create proper spacing on the floor for guys not to get double teamed down low. Will be interesting to see which young guys fill out the roster. I am personally rooting for Shaq Evans or Enunwa as the 5 and the best contributor on special teams to win the 6th spot. Tight end - great young talented pass catching tight end in Amaro. Cumberland serviceable vet. I like Wes Saxon chance of being Cimberland replacement after a year on the practice squad. Competition for the 3rd tight end spot will be interesting whether the blocking tight end we signed gets it or a guy with upside as a receiver like Sudfield makes it. Running back - weakest position in terms of versatility hands down. I like both Ivory and Powell as their skill sets complement each other well. I would really prefer a Leon Johmson or Leon Washington type guy who can catch balls out of the backfield and return kicks as our 3rd guy but that guy is not on the roster. D-line - just stacked across the board. No need to even break this position down. Has potential to be historic group. Corners - Cro and Revis on the outside. Hoping Millener or McDougle steps up this year making Cro expendable to clear cap room to resign MO. I liked what I saw out of Marcus Washington last year and has chance to continue to develop under Skrine. Another stacked position. Linebacker- loved resigning David Harris. See my first couple sentences of thread for explanation. He's the emotional leader of our defensive unit. Demario Davis young talented player. Mauldin will replace Calvin Pace who's got 1 year left. Perfect example here of rather than just having Mauldin replace Pace now.... And get rid of Pace you keep Pace on the roster cheap to teach Mauldin and others how to be a professional on and off the field. Safety - Pryor should step his game up now that he won't be playing out of position. Liked what I saw from Jarret last year. Don't know much about Gilchrist but from what I've read he will be a solid player and veteran presence. All in all I don't think you can label this team as either old or young... And I like our future on both sides of the ball. All that's missing is the quarterback, but if Geno could just improve to mediocrity this year we have solid chance to win the division and make some noise in the playoffs.
Many of the vets brought in were at positions where we were very weak last year. We also threw draft picks at some of those same weaknesses. After the competition in camp our balance between young players and vets will change for better or worse as we find out who wins those battles in camp (or early in the regular season).
Very good post, and I agree completely. Harris is an example of a player who is not necessarily a premier player at his position, but his intangibles and leadership act as a force multiplier for the Jets extremely talented defense. He's a catalyst for the defense, and where he lacks in speed, he makes up for in grit, tenacity, and leadership. There is a clear plan in place and it's nice to see.
I would've liked an upgrade at veteran TE. An Owen Daniels type that Amaro could learn some things from. To me this roster has all the looks of a team that should be led by a veteran under center. I know Marshall was never very fond of Cutler but the worst thing that could happen would be Geno not being able to get him the ball like he couldnt get it to Decker most of last season. If Decker was the typical diva WR it would've only created another troubling headline for us.
Agreed - I think the key is how they aren't making a concious decision to either become younger at a position or put a savvy vet at a position. Rather they are putting a good balance of both at every position and in some cases the youth will win out and others the vet will. I've seen it in the past where we just make the decision to go younger at a position and it backfires or to just stick with a vet at a position without a younger guy ready to step in and that backfires. I'm hoping youth wins out at the QB position, but if Fitzpatrick out plays Geno in camp the job will be his. I feel good that whatever guy the veteran players want to quarterback this team will be under center come week 1.
Agreed. good stable teams will always have that blend of youth and experience. a team too young will be a team full of mistakes, and will often lack knowing what it takes to win.
I think the balance of youth/veterans isnt as great as it seems. we have veterans and young guys at corner. but the young guys all kind of suck and have low ceilings we have veterans and young guys at linebacker, but the veterans all kind of suck and are washed up oline is kind of a mixed bag of feces, same with runningback and quarterback other then wide receiver and dline, there isnt a position i look at and say i love that mix of old guys and young guys. i think we need to put guys like harris and pace out to pasture and cut dead weight like milliner to me i look at us as a team that got better but older really quick. not a big deal if mac adds quality youth the next 1-2 years as he did in this draft, but alot of our best players are older with uncertain futures here (revis, marshall)
Love #52. Captain of the defense... Hunter "If I was a NFL linebacker, I would just watch videos of lions hunting" That's David Harris
milliner is complete trash, was an enormous reach at the time, and doesnt have the physical tools or football iq to be a starter or even contributor in this league. i think in 1-2 years he wont even be in football. mcdougle i cant ever see being a starter, but he isnt complete turd like milliner if it werent for kyle wilson, milliner would be the worst jet defensive back the past 20-25 years
Im no fan of Milliner. I too thought he was a reach where he was picked and the injury concerns with him drive me nuts. But you make a statement like that based on what , 15 career games? The guy is far from a finished product like Kyle Wilson is. And Im guessing you slept through the games where guys like Lito Sheppard, Drew Coleman, David Barrett had to play.
the hell? he was a bonafide top 10 pick at the time and lauded for his physical tools and ability to cover . the knocks on him was his previous shoulder surgery and the fact that Alabama corners weren't taught to backpedal. he even earned recognition as defensive rookie of the month in Dec 2013. He can absolutely be a contributor in this league. his issue, and the only reason to doubt him as any kind of answer, is staying healthy and and getting experience, not raw talent or lack of football IQ, that he's got in spades.
this isnt just his 15 pro games. i didnt think he even deserved to be drafted and got insanely hyped because of the alabama team he played on. i viewed him as a guy who'd fight to find a roster as an UDFA before there were insane claims of him going day 1- in the draft. he simply doesnt do much well. cover in man, press, cover in zone, make plays on the ball, read plays, etc. to me he is borderline if he is or was ever a real pro. Those guys while not very good all far superior to milliner
defensive rookie of the month in general is a farce skewed by stats which are always misleading for defenders, particularly corners. he had a couple gift ints fall in his lap during a month where no other rookie really stood out. he is about as poor a corner prospect as you will find
Its an older team, we've got to rely on some over 30's in several crucial spots for better or worse. but that said I agree, I like the infusion of young players and older guys. we have consummate professionals at several spots that younger guys can learn from. Now we don't HAVE to rely on Dexter and Dee Dee to become starters immediately, now Devin Smith doesn't have to be leaned on immediately. an unheralded reason we sucked last year? too much inexperience. injuries on top of all that too. Idzik gambled on youth finding their way and lost, we don't have to gamble anymore.
… No he really isn't. seriously, HEALTH, thats Dee's issue. he wasn't gifted crap, HE had to have the skills to take advantage of an opportunity same as any corner in this league, and I seem to recall he often had his man covered pretty well at that time. To be clear I'm arguing with your point that he's a terrible prospect and cant contribute in this league. He's not Revis, but damn is that taking it too far. He has plenty of talent, he just needs time to hone it in regularly like any other young DB, time he so rarely has because he gets hurt, because THATS his real issue.
this post is so incredibly ignorant i can't even believe i'm entertaining it first off, your statement on him being a reach is not even CLOSE to reality. most had him penciled in as a top 5 pick and he fell to pick 9. that's a value pick, not a reach. also, i have no clue how you can say he doesn't have the physical tools as he literally has ALL THE PHYSICAL TOOLS YOU WANT. he's pretty tall at 6 foot and ran a 4.37 forty. that is the prototypical CB in the NFL now, tall CBs that can run with the best of them. also don't state he has a low football IQ as if you have any clue what he does and doesn't know about football. I understand Alabama CBs don't really backpedal there, but Saban is one of the best defensive backs coaches out there. Also I literally have no clue how anyone can comment on McDougle as we've never seen him play
Both guys are injury prone. Millner has had limited success when healthy. McDougle was a reach, no one heard of him before the pick.
