Of course, but 2016 will make or break the roster...we need a starting O-lineman, an edge rusher, a running back, a WR, special teams help, and, oh yes, a QB (is Petty really the answer?)
Still, I don't think "ignored" is accurate or fair. Going into the offseason, we all know that the Jets had big needs at QB, CB, S, pass-rushing OLB, WR, TE and OG, and somewhat lesser needs at ILB, RB, PR/KR, OT & C (depth or perhaps eventual replacements for Brick and Mangold). He added Revis, Cro, Skrine, Gilchrist, Carpenter, Ridley, Lattimore and Henderson in FA. He traded for Marshall prior to the draft and Stacy during the draft I believe. He thus supposedly resolved the needs at CB, S, WR, and ILB depth prior to the draft. With the additions of Ridley and Stacy, the RB position looked talented and deep. The only thing we were missing there was a shifty/speed RB who could score from anywhere on the field and who was a great receiving threat. There's no way he could have addressed the rest of those needs in the draft adequately. We know that his philosophy is basically to take the BPA, to get the best value he could in each round, and not reach out of need. The Jets had added several young OL in the previous couple of drafts, two of which had started. Bowles and Mac hadn't had a chance to see what they could do. It would have been foolish to make OL a big priority only to discover that the young OL already on the roster could get the job done. He did add a very good prospect in Harrison, and I believe brought in quite a few UDFAs and FAs. In Carpenter he resolved the need at LG. In bringing Colon back he solidified the RG spot. He upgraded the depth at C and RT as best he could considering the other needs. In the draft, he added one of the best players in the draft in Williams. He added a young speedy WR in Devin Smith to give the team a deep threat. One could quibble that Lockett is better at this point, but Smith could wind up being much better over the long run. It's still too early to tell. He added a quality pass-rushing OLB prospect in Mauldin and a QB with a lot of potential in Petty. He added Harrison. He added a very good NT prospect in Simon in case Snacks leaves next season. It appears he had a very good first draft. About the only way it could have been better is to go through the draft round by round and cherry pick players you'd rather have, or if Mariota or Cooper had fallen to us in the 1st. I believe that he made the right decision to see what he had on hand first before making it a top priority this year, even though most of those young players didn't work out as hoped. I believe that the OL will be a priority in the next two drafts. Colon will probably retire. Giacomini can be upgraded and I think only has one more year left on his contract. Brick's cap number is too high and his play has slipped enough to not justify that figure, and he may only be able to start for one, maybe two, more seasons. Mangold is getting injury-prone and banged up. He probably won't play as long as many posters figured this past off season. The OL depth still needs to be upgraded across the board, and they will need at least one new starter on the OL next season (RG) if not two. The only other priorities will still probably be QB, ILB, a pass-rushing OLB, a speedy RB who can also function as the PR/KR, and TE. The DL is probably set even if one of Mo, Sheldon or Snacks leaves. Cro will probably be gone, but Williams or Milliner should be able to replace him more than adequately at CB. S is set. They might look to add another WR if they don't keep Marshall, but I bet they will.
The petty pick should have no bearing on his grade. He swung on a 4th round pick at qb. If it works great if it doesn't no skin it was a 4th round pick. Are we really going to kill him if petty does nothing in this leagu?
It has a bearing if it's great and turns out to be the QB were looking for. If not it was just a fourth round pick and he tried. Devin Smith would be far more of a black mark if he busted.
I voted very little but i think this poll needs a 4th answer. The reality is he has had one year and half these guys aren't his. You can't truly grade a draft for about 3 years and i believe he mostly used free agency for stop gap players to keep the fans happy and the team somewhat competitive. the stupidest thing we can do is run him out of town after one year.
I hope you're right when you write that OL will be a priority in the next 2 drafts. If it were me I would draft the best OL on the board in rounds one AND two next year; IMO the jets need to get A LOT better and A LOT younger on the OL. And don't bring back Willie Colon.
Not to belabor the point, but it was NOT a second guess. DURING the draft, several of us posted or wanted the jets to take a 7th round flyer on Collins. That is what good teams do--they take a risky player in the late rounds and sometimes hit a home run. Bill Parcells used his second 7th round pick in 1997 to draft Jason Ferguson, who everyone avoided because he tested positive for MJ at the combine--turned out to be our best 7th round pick ever. As I stated before, most 7th rounders don't make it anyway, why NOT take a boom or bust project?
It wasn't a risk cause he wouldn't have signed. It was a risk cause he could still conceivably have gone to jail and been a PR nightmare for a franchise that had just gotten through the 'clown show' prior few years and after a season where you had the AP/Rice/Hardy fiascoes and teams were more scared of PR nightmares than ever - well outside of Dallas and Buffalo anyway.
Willie was pretty unlikely to return in 2016 even if he stayed healthy enough to start every game. It's well-known that his knee was in terrible shape, and he was either going to be a starter or be cut before the season. He proved that despite his horrible knee issue he was still way better than Winters and Aboushi, so they let him ride for one last year - but he could only push past it for so long. His NFL career is likely over, IMO. Mac's draft strategy is going to disappoint you. He's explained that he looks for the BPA - and in his time in Houston, the O-line was built with mid and late round picks. So unless he really changes the strategy he's been using for 15+ years, I don't see him going hog wild for o-linemen early in the draft.
Mac's speciality is scouting. So when hiring him it has to be with the logic that we are giving him time to draft studs over a 5 year period. In the first 2-3 years give Bowles some vets to work with while we try and develop our picks and UDFA. This year no way we can judge him.. He's still mopping up Idziks mess of talent. I will start to judge him in year 4 personally.
I hope so too! LOL I doubt that Mac would take OL in rounds 1 & 2. He doesn't seem like the type that will draft for need. He goes with BPA, at least in the first round. For that to happen, I think the BPA in the 1st round at the Jets' pick would have to be an OL, and even then I doubt that he'd double down and take a second OL that high. Unless he was drafting bookend tackles, I wouldn't want him to do that anyway. The Jets will get younger. It's hard to conceive of them possibly getting any older. The question is whether they'll get better. With regards to Colon, he played very well before he got injured. He only had one penalty and was pretty consistently opening holes for Ivory if what I've read is true. Still, I'd hope that he would only be a veteran backup to mentor the youngsters.
I don't blame Mac at all for our current situation . The guy came in and addressed a lot of needs and upgraded the roster significantly. You can put these guys on the field but you can't control what they do after that, that's on the player and the coaches. The draft can't be judged yet either as it takes time to see who pans out and who doesn't. Williams was a no brainer when he fell to us and Mauldin has shown flashes he can be good as well. Devin Smith filled the need to stretch the field and provide us with a big play receiver we haven't had in forever but he's proven to be terrible so far. You can't blame Mac for taking him though. We are a franchise starved for any glimmer of success we can get so the microscope is obviously on Mac to get us where we want to go. Problem is it doesn't happen in "our" time it happens in "real " time and that's slow. To quote one of the "greats " from our past, " it's a process".
What current situation?! That we are 5-5 heading into week 11 fighting for a playoff spot? That our entire roster is now filled with talent and young draft picks that are starting to show very promising signs? What exactly should we be blaming him for? We were fuckin garbage last year and the years previous. We were a joke. Our cap was all fucked up and we were sucking complete ass. Mac comes in, clears all the bullshit and unnecessary contracts. Spends what he needs to spend and makes our defense a top 10 defense in the league. Signs a QB that has done well for us and has us in the playoff hunt. Signed a number one receiver that, when healthy, is phenomenal. Put guys in great positions to succeed and drafted what seems to be some very solid talent. Oh and this is year one. Idiots
