Picking a WR in the top 10 doesn't make sense. He needs somebody to deliver the ball to him to make a play. If you don't take a QB there, you need to take a RB if you want the biggest impact on "O".
If Hack can fix his footwork/fundamentals during this off season, plays with poise and confidence, and wins the starting job in TC, then I agree. If he hasn't fixed his fundamentals, then he's definitely going to fail, and there's no point in playing him unless the Jets are bent on going 0-16 and ruining any chances Hack has at developing at the same time. I know from experience that when one's fundamentals aren't correct and one knows it, it causes one to struggle and to lack confidence. One pushes and gets uptight, and that makes things even worse. The only chance Hack has of developing and giving the Jets any return on their pick is by fixing his footwork and fundamentals, regaining his confidence and poise, and then giving him his shot. The rest of your post I totally agree with.
While your last statement is true, you can't rush things. People learn and develop on their own timetable, not anyone else's. Fixing fundamentals can't be rushed or forced. Hopefully, he'll be able to substantially fix his fundamentals this offseason and give the Jets an inkling next near whether or not he will ever be the answer for them. If so, they should be able to go ahead and lock him up for a reasonable (if not cheap) contract, because to date he's done nothing for them.
WR is one of the positions that has the longest adjustment period in the NFL. Taking a WR earlier than your QB is something that has worked for teams in the past. The Cowboys drafted Michael Irvin in the 1st the year before they got Troy Aikman. The Colts took Marvin Harrison in the 1st two years before they got Peyton Manning. The Rams took Torry Holt in the 1st in 1999 and then found a QB in training camp in Kurt Warner. Sometimes it doesn't work, as in the Lions taking Calvin Johnson two years before they got Matthew Stafford, but the idea of putting good young pieces in place before you find your key player is not a bad one. If the BPA on 6 is a WR and the Jets can't or don't want to trade down they should just take the WR and figure that he'll be up to speed and ready to contribute in a big way for the QB they take in 2018 or 2019.
If we stick to our board very unlikely a WR at #6 is the BPA since the draft is so loaded defense wise and i can easily say 7 prospects better then Mike Williams .
If Hackenberg thinks he's going to command any interest on the free agent market in 2020 he's going to be nearly impossible to lock up cheaply before that. The Jets might get him to accept half a starter's salary before he's proven he can be a starter but that would just be locking up a very expensive backup in the process if he doesn't prove out. I get that you can't rush things with a young player who hasn't figured it out. I just don't think the Jets can spend a lot of time helping Hackenberg (or Petty for that matter) figure it out. That's one of the reasons that taking projects has hurt the Jets as much as it has over the last decade plus. You wind up with organizational inertia because some people believe the guy is going to work out and others are convinced he never will. The people who think he's going to work out redouble their efforts to make that happen and something gets shorted in the process, generally finding a competent replacement to fill the gap at a reasonable price and also finding the long-term solution that will replace that stopgap in a year. The reason the Jets haven't had a competent QB in the last 6 seasons, and you could argue in the last decade aside from Favre, is that they always have somebody who is very raw and needs polishing as their best hope for QB in the near future. 2007 - Kellen Clemens 2009 - Mark Sanchez 2013 - Geno Smith 2015 - Bryce Petty 2016 - Christian Hackenberg None of those guys was close to ready to play when they landed in the NFL. They all required not just a rookie bubble but excessive handholding inside the rookie bubble. It's a pattern and the Jets need to break the pattern. Not by using yet another seasoned QB (Chad, Favre, Fitzpatrick) who is about to decline or doesn't want to be here or was never really good enough. They need to put the guys they have on the field and either succeed or fail with them and then if they fail they need to get the guy who actually has a 50/50 shot of being good on an NFL field in a rookie bubble his first season. The last Jets QB who was clearly good enough to play his rookie season was Joe Namath FIFTY-TWO years ago.
It's also about the supporting cast, if Mac continues to draft BPA he can transition the team correctly from good young players that are developing and coming into their own, as the contract for the older players are up for renewal or simply cutting them. MS had an excellent supporting cast, thats where the team fell apart afterwards, they drafted terribly and the team was devoid of talent because there was no transition taking place. Unless there is a QB that can come in and play this fall, the Jets need to stick to their BPA strategy so when they find that franchise QB in the 3rd or 4th round, he can come in and contribute because he has a good supporting cast. Reaching for projects and putting them in a team that is devoid of a supporting cast is a terrible blueprint for success, because the team keeps bypassing players that can actually come in and help the team for the next 3 or 4 years.
Unless your team is solid, the BPA philosophy is nothing short of absurd. lets see, I have limited cash, and a cabinet full of bread. I don't have shit to put on that bread, but I think since this bread on the end cap looks amazing, I'm just gonna get more bread. ROFL...fucking ridiculous.
I again completely agree with your post. I can't imagine that Hack would think he's going to command any kind of interest, when he hasn't even been able to be on the Jets' active roster save for one game, and looked so bad in his last preseason outing. He seems like a humble, high character, appreciative type, and so I would think he would appreciate the Jets taking a chance on him and sticking with him. I would think the Jets could approach him with a contract such as you suggest at half a starter's salary, but with easily attained incentives and escalators if he wins the starting job for starts, TDs thrown, completion percentage, wins, etc. I also agree that the Jets can't wait a long time for him to develop, either. I do think it's in their best interests to give him this off season, the complete 2017 season, and the off season following the 2017 season. If he's not ready to at least challenge the starting job by then, then they have to move on. Further, if they do get a chance to draft a QB they really like in the 2018 draft, then I definitely think they should unless Petty or Hack have proven themselves by then. By that point, if Petty and Hack haven't shown that they're capable of being the Jets' starter, then it's time to find their new QB. For certain, they should have a clear idea about Petty by then. Either he will be viewed as a capable starter, a career backup and spot starter, or someone they no longer desire to keep on the roster. They could draft a QB in 2018 and still keep Hack as a backup or as someone to hold the clipboard, or they could attempt to trade him to another team, bring in a veteran QB to backup the rookie, and either keep Petty to hold the clipboard or bring in a UDFA QB to hold the clipboard.
You're looking at it in the extreme, and you're also wrong. History has proven that much. Teams that draft solely out of need wind up reaching and/or getting poor value for their players, and they struggle. Taking Jonathan Allen would be stupid this year and would back up your contention. The Jets have multiple holes/needs however that matchup with potential BPAs in this draft. They have a definite need for playmakers on both sides of the ball - there are great playmakers on both sides of the ball to choose among They have a definite need at CB - there are some great CB prospects to choose among They have a definite need at pass-rushing OLB - there are some great OLB pass rushing prospects to choose among They have a definite need at FS - there are a number of very good to great FS prospects to choose among They have a definite need at TE - there are a number of very good to great TE prospects to choose among They have a definite need at RB - there are a number very good to great RB prospects to choose among They have a definite need at ILB either for this season or for next season to replace David Harris - there is a great ILB prospect that could be sitting there at the #6 pick, and there are other very good prospects They have a definite need at QB - unfortunately, there are not very many good prospects at QB in this draft They have a definite need at LT - unfortunately, along with the QB position, this is one of the weaker areas of the draft and there aren't many great or even very good LT prospects to choose among. If they release Mangold, they have a definite need at C for at least a backup, if not starter - there are a number of good C prospects in this draft They don't have glaring needs at WR or OG, but they could need a #1 WR if they trade or release B. Marshall and there are excellent prospects at WR, and RG could be upgraded, and there are some good OG prospects Thus, in this draft need and BPA line up almost perfectly. Mac ought to be able to take the BPA in almost every round and still address a need on the Jets. The tricky part will be trying to address the LT and QB spots, but there may not be a player at either that the Jets are really high on, or think they have a realistic shot at getting because of where the player is slotted to go, and the difficulty of trading up or down in the draft.
Actually, because the QB is the position that usually has the longest career, it makes more sense to get him in and then add the more perishable pieces around him. And while I'm leaning heavily towards upgrading the "O" over the "D" this year, I would take Hooker or Adams or one of the other stud "D" picks over any WR at #6 based on the Jets current needs. . That said, I DO think Williams is a stud and would love to get him, just not at #6, and I'm sure he won't slip to their second pick.
Good post, and you nailed it. Since they drafted all those QBs in ONE YEAR in 1965, the Jets haven't placed a premium on taking a stud QB. It's always been sort of an afterthought it seems. And you're right, they need to break this pattern. That's why they need to draft Watson if he's there, and then let him, Petty, and Hack compete for the job. I would even go without a vet and live or die with whoever won the competition, because that guy has to prove that he can be the FQB, and if he doesn't then you draft another QB in 2018, and 2019, and 2020, until you finally hit. Unfortunately, I don't think Watson will be there at #6, and worse, if he is, Macc won't take him. And if they don't draft Watson, they shouldn't take a QB this year unless they're convinced he can start Day 1 - as you said: "No more "projects"!.
He a comment to the effect the the Jets should treat him right or else he may go into the Hall wearing another teams jersey. What a fuckwad...
The Jets are talking to FA former UGA QB Aaron Murray who has been in the NFL for 2 years but hasn't played yet I don't think, and appear to be interested in former Texas Tech and current Cal QB Webb Davis. They may be planning on going with Petty, Hack, and either Murray or Webb Davis, who they could conceivably get in a middle round, then if no one distinguishes himself, looking to draft a QB in the 2018 draft.
We'll find out everything there is to know about the Hack man: his dreams, his desires, his most intimates of intimates, and from what I'm looking at, "intimate" is the stud muffin's middle name. So tell me my man, are you nervous in the service?
Can't wait for the first time a RB breaks free and Revis is the last line of defense. The RB is barreling down on him and Revis is like, "Oh, hell naw."
