It seems like every time the Jets pick early, there's always better players available at other positions other than EDGE. The only recent time I feel that we could have arguably went EDGE over another player was Vic Beasley over Leonard Williams. Either ways, EDGE needs to be addressed eventually. In today's league you need various ways to generate QB pressure. Sure we can generate it through great WR coverage, clog the interior, but we need to address EDGE because our secondary isn't that great, specifically CB, and although we can generate some interior pressure, it isn't consistent enough to turn a blind eye towards EDGE.
Agree, with the following caveat. Edge rushers are like QB's. It is the one position on the defense that is most important, and like QB's, it's nearly impossible to predict success, e.g. Gholston, Coples. That said, since the Jets saw fit to draft defense with their first pick, I think Barnett would have been the wiser choice. I know Adams had the higher rating, but a safety (or any DB) can cover only one receiver at a time. However, a good pass rusher cuts down on the time a QB has to throw and that helps all four DBs.
Jets are allergic to EDGE rushers I feel like. Every year, they should be evaluating that position or at least provide competition for Jenkins and especially Lorenzo. They are doing it with WRs and QBs, why not the EDGE rushers?
It's hard to project an edge rusher in the type of 3-4 the Jets have run. The guy has to be able to set the edge against the run, so he has to be fairly big for an OLB. He also has to be able to rush the passer from the edge, which is a long haul against a good tackle, so he also has to be both fast and quick. How many big guys are both fast and quick and also have the technique to get by NFL-caliber tackles, let alone managing the double-teams from the blocking backs? That's the problem. Just drafting a 240 lb OLB isn't going to work unless the guy is clearly a superior player in almost every facet of the game. When you get a guy like that in the draft they go very early, before the Jets pick most of the time, e.g. Garret this year and Clowney in 2014. So for the Jets to invest in an edge rusher they basically need to take a leap of faith that a guy who is not clearly superior, somebody like Whitney Mercilus or Vic Beasley, is better than the clearly solid player sitting at their pick. All of that said, Quinton Coples was just a bad pick. Rex fell in love with his size and his ability to dominate guards in college and then used him every which way but over a guard in the NFL and not surprisingly he just wasn't that good. He was big enough to set the edge, which was a requirement, but he wasn't quick and fast enough to get to the QB from outside and so Rex wound up using him as a situational pass rusher over one of the guards or even the center now and then. That was all he was good for at the NFL level.
That's true, but some projected Adams to be the best player, or second best in the entire draft. Adams is seen as a field general, a culture change on and off the field. If only Tim Williams didn't have those off the field concerns. He was my #2 edge rusher in the entire draft.
This is exactly the dilemma the Jets have repeatedly faced. How can you take an edge rusher who is an inferior candidate when you have a Leonard Williams or a Jamal Adams sitting there for you on your pick? With L. Williams the Jets could have traded down, but if nobody was offering like he was the 1st or 2nd best player in the draft, well then they had to take him. With Adams there was just no choice unless people were offering a windfall in picks. A topflight safety is one of the hardest things to find in the NFL, which is why the Jets haven't had a great young safety in a long time.
That's when the defense is just too complicated for your own good, that's like a DeMarcus Ware type player who rarely comes around. Heck, even Von Miller wasn't the best at defending the run early in his career. Same with Beasley, awful in the run game. It would be nice to have some speed rushers that can come in on nickel and dime packages and really put the heat on the QB without sending the entire house.
This is why I question the benefit of a 3-4 vs. a 4-3 - it depends on having LBs that are freakishly rare for it to be successful. As you describe, those types of players come along MAYBE once in a draft class. It makes no sense to build a defense that depends upon such rare commodities. Theoretically, using a 3-4 allows more flexibility, and provides more depth in pass coverage, but in actual practice it doesn't work that well UNLESS you have one or two superior LBs (or more). Trying to stop opposing passing attacks with coverage is a loser's bet with the way the rules are, and how they're enforced by refs in today's game. The more effective way to stop a QB is to put pressure on him and not allow him time to throw...this is better accomplished with a 4-3 lineup IMO. Unfortunately, I don't think Bowles will adopt a 4-3 and will continue to try and come up with exotic alignments and coverages that have been shown as ineffective.
So why weren't they offered a windfall of picks? Or, maybe they were, but ignored those offers because they were so in love with Adams themselves?
because you don't move u for a safety, just because he was worth taking with the 6 doesn't mean he is worth taking with the (ex.) 12,33,105 according to the titans, the phones fell dead silent right after the bears took mitch.
In theory, it is better to take an OLB than a S. In this situation, however, it wasn't. Barnett doesn't even begin to be on the same level of prospect as Adams. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Barnett winds up being an ineffective edge rusher in the NFL. Following are weaknesses noted by NFL.com: It's quite possible that he was so good in college because of his superior hand usage and his motor. If he does play well and become a top edge rusher, I think it will be due to his desire and motor. Adams is a potential perennial All Pro and is a leader. There is no comparison between the two. I think Charles Harris will become the better pass rusher in the NFL. I was really hoping the Jets could grab him in the 2nd round, but the damn Dolphins ruined that. They could have taken Tyus Bowser in the 2nd or Jordan Willis in the 3rd, however, and I think a very strong case could be made that one of them should have been the pick over either Maye or Stewart.
Tim Williams would have been a terrible choice imo. He evidently is stupid. He started very few games at Alabama because the D was too complex for him. IMO all he will be in the NFL is a situational pass rusher, and the 1st and 2nd round are way too high to take a player like that imo. That's with me thinking that an edge rusher/OLB has been one of their biggest needs for the last 10 years or so. There are a number of guys in this draft who were much better than Williams.
That's why I've always hated the 3-4 D. It's just too damn hard to find the players to fit it. The problem is that I think we'd have to continue drafting D players high to make the switch, as there would need to be some roster turnover. IMO the Jets could have fixed their pass rush by taking either Tyus Bowser or Jordan Willis in this draft, and they didn't. Time will tell whether I am right or not. If one or both of those guys proves to be a topnotch pass rusher and the Jets continue to struggle in that regard, then Mac should be fired.
There are two primary reasons to play a 3-4. First, it's a great defense against the run. If you setup a good 3-4 you will keep opposing rushing attacks inline game after game and this is something the Jets have consistently done. You have 3 big guys who tie up effectively 5 offensive linemen and then you have 4 linebackers to fill the gaps. Second, it's hard to find really talented 280-300 pounders to play for you. Having to look for just 3 of them to man your front is easier than keeping a 4 man front filled. You can have your 4th guy in reserve behind the first 3 and then injuries are less impactful than they would be against a 4-3. This was a different equation in the 70's when players weren't as big as they are now and defensive tackles routinely weighed in at 270-280 with ends in the 240's to 260's. Now you have DT's and 3-4 DE's routinely at 300+ pounds and 4-3 defensive ends are in the 260's to 290's. It's just really hard to find big quick agile guys at those weight ranges and the 3-4 lets you handle the brawn more simply, since none of the DL needs to be an exterior pass rusher. They're all interior penetrators. Just think back to the 4-3 Jets defenses before Parcells cam to town and how mediocre the Jets were against the run. The Jets averaged 18th against the rush in the NFL (out of 30 teams) from 1987 to 1996. From 2001 to 2005 they averaged 22nd against the rush in Herm's 4-3. It may seem like the rushing D hasn't been a big help recently but it was a key part of our last 2 trips to the playoffs in '09 and '10. The pass D was excellent both seasons but the rush D was top 10 also both seasons, being #8 in 2009 and #3 in 2010. And then of course we couldn't stop anything the Steelers did in the 1st half of the AFC Championship game because, well, JETS...
You could be right, all I'll say is that one or more analysts on draft day thought Barnett was the second best PR in the draft behind Garrett. Despite which one is rated higher, I feel getting pressure on the QB is more valuable to a defense than defending passes.
Safeties are the glue that hold a defense together. Edge rushers are the spearhead that drives the point home. If you have a hole at a glue position you need to fill that before you go looking for weapons. A porous secondary, missing tackles and giving up long passes and getting beat over the middle by tight ends and backs, is going to kill you every time before that edge rusher can make a difference. Once you have the back end in shape, and they don't need to all be stars, just no weak links, then you can go find your weapon to close the vise on opposing passing attacks.
It's about finding players that can play standing up and with their hands in the dirt in terms of speed rushers. Versatile pass-rushers and Bowser [this kid has such an awesome last name, I would've bought a mario-bowser t-shirt], I believe was that type of player along with Charles Harris. It would've definitely been nice to find another rusher to go with the two we have now. To be honest, I don't even label Bowles defense a 3-4 or a 4-3 because he runs so many sub package formations, he runs them more then the typical base defense. Usually in the Nickel. Right now, the majority of the players besides David Harris can play in virtually any scheme. It's all about putting in the right spots and that is one thing Bowles has absolutely failed at, 2 seasons in. Something tells me that won't change and if it doesn't, he's gotta go. You can't have Wilk playing 4-3 defense end for the majority of the snaps in a season and you can't have Sheldon playing linebacker to help set the edge.
I disagree. Even the best DBs can only cover their man on average for 3-4 seconds. A great pass rusher makes all of them better and not have to cover longer than that 3-4 seconds.
