I don't think you have anything to worry about with this aspect specifically. JD has already made a concerted effort to improve the protection around the QB in just his first offseason. Not only did he bring in multiple FAs, but he also used the the most valuable chip in his bag to try and solidify the most important part of said protection for the next decade plus. Obviously due to market restrictions it's not possible to just make everything healthy simply by deciding you want to, but my goodness is it obvious that Douglas has set out to create a stout offensive line in a way that no Jets GM has in the last 15 years. Look at Sanchez - he wasn't the guy, but he was able to have significant success because the offensive line had talent and continuity BEFORE he arrived. Douglas is doing the same now. Becton being a cornerstone, and the rest of the line being assembled with care and attention, would mean that drafting a QB at the top of the draft would likely produce a noticeably different "outcome-arc" than it has with Darnold - even if the prospect is exactly the same as him. Add to that the fact that Douglas has already begun accumulating assets to be able to put more talent around whomever the QB is - even if he decides to use his most valuable pick on another QB - and you can see the outline of what is being set up here. I'm not saying I'm excited or fired up, because this team sucks and that's no fun. Instead, I'm saying that I can see Douglas taking his swing by setting up the franchise properly/longterm so that we don't keep repeating the same dumb process where a specific player or two is asked to shoulder a load or task that is well beyond reasonable, and then left desolate when that immense burden not only causes them to fail, but fail to the point that they're devoid of any meaningful value. I'm very much here for the Douglas vision.
If the Jets do indeed hold the first pick then the decision will be easy. You take Trevor Lawrence and try to recoup whatever draft capital you can get back for Darnold. You do not pass on a talent like Lawrence for any amount of draft capital. This is assuming Darnold continues to look broken like he has the first two weeks. Hopefully JD does a better job building around Lawrence than both he & Mac did building around Darnold. The only thing giving me any amount of optimism in that regard is we will be in better shape to draft a QB this upcoming year with what looks like a franchise LT already in place plus a war chest of picks to use on help for him.
How long have you been a Jets fan? Imagine the worst, then double it...NOW you're in "I can't believe the Jets did that!" territory. Until he's actually fired, I'm assuming Gase will be here, which is why I'm so pessimistic about the future if Darnold and the team. EDIT: And BTW: drafting a "generational talent" won't help if Gase is still HC.
I'm with you. I think his focus last offseason was improving the OL, and while they're not a top tier unit now, they're clearly much better than they've been for quite some time. Plus, if Becton continues to improve and builds on his first 2 weeks as a pro, we might be set at LT for the next decade. I'm hoping that this offseason will be geared towards improving all the other facets of the offense. Getting weapons for our QB has to be the next priority. FA and the draft need to be primarily focused on WR/TE/RB/EDGE/CB.
If JD thinks that Lawrence is a generational prospect at QB, then I agree, that he has to take him if we wind up with the #1 pick. I disagree that he should trade Sam for whatever he can get, however. Why rush to get rid of him? Let them compete for the starting job, just don't hand it to Lawrence. If Lawrence wins the starting job, awesome. If not, then Lawrence can sit and learn from Sam. I would think that Lawrence would win the starting job. Then let the new CS (QB Coach, OC and HC) coach him up, build his confidence, showcase him in preseason games, and if they get no good offers prior to the season starting, hold onto him until the trade deadline. That provides insurance in case Lawrence struggles or gets hurt, and if a contender has their starting QB go down, then the Jets could get a lot more in return for Sam.
I don’t think having Darnold and Lawrence in the same QB room is good for anyone. If the decision is indeed made to move on from Darnold and draft Lawrence then the Jets need to finally do everything in their power to set up Lawrence for success. You cannot keep Darnold around in that scenario.
The jets have not been all bad, we had what I call eras where we were competitive and won some big playoff games. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I know, but that's not what we were discussing. We were discussing certain positions that the Jets haven't addressed in the draft.
I disagree. Why would it not be good to have them in the same QB room? Maybe that would light a fire under Sam. I agree that they need to do everything to set up Lawrence for success, but keeping Sam around won't prevent that. Why should Lawrence just get handed the job? For most of the history of the NFL, rookie QBs didn't start. They sat and learned behind a veteran, or at best had to compete for the starting job. They could absolutely keep Darnold around. If Lawrence would be threatened by Sam still being here, then he isn't the right QB for the Jets or maybe any team in the NFL. It's not like I'm saying keeping Darnold around forever, either. If Lawrence wins the competition, he's the guy. If Sam still plays well in the competition and in preseason games, there would be interest by some team or teams in acquiring Sam, especially if a contending team loses its starting QB or backup for an extended time during TC or preseason.
Phillip Rivers sat behind Drew Brees in San Diego as a high drafted QB. Worked out pretty well for both QBs, so it is not unprecedented. Brees was the first pick in the 2nd round and they drafted a first round QB 3 years later.
Such a great play. Sam being able to avoid the rush, escape the pocket, keep his balance, then make that throw to Berrios was amazing. Definitely the best play of the 2020 Jets season so far. We need to see more of that and less 3 yard slants or bubble screens.
It depends on the mindset of the QBs involved, but I'd say Sam could handle it, and maybe it would even drive him to become what he could be.
