We should cross Randy Gregory and Connor Williams off the list after yesterdays performances. They were both fucking awful. Dalton Schultz is also a nice player, I’m just not sure he’s a $13 million/year tightend.
We need a safety bad, a decent safety alone would make a big difference If Saleh isn't going to fire Ulbrich, and Ulbrich isn't going to change his system of having a safety 25 yards back of the line of scrimmage every play then they had better get a safety that understands angles, and loves to pursue the football
I like the kid Jayron Kearse from the Cowboys. Good football pedigree coming from Clemson and had a good year.
I'm not sure he is either, but I think he could immediately help this offense as a receiver and a blocker. He could be huge for Zach and not sure they can get a day one impact TE like that elsewhere so I'd be okay paying that much. Dallas has an iffy cap situation so it'll be interesting to see who hits the market. Want no part of Randy Gregory
I somewhat agree with this sentiment but at the same time as NCJetsfan points out there aren't enough draft picks to fully shore up every hole, need, and want. So given that, in general, this year I favor an approach where the "mercs looking to cash in on Woody's money" come on the defensive side of the ball, get whatever is needed and available so we don't totally embarrass ourselves next season. But the real "building with Jets" comes out of the draft on the offensive side surrounding Zach, Moore, etc with a core group that can all grow up together. Whatever the exact players end up being I think that is the best general framework of a plan for the Jets to pursue this offseason.
There are enough draft picks to try to fill all those holes. There are second-tier younger free agents to help in the process. This is how teams build. When you hire the 28+ star you are implicitly denying your build process the chance to find an appropriate replacement at the position. Then 2 years later your free agent is 30 and you're in trouble at the position. A 28 year old is more likely to get hurt than a 24 year old also and likely to take longer to recover. Everybody talks about the Jets injury numbers but a lot of those injuries are to players that are older and more injury-prone than the younger guys you normally start a build with. A lot of the Jets bad luck is self-inflicted. Also a young guy with few guarantees is more motivated to return as soon as possible and to avoid leaving the field with a painful but not debilitating injury. As older guy with guaranteed money is more likely to take the slow approach to a return and be quicker to ask out if they think their "career" is imperiled. A young guy doesn't have a "career" yet and they will generally run through a brick wall for you. Quinnen Williams played hurt and in pain this year. He's on his first contract and he really wants the second one to be great and he wasn't willing to shike off when he got hurt. That's motivation in a nutshell.
There's a lot to be said for this take. Using FA to build a team should be like hot sauce on food: used sparingly. A lot of their injuries have come from "older" guys, so keeping the roster young would help. That said, experience is valuable, so you do need to sign vets, but I don't know of any sure fire way of predicting injuries. Maybe looking at a player's history - although some players who "never" get hurt all of sudden suffer a big injury. Or maybe studying body types and playing style might give you some ability to predict injury, but that's iffy at best. Bottom line is that it's always best to draft your key players, and sign (or trade for) players to fill in the gaps. One of the best ways to get those key players (and the gap fillers) is to have a blueprint for the type of team identity you want and to get players that fit that. This is maybe the single biggest failure of the Jets for years, and the single biggest reason for success of teams like the Steelers, Ravens, Packers, and a few others. Even when the Jets last had an "identity" it was with Rex and their tough guy blowhard, Hard Knocks image, and that kept them focused on their defense while the rest of the NFL was moving towards offense. This is why I'm a big believer in Douglas because I think he's building towards a blueprint, and while the immediate results haven't been great, over time I think they will be.
Connor’s been bad all year lol I swore everytine I’ve heard his name down the stretch it was how many penalities he’s had called. Gregory makes boneheaded penalties, this maybe more on the undiscipline on that team, but I feel we already have a guy on the line in Shepard who makes silly mistakes at the worse times. Sucks losing Maye/Joyner for the year. Not sure what vet would work here, not up on who’s the best at that spot. I do feel that Riley/Pinnock/Davis at least fight for backup roles.
