JD's drafts look like paradise compared to his free agent signings. There enough busts and overpays to make your head spin. JD was cap rich, and in the end all we really have is DJ Reed.
No one is picking him up. The guy was a terrible College player. It's not unlike Boyle, but at TE. Also, he sucked in College as an older player, 24 years old this year. Complete waste of a draft selection, obvious at the time. JD could have probably used that pick and moved up a few spots in the 4th to get all American OT Dawand Jones. Kuntz tested well athletically and fooled gullible JD. But this is what @REVISion pointed out before: you use combine as sort of cherry on top of College performance, not instead of it. If the guy sucked in College as a 24 year old, while being a great athlete then too, it's highly unlikely he will be a good pro. We don't need to worry about the Giants or anyone else snatching this kid. It's not like Pinnock who was a decent prospect and showed some solid NFL tape, and then JD waived him, and the Giants said big thank you to JD and got a good starter at JD's (and our) expense. Kuntz ain't it.
Not picking on you, Jcass, just using this post. I keep seeing this phrase tossed around, "consensus elite prospect." Or, consensus top pick...however you want to label it. Consensus according to who? I'd love to go back in time and re-read some of the articles. I remember reading a whole lot of other GM's and football people saying they wouldn't touch Zach Wilson unless it was in the 2nd or 3rd round. The only consensus I seem to remember was within the NY Media and that was ONLY because the Jets needed a QB. The only league wide consensus I can remember is that Trevor Lawrence was going to be a "generational talent." Zach Wilson and the Trey Lances of the world were viewed as "everyone else." I think we Jets fans really talked ourselves into the consensus on Zach Wilson at the time. And, who can blame us? When you are as QB starved as this team and fan base has been, if a ham sandwich could throw a ball accurately we would jump on that in a NY minute. I'll tell you, it really pays to read the local sports writers for other teams to get a real gauge on what "others think" about the draft. When the Jets picked up Wilson both the Atlanta and Detroit newspapers/sports sites were thanking their lucky stars that he didn't fall to them forcing a decision. Just an example and the only thing I can remember from back then. Just suffice it to say, there really wasn't any type of GOOD consensus. Just that it was what that draft had to offer. Sometimes it makes sense NOT making the pick. A final word on Wilson, Trey Lance, Tony Richardson and the like. These QB's that get drafted based on their combine heroics and VERY limited COLLEGE game experience needs to stop. It's a disservice to the team, the fans and, most importantly, to the player themselves. I will stand here and bet money I don't have that Tony Richardson will be out of the league in less than 5 years. Trey Lance probably won't make it off the Cowboy's roster and Wilson could very well be out of football by the end of his 5th year. Trey Lance, for example, has something like 13 games of experience....SINCE HIGH SCHOOL. Now, explain how that translated into the 3rd overall pick in the draft? BOTH Wilson and Lance played at "shit" schools, to be perfectly frank with everyone. Neither are considered even upper-middle tier college programs. Richardson played at a top school but didn't win. He was 6 -7 as a starter. Is THAT top of the draft production? I don't think so, do you? I will never understand why teams do this when the documented fact based odds are you will whiff every time. Fans may bitch and moan while the draft is going on but all is forgiven when the team wins. Maybe Ouchy has an answer as to why these football people make these moronic decisions but I'll never understand it. Wilson aside, JD's utter and total lack of a serviceable o-line is his biggest failure, IMHO. Considering this position is supposed to be his area of expertise that is not a very positive indictment on his ability to asses talent. Of course the proof is on the field every day so I don't have to do too much convincing. I don't know what the answer is at this point but I sure as hell know what isn't working and Woodrow just gave them both the thumbs up so...we know what won't be "working" for the next year or two.
I get more stoked by defensive strategy and play these days... probably as a reaction to the leagues emphasis on offense. All we had to be was average on offense and we's be gearing up for a playoff run. Douglas' failure to screw together an 0-line that can pass/run block is an objective failure. It was evident 4 snaps into the season...
IMO some GMs just have bad ideas, bad plans, or are bad at recognizing who will succeed at the highest level. But a lot of decent GMs get sucked into traps. One of them is buying into trends. In the Zach draft the trend was mobile QBs making off platform throws are where the game is going. We had Allen, and Jackson, and Mahomes running all over making improvised throws and suddenly everyone believed that was what an NFL QB needed to have. Lost in that was can they reliably hit a slant or find a wide open TE running a simple hook route when there's pressure. That trend also made people overlook pedigree. Like you said, a small college resume is not enough pedigree to warrant a top 10 pick in the NFL. Forget the arm talent or mobility. This is the highest level with elite schemes and defenders. You cant just be dropped into that situation based on raw talent. You have to prove you can consistently run a college offense at a high level. There should be several signs the QB is ready to lead an NFL offense. In the best cases, their entire careers indicate it. Hype is another big trap. If media "analysts" are having any influence on you're rankings your not qualified to be GM. Their in the entertainment game, not the GM game. Zach wasn't a promising top 5 pick, but he was a good story for the media, and happened to fit the current trend. The media creates a few over rated clunkers simply because they have to get you excited about the draft every day for months on end. Falling in love with a player is another big trap. How you draft the beginning of a good team and how you draft the final parts are very different. And the halfway point has its own tactics. You cant fall in love with a certain player and make sacrifices in the beginning. Flexibility is the key to maximizing these types of drafts. There is no need to trade up and give 2 or 3 players for 1. Those are moves done to get final pieces, not to build a complete roster. Giving up multiple picks for one leaves you with a very thin team. And if the one player gets injured there is massive lost value. AVT is a good example of this. He's hurt and the two 3rd we gave up cant come in to help. If we would have stayed flexible we could have gotten Darrisaw and kept picks 66 & 86. But JD was in love with AVT. A good player, but not smart team building. We were a 2 win team! This can become the most dangerous when giving up to much to soon for a QB. Patrick Mahomes didn't win the last SB. The Chiefs did by having the best team. Same with Stafford in LA and Brady in TB. These were exceptional rosters and a great QB made it all work (with help from great defenses). Over rating the QBs contribution to the overall roster is an endless trap in the league. QB is the most important position but you have to know when its time to make the move, and sacrifice if needed. Just having a top 5 pick doesn't automatically make it "the time". Then there is job pressure which makes some GMs make bad decisions, try to take shortcuts, etc. If your plan is good, and you've had any success building it, stay the course. Don't let one or two setbacks make you desperate. Great teams aren't built in just one offseason. Many of these traps we keep falling into, including JD, and they lead to desperation. Thats the "You Are Here" of the current Jets. We jumped the gun early and got desperate last offseason, and now Woody wants to maintain that consistency, which will set us up for years of mediocrity. With that said, I think I know how to build something exciting in one offseason, if we have a top 10 pick. Sorry, I got to ranting. Go Jets!
Well said... I just wish "whomever" was running this franchise could heed what you are saying. To me, it makes common sense. I guess that's why they say, "common sense is not all that common."
Well. I think we see what drafting 3-4 good players does for a franchise versus what assembling a great roster looks like on a national (stupid) Prime game.
JD went into tank mode immediately after Rodgers trade. It was almost as if Rodgers was an excuse to neglect the core and get away from what was working. All these characters, from the players to the coaches to the GM, are all playing their part, so they can only be trusted to sell the fanbase a load of horseshit.
Thanks for that - however he did get elevated by the Jets to the active roster - https://www.newyorkjets.com/news/jets-place-ol-duane-brown-on-injured-reserve-sign-te-zack-kuntz
Why Hogan? Just because he works for Douglas doesn't mean he's responsible for what Douglas does. Is there something going on that Hogan has autonomy for?
I've said this before, and I will say it again. This may go down as the worst draft pick in New York Jets history. I am not saying that MacDonald is the biggest draft bust in history, I am stating that the decision to draft him when the Jets had absolutely no need for him may make this the worst pick in history. Even with the biggest busts in Jets draft history (Robertson, Gholston), at least the GM made a pick for a position that was a real need.
McDonald is worse, but Becton over Wirfs is right up there. Wirfs is on a HoF trajectory and Becton has been unable to stay healthy and is among the worst OTs in football even when healthy.
No one has autonomy and that might be the problem. It's all collaborative. But Rex is another common denominator of someone who's been around and the Jets have done nothing but put together a team that is a horrible product.
Setting low expectations. Whatever floats your boat. I would rather have Breece Hall than the snow tosser.
I wasn't comparing Breece Hall to Nathan Peterman. I was comparing Joe Douglas to Nathan Peterman and him picking Breece Hall to Peterman throwing that touchdown. That is, one of the few times Peterman did something right.
