Because he was the #4 selection in the draft. He needs to go in and play well right away to warrant the selection in my mind. QB may be the only exception here, but even QBs in the top 5 should play right away in my mind and progress throughout the year. Did I expect one of the best? Nope. Did I expect pretty good? Yep. Did I get it? Nope. I don't believe waiting 2-3 yrs is the way to go. He needs to progress this year dramatically or you have to begin to wonder. That's my feeling, sorry. In today's NFL, you can't afford to be terribly patient.
I agree with this. Definitely not making total judgement on the player, but to say I'm not allowed any judgement is silly. I expected more from my #4 pick. If Mangold was #4, Ferguson #29, I would have thought both met or exceeded expectations, so maybe it doesn't matter, but Ferguson was taken #4. I could have used #4 to take someone else and got McNeil in the 2nd round and right now I'd be in better shape. Would it be this way in a couple years? I don't know but that's they way I see it right now.
Does trading that #4 down to around 9, Grabbing Ngata there, picking up an early 2nd rounder, then Mangold at 29, McNeil early in the 2nd have a nice ring to it? I'd buy... Weren't alot of folks scared off by McNeil's medical condition?
I just think that is what veteran talent is supposed to do. As mentioned above, D'Brick needs to continue to step up and get better. Any regression would be very unwelcomed given the level he was drafted at.
Oh wow there really must be no nfl news since ESPN is now reporting useless information. D'Brick did great for a rookie of course kendal is going to help him out they work together. D'Brick will be elite as others have stated he just needs to condition himself for the full NFL season.
it was great for D'Brick to have Kendall by his side for his rookie season, but I think saying that he would regress if the guy was released is ridiculous
Mangold has said Kendall was instrumental in helping him out too, so I don't see what the big deal is. It's what a veteran OLman is supposed to do when he's surrounded by rookies.
I'm all for giving him time to develop, but I've posted and made the argument before about his play last year. Compared to the other starting LT that came out of the draft last year (McNeil), and compared to the last LT taking that high (Samuels), not to mention a few others that I threw in previous posts, the stats are clear; Ferguson was by far the worst of the bunch. I forget the exact numbers now but he gave up sacks about once every 40 pass plays, while the other first year players compared were about once every 80-90 pass plays. Not to mention the yards rushed over his position were far less. I for one am not giving up on him, and am hoping like heck he turns it around this year (he obviously has the tools). But there is no sugar coating the fact that he played extremely mediocre last year compared to other LTs who started their first year. And considering he was the #4 overall pick it just makes the spotlight burn even brighter on his struggles. Should be interesting to watch his development this year. But if he doesn't develop it may also be the time to start considering a replacement....
I would be really curious to know who those other LT's had running behind them. We had no RB that scared opposing defenses. None. They knew we would be trying to pass to set up the run. It's a lot easier to create a pass rush when you're not scared of the other team's RB's. I'm not saying he played great last year, but I want to see how he does with the threat of a good RB behind him.
Umm, anyone remember that we actually knew he would be a poor run-blocker coming out of college? It's not like this is new information. As for his pass-blocking, he looked just fine to me. Chad had lots of time to throw in comparison to the previous few years. I somewhat agree with what JI was saying. Yes, his being picked was a product of wanting him as a particular player than anything else. Could we have traded down and done better overall? Of course, and this board was lit up last year with suggestions in this vein. But we took Brick. After all Mangini did with a 4-12 team, we're second-guessing his eye for talent? Perhaps he saw something raw in this kid that he needed time to hone. Why don't we sit and wait it out another season before writing him off. Hell, many of us have already written off DRob, and the Jets staff has already stated that they feel his progression late in the year is good enough for them.
I remember Peyton Manning & John Elway being horrible in their first year. Maybe it's the painfully long offseason that creates this kind of hysteria. With possibly the exception of Joanthan Ogden & Orlando Pace, there are few if any all-star rookie LT's. The speed and intensity that Brick saw at Virginia was miniscule compared to what he faced as a pro in his first year. Further, the pro playbook and multiple defensive stunts & formations are lightyears ahead of the college ranks, made worse by being on an AL Groh coached team. Give him a break. He should be significantly better this year, especially with a complete off season training and conditioning program. Look at the stupid amount of money teams are spending on good free agent LT's? That should put into perspective the need for such a stud. Brick will be that stud, it just takes time to develop. I'm sure that many of the same guys ripping into Brick also ripped into Bryan Thomas. Sure he wasn't taken as high in the draft, but it took him a while to find both himself and the right fit. Who's out there saying that the kid stinks now?? D-Rob came on strong late last year also. Time has pretty much written that he was not worth the 12 & 14 pick we gave up for him, nor was he worth the #4, but he has developed into a good player. Good coaching can do that sometimes, even with a guy that is not really suited to play NT in the 3-4. Just my humble opinion.
But hopefully Coleman, Bowens, Haynes and Wadsworth will have him more battle-ready heading into the season...
I could just imagine what was going through his mind the first time going up against Jason Taylor: "Damn, Kimo can't do that...I just have to stand up and stick my hands up and Kimo is done. I actually have to work against these guys."
Exactly. I saw a piece on NFL network a while ago that showed the Rick Mirer actually had a pretty good rookie year, and people were excited about his future. We all know how that turned out.
Don't forget too that Brick had to go up against Taylor, Schobel, and Warren twice. Those are some top-notch DE. Taylor and Schobel were in the top five in sacks. By the way, has anyone heard if Brick has gained any weight or anything about him this offseason. I sure haven't.
I have heard people comparing Brick to McNeil before, and it still doesn't make sense. It's apples and oranges. More than any other unit, the OL functions as a complete unit. How good you are is directly related to how everyone else on the unit does. Brick was drafted onto a horrible Jets OLine. The Oline was being rebuilt and is still not finished. There is NO depth and had/has rookies, aging vets past their prime, mediocre and journeymen players at the other starting positions. McNeil on the otherhand was drafted onto one of the best Olines in the league. Filled with above average and pro-bowl calibur veterans, and extremely deep on the depth chart. They are completely different situations and illogical to make a direct comparison. If McNeil played on the Jets Oline, it is almost gauranteed he would have had a subpar year as well. And if Brick was on the Chargers Oline there would be no second guessing. Brick will get better, considering the line he is on, his run-blocking problems coming into the league and having to learn one of the hardest positions in football, a rough first year (irrelevent to where he was drafted) was to be expected. I think there will be a big improvement this year.
Dont think anyone wants to wait 3-4 years. I will give him this year to dominate some and just play solid against the stars. The learning curve is different in so many positions. Offensive line high picks usually develop pretty fast. This is the year. I agree, I will not wait 4 years for him to dominate his position.
IMO, If he's an 8-10 year solid starter at LT for us...he was well worth the # 4 pick...and all indications point to that being the case. He just hit the rookie wall around week 8....but at the beginning of the year, he was right behind Mangold as being our best lineman.
