not really sounds just like Chad needing great defense and a great run game to succeed. if vilma was truly a great 3-4 LB hed make plays, meanwhile thomas, barton, and even hobson get more attention due to their play. i love vilma but blaming everything on robertson doesnt mean vilma fits in the 3-4. the reason people are talking trade is because high quality NT's are nearly impossible to find. "lets just wait till we can surround vilma with 2 or 3 great players" thats the general attitude people are taking. im sorry if harris looks as half as good come regular season as he does in preseason. hes already proven a better fit in the 3-4 than vilma. vilma is probably my favorite player on the team, but fact of the matter is I think if Mangini is cemented into the 3-4 which he obviously is. vilma's trade value far outweighs his play. in all reality I think we should give him one last yr at least a second yr in the 3-4 before we come to a final conclusion. then again another lackluster yr in the 3-4 would only hurt his trade value. pick your poison.
Vilma would do fine, possibly even great, in this defense with a bigger NT. What we really need to do is get a big NT (over 325-330 at least), move Robertson to DE (perfect size and ability level there) and put Harris in as the other ILB. If you look at the San Diego Chargers, they made their defense work with Donnie Edwards (who is actually thinner than Vilma). The reason was because they had a huge NT to take up blockers, plus another big ILB next to Edwards. This allowed Edwards to roam free and make plays, as he racked up over 130 tackles a year in their 3-4. The last 2 years the Chargers have had Randall Godfrey as their other ILB. He is a very physical ILB, and actually about the same exact size of Harris. Godfrey did not rack up as many tackles as Edwards, because his job was different. He still got a lot of tackles, but not as much as a 4-3 MLB would get, because his job is to take on blockers. Barton doesn't cut it in there because he is used to being a 4-3 OLB, rushing the QB and running around, not taking on blockers. Barton is fine for now, and had an OK year, but he didn't do his job as the other physical ILB very well, just average. People say he was good last year because he got a lot of tackles and was around the ball, but his job as that "other" ILB is take on blockers. That left Vilma out to dry and he had to take on a lot of blockers, which with his size, he couldn't do, leading to his decline last year. If we groom Harris into a true 3-4 ILB and get a huge NT, this will allow Vilma to run free as he used to and be a great LB in the future. Although this may take a year or two to do. EDIT: This year the Chargers have a thin Stephen Copper (only 6-1, 235) as one of their starting ILB. But next to him is a very physical ILB, Matt Wilhelm (6-4, 245 ... the size of Godfrey and Harris).
nah im just bored at work. and the only reason im taking a critical look at vilma like this is cause I dont understand people who baulk at the idea of trading him. id love to keep him but i dont expect the jets to get a prototype NT anytime soon. Vilma is superb in pass coverage thats a good reason to keep him. I'll give him another year before I whole heartedly think he cant be a playmaker in the 3-4.
If you want to trade Vilma, why not for a talented OLB who could pressure the QB every down. Hobson would replace Vilma inside. By the way, I think Vilma will at least another season with the Jets.
Lawrence Taylor was a 255 lb monster of a linebacker for his time with 4.4 speed. He was recruited as a defensive end in college and converted to linebacker when UNC realized they had a game-changing prospect on their hands. For Vilma to be the 2007 equivalent of Lawrence Taylor in 1981 he'd need to be about 270-275 with 4.4 speed. Vilma just isn't a fit as a 3-4 linebacker. He doesn't have the size, personality or impact for the position. In order for Vilma to be a fit in the Jets defense they need to move him to strong safety. If he could play that position well then he'd bring a real impact to the 3-4. The strong safety in a 3-4 is the closest approximation to the responsibilities of a free-ranging MLB in a 4-3.
Nothing more annoying than having your original thread merged. This site is WAY too merge happy. To make matters worse, my title is changed...
The thread title says trade ideas. It's just that an idea. If the title read "Trades That You Have Seen in This Point in the Preseason", I wouldn't have posted the trade "idea" I did because it's "ridiculous".
My idea was ridiculous, but yours is actually very realistic at this point in the preseason. Thanks for showing me the way. You should quit your posting, and work on becoming a GM. That what truly impressive.
Can someone point me to the "Vilma Trade Ideas" thread? Somewhere I made a wrong turn and ended up on the "Vilma Trades That Have a Chance of Happening in This Point of the Preseason " thread, where I am completely over my head?
