Yes, I like this much better. It gives us an extra opportunity to find a contributor this year. If we get lucky, we do get to keep the guy, and gain a potential upgrade next year. It is a much better deal than before. Actually, if Schmitt is still lurking in the early to mid third the pick we have along with the contingency is a tradable item. We could give up the forth with the '09 contingency for a third this year. Somebody could bite on this.
BradwaySux, I would just add that Westhoff is still going to be a consultant for the Jets. Hopefully, we need up with some of his crazy restaurant napkin coverage schemes!
Team captain calls the front office liars when it's convenient (2003) and saviors when it's helpful (2005). I discount.
Updated post to remove the Faneca signing, since it hasn't happened yet and the timing suggests it is in doubt.
Just checked this thread again. Surely it's about time we made some negative moves? How can it be a "balance" sheet with 90% of the entries on one side of the ledger?
Br4dw45ux, why have you not included the Vilma deal; we do get a 4th this year and possible upgraded pick next year. Damien Woody - while not a monster signing; he should still be included. Need to include the Fullback signing. Need to include the backup halfback signing. Need to include the Bubba signing.
None of those are positives at this point. Damien Woody got benched at RG last season by a lousy team. I don't see his addition to the Jets as a clear positive. He may prove that wrong but he has to go out and do that. Adding a 36 year old fullback is not a positive in any way. Bubba Franks is an often injured TE whose best days are long behind him. Adding him is not a positive in any way. I'm not going to address the Vilma deal until I actually see what we get out of it. A 4th round pick may turn out to be a useful player or it may not. At the moment all it is is a 4th round pick. I'm only adding things that are clearly positive or negative. That way I avoid making the mistake of hailing a signing like Justin McCareins or Mathew Hatchette as a positive when in fact it's just a roadblock to clearly resolving the problem.
I agree with most of this except the part on Tony Richardson. He WILL help our running game considerably. Last year, the Jets could not move the ball an inch when they needed to. Now, they are building for a power running attack, and those usually require power fullbacks. Lorenzo Neal AND Tony Richardson have been doing that for years, and continue to play at high levels even late into their career. We don't need another Richie Anderson here, we need a guy who is going to run through a hole in the line and absolutely DEMOLISH some linebacker. Tony is one of the few FBs in the league who can do that.
He is a 3 time pro bowler, his most recent selection LAST SEASON. Until we see a drop off in production I think it is safe to assume that this move is far from "not a positive in any way" and much closer to big positive. This is one of the moves that lacks all the sexiness but provides a heap of substance. Tony Richardson, Pro Bowler = clearly positive
Woody: Admittedly this is my least favorite signing. But I don't think he was lousy for the lions by any stretch of the imagination. He's been a solid interior lineman his entire career and I get the suspiscion that the guy next to him at RT in Detroit(george foster) who he soon after replaced..was more the culprit of poor play.However, I have reservations about his move to RT w/ his questionable height(6'3) and experience...but you cant argue w/ his track record as a solid lineman, he certainly adds depth and many have stated he played VERY well against some good teams at RT. To me, this move is def. a plus for the sole notion that he adds talented,versatile and experienced depth at a clear position of need Richardson: Perhaps long term it's not a clearcut good move due to Richardson's age. But let's face it: He's been successful everywhere he's gone and we've been looking for a good blocking FB ever since we let Sowell walk. Richardson is STILL the best in the NFL. Additionally, we maybe able to extend his career alittle longer as we only use a straight forward RB 40% of the time..while the rest of the time...we use a H-back type system, which Richardson will not be playing. You add in his quality, well documented leadership...and he's FAR from a negative transaction. Franks: C'mon now. The guy's coming in on a tryout basis to try and revive his career. He's a former 3 time pro bowl whose battled some injuries. Best case scenario he comes in and returns to his old form and gives us the Down field threat we need at that spot. Worst case: He doesnt make it out of TC....But most likeely is somewhere in the middle of the 2..which to me suggests a solid # 2 Te who can help in the short passing game as well as a blocker. This is a low risk, high reward type signing..and if you ask me, those are NEVER anything but a positive.
As to the Woody signing, I can understand the hesitation (especially considering the money involved), but there's no doubt he's an upgrade over Clement. Even if you don't consider the signing a positive, I'd give the releases of Clement and Adrian Clarke the "McCareins treatment" on the balance sheet.
Well, if depends on what you mean by positive. You expect MAJOR impact good or bad. Agreed. Woody is about the only move I just don't like this offseason, but I know very little about the guy. Yea...no. He's a top blocker at the position, he's been in many different offenses in his career and has to be able to give some input, and it's a one year deal on the cheap. It's a positive gain. It's not exactly a negative either. It's not like we're loaded at the position, and it doesn't exactly seem like we're banking on him for much/anything. Good idea, but it seems so...safe.
Ok, I got my answer. I hope our 1st and second round picks in the draft are positive. What if we did a deal with Denver for their 3rd rounder giving DROb and a 4th; would that be positive?
He's 36 years old. That makes him probably 50/50 not to make it out of camp. If you've ever been 35 or 36 or 37 you understand how quickly physical skills deterioriate once you get into that range. You become a lot more brittle seemingly overnight and things that used to be a snap are now an effort. There's a reason you rarely hear about a 37 or 38 year old player retiring: 35 and 36 sweep the board ahead of time.
In order to simplify the comparison, lets just say are the individual moves, considering the players or coaches they replaced an improvement, or a step back. Westhoff for O'Dea has to be considered a negative. Westhoff was a legend. O'Dea has to prove himself yet Callahan for Wise.........Wise did a bad job in Miami where the OL was one of the worst in the league, and he did a bad job with the Jets. IF nothing else Callahan is an improvement by default. I think he is going to be an excellent OL coach. Feneca........15 years from now when Feneca is long retired he will still be a better player then Clarke was last year. Jenkins........This is one of my favorite moves, and I think it will have a major impact on the Jets D. Jenkins was built for the 3-4, has never played in it but is very excited to play in NY. I think this is going to be a major move. Pace............I think he is well over paid, but he is unquestionably an improvement. We will have to see if he earns his money. Woody..........I believe Woody, when all is said and done will be playing RG, and a RT will be taken in the draft. I believe Woody got a bad rap last year. He injured his foot in 06 ballooned up to 400 +- pounds lost his RG spot. Lost the weight and came back in to play RT, and played well. I think he will be at RG next year, and play well. Richardson.........Yeah the guys 36, he was also at the Pro Bowl this season. Who was the Jets fullback last year? One year contract, an upgrade Franks........Loved this guy coming out, and he was a good one. Clearly he isn't playing at the same level he was a few years ago, and is off his worst season, but is still a good blocking TE, and will be a very nice target in the Red Zone. I think he makes the team and will contribute. Vilma........This is my hardest one. I'm a Canes fan, and loved Vilma as a Jet. Problem is he just doesn't fit the system, and hasn't played well in two years. Will he be worth more then a 4th? Sure will, but this is a very odd trade. As pointed out the 4th is conditional, and will probably turn into a 3rd next season. One of the conditions of the trade is, that they are able to sign him to a contract. If they can't, the Jets still get this years 4th, and Vilma will be a free agent. In theory he could resign with the Jets. Won't happen of course, but it could. As much as I hate to see Vilma go still have to give the deal a + All in all an excellent off season so far.
