I just watched his amazing game vs. the Rams in 2004. The game that had his sensational pick 6. He was just a rookie then........... :sad: Anyway, I love Mangini and don't mind that we switched to a 3-4 now that the pieces are coming together, but it is a shame we lost #51 because of it. I have never had a second favorite team in my life, but I think I will cheer for the Saints defense atleast this year. If healthy, Vilma will be the steal of the offseason with ease. And I think he will be healthy.
I am not sure if its to soon to miss him or if Harris just wiped him from my memory. But I dont miss him....yet?
I remember the era of Pat Swilling, Rickey Jackson and Sam Mills. I loved the Saints D then. Not saying they're gonna have an insane D this year, but I can get behind rooting for them. Plus, they have cool unis. I got the guy in my screen name, I can't just forget about him.
He didn't fit the Tangini system. He will be missed when he makes the pro bowl this year if he stays healthy. Hopefully Harris will make us forget him.
Vilma was the man though, he just did not fit in the 3-4. No doubt David Harris played great last year, but I will still miss Vilma and his dominance in a 4-3.
Had he been a Jet his entire career I think he would have been looked at as one of the best jets of all time and respected like #28. With that being said I think we'll all miss him dearly and atleast most of us will be semi-rooting for the Saints this year.
no, i dont miss him yet, if harris does what he did last year, i definatly wont miss him, even if he makes the pro bowl
I don't miss him at all. he did not fit in with our D and struggled to do much of anything in it. I hope he has a great year in NO so we get the highest possible pick for him.
Whats your point? Everyone knows that he didn't fit. I guess I mean think about if the team didn't switch and Vilma could be the same Vilma he used to be. 2004: Defensive Rookie of the Year 2005: Pro Bowler 2006: Mangini Era Began 2007: Vilma waves good bye. 2008: Vilma back on track, atleast I would think so. Lets not forget that Vilma was not the only person playing out of position in Mangini's defense. Basically the entire front was out of position too (no nose tackle to eat up blockers for Vilma), which caused Vilma's play to slip. It can't all be on Vilma.
I still stand by my thought that if we held onto Vilma this one more year, combining him with Harris on the inside plus Gholston, Pace, BT, Barton, and Bowens rushing from the outside. Plus you have Barton to rotate on the inside as well. I really think that we would have been looking at our best LB corp in Jets History...
I never disliked Vilma, but I never got attached to him and was glad to see him leave. We need picks and he didn't fit our defense. He should do fine in New Orleans. Kerry Rhodes has been my favorite Jet since his rookie season.
agreed, Harris has helped me forget him; although I do miss hearing about his work ethic and how dedicated he is. however, i'll rooting hard for Vilma for 2 reasons (other than the obvious reason bc he deserves it): 1. we can get a R2 pick if he performs well 2. Champ can be proven wrong and will have nothing to say
Nope.... I LOVE Harris... And I certainly won't miss all the whining and excuses of how everyone around Vilma needs to clear out so he can makes the plays. Wish him the best so we get a better pick.
In all fairness to Vilma, behind a playing-out-of-position lightweight NT like DeWayne Robertson, Vilma never had a chance. When the D-Line got shoved off the LOS most of the time, Vilma's techniques and lighter weight made his job very difficult. It would have been interesting to keep Vilma and see how he would have fared behind our present D-Line (especially with Jenkins replacing Robertson), but alas, we needed to do what we had to do to bring in others. This had to be a VERY dificult decision for Tangini and I'm sure one of the most difficult things to tell Vilma to his face that he's leaving. That being said, we can all wish him the best and hope we get that 2nd Rounder for him. That will be immense compensation for someone who has basically been replaced by talent that better suits the 3-4.
Vilma was/is a great player and thru no fault of his own, the defensive system Vilma played under was wiped clean. Vilma always took the high road and didn't create waves....Class act. I wish all the best for Vilma and hope he has a Pro-Bowl year in New Orleans. You can agree or disagree, IMO the Jets were a much better defensive team in the 4-3......this year is going to be a make or break year for Mangini.....he now has most of the pieces for his 3-4 in place......time to produce.
