Let me start by saying that I was all for signing Favre last season. He is one of my favorite players in the league and taking into account this past season, I still think it was the right move. Regardless of the team's collapse down the stretch, I think he was a major upgrade at the position considering what we had on the roster. This offseason there is going to be an infatuation with Ray Lewis. Yes, he still has some gas in the tank, but he's definitely on the downside of his career. We've all seen how quickly age can catch up with an NFL player. Oftentimes, the decline is rather sudden. In the best interest of the franchise, I think it would be prudent to find younger, cheaper guys that may be mainstays for years to come. Let's look at the Superbowl Champion Steelers, for example. James Harrison is a beast and had been thrown around the league for years. James Farrior, we all know where he came from. Over the years, there's been a bunch of guys who don't have success early in their career and then fall into the right system or right coaching situation and really blossom. There's no surprise that teams like the Steelers and Patriots are good year in and year out. They are great at scouting and locating talent. Ray Lewis would probably make our defense better next year, but I'd prefer someone that is going to make our defense better for the next 5 years. Just a thought...
i would be more inclined to agree with you if the ravens weren't showing any interest in the guy. but they saw him everyday this year and obviously think that he is going to be performing at an elite level for another few years. also as bad as the defense got down the stretch its not very far from being an elite unit. bring in a guy like ray who knows the system that we will now be running. light a fire under a few guys asses and its possible we have a top 5 defense next year.
Why the new thread? Anyway... Lewis is going to make the defense better for the next 5 years simply from the impact he will leave on the young guys on our defense. His leadership in the NFL is unmatched... he is the BEST defensive leader in the NFL, and in that way he will make a very strong impact, and will be worth it based on that fact alone, not even to mention that he will be an upgrade over Barton while he is here.
Aside from Ray rays play and knowledge of the defense that Rex is brining over, I would say his coaching would be very beneficial to our young LBer group... I'm all for brining him over here, I can't see anything but good things from a move like that. I mean if Rex Ryan and Ray ray can't turn Gholston into what we expected him to be then you know for sure the guy is a bust.
Don't get me wrong, I'll be pretty psyched if we landed him. I never really liked him, but he's a top tier LB and the thought of him and David Harris in the middle gives me a chubby. Our defense was actually an elite run defense, for 3/4 of the season, which is where Ray Lewis would help the most. He's not going to greatly improve our pass defense. As we've all pointed out before, we really need a top notch outside pass rusher, a CB opposite Revis, and a S to compliment Rhodes.
Top 5 wont happen when you don't have top 5 talent. Ray Lewis is long in the tooth and if we get him I'm afraid it is the same old Jets. How many more Ronnie Lotts, and Boomer Esiaisons do we need to pick up? Move on and get some young talent and teach your system to them. Yeah bring in a guy that knows your system, but DO NOT OVERPAY. The fact that we want Ray Lewis shows that we really don't know Football. Pick some Gems before they played for 10 years.
to be honest i think the defense needs a new attitude more than any of those things. i really wish we could see how much better the defense we had last year would be with ryan as the coach. but now we have the chance to make a few minor upgrades, and possibly one huge one. im gonna look for this defense to be very good next year.
Having Ray Ray playing ILB for the Jets would be like having another coach, but on the field....and he would produce. If Lewis wasn't producing at a high level still...then you would have a point. Unfortunetly, this thread is a failure.
Yeah, like Favre! :grin: On a more serious note, no one knows more than Ryan what Lewis has left. So if the Jets go ofter him I'm sure it's with his blessing.
I suppose...if you think it's worth 6 million for a player / coach. Like I said, I'd be psyched if we got him, I just don't think it's the right move in the long run.
depends what you consider "long run" is.....2 years for Lewis to me isn't a big deal. If we're talking "long run"...then Bart Scott/Terrell Suggs should be considered.
right, in the long run its never good to have high priced FAs... they are mostly for the stop gap purposes. But in this case with Lewis, its about bringing in a guy who knows the system, can bring players together, is an unquestioned leader, and has shown no signs of slowing down. He's an exponentially better signing than Favre is. The draft is extremely important, and I think that Tanny will continue to find guys who can be effective immediately. This is a guy who can make those rookies that much better. Ray loves being a mentor. Favre, not so much.
I agree that we need a new mindset on the D side of the ball, if not the entire team. However, let's look at our roster. If we signed Lewis and he stuck around for 2 years, how many of those guys are going to be around after that? Ellis? Jenkins? Barton? Bowens? Coleman? Hey, at this point if we were an elite team for 2 years, I'd fucking take it. I just want one SB. I'd like more, but one will suffice at this point. It would ALMOST make up for all the late-season collapses and broken hearts.
Gholston, Harris, Elam. Rhodes is 4 years in, so he can learn as well. If you are a good player, you never stop learning.
I agree with the general idea of this thread, but let's not forget that if we did get Lewis he would be replacing an aging vet with half the talent/leadership.
We need some good draftpicks! We are not ready to win Ray Lewis just takes up cap space. If that is the case Roll Lance Mehl back on the field!!!
