I obviously making an assumption here but there seem to be a lot more people talking about "give them time" and "you can't judge these guys just yet" then years in the past. While I'm not upset with this draft the later round picks for the most part leave me scratching my head a bit. I am willing to give them a chance and see what happens but my question to everyone is.... What would you be saying about the draft if the previous regime made these very same picks? My take is there would be a ton more people calling for their head saying that we reached way too much. Granted like I said I'm making an assumption here but I'm judging it based on my past experiences with this board the last few drafts. I also actually believe TB was very good at finding value in the late rounds but his biggest issues were with the top picks though I don't think he was as bad as some make him out to be. Anyway, I apologize for bringing up the past but thought it would be an interesting question to ask.
Regardless of whether they agree with the plan, people know that Tannenbaum and Mangini are operating with a clear strategy and technique for rebuilding the Jets, and they know they won't be tempted away from following that plan. Whatever you want to say about Bradway and Herman Edwards, it's clear they rarely if ever operated with a plan. These gentlemen are, rightfully, being given a chance to build a track record.
I still think Bradway made mostly good moves. His biggest problem was that he liked to open the checkbook, at the expense of further development. He is a great talent evaluator, but he is not a GM. These guys, like Absentia said, are getting the benefit of the doubt right now. Do they deserve it? I don't know. I guess we will be able to answer that question in around 24 months. Right now, I have my faith in them diminished. I don't like a lot of what has been done, but I am a Jets fan, and I will root just as hard and hope this regime's plan works.
I gave Bradway 2001 and 2002 complete before I formed the opinion of him that I then held onto until the Jet's collapsed and he was relieved of his GM duties. If he had made the same draft that Tannenbaum and Mangini made yesterday I would have given him kudos on the first 3 picks and complained that he reached on the rest of the draft. This would be because I had seen him reach previously in multiple drafts for talent that was just not there. I'm giving Tannenbaum and Mangini the benefit of the doubt on the later picks because they established credibiilty with me earlier in the offseason with some of their moves and I like their first 3 picks yesterday. I wasn't sure about Clemens in the 3rd round but but having reviewed the scouting on him I think he was good value 53. And I love the 2nd round pick next year. If it turns out that this regime doesn't understand talent that will become clear along about the end of 2007 and I'll change my opinion of them then. For now they get the same benefit of the doubt that I gave Bradway even after his first round picks were Santana Moss instead of Casey Hampton and Bryan Thomas instead of Ed Reed. Note BTW that if the Jets just stood pat in 2001 and took Casey Hampton there would have been no "move Shaun Ellis to DT" silliness the following year and no draft of Bryan Thomas. Trading 3 freaking picks to move up 3 slots for a smurf should have told all of us at once that Bradway was a faker.
I have no problem with giving them the benefit of the doubt but my point is more that it's OK for people to question this later round picks if they are concerned about value. Now nobody should go as far as saying Tangini should go but if you judge everyone by the same standards this draft wasn't necessarily a great one. Funny you mention the offseason, I sort of thought the same thing applies there. We brought it mid-level FAs just like we normally do yet when this FO did it, people seemed to applaud the moves when they would've complained the year before. That being said, I realize that many people were tired of the song and dance from Herm and this regime is very different in their approach in some respects. I can see how this would give some people hope but I don't agree that the previous regime didn't have a plan. In fact, many things that this regime has said were said by the previous regime. Same approach of "team first" players and smart players with high characted. Just seems to me that people hear the words differently when it comes from someone they like or someone they are willing to give a chance because they haven't grown tired of them.
Don't know how much sense my above response made. Like I said I didn't dislike the draft per se, just find it funny how people's perceptions of those making the moves change their evaluation of the results. No matter who's making the decisions I hope people would give the FO the benefit of the doubt but by that I don't mean not to question the moves they dislike, just not getting carried away when they don't agree.
Personally, Im reacting to this the same way I react every year. The top picks, Ive seen them all play,I know enough about them to like the picks, thats up to and including Clemons. The rest of them I know nothing about. Some of them sound better than others (I like the Shlegel pick, not sure about the Eric Smith pick, seems like the obligatory one middle round safety per year with these scouts), but I think its presumptuous to say, before ever having seen these guys play, that the front office screwed up. Saying that is implying that without having seen them play, your better suited than the front office to know what theyre worth, and guess what, your not. What I feel I can say is this. Ferguson and Mangold are going to be playing at a high level for this team for years to come, and they both fill huge positions of need for us. Clemons was the perfect answer at quarterback for the Jets, because he has the ability to play this year should it be necessary, he has lots of long term potential, and more importantly, as a second round player he is very tradable. If Pennington pulls off a comeback, we can trade Clemons, and no harm done. If Pennington doesnt, weve got Clemons around. Shlegel sounds like a solid addition to me, hard worker, tough guy, adds a run stuffing presence to the ILB position. Ill be honest, the highlights they showed of him seem to go against all the scouting reports of him that he didnt have any speed. Leon Washington is a serviceable back, solid addition to the team as well. The rest of these players, I dont know them. All I can add is that this seventh round tackle sounds like hes got the potential to be part of the answer at NT.
We all wanted the BIG NAME PLAYERS (Leinart,Bush,Williams,Hawk,Young) Instead we got the NO NAME PLAYERS.All we can do is give it a chance.Regardless of who they picked i still need to report to work in the morning.My season tickets are paid for.I am a Jet fan regardless of who they drafted.Because this is america i can bitch moan and complain all i want to if i did not like the draft but it wont change a goddamn thing.
If Bradway made this draft he would have to have moved his family to a hotel and sold his house. After such a draft I doubt it would have ever have been safe for him to go home again. People would be rioting here on the boards for his head. Just as they would have gone off on him if he had released Mawae without attempting to trade him or had only accumulated backups in the free agent period. It really does not matter if the moves are right or wrong after a certain period of time people here will hate everything the FO or CS does. The new guys are in their honeymoon period and will get a lot more leeway than anyone who has been here awhile.
Matt Leinart will provide any 'grade' for this draft within two years. If he pulls a Roethlisberger, Mangini and Tannenbaum will be run out of town by the media and deservedly so. If Leinart pulls a Ryan Leaf, they will get an 'A'+ from the media. QB's may be high risk to take in the first round but don't think OT's are cant'-miss safe picks. The last three OT's taken as high as Ferguson in the draft were Robert Gallery (2nd overall), Mike Williams (4th overall) and Leonard Davis (2nd overall).
As I stated above I think Bradway would have gotten kudos for the first two picks and then a bunch of people annoyed at the later rounds. That's mainly because he got so little value out of the later rounds in 2 of the preceding 3 drafts. I think any potential rioting would have been more related to the "why the hell are we a bad team now?" question than any specific thing that happened in the 2006 draft. New guys always get the benefit of the doubt unless they're just flat out stupid. That's just the way things work. Successful people get a lot of credit regardless of how long they have been with the organization. You didn't see any Steelers fans calling for Cowher's head going into the 2004 season mainly because he's been very successful over a period of years. Bradway got very little leeway because the Jet's record over the previous 3 years was 20-28. That's a fact. Lot of teams have injuries and manage to maintain a reasonable record despite them. The Jets kept curling up in the fetal position and whimpering every time that Chad went down. That's because there was not enough talent around him to hold together in his absence.
I personally would say the same thing no matter who is in charge you can't judge who they pick yet without seeing how they do in action on our team
Tangini had to do what was necessary; even if it was to the dismay of the fans. We will have an amazing O-line for years to come. Just look at what Kansas City, Denver, Seattle, and Pittsburg have. They can stick any running back behind their lines, and the running back will have 1000+ yards. We have set the foundation for a good team. Now we just need to develop and add a weapon in the near future.
Leinart was passed up by 9 teams....even the Titans... Leinart=Bosworth..... He will be making a SNL movie with Tina Fey in 5 years...
Bradway and Herm talked the character game but look who they brought in. The difference is Bradway and Herm thought preacher Herm could turn players who lacked character into character guys. Did they move Abe when he clearly had a problem, no? They brought in Robinson who gets caught with an assault weapon in his car at the stadium after 9/11. They acquired Josh Evans who was suspended for drug use. The difference is Bradway and Herm talked the character game but they didn't actually draft and bring in Character guys because the preacher could turn a thug into a character guy. Speaking of the Character of the last regime, how about the way Herm used the media to extract himself from a contract? I give him credit for being pretty smart but where was the character in that and leaking information to the press to the determent of our team?
hmm. That IS an interesting question. Too be honest with you my initial reaction was that we had a horrible 3rd round. I didn't know the guys we drafted and when we found out about them I didn't understand why we passed on other potential picks for them. My initial reaction was positive for every other round, so I thought our FO did an above average job. Now all we can do is wait and look back at this draft as seasons pass to see if these guys develop into the real deal. Being an optimist, I think Mangini will cultivate our young players instead of letting them rot on the bench b/c there not veterans(a novel idea). Having open competition to decide who plays is great as well, let everyone earn there spot. Overall I like the draft, given the fact that we needed to help our Oline, draft some high intensity guys for ST and to groom, pick up a qb that could eventually be our starter, drafted our 'slash' type wr....etc. Now all we can do is wait to see how thing's pan out.
Yesterdays draft including the scratch your head late round picks were in large part the result of Bradway and Herms neglect for the OL and for tough Charachter guys in the middle of the D and in the locker room. After having 24 hours to digest the Schlegel pick, I realize exactly why we took this guy and why it makes total sense. We have a very talented D but if you look at our D it is a lazy Defense. D'Rob and Ellis are both lazy at times. Pouha has a low motor, Hobson is a guy who disappears at times. Barrett is a complete mystery and Miller is a totally undisciplined talent. Schlegel is a guy who is big, makes every tackle will take on OL and free up Vilma to make plays. He will also be a leader of this team that desperately needs one. Herm ran a country club here and it caught up to this team on both sides of the ball last year. We need a few high motor guys who are going to work hard and set an example for guys like D'Rob, Justin Miller and Shawn Ellis. Schlegel is viewed as that guy plus he helps fill a need, a big interior LB who makes tackles and takes on blockers. And he adds something else which our D lacked when Barton went out, vicious hits.
While I do not choose to be a excuse maker for DeW I also have a degenerate knee condition & it is completely normal for his play to go down from week to week or for taking off a play here & there when he feels that deep ache & feeling of swelling in the knee. Bradway & Herm surely screwed this pick up when they did not do there homework or knew he had a aching knee but drafted him anyway
