It doesn't necessarily have to be Brick. I hope it is too, but for some reason I think he will do well this year and REALLY blossom in his second year. Mangold is a guy I can see playing well day one.
I went with Mangold, I think he is most NFL-ready out of all of them and D'Brick might take some time to develop, especially with his run blocking. I think Eric Smith will surprise people too and be a very solid player.
I have a gut feeling Eric Smith will turn out to be a nice surprise.The pats always seemed to get good production from rookies in the secondary,the same could be true for us.
Definitely Mangold. He's in a position to succeed, because I think he has a lot more coverage for his mistakes on the inside. Not to mention that he's just overall more prepared to be a starter in the league than Ferguson is. Brick will struggle a bit at times this year, but overall have a solid season, I think the third best rookie on the team. Someone else will step up and be second, I figure Washington or Schlegel.
I'll go with the darkhorse and say Leon Washington. I'm not a fan of undersized backs but I can't ignore the success a lot have had. Runningback is a position that typically pays immediate dividends when utilized properly, and I think that if Mangini truly intends to platoon the backs, a hungry rookie could flourish where players accustomed to system run-blocking like Curtis might struggle. I love Curtis but we seriously need some youth injected into the game at that position.
Im actually gonna go with Eric Smith, believe it or not Ferguson and Mangold have a chance to be upper-echelon starters in the league but will likely experience their growing paing. Clemens is gonna have to ride the bench for a while. Schlegal's got his work cut out for him...hes gonna have to beat Barton at ILB, and I dont see that happening, not yet, at least. Washington will have a season like Houston did last season- since hes splittin time with 3 other players, he wont have a chance to make much of an impact. Finally, Brad Smith will be too busy learning the intricacies of the position to really have a shot at making an impact. So why Eric Smith? I think its clear that the organization lacks confidence in Coleman, and is looking for a replacement. Smith more fits the profile of the Rodney Harrison type that Mangini had in NE. I think he wins the job and starts. As an in-the-box safety, its quite possible he tallies up over 100 tackles, dont be surprised if he does.
There is no way the Jets trade Coleman he is a great Safety he will be the starter for this year and years after that. There is no way Smith will beat him out at Safety.
Just look at his numbers there is no way Smith will take his spot. Erik Coleman's Career Defensive Statistics Year Team GP GS Tackles Solo Sacks INT PD FF FR 2004 Jets 16 16 88 68 2 4 9 1 1 2005 Jets 16 16 121 84 0 2 9 0 0 Totals 32 32 210 153 2 6 18 1 1 Postseason Year Team GP GS Tackles Solo Sacks INT PD FF FR 2004 Jets 2 2 14 10 0 0 1 0 1 Career Special Teams Statistics Year Team Tackles Solo FF FR 2004 Jets 19 13 0 0 2005 Jets 11 6 0 0 Totals 30 19 0 0
thats pro bowl numbers if you ask me.... Eric smith is going to be in for kerry rhodes during running plays and he will play special teams nothing more. Colemen is one of the leaders of the DB's
