This is my off season mock/plan whatever you want to call it. I have looked at all our positions and evaluated it based on my opinion. For every move i have noted i have given reasoning and explanation. I have also given my opinion on the draft and what areas i wish us to focus on. I expect constructive criticism and some good feedback too! Iv tried my best not to be biased and not expecting us to sign every FA out there and draft A.Luck at 16 so i hope you enjoy reading... Players that need to be cut or not resigned: Matthew Mulligan- The most frustrating player to watch, i hate it when he trots on the field and is a penalty machine. He has to be the first player let go. Eric Smith- I feel in this day in age of pass happy teams to have a safety who cant cover is an act of stupidity. Eric is slow and has no range he should be let go, good special teams player but not good enough in my opinion for this roster. Jim Leonhard- I like Jim but his two injuries have put some doubt in my mind, even when he was okay to play we didn't stop tight ends so a complete overhaul needs to be made. Serviceable player and good man but we need to be more domineering at safety. Bryan Thomas- He could come back for a vet min deal but other than that he needs to be replaced. He wouldn't start and doesn't give us any real pass rush. Still don't forgive him for being selected instead of Ed Reed. Plaxico Burress- I like Plax alot but apart from inside the redzone he doesn't give us much, we need to create separation and big plays and unfortunately at this point in his career he cant do that. We need fresh blood with speed, loved having him this year though. Bilal Powell- This looks a shocker of a pick by Mike T, he looked so tentative with the ball from what i saw. Id put him on the PS and let him learn for a year. If hes picked up by someone so be it! LaDainian Tomlinson- I actually had to change this move after his outburst the other week, i don't feel he can come back after airing his views on national TV. He could possibly retire also. Wayne Hunter- It would of been nice if he played this year like he did when he filled in for Woody in 2010 but unfortunately he proved to everyone that hes a backup and thats it. Therefore he should be payed like a backup, he and his agent know that no team will touch him after last season so he should agree to a big decrease in wages. If not he should be cut! Current players: I for one think we have a potentially solid core with good role players and some encouraging youth in key areas, however i know as we all do that some big changes need to be made so id start with restructuring a few contracts: Bart Scott- There is talk of him being released but i feel with a reduced wage that fits his talent level from last year he could continue to be a defensive leader and work well next to Harris. Id draft a young replacement for him in the draft (which il discuss later) but i believe he can continue to start and contribute next season. Mark Sanchez- If he knows what is good for him he should agree to a drop in cap space, he has proven so far he’s not a top flight QB so shouldn’t be paid like one. I expect him to take a pay cut in order to sign some quality free agents. Players that should be resigned Aaron Maybin- A real bright spot to the season, i was devastated when we cut him after preseason and im glad he was resigned and played a nice role in the defense. Loved his enthusiasm, speed and motor. Hes a good role player that can rush the passer on a consistent basis. Most people say his sacks total wasn't incredibly high but he rushed quarterbacks into incompletions which doesn't always so itself on the stat sheet. Sione Pouha- Really underrated as he clogs up the middle really well. Even though our defense wasn't as good against the run this year the big plays that were made against us were to the outside not through the middle so he should get a new 2/3 year deal. Free Agent acquisitions I feel that we need a few good free agents added to a nice draft to take us right back deep into the playoffs, although these signings might not all come to fruition it’s in my opinion the moves we need to make. I haven't included Payton Manning in this mock offseason as I don’t think we will get him. If he’s healthy and released I would jump at getting him quicker than anything but I wouldn't trade a couple of 1st round picks which seem to be the asking price for him. Here is the more realistic player’s id sign: Jason Campbell- He will not be that sought after because of his injury and as Oakland gave up all those picks for Palmer he wont be resigned there. I think a 1/2 year deal will be fair, he can push Sanchez and gives us an option if things don't pan out with Mark. Hes got a big arm and is mobile, he would be a great backup and potential stop gap starter. Jason Smith- All signs point to him being cut by the Rams. He was a 1st round pick only a couple of years ago but hasn't transcended to left tackle as the Rams thought he would. He would be a great pick up in my opinion and put him in at right tackle and give us a great pair of bookend tackles. If hes not cut which would be very surprising after reading several stories that he will be id sign Levi Brown. Hes another high drafted young player that hasn't played well on the left side of the o-line. He would play right tackle for us and hopefully replica his form when the Cards went the Superbowl with him at RT before the switch. LaRon Landry- Hes coming off an injury so i think his market value will be hurt, that will help us and i feel with his combination of size and speed can help us cover tight ends and give us more physicality at the safety position. If hes not available id look to sign Tyvon Branch, hes another hard hitting safety with good size and speed. Hes a more cost effective option than Landry but still a quality player. Michael Griffin- By getting both LaRon and Griffin we sure up our safety positions and go from a weakness in our defense to a real positive. He is again fast and physical so should do well in our D, he has an eye for the football too so I can see him getting 5+ picks for us. The only negative is his consistency but if he played to his level each and every game he wouldn’t be on the market. A cheaper alternative would be Reggie Nelson. Ben Grubbs- I know everyone wants Nicks but we can’t afford him but I think Grubbs would be a fantastic player for us; he’s a dominant pass protector and can move people when running the ball. This would be a bit of a luxury pick as Slousan is serviceable but I think if possible this pick would help the o-line regain its status as a top talent in the league. Vincent Jackson- Id make him a key free agent target as (you will see later) I think we will trade Santonio after all the drama this year, he’s a big target with speed and great hands. We won’t have to pay him as much as we did for Tone because there are so many top wide receivers on the market this year. John Carlson- He would be great opposite Keller as he’s a good blocker and got great hands, we can actually play more no-huddle with both tight ends like the patriots and split DK wide if need be. Players that should be traded: Santonio Holmes- He was my favourite player in 2010 but all signs point to him becoming an ex jet. He’s just entering his prime and it’s a shame he won’t be here, I think a team with a quality quarterback will give us a 2/3rd round pick. He is a good teammate if he gets his catches!! Calvin Pace- We need to get younger at outside line-backer and while he still has decent trade value I think we should pull the trigger. A team like the Cardinals who need a good veteran on a young defence should give us a 5th rounder in my opinion. Shonne Greene- I would only trade Greene after the draft as the player I have us selecting would take over Greene’s starting role. The Colts would give us a 3rd round pick as they need a hard nose runner with Luck taking over at quarterback. (Obviously if we got Manning we would trade Sanchez but as I don’t see us getting him so we will clearly keep Mark.)
Continued.. 2012 NFl Draft 16th Pick: Trent Richardson(running back)- I see the draft panning out to give us an opportunity to draft a top 3 player with an upside as good as any running back in the league. He would give us a power running game but with great speed and he’s improved massively catching the ball out the backfield. He would set this franchise up for the next eight years with this pick. I would then trade our 2nd, next years 3rd and the pick from the Jags for Lowery to jump up to the top of round two and draft Whitney Mercilus(outside linebacker). I see him sliding on draft day with the likes of Perry, Upshaw and Ingram getting selected ahead of him. He would be a fantastic fit for our olb spot and start from day 1. I love the idea of getting him here as he’s big enough to stop the run but has the best reactions of any other prospect in his position. He can rush the passer and finally give us a stud linebacker. Being compared to JPP. 49th pick (from Chargers for Holmes) Zach Brown(outside linebacker).- Even though people will disagree going olb with two second round picks I think Brown gives us an instant pass rush. His 40 time is projected in the mid 4.4’s so he brings great speed of the edge and can cover tight ends and slot receivers. 65th pick (from Indy) Dwight Jones(wide receiver)- He is the replacement for Plaxico as he has great size even better hands but can also stretch the field. He’s projected to go in the 3rd round so if we use the pick from Greene we could snatch him here. He’s another that would go straight into the line-up on day 1. 78th pick: LaMichael James(running back)- We need more home run threats and he is certainly one of those players. He’s like a Darren Sproles type player so although going in the third is a bit of a stretch I think he will be worth it. 108th pick: Nigel Bradham(middle linebacker)- He will become a dominant defensive player in the future, he’s a good hitter with exceptional speed. Big and fast enough to cover tight ends also. He would probably take over from Bart Scott mid-way through the season. 143rd pick: Alameda Ta''amu(defensive end/defensive tackle) Hes 6’3 and over 330 pounds so can be used as a big run stuffer next to Sione as Devito got hurt last year and our depth was exposed a little. 146th pick: Jarius Wright(wide receiver) Great value pick here as he transcends to the NFL like Antonio Brown, unbelievable speed and quickness who has so much potential. I think he’s a sleeper much like JK last year. 177th pick: Darron Thomas(quarterback) Bit of a reach as he’s projected to be a 7th rounder, but hes won many games for Oregon and would be abit of a wild card type quarterback. He runs a 4.5 so people expect him to switch to wide receiver but I think he would develop into a poor man’s Michael Vick type! With our supplemental picks id actually sign a kicker and a punter!!! I would take Bryan Anger as our new punter and Carson Wiggs as our kicker. Both are projected the strongest players in each category. Final Depth Charts: Quarterback: Sanchez/Campbell/McElroy/Thomas Running Back: Richardson/James/McKnight Full Back: Connor/Baker Tight End: Keller/Carlson/Cumberland Wide Receiver: Jackson/Jones/Kerley/Wright/Turner Left Tackle: Ferguson/Landolt Left Guard: Grubbs/Slauson Centre: Mangold/Turner Right Guard: Moore/Schlauderaff Right Tackle: Smith/Ducasse Defensive End: Wilkerson/Dixon/Pitoitua Defensive Tackle: Pouha/Ellis/Taamu Defensive End: Devito/Taamu/Pitoitua Left Outside Linebacker: Mercilus/Westerman/Jones Middle Linebacker: Harris/Scott/Bradham/Mauga Right Outside Linebacker: Brown/Maybin/Sapp Cornerback: Revis/Cromartie/Wilson/Cole Free Saftey: Griffin/Pool Strong Safety: Landry/Wilson
Richardson @ 16, Merciless in the 2nd ? Trading Holmes ? Getting a pick for Paces bloated contract? Im not sure what youre smoking but this is looking absurdly unrealistically optimistic
The format makes me angry, the personnel moves make me laugh. I would love to go into specific detail, but the previously mentioned emotions prevent me from doing so...
The OP is a fail because I see no Braylon Edwards among his FA acquisitions section. Shame on him. :wink: BTW, that was pretty hard to read. man.....
I would love this offseason Richardson and James in the backfield is amazing. We wouldn't even need a QB with that tandem. Sanchez does get weapons though with Jackson, Wright and Jones. We get rid of a cancer in the locker room and we get improved depth and youth. Also i like taking care of the OL in FA but wouldn't mind a OL in the draft also if things don't pan out with our new lineman and get younger. Mercilus, Brown and Bradham give us an immediate better pass ruch and overall defense and youth. I love this offseason!
There is no way we can afford Landry and Griffin. On top of that Campbell will demand a bit of money or possibly a starting job else where. And on top of adding Vincent Jackson to a list of Landry, Griffin and him? We don't have much cap space to work with unlike the Patriots.
Our cap space is basically the same as the Pats once they resign their own + deal with dead money issues
The Jets are going to sign 7 relatively high profile free agents????? I don't think so. I'd be happy with a RT and a safety ( and a back up QB who is not on the verge of collecting social security). And the smart money in the NFL has gotten away from drafting RBs in the first round. RB is an easy position to fill and teams are going to RB by committee. There is no need to use a high draft pick and spend so much money on a position that can be filled cheaply.
Appreciate the effort. You wrote a fucking done. I dont really agree with some of the moves you made in the off season, there is no way that it would fit into our cap room and where you drafted players is way off I'm value. Like I said I appreciate the effort since you wrote so damn much but you really need to work on things.
good effort. I never would have typed that shit out. However....why I would love to see this I dont see it happening. Thats a SHIT load of big free agents. Plus if we got VJ....I give him 2 weeks before he turns into a whiny asshole...a la Holmes... When you go from Rivers...to Sanchez...that would fucking bum me out. And...as everyone else has said. I dont ever see Tanny going RB in the first round. Its been proven in this league over and over...a decent line can make any sub par pile of shit a 1000 yd back.
The issue isnt Tanny going RB in the 1st, its Richardson never making it to 16. If Richardson is available @ 16 for some insane reason and we didnt take him id be heartbroken especially if a big name OLB isnt available. That said the odds of him being that are quite slim, and hes the only RB imo that we can even remotely consider taking @ 16
This seems like a wish list... Half of these acquisitions cant even be done because of the cap situation. Its just not realistic in any way, shape or form. We would be lucky to sign Michael Griffin and Ben Grubbs let alone everyone else on here.
We're only going to sign Landry, Griffin, Grubbs, Brown, Jackson, Carlson and Campbell? What a joke, fire Tanny if he only signs 7 high priced FAs.
1. So my bit of wisdom didn't quite get to you, which is a tragedy. Remember: building your team through free agency is the most trodden sure-fire way to get to the mediocrity and fade into obscurity, especially in a hard-cap environment that is NFL. Jets squad as it stands include too many free agents already - and you are trying to add more? Good riddance, son! 2. Trading Bart Scott/Calvin Pace/Santonio Holmes is a sensible effort on your part. Now... find the partner who will let you ass rape him till he bleeds. Then we shall talk. 3. Restructuring the contract of Sanchez is indeed a sensible idea - I agree with that move too. 4. RB in 1st round is a big no-no, especially when the squad is depleted all around. 5. Trading picks away is again, NO-NO. Good effort, but your thinking leaves a lot of room for improvement.
I really appreciate the level of detail in this, and I actually did enjoy reading it. I do agree that that list of Free Agents is too much for our cap space, I know that Holmes' and Pace's contracts being gone would open some space but not that much space. I do think Sanchez will restructure/lower his contract with would add a little space. Also, I am quite sure that Holmes will not be traded, because of what Woody has said and also if they can make him happy again, he is worth much more than anything we could get in a trade. I also don't think we would trade Pace for two reasons. One, we wouldn't do it before the draft due to uncertainty of being able to properly fill his position the way you have described. Two, no team would take him with the huge contract he has, so if (and only if) we actually got the kind of OLB depth you are talking about, we would likely release him. I also doubt the Ben Grubbs signing, because he is also too expensive, and I think Slauson will probably be starting next year since the only way to get someone significantly better than him without breaking bank is through the draft, and since we have more pressing needs than LG we definitely won't break the bank to replace him. I would like one of our FA acquisitions to be LaRon Landry, an RT, and a WR. Unfortunately Smith stays unless we can get a steal safety in the draft. This is one of the most deep years I can think of in WRs because (according to the list I'm looking at) Wes Welker, Dwayne Bowe, Marques Colston, Vincent Jackson, Stevie Johnson, DeSean Jackson, Reggie Wayne, Brandon Lloyd, Laurent Robinson, and Robert Meachem are all FAs, not too mention the WR depth in the draft with Justin Blackon, Alshon Jeffrey, and Michael Floyd all likely going in the first round. With Holmes still here, we can't break bank on a WR either but especially with Braylon Edwards in the mix we can find someone who is much better than Plax for a good price. Also don't forget we have Patrick Turner, the 6'5 receiver who played college ball with Sanchez and has shown some promise as our future red zone threat. I'm not as sure about RT, I think Kareem McKenzie is a FA but he is pretty old, I think there may be some possibility with one of the two tackles you mentioned, although I would be very hesitant to take a tackle who has done poorly elsewhere. If I had the choice between a backfield of Trent Richardson and LaMichael James or Shonn Greene and LT/McKnight/whoever it might be, I would clearly go with Richardson and James. That being said, I doubt Richardson falls to us in the draft, and even if he does, we need and every down OLB too badly to take him. We can't trade picks to move up and get Mercilus early in the second since we need them for depth. Now, this could be changed a bit because of the scheme changes on the offense. If Sparano can build the offense that it is sounding like he wants, they may very well trade Dustin Keller, which would add some picks, and focus on building a nasty backfield. It all remains to be seen.
Exactly. This is a madden offseason. Let sign all the big name FA's, yay!!! This isn't MLB and we are not the Yankees. An offseason like this is just not possible in the NFL. Its a good fantasy, but that is about it.
Draft • Don’t think Richardson can last till #16. • Don’t think Whitney Mercilus will last till pick # 38 (Jags 2nd rounder). Also: do not give up any more picks. Jets need upgrades at: TE, backup TE, LT, WR, safety. There are too many positions of weakness to just give up picks. At least keep them and draft BPA and increase the depth. Trade • Think you’re looking only at the talent and ignoring the salaries. Those other teams also have GM & they’re not taking on high salary unless it’s a difference maker. o You want somebody to take Holmes off the Jets then you should also be prepared to give up a high pick. Holmes is not going to bring back a decent pick with his current contract. o Greene is not bringing back a 3rd rounder. Pay Cuts • Scott’s money is guaranteed, Jets have no leverage against him. • Sanchez is overpaid but I think you’re gonna have to seriously threaten him with being cut to make him willingly accept a payout. If you do down this road, be prepared to have a malcontent as your starting qb. Free Agents • How much do you think it’ll take to sign all these players? No way Campbell is gonna sign for league minimum. • Smith -> Has been criticized for not having passion for the game. • Laundry -> Went against doctor’s recommendations and didn’t have surgery on Achille’s. You don’t want this injury risk as your starter. • Griffin -> Titans are pissed off at him for zoning out and giving up game-breaking plays. Similar to how Smith brain farted on the Tebow TD run. Maybe Rex can straighten him out so this might work.
