I guess not. Maybe there's a method to the madness of churning through so many WR's. Trying to find "that guy" who's gonna be the next big thing and save some face. Plus then we can draft all defense. Again.
Another good article on Powell: http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...-ferguson-missouri-bruce-arians-nfl/14415133/ Of note he hails from near Ferguson, MO. I only bring that up because I remember that Richardson is from that same area. Maybe they know each other or played against each other once upon a time.
AZ message boards were saying that Powell "earned his spot" almost universally, when he initially survived the final cut
I won't lie and say I know everything but there are three receivers I was hoping we would sign and this guy is not one of them. I hope he works out though but Josh Boyce on the Pats practice squad, Vincent Brown or Michael Preston mentioned by JetsFaninPA seem like better fliers. This guy is slow and we need speed at the WR position.
One of my best friends is his agent. He text me today and let me know he's a jet. First client ever to be a Jet so I'm pretty excited about it. Not sure how much this move will make a difference in our season, but the jets did have him interest in him before the draft.
People have gotten into his weaknesses/flaws already in this thread, but here are some positives: STRENGTHS Loose lower body. Good balance and short-area quickness. Slippery after the catch -- can elude the first tackler and dart to daylight. Shows confidence and a knack for finding creases as a returner -- four scores the last two seasons. Productive three-year starter. Smart and competitive. Two-time team captain with terrific intangibles -- cares about the game and works at his craft.
Read he was really good at special teams for Arizona this preseason. Might just be a pure special teams esque move as they prob. like him more than Enunwa in that department.
People have to understand that the west coast offense is highly predicated on having smart receivers who are in the right place when they're supposed to be. It's not as if an Allegro talent like AJ Green wouldn't succeed in the system but if you don't have one you flood the system with smart receivers who run good routes. Having the skill of breaking off good routes is just as effective as having 4.3 speed. If a cornerback thinks you're going up the field and you break your in route effectively then the quarterback knows you're going to be there and the ball should be there as the cornerback is reacting in a different direction. It helps that Geno has a rifle for an arm in the intermediate range in terms of routes. I don't know much about this guy in particular but the Jets seem to be trying to compile guys to fill these roles. Expect to see a lot of rotation in the slots and #3 and #4 roles in the passing game this year as certain plays are catered toward a certain type of receiver and route runner.
Powell had an 88 yard punt return for a TD and a 98 yard KO return for a TD last year. I'm sure the Jets were just looking for some more depth on ST's and another guy who could handle the roles that Hakim and Saunders seem to have sewn up for the season. Saunders has health issues and having another PR on the team is not a bad idea. Having a decent returner alongside Hakim on KO returns is not a bad idea. It's possible that Powell will just get a short look-see and the Jets will move on, however he is insurance against Hakim or Saunders getting hurt early on. I doubt he'll play much WR.
With Salas, Saunders, Evans, Hakim, and now Powell, Idzik stacks the odds in his favor that atleast one of the projects will work out. Granted this comes at the big risk that if Decker, Kerley, or Nelson go down then we will need these guys to play more but it is what it is. Atleast this dude catches with his hands. I am glad to see that Idzik cut Hill and Gates, both of which had shit hands in favor of some young guys that can snag the football.
For some reason, despite the two fumbles today , I actually enjoy Walt Powell quite a bit. Maybe it's the basis for comparison his positional peers present, but whatever it is, I'll take any sort of enjoyment at this point.
