This is completely unnecessary and speculative, but I believe that we are all itching, waiting for preseason and training camp to start. So...to ease my anticipation, let's talk about breakout candidates and potential players who could disappoint in 2015. Let's start with the low-notes first: (Potential) Disappointments: Geno Smith- Truth be told, I have little faith in Geno Smith. The past 4 games of the season means nothing to me as it did the year before. He will never be the guy, even if he throws decently against teams with poor pass defense. Antonio Cromartie- I get it. We all really wanted to see CRO in green and white again. I was happy momentarily, but I don't expect CRO to be his old self. He is 31 years old and frankly had some coverage issues in Arizona (He had a few nice INTs that went right to him, but besides that, he wasn't very good). He wasn't great in 2013 either (albeit his "injury" didn't help). I expect CRO to struggle and perhaps Milliner or McDougle to take his place. Calvin Pryor- Everyone is speaking as if he is a lock to breakout this year. He showed me very little in his first year. The whole "SS" excuse is a bit overused, because he actually did play FS in many formations. The issues he had, had very little to do with position. He simply put his head down to try and blow up plays and missed tackles. Down the field he had coverage issues and even took the wrong angles when chasing WRs. He is a still a major question mark to me. D'Brickashaw Ferguson- His play is slowly getting worse. He was a major weak-spot on the O-line last year. Frankly, this entire O-Line has many weak spots which will present issues. James Carpenter- I'm really not liking the signings of these outcast Seattle O-lineman (him and Breno). James Carpenter was a huge disappointment in seattle. Had weight issues and an injury history. Not great competition for Willie Colon. Jeff Cumberland - The master of scoring meaningless touchdowns in late blowouts. Cumberland rarely ever shows up statistically in games anymore. The highpoint of his career was that MNF game against the Falcons, and ever since he has been absent. OK, so he scored one touchdown against the patriots last year ina a meaningless game. Frankly, I hope Amaro breaks out so they can cut this scrub next year. Buster Skrine- I don't get the love for Buster. He apparently was one of the most penalized CBs last year. He seems like the Eric Smith/Kyle Wilson type of player that drapes himself across WRs and TEs and hopes no flag is called. If he gets away with it, great. However, my bet is that he will be a huge liability for penalties this year. Breakout Candidates: Jace "the Ace" Amaro- I really liked the few times he shined last year. I think he will get more opportunities in this offense since teams will probably leave him in one-on-one situations. Eric Decker- At the end of the season, I'm willing to bet that Eric Decker has the most yards on this team. I like Marshall, but he's not what he used to be. Marshall was (without a doubt) better than Plaxico, but I believe between the QB struggle and double coverage, Eric Decker will see the most targets. Chris Ivory- I think many people fail to give ivory the credit he deserves. He had a couple games last year where he looked like Marshawn Lynch. With CJzeroK out of the picture, I think he will have 1000+ yards rushing this year. Leonard Williams- While I'm disappointed with the Sheldon Richardson suspension, I think Williams will wreck havoc. He definitely looks pro-ready which is super-lucky for a team that just lost a star at that position. Quinton Coples- I know, I know. It seems like we're all ready for him to breakout every year. However, I think this year will be different. With Coples back on DL and Wilkerson, Williams, and Sheldon (Upon Return) drawing double teams, I think Coples will let loose.
Breakout player Demario Davis. With that dominating DLine and a completely rebuilt secondary, I think it's going to free up Davis to become a stud sideline to sideline playmaker. _
Don't see how Geno can be a disappointment nor Amaro/Decker breaking out if you have no faith in Geno to begin with. Cumberland is who is he is. D-Brick isn't the same guy anymore. So I don't expect much from them to be disappointed. David Harris is the guy I want to see earn his money. He has in the past but this new contract is just bad. He's one of the only guys I could see myself being disappointed in this early.
Pryor - He is a natural SS, he was playing out of position at FS last year. You make it sound like the reverse, and you're wrong. At FS the pursuit angles are an issue as is coverage, but he will primarily be playing at SS this season. Last season he was basically thrown to the wolves and had absolute shit playing around him in the defensive backfield. The coaching was very suspect. I'm not saying that he's not a potential disappointment, and I understand the questions and concerns, but at least get the facts right. Carpenter - He is better than you portray him. He's a better pass protector than run blocker. He's not competing with Willie Colon. Colon played RG. Carpenter will play LG and based on all reports I've read, he already has the LG job locked up. Colon will be lucky to make the team. If he does, more than likely it will be as depth. Cumberland - I'm with you on Cumby. He has been a disappointment. I really hoped that he would succeed, but I don't think he's shown a whole lot. Skrine - He is definitely better than you portray him. He is somewhat of a ball hawk, and is better suited to the slot CB position than outside. He needs to cut down on penalties, and I think he will under Bowles or he'll find himself on the bench. Ivory - I like Ivory, but even with C2K gone, the Jets will probably have at least two of Ridley, Stacy and Powell on the team. Bowles has already said that Powell is going to get more carries this year. What makes you think that Ridley and/or Stacy won't? Unless the Jets play more 4-3 alignments than I think they will, Coples will not be back on the DL. I think he will continue to be a disappointment. I never wanted him and he has lived down to what I thought he would be.
Our o-line as a unit played very well over the last 4 games of the season, giving Geno ample time to play as good as he did. And D'Brick was a big part of that. I think Brick gave up like 1 sack all of last year so to say he's shot is just wrong. Brick is a top 10 LT still and will continue to play well, especially if Geno progresses.
I think Coples could breakout..considering Babin and Pace are our only other pass rushers probably dont have that much left. Skrine could be the biggest disappointment ever and still be a monumental upgrade over Kyle Wilson. He will never play on the outside here. Thats where a lot of his penalties came from , playing against bigger faster WRs. I think Ridley, if he even plays, wont do much. Powell could breakout if he sees regular #2 playing time and is used as a passing option by Gailey.
I also think the SS/FS concern is very overblown as you have stated. People loved to rave about how Rex's free safety and strong safety are interchangeable but when it's convenient that disappears for most fans. He'll be helped out a lot by better corner play although good safety play can work vice versa with masking bad corner play. The Ravens did it for years upon years with Ed Reed. His problems stem from bad angles not necessarily just on tackles but in coverage. He routinely undercut routes only to see the ball thrown over his head. I imagine we'll play a lot of cover 1 this year with a deep safety defending the deep ball. It will help Pryor if he is not the player defending that deep ball but that doesn't mean he has demonstrated at all that he can be in the right position to make a play on balls over the middle. 10 years ago Pryor might've been a top 10 pick. The problem is that the NFL is looking to do away with his specialty which is big plays and head hunting.
I like the idea that Davis is due to breakout, he's been pretty good for us but I think with the coaching staff utilizing him in a different type of role I think we'll see his numbers increase. I also think we will see his leadership capabilities increase. It seems like there will be some accountability which I think is a type of system he will benefit from.
Geno is a potential disappointment. I don't think it's a stretch saying that. Also, several WRs have posted good stats despite poor QB play. See Jay Cutler and Chad Henne with Brandon Marshall. It's very possible Geno could have a high number in passing yards as well as turnovers, therefore making him bad. Additionally, I don't expect Geno to start the entire year. I think Fitzpatrick will step in and do a slightly better job.
Fans always want to bash D'Brickashaw Ferguson, but won't talk about the other shitty offensive lineman we have [besides Mangold of course]. Brick is our 2nd best lineman, and there is a significant gap between him and the next talented guy up. I hope Carpenter shows something for us. Finally, I don't see how Geno is a disappointment, especially if you believed he would never be good in the first place.
Dissapointments Geno Smith Chan Gailey Jace Amaro Breakout Candidates Demario Davis Leonard Williams Calvin Pryor
Breakouts Whoever is playing guard on the o-line and Geno Smith Disappointments Who ever is playing guard on the o-line and therefore Geno Smith
Breakout Candidates: Davis. I frankly expected more from him in 13, so his improvements last year were a bit late for me. But put aside that 13 expectation, and additional improvement from him would vault him into a top third LB ranking. Williams. I like the talk about how well the Jets did drafting him, and how well he's been fitting in so far. This is not to say I am predicting a huge year for him since i simply have not seen him play. But from all the ink, he sounds like he fits the OP's definition here. Other Positives: Chris Ivory. Since he was the Jets best runner, and my favorite Jet at a skill position on O, I would hardly call him a breakout candidate, he's pretty much already there, only held back last year by giving too many carries to Johnson. I fully expect he will be the leading rusher. Decker. Whatever happens at Qb Decker should see some improvement by having Marshall on the other side. I am not expecting TOO much here, though, since I remain concerned that Kerley has been dropping off production. Most teams can adequately cover two top receivers. Still, Decker should have it somewhat easier. Cromartie. Much better playing for Arizona last year, he showed 13 was mostly about being and playing hurt. Yeah he's 31, but imo he still has it. Hope I am right. Somewhere in the Middle: Coples. A real mix so far, not playing up to his draft status makes a lot of fans think he's a near bust. He's not. I would put him as a breakout candidate, but have not merely because I have no specific expectation of some change in his level of play. But he certainly could do better, and I hope he does. Ferguson. Says here that I for one do NOT expect any signficant decline in his play. Still one of the two best OL players, and LT remains a significant position. He will hold up his end, imo. Amaro. Amaro looks good compared to the other TE's. But I have no particular reason to expect great things of him this year. Still, he's at the point of his career where he has the opportunity to play more, has mroe experience. Maybe he uses it. Skrine. Merely by replacing the awful Kyle Wilson, he is an upgrade. Mostly negative: Cumberland. Imo this guy would not be starting on most NFL teams. I don't know why he is here. He may well not start anymore, but either way don't expect much from him. Pryor. If he was a second rounder I probably would not metion him here. But since he was a first, I expect more disappointment from him. As for the rest I have nothing but ambivalence about the Carpenter signing. I have no idea whehter he will become a solid contributor. And I have said enough already about Smith.
Disappointment - the feeling of sadness or displeasure caused by the nonfulfillment of one's hopes or expectations. So you have no faith in Geno but he's a potential disappointment? Ok.
Breakout Oday Aboushi- he was solid last year and he made huge strides in year 2 considering how raw he was in his rookie year, so it's not a stretch to think he may think a big leap this year and put the clamps on one of those guard positions. Jace Amaro- he was solid for a rookie TE and the great ones tends to break out in their 2nd years. Geno Smith- I'm not expecting greatness but I think he'll be a pretty serviceable qb this year. He'll still make mistakes but I believe he'll be improved.
At least one, perhaps all 3 of these corners... Cromartie, Skrine, Milliner - have big disappointment potential. With teams avoiding Revis they will look in the direction of these guys a lot.
Boy. Didn't realize how much hate is out there for our last year rookie Pryor. I think it is a bit overblown and somewhat unjustified. He had major working pains, but playing in that f'ing secondary on a completely new role as a rookie was not a scenario that would make any rookie shine. This year he will benefit from a much improved secondary and in my opinion, a defense that will be much more geared toward maximizing the capabilities of their players.
brick will be fine without a turnstile next to him. the repeated comments of his demise are funny. watch. we can and have done a lot worse at the LT position.
