i suppose Barton, Vilma, and Schlegel stay. i think Hobson and Thomas are toss-ups because we'll most likely draft an OLB. does anyone know the contract status for both Hobson and Thomas? cheers
Thomas is up after this season. And their have been numerous articles suggesting that Thomas is in line for a big payday. To me, he hasn't wowed me at all, and he can be replaceable. One good half season is alright, but not enough to get a big contract. I would easily let him walk and replace him with an Adalius Thomas, a guy who can play the DE/OLB position very good, who will cost more, but will be worth it IMO. Let Thomas walk.
He doesn't have to play special teams. Just because he's a third round pick doesn't mean he has to play special teams. I think there are two reasons he's not playing: 1) As i said earlier middle linebacker in a 3-4 is an extremely difficult position to learn. It's much different then a 4-3. The Patriots have Vrabel and Bruschi and the Steelers have Larry Foote and James Farrior. I can't recall a 3-4 MLB ever really having a big role as a rookie. a 4-3 MLB can be a rookie. That's more of an athletic position where you just run to the ball. Vilma has said he is still learning it. The Patriots have struggled to find players to play in the inside since Ted Johnson retired. It's a position that isn't really about being the best player but understanding your role and being smart. 2) Only 45 players suit up. At linebacker we have Vilma, Barton, Thomas, Hobson, Kassel, Chatham, Cody Spencer, Ryan Riddle and Schlegel. If he's not going to contribute on special teams then they are better off having him inactive. I don't take anything from the fact that he has been inactive. Our coaching staff knows what they are doing. Next year when our starting linebackers are Schlegel and Vilma in the middle with Hobson/Barton at the strong side and a high draft pick at weakside everyone will be happy.
Again, I agree with you. My comments about why Schlegel hasnt played on specials were intended to head off comments from others to the effect that "Schlegel must suck cause he hasnt played on special teams." (Heck I think Rich Cimini said as much the other day -- proving once again that Jets beat reporters frequently dont know what the hell they're talking about).
yeah, that's right, i remember reading that article. i don't know if i'd want us to spend the money on Adalius Thomas; isn't he pushing 30? it doesn't seem like it would make sense, with the direction we're headed (and planning for the future) we don't need to sign older guys. having said that, if we let Thomas go and need to fill that spot, we'll probably draft someone (hopefully Lamarr Woodley). but do Mangini and Co. feel comfortable starting a rookie? Maybe we should resign Thomas and then still draft another OLB; that takes care of the depth. either way, i guess we won't overpay for Thomas. if someone wants to give him a big contract, then let 'em. cheers
Actually Hobson was projected to be a 4th or 5th round depth type player. We just took him a lot earlier than he should have gone and the expectations based on the pick were beyond his capacity to fulfill. The problem with him at middle linebacker was that he was just too slow to go sideline to sideline in the NFL. The answer that Herm and company came up with was to move him outside and cut his potential coverage area in half (or more), this in theory would minimize his lack of speed as the sideline would be his friend. The problem with that solution is that Hobson still doesn't have the tools to make much of an impact. He can't drop back quickly in coverage, as attested by his 3 career interceptions in 50+ starts. He doesn't get into position on a tackle quickly enough to do anything but ride his man to the ground and he never catches somebody from behind, as attested by his 2 career forced fumbles. He doesn't get into the backfield fast enough on blitzes, as attested by his 5 career sacks. Whether he would work out better inside if he got the opportunity is an open question, however there's no reason not to give Schlegel or a younger player an opportunity first and see if they can be a good ILB. Hobson has had his shot and hasn't shown that he's anything more than a mediocre NFL linebacker.
if anything then, we should keep him as a depth player if we upgrade the LB spot with younger players. i commend Hobson for playing aggressively and tackling soundly, but he would have sacked Brady twice (negating a Roughing call on one of them) if he was faster. cheers
If they are cheap we would be stupid to let either go. I've said it a million times you can never have enough good LB's in a 3-4. Hobson is playing really well lately and so is Thomas. I'd like to keep both for the long term and still draft a passrushing OLB.
Schlegel has been a non-factor. According to ESPN earlier in the year he's a lot less adaptable to the pro game than the Jets initially thought. As it regards Hobson, your analysis is a bit off. ESPN had him as a late second early third. Hobson was 3-Time All Conference at Michigan. The hype was that Hobson was dirt slow, but he showed in his Michigan pro day that he had plenty of lateral and short area quickness. He was denigrated mostly post-draft because he was a bad fit for the Jets, with their system predicated on speed. Lots of people failed to mention that Hobson added a good 15 pounds pre-draft, and that might have effected his 40 as well. Anyone who saw him at Michigan saw a guy who could shed blocks and get in the backfield. I personally loved the pick. In any event, the key is not having a star at every position. I think Washington has learned that. The key is having enough "good" players who can understand the system and depth, built around a few cornerstones. New England and Pittsburgh have been doing it for years. -X-
I was ecstatic when Hobson planted Brady last Sunday. Penalty or no penalty, to me it was worth considerably more than 15 yards just to see Brady get planted and come up with mud all over his ass. Beautiful, man... it doesn't get any better!
i think you usually would want your Outside linebackers to have the size of DE's. Like a tweener is what i think they call them.
