Yes, Sam Shields was a big name and as it turned out, was too expensive for the Jets. I wish his demands had been more reasonable. I think many teams overvalue and overpay CBs. I'm glad that Idzik doesn't. Graham sounds as if he could have been a very good option. I wish we could ask Idzik why Graham wasn't a consideration.
IMO expressing I would have expected the CB and WR positions to better in shape given the resources Idzik had at his disposal this offseason is not "naive or too simplistic, lazy, and a bit of a whiner and/or complainer." You are entitled to yours though. BTW I said it came across as though Idzik was your dad, like you defending your pops in the playground.
Very good post and I echo these sentiments. I've been one of those who has been terribly impatient with Idzik's approach. I think from now until the season ends, I'll stop criticizing him and wait until I see how things fall out.
It's an unfortuante trait of all NY fans really. You would think Giants and Yankeee fans would have a little more poise but they might even be arguably worse. I would even go as far to say it does affect the teams success, especially when you have such PSL conscious owners.
I'm not gonna judge the approach until I see how it pans out, but damn the one guy you gotta feel for is Antonio Allen. He works so hard to learn a new position and becomes pretty good at it and is set to be a starter with a high potential, then one day Rex and Idzik come up to him and say "man, we fucked up, we're gonna need you to stop everything and change positions again." I'm really hoping we're not stunting his development as a safety, he could have been a solid long term player.
It came across to me as that way, just as you say I came across like I was Idzik's dad defending him on the playground. It's easy and cheap to make a blanket statement like that without detailing how you would have done things better. It's totally simplistic, lazy and naive. I love it. Because I ask you to do more than just whine and try to come across like you know more than Idzik, I'm coming across like Idzik's dad defending him on the playground. Whatever. We'll obviously have to agree to disagree on this. I know you did and acknowledged that in my response, and then said if you had read my other posts where I expressed moves that Idzik had made that I disagreed with or didn't like, you wouldn't have thought that I was defending him like he was my dad. RIF, my man. RIF.
I hardly think a week or so of practices and what, one preseason game, are gonna stunt his growth as a safety. If anything, I think it should make him better in coverage as a safety.
Huh? Is this supposed to be in response to me? If so, I never said he couldn't help. I also said I didn't know anything about him and would do some research on him, not had done research on him.
Hence, my point. Idzik went into the offseason with a lot of ammunition. With the cap space and number of picks, he had options. I throw up in my mouth when I read post that imply that the approach taken was the only and best. Side note: Whenever I have an opinion on the Jets, good or bad, I will continue to express here like it or not as I'm not around any other Jets fans and my wife doesn't want to here it.
And a nickel dime corner that plays Special teams is worth 20m over 4 yrs? Care to explain how good he in regards to completion % allowed? Since you seem to be an expert here.
There's no way of knowing whether signing a veteran CB would have put the Jets in position to win this year. There's no way of knowing at this point whether failing to do that put them in a position where they will lose a lot of games. The Eagles went overboard on CB's in 2011. They thought that would be one of the strengths of the "Dream Team". They went 8-8 and then 4-12 the next year and Andy Reid got fired. A solid veteran CB doesn't guarantee you anything in the NFL. The Bucs went overboard on CB's in 2013. They drafted a CB in the 2nd round and then they traded for one of the best CB's in football. They had a below average pass defense on the year despite those moves and they went 4-12 and the coach and GM got fired. A great superstar CB doesn't guarantee you anything in the NFL. The Jets went overboard in CB's in 2010. They renegotiated Darrelle Revis into one of the biggest CB contracts in history. They traded for Antonio Cromartie. They drafted Kyle Wilson with their 1st pick. They got one good year out of that and then the team began to crumble. They doubled down in 2011 re-signing Cromartie to a big contract in free agency. The team declined anyway. The Broncos traded for the best CB in football in 2004. They got two more years of the playoffs out of that deal and then they declined, their roster weighed down by Bailey's enormous cap hit. He was getting $9M a year to play CB based on his 7 year $63M contract but his cap hits were higher after the first two years. The Denver Broncos approached the 2006 season with a $26M deficit against the cap. Bailey remained one of the highest paid players in the NFL over the next 5 seasons, a span in which the Broncos missed the playoffs every season. Having a great CB is a strength for a team only if he doesn't prevent you from having other great players around him. There are basically two ways that you can accomplish this feat: 1. You have a great CB on his rookie deal and he's not that expensive against the cap. Richard Sherman and to some extent Darrelle Revis prior to 2011 and certainly prior to 2010 were in this category. Revis was expensive at $8.8M against the cap after his holdout in 2010 but he was not a back-breaker, yet. In 2011 and 2012 it was $11.5M each year AND Revis was dissatisfied with his deal. Sherman was just dirt cheap as a 5th round rookie playing well above his cap number. 2. You have a great QB on his rookie deal and he's not that expensive against the cap. Tom Brady cost the Pats bupkus prior to 2004 so they could afford to pay Ty Law at a very high premium. As soon as Brady's compensation normalized they had to get rid of Law and then a few years later Samuel, because under a capped environment you can't have everything. Russell Wilson is dirt cheap for the Seahawks right now and so they have the double blessing of a fine young QB and CB at cheap prices. That's where all that talent last year came from. Not PED's, cheap superstars.
I have no idea what his CMP% allowed is. Don't need to as I've seen him play in a system similar to ours I might add. Not to mention he's logged 17 starts in 2 seasons with a pretty good secondary and was a starter for a team that won the SUPER BOWL!!! You can have your own fight about whether he deserved 1 million more than Dimitri Patterson, but I think he could have helped.
No one has said it was the only approach or even the best approach. I would have been in favor of Idzik's signing someone like Graham or another mid-tier player that wouldn't have broken the bank. I was shocked and disappointed that he didn't wind up getting anyone other than Patterson, but glad he didn't overpay one of the big name FA CBs. As I think I said initially, I understand why you have questions and concerns. I have some too. I'm just willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until I hear/see evidence as to why he made the decisions/moves he did and see how things work out. It could just be that he did get too conservative or didn't value some players like Graham enough, yet all his other moves work out well for the team. No person or GM is perfect. If he does something wrong then he will deservedly get ripped by fans. I just don't think it unreasonable to ask those who criticize him to explain how they would have done things better. I try to do that when I criticize the HC or GM so it's not just griping and complaining. I give reasons to support my opinion. Dude, you need to step back and take a deep breath. Neither I nor anyone else that I know of has tried to censor you or get you to not give your opinion. In fact, I've done the opposite. I've asked you to give more of your opinion and perspectives, not less. It's like you're trying to make this personal when it isn't, at least as far as I'm concerned. Peace.
Which post? I've read them all. I never said that Graham couldn't help. Guy, you're way too emotionally invested in this and your responses are growing increasingly hostile. Let's drop it. It's obvious we aren't going to agree. I could care less if you like Idzik or not. I wasn't trying to get you to change your opinion, not express your opinions, but was just trying to find out how you would have done things differently since this is a discussion list. That's not unreasonable or uncivil. I'm sorry if that ticked you off. Chillax. It's all good.
Well, the Steelers won a couple of Super Bowls with high-priced LB's and a high-priced safety alongside a high-priced QB. The Ravens won a Super Bowl with high-priced defensive linemen, LB's and a safety alongside a relatively high-priced QB (Flacco at $8M in 2012). The Giants won a couple of Super Bowls with high-priced defensive linemen alongside a high-priced QB. Most of the teams that have won Super Bowls recently have committed more money to their star linemen, linebackers and safeties than to their cornerbacks. The lone exception is the Packers in 2010, who paid Charles Woodson a lot although they also had the cap space to pay a safety and a defensive end more. This is of course because there was no cap in place in 2010. The Packers spent close to $140M in cap terms for their championship in 2010. The cap limit for 2009 was $128M. The cap limit for 2011 was $120M. When you can spend 10% more on your cap you can do things like pay everybody like a star for a year and still win.
Yes, but Brad really hates the Cb position. There's a history. Ftr I don't think it's anyone's position that signing a better CB in FA than Patterson would have guaranteed a playoff berth. But the Jets are virtually assured not to make the playoffs given the debacle at Cb right now.
How can you say this? Last year the Eagles made the playoffs with the 32nd ranked pass defense in the NFL in terms of yards allowed. The Chargers made the playoffs with the 29th ranked pass defense in the NFL in terms of yards allowed. The Chiefs made the playoffs with the 25th ranked pass defense in terms of yards allowed. The Packers made the playoffs with the 24th ranked pass defense in terms of yards allowed. That's 4 playoff teams last year that had trouble defending the pass. The Jets possible inability to defend the pass is obviously *not* the key to whether they will make the playoffs or not. Other things might sink them but the pass defense alone is not enough to do the job. Just look at last season for bright and shiny examples of that fact.
