Dude, you're obviously young. I'm afraid that your youthful enthusiasm is misleading you. I've seen most every Panther game since Munnerlyn has been a Panther, and he's not even in the same area code as Verner. Munnerlyn is NOT a beast in any way, shape or form. He makes some very good plays, then makes some really dumb plays. He gets beat too frequently. He's got good hands and some speed, but both Shields and Alterraun Verner (the dude from the Titans) are head and shoulders better than Munnerlyn. Grimes is a good CB, but he is as old or older (I think maybe 34) than Cro and will be as expensive as Cro, and possibly even more expensive. If he'd sign a cheaper one-year contract for $3-4 million, it might be worth it; otherwise, I'll pass. Besides, like most Dolphins, I doubt he'd want to play for the Jets.
Dexter McCluster would be a good mid level signing for this offense. He upgrades the return game massively and you can use him in the backfield and in the slot and would be a nice safety valve for Geno.
Well I'm 26 years old with a 9 1/2 month old daughter and I have lost my father/bestfriend to suicide and I also lost my best friend through high school when I was 21 (he was 20...after he battled for a year n a half after being in a car wreck and thrown out of a truck after being hit by a drunk driver..He later died after they reversed his colostomy bag, he died 3 weeks later from walking pneumonia)...Point being I've been through some things in my life horrible(my father's suicide/my Best friends death) and Beautiful things as well ( being engaged to my Beautiful Fiancee`/ watching my BEAUTIFUL daughter being born and watching her grow)...BY FAR the most amazing part of my entire "young?" life...My point being, i'm not sure what you consider young(the 12 in my screen name represents Broadway Joe's #, not my age haha)...But I know quite a bit about sports, especially MLB, NCAA College Football & Baseball, and the NFL(if you can't tell by my screen name)...Now back to my posts about Munnerlynn and " that dude" from the Titans, as well as Brent Grimes. 1st off, Grimes is 30(he'll be 31 entering the NFL season) and Jason Taylor had NO problem leaving the dolphins after a HOF career with the Phins to come over to the J-E-T-S to play for Rex ( that shocked me honestly ), also Back up quarterbacks Jay Fiedler and Kyle Mackey both went from the dolphins to the Jets. There have been several other dolphins turned jets and plenty of Jets that went on to play for the Phins(most noteably Chad Pennington,Jason Ferguson, and Dustin Keller), but that's besides the point. My biggest example of a defensive player wanting to leave Miami SPECIFICALLY to play for Rex Ryan and the Jets was Jason Taylor( do you realize how upset that made dolphin and even Jets fans?) lol.
Now as far as Captain Munnerlynn, i'll be honest..I havent WATCHED him or Verner very much, BUT I do know that Verner had 2 INT's vs the Jets this season for 39 yards, with no tackles and 2 Pass deflections. Captain Munnerlynn had 4 tackles, of them sacks, 1 pass deflection and an interception returned 41 yards for a TD against our Jets...So I know from watching both with my eyes, they both looked really good and I believe either of them would be an improvement over Cro(whom I love!!!) unless he's healthy. I also am extremely high on LaMarcus Joyner out of FSU because I watched every game he played this season, and he is definitely a playmaker and a difference maker...I'd draft him in the 3rd round MAYBE, but if he's there in the 4th then he would be a STEAL!....I've looked up Munnerlynn and Verner's stats, nd while it appears that youre right about Verner being the better cornerback according to stats,(except for tackles which he had 57 combined tackles compared to Captain's 73)....In one year fewer than Munnerlynn, Alterraun Verner surprisingly ( to me) has more INT's and Pass Deflections !! to & int's and 51 to 39 in pass deflections, although Munnerlynn has 5 td's to 1 for Verner. So upon further review, I agree with you and I would rather have Alterraun Verner than Captain Munnerlynn, not only because of the stats, but also because of size... Verner is 5"10 185 lbs and Munnerlynn is 5"8 and 195 lbs. You've swayed me, but I think if the Jets were to get either one of those guys opposite Milliner or as a 3rd DB if Cro returns on a cheaper contract, I believe we'll be upgrading with either player....P.S....One more time...The JETS should really, REALLY watch tape on LaMarcus Joyner and put him on their board. ...By the way, If we could steal Talib from the Pats then I'd prefer him over any of the db's!
Cro is ONLY 29 years old...age is NOT a factor...yet. He is a top 10 corner when healthy and that is not debatable but fact. He is supremely talented and if he were more of a monster tackler with less of a gambler's attitude he would be a perennial pro bowl lock...when healthy. IF healthy, he has at least another 2 or 3 years left as a CB. More importantly he has the frame and physical abilities to transition to Free Safety and could easily add 4 or 5 years to his career. The Jets should take this into consideration when talking about cutting/signing/extensions etc... Factor in that he has VASTLY matured under Ryan and, as many have stated here, has become quite the coach on the field...which is invaluable. I do believe he will be cut simply because that is the only way to get out from under this current poorly written contract.and he is definitely not worth the current dollar amount. But, I also do believe that Cro loves Rex Ryan and wants to stay/retire as a NY Jet. I can easily see him coming back for a really reasonable salary. If Cro and the team are smart the contract is for 5/6 years for around $4-6 million per year with a clear plan to transition him to Free Safety when his speed begins to taper.
First, let me say that I wasn't meaning to be critical of you because of your "young" age. Second, I'm sorry to hear of the tragedy you've suffered. Third, congratulations on your beautiful daughter and fiancee. May they continue to be a blessing to you. Yes, there have been several players that have gone back and forth between the two teams, but as you say it has been unusual since both fan bases and teams have had such a fierce and intense rivalry. If Grimes were younger and his price right, I'd have no problems signing him if he were willing to come here. I just think that at his age, he would only be a stopgap for a year or two, and I'd rather add someone younger that can help the team for a longer period of time.
Munnerlyn does make some flashy plays, but I think about as often as he makes a flashy play, he gets beat. Over the Cro of 2012, I don't think Munnerlyn would be an upgrade, but over the Cro of most years of his career, yes, he would. I don't know about the quality of the CS with the Panthers, but seeing the job their secondary did this year with all the injuries they suffered, and how many rookies and UDFAs stepped in and played well, their secondary coach must be pretty good. The reason I mentioned that is that I don't know how much we could expect Munnerlyn to improve with the Jets. Some fans think that Rex is a miracle worker with DBs, but I can't speak to that. All I can say is that Munnerlyn would give us a CB who is speedy and would probably give us more interceptions than Cro has. As for Verner, aside from the Jets game, I'd never seen him play before, but I have heard how good he is. He is the highest-rated CB available on the FA market, and is one of the top-rated CBs in the league. Perhaps best of all, he's as young or younger than you (25, I think) and could be a fixture in the Jets' secondary for 5-7 years. Joyner does look like quite a prospect. He can ball. My problem with him is his small stature. That doesn't mean he can't or won't be a very good DB in the NFL, but with WRs and TEs getting bigger, better and faster, he will be at a disadvantage and have his work cut out for him.
I totally disagree. In fact, you're flat out wrong. Age 29 IS a factor in the NFL. Yes, by most standards, it's still very young, but not for professional athletes. It's a known fact that players who count on speed start losing that speed by that age with the pounding their bodies take over the previous 7-8 seasons. It's also a known fact that by 29-30, players become more brittle, start suffering more nagging injuries and take longer to recover. It's also NO known fact that Cro is a top 10 CB when healthy. That's patently absurd and untrue. Last season and perhaps also his rookie season, he was a top 10 CB. For the rest of his career, he has been an underachiever. Unless you have a crystal ball, you have no idea how much longer he has left in his career, so to claim that he has 2-3 years left, show how wrong you are. He might not recover from this hip injury, it might be a chronic problem that limits him, or he could recover and be a rare exception and play 5 more years, but with his play ebbing year by year. While he does possess amazing athleticism, he doesn't have the mentality to maximize that athleticism. In spite of having better size than any CB in the NFL, he's soft and refuses to play press coverage and isn't a very good or willing tackler most of the time. Earlier in his career, he was able to create TOs, but has rarely done so in his time with the Jets. You have way over rated Cro. The fact that you say that he can transition to FS shows just how wrong you are. A FS has to be a willing and great tackler and Cro definitely isn't that. He's also not a ball hawk any more. IMO that long a deal with the plan to transition him to FS is ridiculous.
Heard/read the same exact things about Captain you did. He can make big plays, but also give up big plays. Verner is definitely one of the top young corners in the game. I think he's highly rated by any measure used to judge to corners.
Living in NC, I've seen most of Munnerlyn's games with the Panthers. I've not only read it but seen it with my own eyes. Couple that with his smaller stature, and I'm not sure if I would be glad to add him to the Jets or not.
Age is a huge factor in the NFL. We all look at the exceptions who can play to mid 30's and still do well and we fail to understand that they tend to play a few positions (of which CB is one) and even in those positions very few players can handle the weathering that the game puts on the body. I'd be very surprised if Antonio Cromartie was still playing in the NFL in 3 years. He has great incentive to do so and he may be one of the exceptions but most CB's are retired by 32 or 33. The economics of the game just doesn't support a declining athlete at a speed and reflexes position. The CB's who make it past that age are exceptional athletes who maintain themselves very well and then get lucky as hell on the injury front.
You have to be able to tackle reliably to play safety. That's the rub with Cromartie. He has all the incentive in the world to prolong his career but to date he has been an awesome tools guy who has not gotten the most out of his skills. He's going to need to get better at the little things to stay in the NFL past his expiration date.
I think that an interesting piece to our secondary puzzle next year is Aaron Berry and how he comes back from the ACL surgery. He is under contract for another year. I think he slipped our collective minds because he got hurt so early and never really got on the field for us. However, he was quite serviceable for lions before we signed him and if I am not mistaken, I think he was a starter. If Cro does get cut and is signed by another team, the Berry signing last year by Idz may pay dividends...
I guess you missed the "....Yet" portion of my Age statement...don't worry, you weren't alone. Ironically enough the only real "knock" on Cro' is his lack of tackling so he has suffered far fewer beatings over his career than the average corner. This makes your assessment of how his "age" may or may not play into your overall argument a fantasy land discussion. You are correct I'm digging into my "crystal ball" in speculating but I am essentially making a prediction based on averages and what I know...not unlike what our Front Office will eventually do as far as his remaining longevity and availability are concerned. We can debate all day long about his overall "ranking" from year to year so I'm not going to bother...you feel one way and I feel another. What I will debate you on is Free Safety. I think you are confusing SS and FS. In what football world do you live in? I think you need to go back to Football 101 if you are confusing FS's as being all world tacklers. Ironically enough, Antonio Cromartie is far more a prototypical FS than he ever was/is as a Corner... Go back and learn the basics before coming on here and trying to belittle me. Talking to me about tackling...make no mistake...you do have to tackle but you will never confuse a FS with a "Mike" LB'er. And thanks to your candor in your reply you get this type of response.
I definitely agree. I don't know why so many Jets fans seem so ready to cut him. He was looking good for the Jets before he was injured. I think he has had some injury issues in the past, but he's definitely worth bringing to camp and letting him compete. If he can't stay healthy, fine, but if he can get healthy and stay that way, he can be a good contributor in the secondary.
LOL, whatever dude. I didn't miss your "yet." There is little difference between 29 & 30 in terms of a football players' age. Just because Cro hasn't been very physical in games, doesn't mean that his body hasn't taken a lot of punishment in practices, drills, games, and wear and tear with conditioning and working to stay in tip top shape. I don't need to go back to any "Football 101." I'm not confusing the SS position with the FS position. The FS is the centerfielder, the last line of defense. He has to be a reliable tackler to stop TDs if the CB gets beat, or a RB breaks off a long gainer. I'm not saying he's the in-the-box guy who stops the run, but FSs need to be good tacklers. It's not necessary that they're big hitters too, but they need to be reliable tacklers. Just because that sorry excuse for a FS that Rex dumped and who wound up with the Cardinals is a pussy and couldn't or wouldn't tackle, doesn't mean that he was the prototypical FS. You need to go back and check NFL history. As for my "candor," it was your tone and your trying to portray falsehoods as truth and "facts" that brought my level of response. If you look at my other responses to posters, I always just say that it's "imo." I don't make it personal. You are the one who chose to take it there, but I will let that go. Peace. We can agree to disagree and not get petty.
Jets currently $20 mil under cap Cut Cro: $9.5 mil saved Cut sanchez: $8.3 mil saved Cut Holmes: $8.25 mil saved Restructure harris: $4 mil saved ------------------ Net result, $50 mil under the cap $25 mil will probably go into resigning current players we want to keep and people from our upcoming draft We will have almost $25 mil to spend on FA's.