Not to mention, he's a taller and a more natural WR, which is why he's used as both and is one of the fastest players to 200 Catches (did it in just 34 games), tying Boldin in yesterday's game against the Raiders.
I know. I think he has played really well this year and I am watching him in the games. The idiots on the radio are all talking about how mediocre his season has been. I think he is having a better year than Mangold is.
Word. I've changed my opinion on Bush from "bust" to just a different kind of player...he's a jack of all trades type on offense...and he's slowly improving in all facets. Cutler though...I had Cutler marked as "special" in '06 and I've stuck with it through and through. I just think people missed on him because fans/the media/the internet emphasize the wrong stuff in QB prospects...Leinart and Young QB'd big name programs...Cutler QB'd an SEC team for 4 years, improved every year, took on top programs and beat a couple, had a better arm than either, intelligence isn't an issue with a Vandy student, was the "right kind" of mobile at QB, and obviously the dude was as tough as they come...he started for a terrible SEC team for 4 years...like...come on. That '06 QB class is one of the most interesting cases in history to me. It really showed just how much we value flash and the name brand.
... This is a rather long (longer than anticipated) retrospect on Brick and a comparison of his development as a college player and his development as a pro. You might find a lot of this totally irrelevant (i.e. pointless), so you might just want to skip. It has less to do exclusively with his latest outings. It's more of a comparison of his development as a college player and his development as a pro. They both seem, at least until this point, to mirror each other (which is a good thing for the future of our O-line, even if he hasn't developed into an All-Pro as quickly as you hoped). Moving on... Having watched Brick since he started for Virginia from Day 1 as a 248 lbs. true freshman, I would be the last person to give up on him if he were slow to develop. He'll always be a favorite of mine, but I think I can be somewhat objective. As such, the fact that he is consistently improving across the board (pass, rush, weight, technique, etc.) is really encouraging. Some college players don't develop or translate into a pro player, some go through growing pains and then flip a switch to become standouts, some are just born to be journeymen. You don't often see consistently improved play from adequate to good to really good to great. But that was the development Brick had at UVA, and hopefully it will prove to be his development as a Jet. As mentioned, he was forced to be the first true freshman in school history to start on the OL from the first game (at LT no less) even though he was the perfect red shirt candidate (6'8 frame, but with a teenager's 250 lbs. development). Not only did he quiet all our concerns by doing a solid job right away, he actually became a consensus Freshman All-AMERICAN. For some kid at 250 lbs. playing LT, that's not bad, considering he went up against D-Linemen like Julius Peppers, Calvin Pace, Darnell Dockett, Randy Starks, etc. Anyway, for the rest of his collegiate career, he made step-after-step. His approach wasn't to make a list of weaknesses and cross them off one at a time. Every time he improved a weakness, he found a new one to correct. I think Jets fans can see the same pattern emerge. In both college and the pros, he came in a little light, but he used his technique to step in immediately and make due. All the while, he busts his ass to improve on his weaknesses (rather than settling for being the best in only one dimension of his game). He steadily puts on bulk, but he does it slowly so he doesn't diminish his strengths just to improve his weaknesses. In both college and the pros (once again), he initially excelled at pass blocking before run blocking because his frame is just built perfectly for it. His long arms (and black-belt background) are perfect for pass blocking. Pulling back into a defensive posture allow(s)(ed) him to extend his full wingspan, lock up both bull rushers and speed rushers, and then let his technique totally neutralize the threat. Run blocking, which depends on how quickly an OL can get his hands on a DL just as much as how hard he pushes, is more difficult because his long arms may sometimes get in the way. A shorter DL with less height, lower center of gravity, and shorter arms is harder to simply discard and can usually get his hands on Brick's jersey faster, thus capturing the advantage on leverage. To develop his run blocking, he has to simply become more brutish and develop more "quick muscle" strength, so that a DL can make initial contact but Brick will still be able to push him aside. This was the same issue he had between his second and third year in college. His pass blocking was pretty outstanding from the start, but by the time he graduated, his run blocking was almost as strong. As a pro, his pass blocking has been there from day one, but his rush technique is steadily, consistently improving. Just as important, just like in college, he might be doing it slowly, but he's developing the weaker part of his game without losing the speed and fluidity that makes his so good at pass protection. Ah hell... this was much longer and possibly even more pointless than I anticipated. I guess the moral of the story is that Brick, ever since he was 17-18, has a track record of being asked to step into the role of starting LT (perhaps the most demanding role in its combination of both mental and physical development) with no experience, doing a damn good job considering, but (hopefully) proving that he is not like most football players in that he won't hit a plateau or realize his full potential (whether bad, mediocre, good, or great) after only three or four years.
sorry to say brick isNOT playing at PB level so hes a bust if U cannot see that he weakens the team then U should go back and watch the tape and lsten to the experts that said it when he was drafted. this is just the facts just like its fact you are SLW.
