The Jets make a foolish selection in the second round of a draft - So foolish that even the most optimistic fan is just hoping that the guy can develop into a decent back-up. And, going into this third year, the best thing you can say about him is he is "cap friendly". A second round pick! While other organizations get pro-bowl level production from their second round picks, we're satisfied that ours are cap friendly!!! LOL! He's a bust.
If he isn't at least decent by next season then he's a bust. But with project picks they tend to take time to develop. He will have a full offseason to work with coaches.
Sorry if you don't understand roger. When you take a raw tackle from umass who has limited football experience it's a project pick. The jets shouldn't be taking project picks in the second round but anyone who is being honest with themselves and understands what a project pick is would agree. Bringing up facts about his contract to refute the idea that he'll be cut next year has nothing to do with saying nice things about him or being "satisfied".
Jets were simply investing in a position that when stable creates long term success. You build a franchise w/ strong lines. They KNEW Ducasse was gonna take awhile to reach his potential. Maybe not this long. But the lockout threw in a variable they weren't counting on within his development. When they drafted him 2 years ago they saw both Damien Woody and Brandon Moore starting to get up in age. They knew in the next few years one or both would need to be replaced. Now that's an elite right side back in 2009. They weren't gonna draft an O-lineman good enough to replace either of the incumbents. In comes Vlad...who is a bit of a project. However, he has legit ALL PRO upside.He is big,strong as an ox, long arms and great feet. His ceiling is literally on Larry Allen's level. He was an interesting guy at the senior bowl that year. Both in drills and in the game he was throwing guys around like pillows. He did make the occasional mistake though. And you could tell the game was very new to him. Our GM happens to have attended the very school Ducasse came from(and is also well connected). If anyone in NFL personnel circles is gonna know the deal w/ Ducasse and his prospective future, it's Mike Tannenbaum. Watch the guy play. Don't just watch the QB and overreact anytime there's a mistake up front and just assume "it has to be Vlad". Anyone that has watched him closely knows..he's a very imposing blocker. When he knows and is confident who his assignment is he is very forceful. Now, he's alittle tentative with some of the mental stuff. And that's when the mistakes happen. I believe he needs to play through those mistakes. He's gonna be a damn good player.A damn good player at a position that STANDS OUT in today's game and means wins and losses. If your argument is that they could've drafted someone else at a different position. Fine. But the Jets were doing nothing more than investing in a position that frankly pays huge dividends.
No, it's you who doesn't understand. You don't reach to take projects in the second round. The Jets made a foolish decision taking a "raw tackle from UMass" in the second round. It hasn't panned out. He has shown nothing. He's a bust.
Yup, that's why I said This is where it's clear that you don't understand what a project is. By definition you don't make a decision on whether or not a project has worked out after 2 seasons. Actually he has shown improvement by getting himself on the field for a decent number of snaps this year. He made some errors but was hardly a liability out there like our starting RT was. He has also shown that he's an extremely powerful man when he throws NFL sized d-linemen around. I'm sure you haven't noticed that though. You probably didn't even know he was on the field much this year. You don't understand what a project is.
Teams like the Steelers,Packers, & yes even the Giants, make picks like these all the time.This is how you build stability. Many long time Jet fans were crying for a pick like this for a long time. A young O-lineman w/ upside to develop.Now he's alittle further down the road than we anticipated. I'm ok w/ someone criticizing how early they took him. I will say though I'm not sure he would've made it out of the 2nd round.
Nope, it's you who doesn't understand what a project is. A project is someone you take in the late rounds who other teams may not see the potential in but who you think, with a little work, you can get something out of. A project is not someone you take in the second round and cross your fingers with. A bust is someone you spend a second round draft pick on who does not contribute in any meaningful way to your team. Vlad Ducasse is a bust. If you want to keep replying, hoping to get the last word in to defend your ridiculous position, so be it. I have all day, and night if necessary.
the guy was in as an extra tackle on short yardage plays. i mean seriously this is not what you envision for a second year second round draft pick. sure he might end up being serviceable... in year 4 or 5... i just dont see the potential that you do. im not impressed and he at this point has been no better than anthony schlegel. only that waste of a pick was a third rounder not a second. time will tell.
All someone has to do is lookup his predraft scouting reports to get an idea of expectations for vlad. I don't need to argue about it. Since you're such an expert on his play, maybe you could let us know what you saw from him this year - good and bad?
he can come in as an extra tackle and run straight ahead into a pile of guys and hit it. thats about all that i really saw of him this year. that was the extent of his success.
No the Jet fans do not want to see the "turnstyle" get key players killed while he is developing. I Get that he is a project but as we saw early this year when his lack of ability got Mangold hurt he is dangerous.
You must be talking about Turner in the preseason? I thought they did a good job of developing him in the regular season this year without getting anyone killed. If he can put it all together he'll be a huge addition to our run game. When he gets himself in the right position and gets his hands on people he is physically dominant. That's why Jets fans should want the project to work out. The problem is he doesn't have it mentally enough to be in the right position often enough yet. Let's see how he does with a real NFL offseason.
No, I don't think he is a bust. With his size and strenght i'm sure he could be trained and used somewhere on the OL.
I dont know. You cant call him a bust just yet, Callahan's blocking scheme was complicated. He also did not have a full offseason. Im pretty sure Sparano wants to run a man blocking scheme which is a lot simpler to pick up and Ducasse is not the brightest bulb. He'd probably work in a man blocking scheme as a Jumbo TE type lineman
Really? 2010 2nd pick # 13 Broncos Zane Beadles(13 picks before Vlad)- Didn't really play much his rookie year, and ultimately earned a starting job this past year. 2009 2nd round pick 26 Patriots Sebastian Vollmer- Didn't do much his first year or so, and was considered a project, now is starting tackle for the Pats 2nd round pick 28 Giants William Beatty- Much like Vollmer was considered a project with upside. Again, didn't see much playing time till year 3 or so, now he's a starter. 2007 2nd round pick 7 Falcons Justin Blalock- Same story as the rest of the guys on this list. What do all the teams who made these picks have in common? They were all in the playoffs this year. One of Tannenbaum's mantras is "Win for today, build for tomorrow". You build for tomorrow by drafting and developing good players up front. As you can tell by the list above, all players progress and develop differently. Currently, Vlad is still in a development phase which is not unheard of for the position. But all you bonehead Madden guys keep poisoning all our minds by anointing every draft pick that isn't a starter or mistake free contributor by end of year 2 a bust. Read a thing or 2 about building a god damn stable organization.
Yes, I meant Turner. I have not called him a bust but I am worried about the other players around him as he slowly figures "it" out. He is a tough one to figure because normally you do not have the same fear as a guy develops.
Damn, I love it when someone who knows the position comes and posts agianst the opinions of the average fans that can only regurgitate blurbs from ESPN and NFL draft countdown. Kurt anotehr solid post about the O line. I'm sure the masses will keep fighting against ya, but the masses are often wrong.
