Jets Assesment- where are now?

I think the Jets are in year two of the rebuilding program at this point.

They have major questions along both lines that need to be resolved and the lingering question of what to do at QB for the next competitive cycle (probably 2008-2010.)

As to your points:

1. Yes Thomas Jones is an upgrade at RB. The Jets running game should be a bit better this year than it was last season. Calling for them to go from 3.5 yards a carry to 4 yards a carry is not unreasonable. Maybe 3.9 yards.

2. Mangold looks to be headed that way. The other guys all either have people in front of them (Leon Washington) or still need to justify the pick (D'Brick.) I think the Jet's rookie class of last year will have a growing season this year and we can evaluate them in 2008.

3. Vilma needs to translate the speed that allowed him to cover a lot of ground in the 4-3 into impact at the point of contact in the 3-4. Zach Thomas and Teddy Bruschi are nowhere near as fast as Vilma but they forced a bunch of turnovers in their prime. Vilma needs to become a turnover generator in this defense or he's just not going to be an impact player. To put it simply, he's got to become a harder hitter than he is at the moment.

4. I have no idea what will happen with Chad.

5. Absolutely true. This is the season we find out if Mangini is a great coach or not. He's used up the bright ideas (Teddy Atlas and the boxing stuff) he accumulated over the years in season 1, now he needs to follow-up on an act that everybody has already seen. There's a reason most comedians burn out after one tour of the comedy clubs and that's the material they cannot replace after the first go-round.

6. The Jets could make real progress over last season this year and go 8-8. We need to remember that this is a work in progress and not get to judgemental if they look ordinary. Most of the players on the Jets right now ARE ordinary.

 

1. I think this will be the key to our season. I think we'll have some really convincing wins this seasons due to the running game, though I don't expect our ultimate record to be much different.
2. I'm not convinced aobut last year's rookies. I really liked what I saw out of Leon and Brad in particular, but I've said too many times "and they're only goign to improve" and have it blow up in my face (see: Erik Coleman) I think they will improve, but there are too many factors to suggest such a direct progression.
3. Vilma WILL return to form. We may not see it in his statistics, but I guarantee before every snap, the entire D will be looking to him to get them set.
4. Chad schmad. Whether or not he is injured or not, his sole concern is playign well enough to keep his job, I don't think we're going to see a different, more confident Chad this eyar. I think, like Vilma, he will be the glue that keeps our offense together, but I'm not envisioning his deep outs being jaw droppers or anything.
5. Mangini didn't really make too many errors as far as I saw. I do think, though, that having everyone onboard with the program from day one will allow them to implement more things in training camp, but what I'm most interested in seeing in year two is how they deal with success. Do they lose sight of the fundamentals in the pursuit of "the next step" I think this will show up in the players' technique and their urgency in tight situations. If they can succeed at those two things, we'll know that Mangini is able to keep this team on track in good times and bad.
6. I think we will finish 10-6 again. I hope to see us realy put more teams away early, though, and "do what we need to do," i.e.: not let bad teams hang around, make the crucial play whe it needs to be made, and not lose focus and make critical, mental errors.

 

Exactly my point and you said it so much better. I think this is the most crucial thing for us to learn this year.

 

i agree with thomas jones being a very big boost on both sides of the ball. there were more games than not where running the ball was critical and we didnt get it done effectively. he should be a big boost to the offense, especially when play action will actually cause a few deep balls to get caught.

i have zero doubts about a lot of our sophomore players. brick and mangold should really prove themselves, and keep chadwick safe. hopefully kendall is still between them when the season kicks off. leon will have the experience, confidence, and a better grasp on the offense. that means trouble for a lot of teams. i really hope eric smith shows he is for real. hes a solid player, and im hoping he can prove to the CS/FO that he can start and be effective in the NFL. brad smith will hopefully show strides in learning the offense, and the CS will have a better grasp on how we use him as a multi-tiered weapon.

david harris, for as good as he can be, has got to stay healthy, and i hope his knees are solid. he missed some major time with his knees at michigan...not to say they were lingering injuries, but its a scary thing to have a LB with bad wheels. i hope to see barton stay, that way we have some insurance with DH...

keeping barton and kendall should be paramount. especially kendall since his cap hit is only 1.7 this season. theres no reason for him to go. hes a big part of our OL, and an even bigger part of mangold maturation.

after a full season, both the players still here, and the CS should be better prepared for the grind of the 16 game NFL season. mangini and co will have a better understanding of creative effective gameplans, and their execution. he will have a (should have) a deep understanding of the guys here, and how to work their rotation.

i hope...pray...that we can find a decent DT after 6/1. i was hoping that the jets would go after the DT fa from the bears....ian scott. instead he ended up on the eagles roster. with such a big need for a gap gobbling behemoth, we need to find someone after the cuts. i think that without a big body to plant in front of vilma and co the running game will eat the defense up again. hopefuly it is addressed, or i am wrong.

youre right about the schedule being brutal. hopefully we get a few bounces that will help us along the way. i also see pennington having more confidence this year....if thats good or bad we will have to wait and see...id like to see us pick up keyshawn. cut dwight, as he is useless...KJ gives us a much needed big red zone target.

i cant wait for the season opener! go yanks...because the devs are almost done...and i need sports to watch!:up:

 

Without addressing each of your points, my thoughts are basically that the big difference this season, as opposed to last season, is that the Jets are a lot closer to elite talent level. The only parts of the team I think are now somewhat weak are that the O-line could be better (although D'Brick beefing up will make a world of difference) and a better pass rushing and run stopping line. I think the line will be much better at stopping the run this season but the pass rush may be lacking again.

Either way, the NFL is all about coaching. And I have full faith in Mangini. Yeah, there aren't many stars on the Jets right now. Not a lot of game breakers. But success breeds these type of players - not the other way around. If a guy like Arnaz Battle fits Mangini's system better than Chad Johnson, then I say get Arnaz Battle. Right now, the Jets are all on the same page. They're playing as a team and they never give up and that's what I love to see.

As for the schedule, I really don't think it's that bad. I know I'm in the minority here but the only teams I am legitimately scared of on that schedule are New England, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh. Also playing in Dallas on 4 days of preparation is going to be very tough. Other than that, I'm not really afraid of any team the Jets play this season.

So am I thinking Superbowl? Realistically, probably not. Am I thinking playoffs? Absolutely. And, if the Jets beat the Pats at least once this season, I'll be very happy. The first game of the season is gonna be huge.

 

I think if your 1-5 points are true, than we're going deep into the playoffs. My main thought on next year is that our defense will perofrm a lot better next year than the "experts" will assume in their pre-season analysis. A few main reasons:

A. We were learning the 3-4 last year and really started picking it up late in the season. For our first 8 games, we gave up an average of 24 points/game. In the second half of the season, we gave up an average of 12.75 points. Now you can argue our 2nd half opponets were weaker, but you certainly saw the Jets improve. There won't be the same learning curve for our core defensive guys going into next year
B. We emphasized defense in the offseason, with our first two draft picks who could be starting on day one, and our Defensive Line barrage of signings. While none of those guys may be superstars, it will certainly be better than Kimo trying to hold the defensive end fort and Ball coming in to spell Ellis.
C. Although Dewayne isn't ideal as a nose tackle, I think he made strides and got better, which should carry forward into next year. Also, if Pouha can provide something coming off injury, it may help bring the position up to a closer to average grade, versus last year's below average...

 

dude, I don't know how you can absolutely expect playoffs, and not consider us as Superbowl contenders. It's just a few games away, the playoffs is the road to the Superbowl, you have to be in it to win it!

This FO has actually convinced me over their tenure that they are not in rebuilding mode, and are doing everything they can to be successful in the present. If they are serious about going all the way then so am I as a fan. Superbowl or Bust!

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Br4dw4y5ux
5. Absolutely true. This is the season we find out if Mangini is a great coach or not. He's used up the bright ideas (Teddy Atlas and the boxing stuff) he accumulated over the years in season 1, now he needs to follow-up on an act that everybody has already seen. There's a reason most comedians burn out after one tour of the comedy clubs and that's the material they cannot replace after the first go-round.

Exactly my point and you said it so much better. I think this is the most crucial thing for us to learn this year.


Nah.....I don't see Mangini has anything to prove as a coach. He can coach & has been doing it around alot of top flite coaches & now has gotten his chance. There may be an offensive play that is called & u may not like it, but thats gonna happen. Mangini will be a better coach this season, cause he has a year under his belt. If Jets' make playoffs this season, he & Jets' will be more prepared & relaxed than last season......IMO.

What I see that he has to prove is that he can acquire players. Thats a Tangini agenda, Mangini & TannemBaum together. Thats the deal in my eyes.
How do Jets' getter bigger & faster as a team.

Mangini has a special quality that u may have noticed.........When he sees a Jets' weakness, he is quick to fix it. That is something I noticed last season & a gives me as a fan a comfortable feeling in trusting his judgement. He is always assessing his team....just like us fans & doesn't try to fool himself.

The ultimate test (in my eyes) is how he's upgrades the OL & DL (NT) position this season. This is what I'm waiting to witness & I keep a constant eye on this situation.

By noting what positions they drafted with there early picks, they have addressed areas of needed upgrades.

Another CB, NT, speedy LB, WR, blocking TE, & that old OL.

Well....We'll see during pre-season ...what has improved.

 

Vilma doesn't need to become a hard hitter, that's not his style, he needs to make an impact in coverage, running all over the field, and making tackles.......

If anything he should get a lot more picks in coverage.

 

Last year our defense was horrible in the first half of the season,and after they began to work together they allowed 12 points a game . Its really probable that we will struggle defensively early on and find our stride later on just as we did last year. The additons of former NFL PLayers or guy's that have been out of rotation for a while is a big maybe. so I think we should all set our minds to this real fact ,that the defense may need to jell just a little while longer. The offense on paper looks improved. Last year we force fed the run maschine to no avail. then they let Leon loose and his size and speed enabled us to establish a small run threat ,in other words no one was really scared. Im so happy they were able to acomplish all they did last year . But we all knew this is a team in the re-building phase. so Iv set my expectatons low for the first coulple of games(Growing pains). Who am I kinding iv got the Jets winning 14 games on my mystic prediction sheet I prepare every year. The peices are in place and will also take shape during camps. Heres to a good year!

 

I tend to agree with you on this, especially regarding the schedule. I think strength of schedule is over emphasized a bit because:

1. Due to turnover, etc., comparing teams from year to tear really is "apples and oranges". The common denominator, of course, is quality coaching/FO...which you addressed.

2. The difference between MOST "good teams" and "bad teams" is much smaller than most people realize. Very often the difference between 10-6 and 6-10 is the difference between a few plays executed well/poorly at key moments in the game. The 6-10 team generally plays every bit as hard , and hits every bit as hard, as the more successful teams for the most part. The "letdowns" or "looking ahead in the schedule" losses we all fear are evidence of that.

 

TJ has been brought in to make a difference. Lets hope our line can strengthen on the right side. I'm not down on B Moore like many on the board however I want to see some clarity on whether the scheme is zone or man for blocking. If zone Ithink Moore has the athleticism and smarts I am not sure about Clement or whoever will come through.

Rookie's from last year it's all about scheme. Mangold is showing he can do the job Brick we love the freakishness but blocking scheme will be all. Leon it's how we use him. Brad Smith he has a change up,potential but again do we develop him in a specific role or take him as a decoy. I prefer the former.

Vilma I'm not sure. If we answer questions on the d line he could be strong in the middle. He clearly has football smarts but are we holding on to a highish pick coming from the U?

Chad is a cerbral guy but can he put the deep ball. We need to stretch to change up and don't see that in our our WR corps. If Jones is gonna be a beast the PA will come back into play. The line need to be at their best. Not decided.

CS will work hard and do the best to prepare putting in long hours and worrying the heck out of what we have to do. I'm sitting back given the draft.

Schedule is what it is. Preparation, game plannning and intensity of approach is what will count. Take what we can from from divisional rivals and play hard. We'll see how we shape up.