Just another sign that the Jets coaches don't have faith in Wayne Hunter or Vlad Ducasse despite all those statements to the contrary. This guy will probably end up being a backup anyhow. I hope the Jets didn't pay too much - 5th round or worse I can deal with.
Pretty sure the Jets moved Ducasse to guard for good. Especially with Moore/Slauson as UFA next year. And Moore being at the end of his ropes
Devastating run blocker. Good pass protector. He fits the ground & pound perfectly. You have to trust he's been medically cleared by the jets staff which deserves some credit as being very good,specifically since Atlantic health center was built.They likely ask him to lose 10 pounds or so to decrease the strain on his knees. If healthy he blows away Hunter in the competition at RT. He also could be the long term answer at the position. This would force Hunter into a pretty valuable piece for the Jets. He becomes a back-up swing tackle w/ a TON of starting experience including in the playoffs. You wonder what this means for Vlad. Clearly they now think he's better suited for guard, but is that by default or truly what he accomplished this offseason? As crazy as it sounds, he has the talent to beat out Slauson at LG.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/category/rumor-mill/ The Panthers officially pulled the plug on former first-rounder Jeff Otah, sending him to the New York Jets in exchange for what the Jets termed “an undisclosed conditional draft choice.” Otah was a massive talent, but has only played four games the last two seasons as he battled injury and conditioning issues. Many within the Panthers organization thought it was a lack of toughness, more than anything. They’ll move forward with former undrafted rookie Byron Bell at right tackle. Bell played acceptably well last year, subbing for Otah. For the Jets, they get a guy with a chance to be an upgrade over Wayne Hunter at right tackle. But as the Panthers will tell you, assuming anything from Otah at this point might be a mistake.
Even if this guy gets hurt two games into the season, Wayne Hunter will be busting his ass this training camp to try and keep his spot. If Wayne Hunter has any potential as a starting tackle into the future, we'll find out this year. Of course, I wouldn't mind if Otah worked through his injury/motivation issues, either.
Funny,Panthers said the same thing about Jenkins back in 2008 right after a similar trade. Let's hpe Otah gives the Jets alot more healthy production,but we've heard this before coming out of Charlotte. When Jenkins was healthy...he was a dominant NT...When Otah is healthy & firing on all cylinders, he too is dominant.
I can't see Otah being a long term answer. He is the definition of injury prone and even if he makes it through the entire season without an injury I would be very hesitant to give him a long term contract next year with his injury history.
Holy cow! We concur on something. I think we can both agree that if he's healthy, we've found our starting right tackle
Given our coaches ability to motivate, and the fact we have arguably the best training and conditioning staff in the NFL, this was the perfect kind of player to target on the cheap. Elite upside, at little cost.....if this pans out, it's liable to be a key cog in any success we have this year.
Here's small hoping that, Otah stays healthy. I am cautiously optimistic about this trade. If at all, I don't have to watch WFH killing Sanchez OR failing a run block. That's always a plus in my book. -------------------------------------------------- If Ducasse masters RG techniques, then the OL will be set for some time, provided Otah (1) stays healthy, (2) excels at the position and (3) stays with the Jets for a long time.
Solid move. Can't hurt to try this guy out. Contract year too right? Doesn't hurt. Took a finally but we are addressing the O line.
His contract his fully guaranteed, I see no reason why he should give a shit if he starts or not. Its pretty apparent that hes not getting a starting job after this year anyway or even a large contract (age 32). I mean whether he starts this year or not id expect him to just be one of the higher back backup tackles after this year
Yeah, this is where I come down on it. Hunter was a walking disaster area for us. Otah is like a Kris Jenkins possibility. If he can stay healthy for a full season he's a huge upgrade over what we had at RT. That's a big IF but it's still better than just going into the season with Hunter. My best guess is the Jets draft a RT next year, hopefully not too early in the 2nd round but with a late 2nd.
Wow, this is probably the best football related news Ive heard in a while... If anything, it shows that the FO sees a HUGE problem at RT and are trying to address it. If this guy is healthy, we could have a top 5 line again and Sanchez could feel a lot more comfortable. Worst case scenario he cant even make it through training camp and we lose nothing, maybe a 7th round pick. And lastly. Fuck Wayne Hunter.
A late conditional pick for a guy with a 1 million non guaranteed salary shows that we have a HUGE problem at tackle ?
"if healthy" can be added to every player on every team. Revis is a good DB, when healthy. I understand there's more sensitivity due to Otah's (and Laundry's) history, but at the same time "if healthy" applies to every player on the team. You can never escape it.
You wouldnt call Wayne Hunter a huge problem while in the starting line-up? Point was that they acknowledged a problem by addressing it.
