Anyone ever wonder why each game looks exactly the same for the past, oh, say, 6 years? Come out flat, go 3 and out for the first 3-4 series' and bingo, down 14 or 21 and game over basically before you pour the first cold one? Bowles had the same issue as Gase does, and that is zero ability to scheme to your strengths and your opponents weakness. Our GM's were at fault as well, picking DL year in and year out, and paying no attention to offense in FA or the draft. What Douglass did this year is imho, ridiculous picking a back up, backup QB in the 4th, a S who is not a factor at all, and a freaking punter, when this was the deepest WR draft in years. I understand he wants good leaders, but this team is, and has been so bereft or talent and speed for so long already, I feel besides Becton, he whiffed BIG TIME. Let's be honest, Jamal Adams was a spoiled, selfish, pain in the ass, asking for big bucks during an uncertain time as to whether or not there was even going to be a season or not. They had to trade him, however, this organization is so f**ked that the real reason they had to move Adams because he saw, and exposed what they are. Until Johnson brings in some qualified football executives to run this thing and stays the heck out of it, it will be rinse and repeat for the foreseeable future, nobody the caliber of Jamal Adams would want to be here. Guys like Adams want to win. Can you blame them?
I’m willing to wait and judge JDs draft picks but I’d like to see some of these “character and leader” types he supposedly signed start to show up soon.
Buffalo’s top receiver when they drafted Josh Allen was Zay Jones. Their second best receiver was 30 year old LeSean McCoy. Their backfield was the same McCoy and 30 year old Chris Ivory. Buffalo was in no way in a better position let alone far better position. Fast forward one year and they had Cole Beasley, John Brown and drafted Singletary plus Dawson Knox at TE. Almost none of the players at skill positions they had in year 1 returned for Allen’s year 2. Their previous season’s leading receiver Zay Jones had 7 receptions. They had 4 new OL. They laid an extremely solid foundation in one offseason by completely revamping everything around Allen. We have completely failed. The notion of “you can’t do it all in one offseason” is and always was BS.
The guy who drafted Sam did little to protect him and was focused on big ticket FA's who haven't worked out so far. And it might lead to Sam taking his talents to another team. We would've been better off signing a bunch of OL last year and drafting a RB. Then, draft an OL or two this year along with a WR or two. What wasn't done in 2019 is coming back to bite this team in the ass.
I had no issues with Douglas except for not signing Robbie. A lot of people here said he did the right thing but that theory is toast. Anderson was one of our own and he had some sync with Darnold and you just don't develop that all the time. Sam is suffering, our offense is suffering and the people we drafted and signed to replace him have been invisible. So we saved some dollars for this mess we currently have.
We were awful with Robby. We have a coach that doesn’t value anything other than 7 yard passes and bubble screens. Having Robby here would make close to no difference.
I guess you missed last season where when Sam went down we had no backup worth a damn. QB is the most important position on a football team. When you get a chance to draft one that you like and think has potential, you take it, you don't pass on it to take another position. The odds of a 4th round pick contributing anything this year are just as slim as Morgan contributing anything this year. You don't draft players just for their rookie season, and you don't evaluate them after two games. And you're trashing rookies who had no mini-camp, OTAs, or preseason. That's really dumb. It's also dumb to trash Douglas for taking a punter in the 6th round. Every team needs a good punter. That is something the Jets have never paid great attention to and it's bitten them in the ass time and again. Douglas finally got a great punter that will help them on both offense and defense, and consistently provide them with better field position.
What in the world did you want him to do? He has no control over guys getting hurt in camp. That’s a Gase issue as far as I’m concerned because it’s been something that has followed him his whole career. The only thing I will get on JD for is not drafting another WR and letting Robby walk in FA.
The FA class was better and deeper at both WR and OL in 2019. Mac is the one who screwed the pooch. There was crap for WR and OL in the 2020 FA class. Douglas can't sign what's not there. In addition, it was stated that Douglas' hands were tied in FA as the Johnsons were trying to cut spending. Who were the FA WRs that Douglas passed up? https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/buffalo-bills-depth-chart-2019/1fuolfa1unn5g1ih0mf545ra0h
That’s completely untrue. The bills roster was terrible. In fact, fans of both the bills and jets made comparisons of how scarily similar the two teams were roster wise that 2018 year. Then they went in different directions after that. But they came to their two teams in basically the same situations.
Let’s give JD more than a year and a half before we label him as a terrible GM. Sure, there’s been some things that I’ve disagreed with (letting Robbie walk, Zuniga/Perine/Morgan over another WR, the Kalil signing, etc.) but nothing so egregious that it’s made me think he can’t turn this thing around. As others have said, if we’re still having this exact same conversation in 2022, then maybe my mindset will change but it’s way too early to label him a bust IMO.
Im definitely not blaming it all on Douglas I’m just saying he isn’t getting away unscathed here. Not drafting a second WR was absolutely asinine considering it was our biggest need and there were plenty of talented ones available when we chose a backup QB and backup OL instead. I’d even argue that Davis over another WR was a mistake. Chris Johnson fucked this up the most by hiring Gase, the worst possible choice. Maccagnan is in second because he left the cupboard bare. Douglas is in the kitchen though, he deserves some heat.
I do think it’s fair to criticize JD for the lack of weapons around Darnold. It certainly does look like he’s punted on this season which in effect is punting on Sam’s career here. I’m not sure it’s a bad strategy though, even if Darnold is not completely ruined by now having him learn his 3rd offense in 4 years is not ideal either way. JD will have a chance to pair his hand picked QB with his hand picked HC and restart the first QB contract. Of course it’s a gamble because they do need the first pick for it to pay off but that looks very likely at this point. The Jets will be in better shape to build around Lawrence then they were Darnold with a full arsenal of pick and a franchise LT already in place and overall improved OL. We just gotta hope that JD knows better than to select a QB and then draft defense with the next most valuable picks.
If you'll recall, I've been very outspoken about how unhappy I was that Douglas didn't take a 2nd WR in the draft, so I agree with that. I'm not so certain that there "plenty of talented WRs left when we chose a backup QB and backup OL instead." Who were those WRs? What have they done in the NFL so far? We all know how bad the Jets' QBs were last season, and for the most part have been over the last 15 years or so. QB injuries happen. We also all know that it's the most important position. IMO when a GM gets an opportunity to take a QB that he believes to be a very good prospect, he should seize that opportunity and not pass on it. A team can't have too many good QBs. Clark could wind up being a starting OG for the next 10-12 years. If so, he will help protect Sam and open holes for the RBs. I believe that Douglas took Davis because he saw the handwriting on the wall with Adams and/or knew that Maye was going to be a FA next offseason. Many here celebrated that pick as being proactive and planning for the future. I agree with that, but perhaps the wiser course would have been worry about the future when you have a solid roster already. Still, Davis has the potential to be a star and a great player for the Jets. Maybe he was the best remaining player in the draft by the Jets' evaluations. Would you rather that Douglas have reached for a lesser WR than take Davis? Where I think Douglas made a mistake was in taking Zuniga, who was frequently injured in college. Some players do struggle with injuries in college then have to no problems in the NFL, but they are the exception rather than the rule. We had and still have a drastic need at Edge. Zuniga has talent and potential, but probably at best will only be a backup on the Jets, or should be. Lynn Bowden and Bryan Edwards were taken with the next two picks. Devin Duvernay was still available, as was Gabriel Davis. I know there were questions about Edwards' work ethic and effort, so I can understand possibly not taking him, but Douglas could have taken Bowden or traded down possibly and taken Duvernay or Gabriel Davis. The thing is, we don't know what the Jets' draft board looked like. The Jets may not have rated any of the remaining WRs that highly. Then again, perhaps Douglas was thinking about taking Gabriel Davis in the 4th, then the Bills took him right before our pick, so Douglas had to take Clark instead. Antonio Gandy-Golden was still there, but he is a slow WR, and the Jets wanted to add speed and playmaking ability. In Cager, the Jets may get what Gandy-Golden could have given them. Don't forget that Gandy-Golden also played at Liberty, and would have a big adjustment to the level of play. I understand Douglas wanting to improve both units, and G. Williams probably would have been unhappy if Douglas totally ignored the D. Maybe Williams wanted Davis and/or Zuniga. There may have been other defensive players earlier that Williams really wanted and Douglas took offensive players there instead. I understand his wanting to try to help the pass rush. I never saw Zuniga play in college. I never saw Alton Robinson play, either. I remember that a lot of posters here liked Robinson. I liked what I read about Robinson. He didn't go until the 5th round, so NFL teams must not have been that high on him. Only time will tell whether the choices Douglas made were the right ones or mistakes. I wish that he had taken another WR as well, but he didn't so we just have to accept that and hope that in 2021 he will seriously upgrade our WR corps. If he doesn't then, I will trash Douglas, and in fact, that will probably be it for me as a Jets fan.
We already drafted a WR and he got hurt. People who wanted more receivers should look at our roster. We already have 3rd and 4th round receivers on it. How was more of them going to fix the situation? Would they make Gase a better OC?
We have Perriman on a one year deal, the two Smiths who wouldn’t sniff the field for a competent team, Hogan who is only here because everyone else is hurt and Berrios who plays the same position as our only competent receiver, Crowder. Nothing about our WR corps is correct outside of Crowder and Mims. We have no depth. We have no bonafide 1 unless Mims turns into it. The situation has been botched since 2015 and we have yet to figure out how to get back on the right track. Part of that falls on Douglas.
