5 things we need to address. - Offensive Line - Defensive Line - Breakout Wide Receiver - Offensive Line - Defensive Line
If you take some time to research WR stats, you'll see that many of them don't truly break out and "get it" until their third season. And that's from guys who played the position in college. We should not give up on Brad Smith. He was playing quarterback for Missouri in 2005. I think Smith could develop into a #2 WR.
Notice who dominated a lot yesterday -- Chris Canty. Chris LONG plays the exact same position at UVA that Canty played while he was in college. I don't care if he's a bit "undersized", the guy has a motor and he can play. He's quickness is space makes up for his lack of size against bigger tackles.
All year? Did you actually just say all year? Three games as a starter, and that turns into all year. Geeze, no wonder I don't post very often anymore.
Thanks for keeping real bro. -People calling for firing of a coach 1.5 years into his plan. -People wanting to cut every player who's been here more than two years and isn't dominating. -People expecting a QB in his first 3 starts against better than average Ds to look like the second coming of Joe Montana. -Same People ready to put rookies in the HOF. -People denouncing their Jethood. -People expecting the endzones to boil and the seats to burn. -People thinking that Smith and McCareins are actually worthy #2 receivers. Sit back, be a Jets fan (you know how this goes), and in a coupla years, when we win it all, keep your head up high.
Some rebuttal on your points: Mangini - when you go from 10 wins to 2, are plugging square pegs into round holes, and get outcoached in the 2nd half of every game, you come under question, period. Veterans - some vets deserve the criticism for not performing and its been more than two years - Ellis, Thomas, and Moore come to mind right away. Clemens - its not that people expected Joe Montana, but after the bashing Pennington got for not winning with "style" these past few years, we expected him to be replaced by someone better than Hanna Montana. I don't care if its only 3 starts, he looks terrible to me so far. Having said that, he deserves more time - through next year - before he can be said to be a bust. Besides, the Jets need so much help this offseason, QB simply cannot be on the list. Jet fans - this year has shed some light on Jet fans and they deserve the criticism. The bitterness towards Pennington culminating in cheering when he got hurt has been utterly classless. You can have the opinion that he should have been replaced and you can criticize his play, but every Jet fan should respect his accomplishments and what it took to come back from two shoulder injuries, plus the classy way he carried himself through his Jet career. Jet fans have also been correctly exposed as fans who care more about tailgaiting, drinking, cursing, flag girls etc than football and the Jets. The empty seats at the beginning and end of every game, the nasty atmosphere at games, the selling of tickets to fans of other teams all are facts. Receivers - why should the QB get a pass, but a WR (Smith) who has been in the league just as long, plays a different position than he played in college, and plays a position that takes time to master be judged as a bust already? And nobody is calling either of them a #2. When Coles and Cotchery are healthy, they are #3 and 4. This infatuation with WRs is a bunch of crap. Dallas beat the Jets 34-3 and Owens was shut down until garbage time. Thier #2 - Glenn - has been hurt all year. Romo had no trouble throwing to guys who were catching their first NFL passes. When the line gives a QB time, the WRs are not that important. Who were the stud Patriot receivers before this season????
The rules were changed because of the way the Pats manhandled WR in their previous SB wins. With the loss of Deion Branch and Brown ageing and lossing a step the Pats fell short two years in a row to teams with a better passing attack. The Pats reloaded at WR and now are dominating the league. The Jets haven't had a WR as good as Owens since Al Toon was on the team. The Cowboys are better than the Jets at virtually every single position on the field. The reason the Cowboys will need Owens and Glenn healthy is to challenge the Pats if they play in the SB. The Jets have an O that threatens nobody in this league. The lack of big play talent at WR is a big reason for it.
I like Smith, he's developing at a good pace. No way do I give up on him. He's started 4 gamesand threw 2 more INTs in limited time against Buf. He's been inaccurate the entire time he's been in there.
I have been a jet fan since their very first game, so accept this post as coming from someone who has been a fan longer than most. I am glad that this season is going the way it is. Let me explain: 111. No one knows how good a coach is EM. he had 1 terrific year and 1 miserable half year. Most coaches start with poor teams and suffer some poor seasons until their ability to recognize talent (separate the wheat from the chaff) and then develop that talent through strategic (draft, trades, etc,) and tactical (game) planning comes into play. A season like this gives the coach a true indication of the players talent level. The test of EM will come this offseason when the team makes personnel moves, and then into next season to see how the team plays. Playing a tough schedule this early in his career gives EM a good insight into what it takes to play with the big boys. Is he good enough to build on that? we will see. 2.A great coach learns from his mistakes. EM has a great pedigree, but no one knows if this translates into great coaching. he has made mistakes. can he learn from them in the offseason? we will see. 3. The overall talent level needs upgrading. High draft picks are the best way to upgrade, either as chips or actual picks. 4.Given the talent level, we were going nowhere this year and perhaps next. therefore, sticking with Chad will not have accomplished very much. We needed to change QB and we did. Will KC be poor,average.good,great-only time will tell? But at least the talent clock has started ticking.
Whether or not he plays the exact same position in the ACC at whatever size is totally irrelevant. Being undersized as a 3-4 lineman is a big deal, particularly because the Jets have a mostly undersized 3-4 as is. I like Long, but he can't be a priority. If the Jets are drafting in the top 5 and have a shot at McFadden, that's the guy, and if not, they'd better be smart and trade down. -X-
