Brick was really bad but rarely gets discussed & everyone is assuming he'll do well this year. When he made the Pro Bowl last season, we all learned just how much of the voting process is based purely on reputation instead of production.
New offensive coordinator took a softer stance than Ryan. “Matt is probably ahead of Vlad at this point, but we got a long way to go,” offensive coordinator Tony Sparano said. “So we’ll see how it shakes out.” http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/je...vlad-ducasse-for-jets-starting-left-guard-job
Brick had a terrible year for his standards but he did not look nearly as bad as Hunter did. Hunter looked like a damn matador on a bunch of the sacks he allowed. The fact that Brick has a history of being a top NFL LT is the reason why people aren't nearly as worried about his down year.
slauson isnt much of a question mark at all at his position. hunter definitely is but slauson is pretty good. without an injured shoulder he should play much better than last year as well so really it was a good thing for vlad that he was competing for the job. hopefully if moore goes down or when he retires vlad can step in if he doesnt win the job this year (apparently sparano hasnt settled?) and we can focus on the right tackle.
Demario displays alot of raw ability as both a coverage guy & a blitzer. He's perfect for 3rd down/sub package. Not only is he reliable, he can make a play or 2. He's not ready to be a full time LB though. He's alittle rough around the edges w/ his finer points. Funny that media never mentioned that on the very first play of the GW scrimmage Coples shot through the line & nailed Greene for a 4 yard loss.But yeah..that happened. He's very good out of the 4-3 which is his comfort zone. He's tentative and alittle off in his technique in different formations. To be expected at this point. He looks good in team drills too.
Coples has the benefit of a lot of other playmakers on defense helping him out. Hill looks to be our #2 receiver and will be much more visable if not producing. Over reactionay fans will be all over this becasue we did not sign, Bray/TO/Ocho/ insert old or injuried receiver here.
Ahhh I remember a year or two back getting flamed hard because I was down on Vlad. Still I'm sorry to see him flaming out, he has the tools but doesn't seem to be picking up the game at all. His lack of Football smarts is what had me down on him back then and it's still, sadly, what's holding him back today.
Not to state the obvious here but usually when an offensive lineman can't get on the field in 3 years he's cut.
My biggest regret on this board is from night one of the draft I was screaming for Tanny to trade up with all the value left on the board. The last line of the post read 'Hill looks more and more tempting every spot he slides.'. Then my dumbass deleted it because I thought it looked too cocky. Sigh.
So this thread started because Slauson regained his position by playing great in practice, thus we declare Ducasse a bust even though he has improved according to reports. WTF? Here ismy take on what's going on....Slauson last year played hurt and gave it everything he had. He is more than serviceable, he is solid and likely to be even better this year. Ducasse will continue to improve to a back up level at guard, given sufficient practice at the position and a full training camp. The question mark is more towards the tackles at this point, and unlike the opinion of our Buffalo fans, a more than serviceable tackle will be made available for Tanny to pull the trigger on. Is the OL a bit of a weak link for us, yes indeed...but not because of Slauson. Let's see what we have before we make such crazy proclamations
The reason that has not happened, yet, is that to cut your second round pick before he ever starts would be an admission of another wasted high draft pick by this regime. I have noticed this regime does not like owning up to having made mistakes. The worst part is he will continue to suck up a roster spot.
The worst part is that in the back of their minds he's still a real option. Why do we still have Wayne Hunter at RT? Because the FO couldn't get past the idea that Ducasse might still work out at RT this year. Part of owning up to your draft mistakes and cutting people when it appears they aren't working out is that you get to move on and find people who will help you. Cutting a 2nd round pick who is not working out is like creative destruction. It focuses the team on finding something that will work.
I frankly don't put much stock in the validity of the party line coming out of the Jet coaches. Slauson in fact was the weakest starter on the team in 2010, and was not last year in large part because Hunter took that bal and ran away with it. But at least so far, on the field in real games, Slauson has been mediocre to average. So, he's suddenly gotten to be good? I'll believe it when I see it. Until further notice the second round pick has not been able to break into the starting lineup ahead of either Wayne Hunter or Slauson, and we are in VD's third season. This will be my last post about VD until he either proves his doubters wrong or he's cut. It simply is not worth talking about him.
Oh yes, on the Hunter side of this issue, it seemed quite clear that there was some crazy idea that two lousy linemen add up to one decent one. I am as unhappy about this situation as I am about the Tebow trade.
If he's improved to a reasonable backup, why would they cut him? He's cheap and probably still improving as a player. I love how you haven't seen him play a down in 2012 but think you know all about him. Can you wait until you at least see him play?
I was talking about a source for the OP that Slauson officially won the job. I notice it was just posted at the top of this page, however
We haven't even had a single snap & the dark siders are whining about cutting Ducasse. Ya know what the funny thing is? Say Ducasse plays well this preseason but the Jets cut him anyway over the same logic being used in some of the above posts: They'll be the same people bitching that the Jets have no line depth at the first sign of injury.:breakdance:
It's what we have NOT seen that means a good deal more than your idle speculation about what might happen. We have not seen him in the last two years, and apparently so far yet, break into the starting lineup at two positions filled by perhaps the two weakest starters on the team. Certainly Hunter is the weakest. Slauson maybe not the second weakest, but maybe he is. But like I said it's not worth talking about him until he does something. Or is cut.
