The key problem Sparano will have to deal with is what will be most necesary to make the running game be more effective, and that is to have a downfield passing game. That means as a practical matter that the main thing he will have to do is get Sanchez to be better able to read defenses. It was Sanchez's inability to better read defenses that forced the Jets to dial way back on the downfield passing game. Nothing the OC can do instead will improve the O more than improving Sanchez's ability to read defenses.
Parcells doesn't want a GM job and the responsibilities that come along with that. He wants $5 million a year to consult and then leave before the shit hits the fan. I'd love the Bill Parcells of 1997 to come in here and take a whack at cleaning up the mess. The problem is that guy no longer exists and he was already beginning to merc out on the teams he came in to help by then. Now he's just completely ADHD and can't stay interested for more than a season.
I keep hearing about a "mess". There is no mess to clean up, this team is full of talent. We aren't rebuilding after a 3-13 season.
It's a mess. The Jets have too much money committed to players who are not stars, just good players. They have way too much money committed to their corners, probably twice as much as is reasonable. They have no real depth anywhere on the team and so any injury is likely to be a major blow to the team. That's just the major problems. They also don't have enough starting caliber WR's or RB's. They have no playmakers on offense except for Holmes and Holmes is not a playmaker unless there is another playmaker opposite him. The middle of the defense is pretty pedestrian at this point with only David Harris really standing out. Great defenses are strong up the middle and the Jets are strong on the edges instead. Finally, the clock is ticking on a whole bunch of guys at this point. Calvin Pace, Bart Scott, Bryan Thomas and Sione Puoha are all on the wrong side of 30. A 3-4 lives on its NT and LB's and the Jets are aging in those areas.
Cromartie is getting paid what a "good" corner gets paid these days. Look at what Brandon Carr and Carlos Rogers got. The defense we run demands not two but three dependable corners. I dont think that's an issue. I agree there's a lack of playmakers on offense. It's not out of the question that we get one this offseason. The major problem on offense is RT. if that gets solved our RBs won't be an issue. I agree the LB core is getting old on D. One more serviceable year out of them is realistic, then we cut ties. I'm going to trust Tannenbaum's cap skills with these scenarios. I don't think it's a "mess" but well have to agree to disagree. To me, a mess is what Tannenbaum inherited after the 05 season.
Good post. I understand Brad's pessimism on parts of the O, and I personally am far more pessimistic than him about Sanchez, but the D is relatively solid. Sure this year there's money tied up in Scott and Pace, but especially Pace was pretty good last year. He will show up this year and maybe not totally earn his contract, but he's hardly the main issue on the team. Scott had a better year than many give him credit for. He'll be fine. I personally wish Harris was quicker, and he's got a nice fat contract, too. But the D right now is really only two players short of a very good one, and stat wise it was very good last year. ROLB upgrade with a high draft pick and a safety from FA better than the ones the Jets have now would be enough to make a productive off season for the D. The O is another matter. Putting Sanchez aside, Moore is getting older, I think Slauson is not much more than mediocre, and right now RT AGAIN looks like it will be the weakest starting position on the team. TE is a mess since Keller can't block and Mulligan seemed useless in the passing game (although Cumberland may help). Kerley has promise, Turner somewhat less so, and the #2 wideout right now is a gaping hole. Some disagree but I think Greene is not that durable, and really needs help with a changeup back that right now i don't think is on the roster. Let's say Moore doesn't deteriorate fast, Slauson improves - okay, maybe they get away with not bringing in another Guard until next year, but meanwhile the bench is thin and some are speculating the Jets will not bring back Turner. TE I am very skeptical of being fixed right now, even with Cumberland coming back. Imo Keller is just not a good match for where the Jet CS says they want to go, but I think it likely he goes nowhere in his contract year. Ugly. But let's say Kerley improves even more, the Jets do succeed at getting decent help at #2 wideout, and maybe (although unlikely, imo) McKnight steps up. Maybe if all those things go right for the Jets, they can go from mediocre to average on O. It's a lot. But there's still RT... I personally will be very unhappy if the Jets do nothing more there. Seems like old times, as in the Clarke and Bender days. Ugh.
It is an issue though. It's not just a #2 CB getting paid like the #1 on most teams. It's that he's the #2 on a team where the #1 is getting paid as much as anybody at the position. Then the Jets have a 1st round pick from a couple of years ago who is getting paid as well. That's too much to pay for your corners. If Rex needs 3 corners at that level then I can understand why Ozzie Newsome was happy letting him go. The Jets will never win the big game when their front 7 is star-less because their corners take up so much cap room.
I get your point, but we have no passrush. If we get a passrusher or two, I'm sure one becomes expendable. Most likely Cro. No way we have a top 5 ranked pass D the last two years without Cro. In 2009, it was the overload blitz and schematics that got it done for us [mostly]. I mean, our safeties suck, our linebackers are old, our defensive line is average. It's the corners that carry that unit.
Thankfully Ryan does not have Brad's approach to the D. It's not that long ago we saw wha this team looked like without Cro, as in the AFC Champ game two years ago. Revis can only cover so much ground. Meanwhile we see some teams spending tons of money on top shelf wideouts, because this is an increasingly passing league. The best way to stop that is NOT to go to a cover 2 D with interchangeable and low paid db's. Offenses throughout the league know how to attack that approach. The fact is with all the D's problems last year, it was very effective compared to the rest of the league against the pass. And as you say that is attributable primarily to Revis and Cro. Add a pass rushing linebacker, and get safety help, and the D will be elite.
I think it's funny how Jet fans can talk about Sparano coming up with the wildcat (which he didn't) and how he took a broken down chad pennington and made him servicable, but as soon as a dolphin fan mentions how shitty our offense was, how conservative, all of the field goals, not developing henne, and the countless other issues, it is all "Sparano doesn't coach the offense, it's not his fault". The guy's an offensive line coach and he can't even do that.
I figured somebody would throw Peyton in my face, which truthfully does kinda stink, but I'm not that bummed out. I didn't think we would get him, and there's no gaurantees it would've worked out. I still would've taken the chance but again not a big deal. Now, if we don't get Flynn, then I'll be pissed off and dissapointed, but I'm pretty sure we will. Funny how the dolphins are looking to upgrade a quarterback that was better than sanchez last year, while the jets are giving sanchez an extension.
So, Dan Henning, who was more hated in Miami than Schotty was with the Jets, was the genius that instituted the wildcat, with no input or support from Sparano, correct? Please look at the offensive line changes used when Miami crushed New England in 2008 and tell me that Sparano was not involved. Also please tell me that if that innovation was in no way the work of Sparano, how was the non-development of Henne his responsibility. You pretty much contradicted yourself within a few sentences.
