What don't you like about Cotchery, Rhodes and L. Washington? Yes, they're 4th round choices, but at least 100 choices occurred before each of those players was selected in their respective year ('04, '05 and '06). So 31 other teams wiffed on those picks three times in a row before the Jets hit a homerun. Those teams are bad draft artists! If you want to argue the Jets just got lucky with those three players, fine. Then they are as lucky in the fourth round as many other teams are lucky in the 5th, 6th, and 7th rounds. As far as Point #2, I wasn't enthralled by the strategy of drafting as though you had a few holes last year as opposed to gaping holes in the stern. But I also can't argue with the players they picked -- both on the All Rookie team. As far as Thomas goes, we're not talking about the #1 overall pick. Yes first rounder, and he hasn't been a Pro Bowler, but he hasn't been horrible either. There are many more players drafted ahead of him in 2002 that are worse. I'm not endorsing average results, but I'm also a realist that drafting is not a perfect science either.
My point was that we did not draft well between 2005-2002. I think 90% of Jet fans agree(why are changing of defenses an excuse, but offense never talked about. Did they draft some stars on offense I'm unaware of?) This is why we had to be so aggressive with free agency, that and the available salary cap room. I'm not negative on this team AT ALL. I actually think tTangini should get an extenstion right now. Anything less than 9-7 is a disappointment.
I don't think that there has been a concerted effort to build and retain an offensive line by the NYJ. This has not been a priority, and it has hurt this franchise for a long time. The fact that we had Curtis Martin to take advantage when many another back could not does not mitigate this fact. Otherwise we would have had a running game in 2006 and 2007. Regardless of our distraction with so-called stars in the "draft firmament", unless there is a long-term commitment to a dominant OL, there's no chance of consistency: You can devise clever offensive schemes that can fool folks for a while (as BS did in 2006), but sooner or later the elite teams will bust your OL in the mouth and lay them out. This has consistently been the case with NYJ OL defeats when they play serious NFL teams either in a tougher schedule year, or in the playoffs in any year. If your OL is overpowering the other team, you can just continue to run over them! You do not need to take any ridiculous chances, you just brutalize their weaknesses with your strength. We continue to complain about our skill players (and especially the QBs) in our play-offs and our sorry games against tough teams. But the skill players are left hung out to dry by the no-account play of our OL because the CS and FO have not traditionally committed to build and maintain. Playmakers are enabled by successful OLs. You don't think so? Just take another look of that picture of Tom Brady on his back and try to remember what happens when the DL stomps out your OL and your All-World QB has to manifest. The Pats have displayed a vulnerability to a relentless DL that everybody will be looking to exploit this year. There's nothing like a vulnerability to inspire the NFL to attack it without mercy. Good for the Pats. This is a challenge for the NYJ and their defense. Hopefully our own OL will get out of this awful category this year. Until the NYJ has an OL worthy of the name, talk of skill players is pretty fruitless when it comes to winning.
