Some of our younger players have already shown lots of promise. Leonard Williams first and foremost is an absolute freak and has already shown All-Pro potential. Imo would've been well deserving of being drafted 1st overall. Calvin Pryor as only a 3rd year player has emerged into one of the NFL's up & coming young Safetys. Already a Jets household name with star potential. He's everything we wanted Kerry Rhodes to become (physical) and adds a certain type of toughness to our secondary. Sheldon Richardson at the age of only 26 is already considered as one of the NFL's most dominant defensive lineman as a 4th year player. Stay out of trouble off the field & he'll become a special, special player for years to come. Darron Lee has shown a ton of promise. Stuffed McCoy behind the L.O.S with natural instinct/impressive play recognition, used as a QB spy against Taylor, was in on the 4th down stop alongside of Richardson and also ranks 2nd in overall tackles amongst rookies while I believe leading the Jets defense in tackles. Lee's speed, quickness, pursuit and coverage ability along with his overall athleticism behind our defensive front was a must moving forward. Marcus Williams ranked 5th in interceptions last year with 6 and already has two INT's through two games ranking 1st (tied for 1st alongside the likes of Joe Hadden & Marcus Peters). His one on one INT vs. Sammy Watkins on the sideline was beautiful and a real game changer on 3rd and short. Lorenzo Mauldin as a rookie recorded 4.0 sacks as a 3-4 OLB last year while transitioning from a college 4-3 DE. As a 2nd year player he's already recorded 1 sack as a situational pass rusher from the outside. Still not an every down, 3 down type of OLB but behind this defensive line he has the time & opportunity to continue his development. Brian Winters although still early has been a mauler of a RG within the run game & very sound in pass protection. Ryan Clady stays healthy and Winters continues his emergence and Maccagnan will be in position to attack skilled player positions early and often throughout the draft and free agency. Quincy Enunwa is feasting and currently putting up top 3-5 production when compared to WR's drafted during 2014's elite draft class. Breaking out as a 3rd year player as did Jerricho Cotchery during his 3rd season. Jalin Marshall at the age of only 21 (youngest player on the team) has already established himself as our #1 return man and also 4th on our WR depth chart. After his fumble returned for a TD giving Buffalo the lead he was able to redeem himself while showing character; those two 2nd half receptions were pretty clutch under pressure. I like this kid a lot. Lac Edwards was much needed. Only a rookie but he has a cannon for a leg. Beautiful hang time on his punts giving our kick coverage unit actual time to get down field. Has shown finesse as well. Been a long time coming since I've last been confident/intrigued by a Jets punter (I usually cringe). Already ranked 8th in NET yards and 2 out of 5 punts have landed inside the 20 (excellent). Shouldn't forget about Brent Qvale or Wesley Johnson either. Qvale has been decent splitting time at RT & although a small sample size our offensive rythim didn't miss a beat with Johnson in replace of an injured James Carpenter @ Buffalo. In closing players such as Petty, Anderson, Peake, Jenkins and Burris all looked excellent throughout preseason although they've yet to have an opportunity to perform during the regular season (and rightfully so). Jordan Jenkins is another player who I'm high on and would've started opposite of Mauldin if not for getting hurt. And still expected to start once physically ready.
We are building up a core of talent with our younger players. I'm not a fantasy football genius like some of you guys are but I know when we are finally drafting players that look like they have a future in this league. For years our Achillies heel has been scouting and development. Well we got rid of that Bradway and his boys and are finally making some headway. I'll put up with some overall whining if I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
This bolded paragraph IS the reason why Jet fans are how they are, I give credit to the intelligence of most jet fans. (Ismokepot not included). If we were fans of the steelers, or the giants, or GB, we would not be as jaded, because the success of the team would be enough to satisfy the disappointment of a lean year or two. As you stated, with the poor history of this teams FO until recently, it gets to the point where just when you thought you had seen the worse, the team actually outdid itself and added another rung to the bottom of the ladder. However, that being said, it is just a forum, and it's only reason is to encourage discussion, so when guys are emotionally charged about a player or TB, you know they are going to vent some how and this is the place for it. We can all see the future is bright for this team with young players they have drafted, I'm just hoping that during that transition, we end up keeping the true gems of these players and maintain a good core of players to continue to build on.
Core talent is so important moving forward and as of right now, we're in as strong of position as any team within the league. QB: If Fitzpatrick continues to perform, we'll be able to have Fitzpatrick as our 2017 Quarterback while the likes of Petty & Hackenberg continue to develop from the outside looking in. WR: We're loaded here and should be set for the next two/three seasons with Marshall & Decker as our 1's & 2's. Due to the likes of younger talents in Enunwa, Jalin, Anderson & Peake; the WR position is a position in which we won't have to draft for years to come. Offensivse Line: This isn't a position in which should be ignored but it's currently looking stronger than expected. If Ryan Clady can remain healthy @ LT and Brian Winters continues his emergence as our future starting RG then we can be set on the O-Line for the next 2-3 years with Clady, Carpenter, Mangold & Winters. Meaning we can continue to add value & depth throughout the later rounds along with free agency. Defensive Line: Like WR, we're set on our defensive line for many of years to come. With the salary cap due to increase i fully expect Macc to sign Richardson long term (as he did with Wilkerson). Wilkerson, Richardson & Williams can be the face of our defense for many of years to come. Unless an absolute must falls into our hands we shouldn't think about drafting defensive lineman early on for the next 5 years. SS: With Calvin Pryor being so young as a 3rd year player but yet already a Jets household name and an up and coming star; the SS position should be locked down for a while. IMLB: With the promise that Darron Lee has already shown if this trend continues we're in good position to have an athletic talent in Lee playing behind our defensive front for many of years to come. Does anyone else see, what i see? RB: can be a skilled position where we'll be able to attack during the 1st round or 2nd with an excellent HB draft class approaching. Matt Forte is currently the perfrct stop gap at HB although 30 years old. CB: Revis should still be good for 2-3 seasons and Marcus Williams has lots of potential but after wasted picks on Milliner & McDougle CB, like RB, can be a position our front office can scout and attack with a 1st or 2nd round draft selection. We have Revis, Williams, Skrine & an unknown Burris but within a passing league you can never have enough quality CB's. TE: We could even be in position to pull the trigger early on if a freak falls into our laps. With as many pass catching options as we currently have an X-Factor of a dynamic TE could really push this offense over the top. FS: I like Gilchrist but a true ball hawking type of playmaking FS opposite of Calvin Pryor at SS is a thought i like even more. Like HB & CB if a ball hawking safety emerges through the draft I'd love to see us pull the trigger during the 1st or 2nd round over the next two years while setting our Safety position(s). IMLB: With David Harris getting older this is another position in which our front office can attack early on. We'll need a strong/physical thumper alongside of Darron Lee in order to form a true 1-2 punch at IMLB behind our D-Line. And that pretty much leaves only the OLB position and with the likes of Mauldin & Jenkins it's still to early too tell but if an animal of an outside pass rusher is for the taking, i'd have no problem with it. As crazy as this may sound but if our offensive line becomes a 2016 bright spot, then and only then will our offensive core be in better position than that of our defensive unit moving forward; which could be a beautiful problem to have.
You paint a rosy picture. While I think out future is very bright indeed, I don't see it as being quite as rosy as you, in terms of talent already on the roster, but I do trust Mac and the Scouting Dept. to continue to address needs and build a consistent winner. Regarding the OL, I think we'd be very lucky to get 2-3 more seasons out of both Clady and Mangold. If we can, awesome, but I think we need to begin looking for their replacements and grooming them. I'm also not sure how long Clady's contract is. I think he may be in the last year of his deal, and who knows how much he may want next season and if the Jets will be able to afford it. You don't mention the RT spot at all. Even though Ijalana and Qvale have done well so far, unless one or both prove to be revelations over the course of the season, I think the position can definitely be upgraded. I'd like to see a real road grader at RT, have Qvale as his backup and Ijalana backing up Clady or Clady's replacement. We'll probably need to get Clady's replacement, and play him at RT for a season or two, then move him over to LT when Clady leaves. If I'm right about Clady's contract and we can't or don't re-sign him, then we may be looking at starting Ijalana at LT or drafting and starting a rookie. We do look set at the OG positions with Carpenter and Winters, but I think depth can be better than Wesley Johnson. RB - Forte has been great so far, but with the way Bowles is using him, he may not be a reliable starter by the end of this season, much less by next season. Let's hope he can last for another season. Powell is a nice backup or 3rd down back, but I don't think he's a quality starter. The young kid they signed from the Seahawks sounds promising and so is Khiry Robinson, but let's see what they can actually do. I'd love to see the Jets add an up and coming RB like Nick Chubb. TE - About anything we add at TE would be an upgrade. This should be an easy fix. WR - Brandon Marshall is at the age where players start breaking down physically. He takes a pounding over the middle. He's big and tough, but with his knee now added to his hip problems, plus the fact that he has indicated that he won't be playing much longer, I think we will be looking at finding his replacement sooner rather than later. I'd love to think that Enunwa or maybe Robinson or Peake could develop into a solid #1, but none are there yet. Enunwa is more in the Marshall mold size-wise and is closer, but maybe Robinson can add some weight without losing his speed or Peake can develop. I love our depth and potential, but right now, it's mostly potential. QB - Unless Fitz can play 90% of the season like he did vs the Bills, I'm hoping that he retires after this season. If not, he will want even more money, which if the reports about the Jets' cap I've heard are true, we won't have the money to pay him, barring cutting some players or re-doing a number of deals. I'm really hoping that Petty will develop and be ready to be our guy next season or that Hack will develop much quicker than expected and be our guy. I'm not holding my breath, however. We all know the importance of the QB position. Unless one of the kids develop or Fitz decides to give us a discount next season, we could be looking for a QB again. DL - Regardless of whether Mac re-signs Richardson, I think we'll be set on the DL for at least another year or two, but not the length of time you indicate. The reason for this is McClendon. He's been awesome so far, but who knows how much longer he'll play? He's over 30 already, I believe, and Simon, while showing some promise, hasn't proven himself to be at the same level. The Thomas kid shows a lot of promise, but isn't he more in the mold of Williams, Richardson and Wilk, rather than a NT? If so, we could be looking for an NT within the next couple of years. CB - I'm really rooting for Williams to develop into a reliable defender, but so far he's not there imo. I love his ball-hawking skills, but it's his mental mistakes and coverage skills that give me pause. I actually feel much more confident about Burris developing than I do Williams. I definitely think we need to add a CB in an early round next year. I wasn't impressed with the DBs on the PS either outside of Middleton, so I'm not sure we can expect much, if any help from there. S - I definitely agree here that I'd love to see an upgrade over Gilchrist. I young ball-hawking stud with wings would be just what the doctor ordered. OLB - I think that Jenkins will be solid once he takes the field. I'm surprised that a calf injury has kept him out this long. I hope that's not a foreshadowing of things to come with him. Mauldin is a great story and great kid, but I don't think he's the answer as the main pass rusher. I think he'll probably wind up being solid depth and maybe a situational rusher to replace Jenkins with the new OLB in Mauldin's starting spot. I think there's no doubt that we don't have the stud OLB pass rusher yet on our roster, but if our DL keeps up the havoc they're creating, that may not be as big a need. That's something I never thought I'd find myself saying. Still, I'd rather add that stud opposite Jenkins.
The frustration with Jets fans and players ultimately boils down to two things. QB, we can't draft or develop the position. I think we had it with Chad, but injuries hurt that. Another area of historical concern has been 1st and 2nd round picks (non QB picks). Those should not be developmental, those need to be immediate impact players, and we miss too often. Just my two cents. Nobody criticizes the franchise for missing on 4,5,6,7th rounders. If you're waiting for your second round pick to blossom in year 3/4 you just wasted two years of somebody else contributing/ developing.
In another thread, I found the following quote from a poster on this site in the signature of another poster. I think it succinctly sums up what you were saying in this post.
hahaha, even a battered spouse has more hope than a jets fan. They can and eventually leave, as fans we are in this till death...ours!!
i DO NOT think mauldin is a bust but to answer the bold, danielle hunter. like mauldin, hunter was projected to go in the 2/3 round of the draft. he was picked a few spots after mauldin and is two years younger
Kudos to OL coach Steve Marshall. I was pretty certain two weeks ago that the O-line was going to keep us from being competitive on offense all year. Somehow, Winters, Ijalana, and Qvale have turned into players. I was even more stunned when Carpenter went down and Wesley Johnson came in and didn't miss a beat. Still, we sorely need to put some real talent out there to replace our old guys and to make sure we don't get stuck in a situation where we HAVE to rely on some unheralded backups to play lights-out.
We need to find a long term answer to LT and C. Clady is doing everything we expected him to do but he's a short term fix. Mangold has arguably been the best center in the league for the last decade, but I don't think he has another decade in him. We need their heir-apparent to come in and watch how its done so we don't miss a beat.
Hunter, like Mauldin was a DE in college and still a DE with the Vikings. I was more so referring to which NFL OLB's drafted after Mauldin have shown more promise than that of Mauldin (outside of Alexander). I can't seem to find anyone outside of Kwon Alexander of the Buccaneers.
There must be something good about Marshalls. Steve Marshall, Brandon Marshall, Jalin Marshall, Chad Pennington went to Marshall...
Good analysis NC. IMO The solution to an improvement at safety is closely coupled with our improvements at CB like you mentioned. If we get a stud CB we can start easing Revis into a roaming safety roll. He can still rock.
Sad, sad story. Still to this day, by far the worst sports related air tragedy in U.S. history. The movie "We Are Marshall" is an inspiring true story re-living that tragic event. I learned after the fact of watching the movie that it was based on a true story. Had to go back and re-watch again in order to fully absorb the meaning of that movie. An emotional film.
The Marshall crash was certainly tragic but there have been many others just as bad where entire teams were killed as well including our olympic figure skating team and national boxing team. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_involving_sports_teams
Great job OP. You started one of the best conversations on the board... I am a little older than you... so I have dealt with a lot more pain I remember the mud bowl like it was yesterday....but I digress. I have never had as much confidence in the Jets front office as I do now. I think our GM is doing a fantastic job and the youth movement you listed in your post is the best example of how he is building this franchise. I have never seen the Jets so deep at WR I actually have confidence in anyone they put on the field in that position. Maybe this is an overstatement but unless the Best player available in any given round is a WR, I probably would not draft one at all next year. With respect to OL, that requires attention in the next draft both Clady and Mangold are long in the tooth, and the Jets need to find their replacements. Similarly, need to find the replacement for Revis. That is not to say that Revis is bad, I still think he plays a quality corner but we need another CB. I think Jets fans should be confident because we have a competent front office. Perfect no... but definitely good.
