most from Mangini's system. Mangini's system will be predicated on flexibilty, ie. the players being able to adapt to different formations and being able to play multiple positions. My feeling is that Bryan Thomas's play will surge this year. Thomas never seemed comfortable in Edward's system. Within that system he did establish himself as being good against the run. He didn't excel on pass rushing when it was mano o mano. This was almost the opposite of John Abraham, whose athleticism allowed him to be a big factor on pass rushing 1 on 1, but not ideally suited when they ran down his throat. To me the hard part for a lineman is to demonstrate that you are strong enough and have the skills to shed blockers on the line of scrimmage. Thomas surprisingly by all accounts has demonstrated these capabilities. Thus, he would seem to fit well when a 3-4 is in place or if he becomes an interior lineman in the 4-3. Another key point is Mangini's system will be far more detailed and they like to create mismatches - here again is a role for Bryan Thomas - if his weakness is lining up 1 on 1 with an RT or LT you create circumstances where that doesn't occur. Thomas has the SPEED, they just need to free it up. Also, I think Thomas has the capability to drop back in coverage. I see big things for Thomas - the Jets' Willie McGinest??
If the Jets move to 3-4, I think the OLBs will benefit the most. The new system will open new lanes for their blitzing, so their numbers for sacks and pressures should go up.
Yea and Bradway also stated after drafting Thomas that if Freeney and Thomas were still both available to the jets, they still would have drafted Thomas. I say to him as i do you, your crazy.
I was optimistically hoping that Thomas could step up in certain OLB packages this year. He probably will be a liability in pass coverage, and he hasn't quite proven much on the field yet. That being said, change can be good. He could definitely improve in this system, create mismatches, and he is good at getting after the QB
