D'Brick is freakishly long, and has the frame to add 15-20 pounds and still be considered one of the top athletes at his position. The guy has monster, monster potential. There are very few people who are as big and athletic as he is. Give him a couple years man. He needs to get stronger, heavier, and more experience...but he's got the work ethic to do it all. Only thing I do wish is that he was a little bit meaner. I actually had Winston Justice up there with him because Justice has that mean streak (and strenght) you love to see in an offensive lineman.
Elite? I doubt that. Better than Fabini in his prime? Yes, and that isn't an insult, Fabini was pretty good for a few years there. I think he will be a borderline pro-bowler eventually, but I think that is his upside. Worth a #4 pick overall? Nope. He'll be a better than average LT that is a very good pass protector, but never a good run blocker. I hope he proves me very, very wrong.
I can see what you're saying.... I just read that article, but I would be shocked if he didn't improve next season. Let's just wait and see... You might have that jersey for a long time.
If he becomes a top end pass protector, he will most certainly be a long time pro bowler and worthy of the # 4 pick. A takcle goes that early to protect a QB/investment, not to open running lanes. He has the physical and mental skills to be one of the best pass protectors ever. he just needs to get stronger and improve his technique
I have no doubt D'Brick will continue to mature into one of the better left tackles in the game. I think a lot of people underestimate exactly how hard that job is. The fact that he more than held his own in his rookie season speaks to his talent level.
D'Brickashaw will be the next Jonathan Odgen is that elite enough for your Brick haters out there? are there any D'Brick haters out there?
Their are lots... A. The people who wanted to mortgage the Jets organization for Reggie Bush B. The people who wanted Matt Leinart C. The people who wanted Jay Cutler D. The people who wanted Haloti Ngata... Their will be haters everywhere...Even after a season where he was pretty solid considering he was a rookie going against the DE's he was up against from weeks 1-17, and the playoffs.
D'Brick is amazing and as someone said before had one bad game in buffalo the second time around. the first time he was great keeping chad off the ground. He will be elite, as he continues to get stronger.
Reggie Bush will never be an every down back in the NFL. Without an OL, Pennington and Leinart/Cutler would have been toast last year. Pouha's presence obviated the need for Ngata - who know he would get hurt. OL was such an overwhelming need, any other choices made by the Jets would have set this team back 5 years. We now have building blocks for a strong team for years to come.
Still doesnt change the fact he wasnt the best Offensive Tackle in the draft. and he went top 5. but its cool thats the past i can live with D brick he was solid.
So what...Bush was not the best RB in the draft and he went 2....Mario Williams was not he best DE and he went 1... Drafting is a crap shoot, and you have to build around it. If brick went to a team with an established OL he would have got ROY noms.
Yes, he can be elite. He's played one season and it was a solid rookie year. What makes you think he won't improve?? He was the #4 pick overall for a reason.
What are you talking about? The question is do you think he will ever be an elite player, nobody is saying he sucks or is looking to trade him. Jeez... Anyway, I laid this all out on another Jets website but I'll put parts of it together here if you would like to discuss. No matter what anybody says, Brick struggled mightily last year. Let's look at sack numbers. Brick gave up a sack every 48.8 pass attempts last year. In contrast, Marcus McNeill gave up a sack every 93.2 pass attempts. Before these two, the last LT to start every game in their rookie season was Chris Samuels, and he also gave up a sack only every 93 pass attempts. I mean, look at Adrian Jones the year before and he only gave up a sack every 58.7 pass attempts. Brick clearly did not protect Chads blind side last year, and we are lucky he survived. I use sack numbers because IMO they are the most important stat in regards to a LT. But even if we look at run blocking stats, McNeill clearly outplayed Brick. When running over McNeill the Chargers averaged 4.9 yards per carry. When the Jets ran over Brick they averaged 3.6 yards per carry. Sure there are other factors involved here (namely Tomlinson), but that is still a telling stat. Bottom line, Brick did not play well last year, especially for the 4th overall pick. The good thing is he played every game and gained valuable experience. I for one believe that after a full offseason with the Jets monitoring his workouts, his play should be much improved this year. He has all of the tools and seems like he has the mindset that he wants to get better. I still think he will become a very good (maybe elite) LT in the very near future, but that doesn't change the fact that he was pretty bad his first year....
Points well made. I have little doubt that D'Brick will emerge as a top LT simply because of his natural skill sets. The only thing that i believe held him back last year were his lack of experience, strength and endurance which can only improve over time. I was a big fan of Marcus McNeill during the draft believe the only reason the Jets didn't pick him were due to legitimate concerns about his back.
Yeah, good point, that is the only reason he slipped to round 2 in my opinion. I hope it doesn't hamper what looks to be a promising NFL career. I suffered from a similar stenosis and had surgery to alleviate most of my symptoms, I hope it doesn't get to that point for him. Although, even if it does it is not necessarily career threatening....
Dan Leberfeld clearly states that "Jets left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson was a disappointment as a rookie. He gave up 10 sacks and a lot of quarterback pressures. I don't care if he was a rookie. When you are a left tackle who is the fourth pick of the draft, you need to come out of the gate and play on a relatively high level. Ferguson didn't do this. He was outplayed by San Diego Chargers rookie left tackle Marcus McNeill, who was picked in the second round. McNeill gave up just two sacks, and went to the Pro Bowl". Sure he was a rookie, but D'Brick was a top five pick. He was the safe pick for the JETS organization with a lot of potential as soon as he bulks up to about 315 and learns to play with a mean streak, and becomes a factor in the run game. I am not a big D'Brick fan but he has the offseason to bulk up and stay over 310 pounds since he ended the season at 290. Time can only tell, and the window for top picks is about three years, one down and two years to go.
