New York Jets Add Colin Baxter

by John B on Sep 4, 2011 8:10 PM EDT

San Diego center Colin Baxter was claimed by the Jets today.

Aside from Matt Slauson, who saw a few snaps at the position as a rookie in 2009, the Jets lacked a guy with center experience behind Nick Mangold since Robert Turner is out.

Baxter is an undrafted rookie from Arizona. He was a Rimington and Outland Award finalist in 2010 as best center and lineman respectively in college football. He started 37 games for the Wildcats. Center is a position that is generally underrepresented in the Draft. Good ones fall to late and out of the Draft.

The scouting reports I have read indicate he is a fiesty competitor on the line who loves getting physical. He seems to have some Rob Turner in him. He likely would have been drafted if not for a knee injury that required surgery.

I think this is a solid addition. He has some good potential. We will see what Bill Callahan can get from him. It also makes me scratch my head even more about yesterday's trade for Caleb Schlauderaff since the Jets just landed another interior lineman. Is this a vote of no confidence for Vladimir Ducasse?

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I Don't Think So

Since Baxter is a C and Ducasse doesn’t play C, the two are unrelated. Depending upon whether one thinks that Ducasse was drafted to play G or OT, one could fairly make the point that yesterday’s trade for Schlauderaff is a reflection on Ducasse. The thing is, I blame the Jets totally for this Ducasse mess. I think they fell in love with his physical tools and overestimated their own teaching/coaching abilities. It was said that they were planning on taking him in the first round until Wilson fell to them. Since I don’t think that even Tanny is arrogant enough to draft a project in the 1st round, I think they thought he could win the LG job last year and be ready to start at RT this year or remain at LG.

When he struggled, they should have put him at one position and let him learn it, rather than trying to create another Turner and have him trying to play a bunch of different positions. IMO that is totally idiotic considering Ducasse’s low Wunderlic score and his playing at a lower level of college ball. Rex’s motto is “Keep it likeable and learnable” isn’t it? Well, they have totally ignored that with Ducasse. They haven’t kept it learnable. They have thrown too much at him at one time and it has held back his development, and may even turn what could have been a serviceable OL into a bust.

Unless they plan to sign a vet OL after game 1, I think they are again showing their arrogance, runaway egos and poor judgment by having raw projects as the backup OL. If one of the starters goes down, the season is screwed.

"Reality is purely the perception of the individual mind. It follows, that since no two minds are alike, no two perceptions of reality are alike. It further follows, that what reality is to one, may seem complete madness to someone else."

– Yefim Novikov

by joeklecko on Sep 4, 2011 8:21 PM EDT reply actions

Harsh, but accurate

1. Ducasse gets another year on scholarship, to be expected when you draft a guy out of a small college. Klecko, has the best advice, simplify keep him at Tackle exclusively.
2. Baxter is an up grade, can play Center and LG.
3. Lose the arrogence and sign a veteran Offensive Lineman. Ryan Cook C/OG plays a little Tackle, recently cut by the Vikings

by JetOrange on Sep 4, 2011 10:16 PM EDT up reply actions

good pickup

I like this pickup. scouting report on him is really positive. But he’s still a project. I think the Jets are rebuilding without realising it.

by overloadblitz on Sep 4, 2011 10:41 PM EDT reply actions

It Does Sound Like an Excellent Pickup

I like what I’m reading about him. With Turner having only a 1-year contract, he could be Turner’s replacement next season, and even be an upgrade over Turner.

I wouldn’t say that the Jets are “rebuilding” since they’re not expecting a down year or replacing a starter this season. I would say they’re continuing to improve the team by upgrading the backups when/where they can. They’re trying to win now, while keeping an eye on the future. Who knows, this kid could turn out to be Moore’s eventual replacement at RG.

The only thing that is a concern to me is that they don’t have any OL who can come off the bench and play well now.

– Yefim Novikov

by joeklecko on Sep 4, 2011 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions

the aquiring of these interior linemen

has nothing to do with Vlad’s play Rex has said all along that they want to see vlad at tackle thats y they drafted him to play tackle

by Emmanuel Agu on Sep 4, 2011 11:54 PM EDT reply actions

Good move!

Sounds like Baxter has some upside. He and the other new guy should solve OL depth problem. Like everyone agrees, Vlad should stick to tackle spot which he was drafted for. He’s not the mobile Turner-type. Those guys are hard to find.

by Timxing on Sep 5, 2011 1:41 AM EDT reply actions