NYJ Football; Looking forward

by GangGreen668i on Jan 1, 2012 8:54 PM EST

Quite frankly, I think the Dolphins handing the Jets their final loss to make them 8-8 was a blessing in disguise. I have read many users' opinions, and there seems to be many others who feel the same way. It definitely will allow for changes to be made; changes that are essential in order to progress in this league. However, I'm not writing to discuss future plans for an Offensive Coordinator, or Mark Sanchez's performance (or lack thereof). I'm here to talk about the draft and positions that we need to address by next season. This will help keep me sane and allow me to believe that their is still hope for us to win the Superbowl under Rex. So, what positions need a fix, and which ones are the most important?

1. Safety

-This position needs to be changed immediately. Brodney Pool was never a stud, and Eric Smith is, well, a 5'11 slow footed backup. We NEED a big time play maker that can lay the pipe and cover field as well. Most importantly, we need to change this positon because of the changing dynamic in the NFL. It's quite obvious that Tight Ends are becoming the focus of many offenses. Unfortunately the Patriots have done this and been very successful. One of the reasons why we failed miserably at stopping them is because of our safeties. It is essential to get a sizable, fast, mean safety. We need a safety who can cover any Tight End in the league. (Imagine having Cromartie, Revis and a Pro-Bowl caliber safety!!!!)

2. Right Tackle

-Wayne Hunter, you pathetic neanderthal. Sometimes I wondered if he played that bad intentionally to hurt Sanchez. I swear to God, I knew while watching the Cowboys game in the beginning of the season that his performance was a going to hurt us in a bad way for the rest of the season. Watching Demarcus Ware play with him like he was a child was really humiliating. I think every Jets fan knows this position is very important. However, I think we won't need to draft a Right Tackle. I think it would be best if we find a lineman that has had proven success in the past, as well as a half a decade left in his knees to get us a couple rings. If we let Wayne Hunter back, and he starts, I might sell my Jets merchandise on E-bay and move outta the tri-state area. Keep in mind, we have two pro-bowl offensive lineman, and Slauson and Brandon Moore are EXTREMELY underrated. Hunter oftentimes made the rest of our line look bad. A legit right tackle would bring back the Ground N Pound, which will ultimately work in Sanchez's favor-- i'm not completely against Sanchez at this point in time, but i'm not getting started on that right now.

3. Pass Rushing OLB

-Rex Plays a 3-4. I absolutely love our defensive line. People who to critique the Jets for not having a rushing down lineman really don't know what they are talking about. If we move up the two OLB, then they serve as our defensive ends. You can't have a defensive end play that positon or a team will pass the ball all day. That being said, the three lineman that we have, if they all are starting, are excellent at what they do. Pouha, Wilkerson, and Devito are really great run stoppers. Not enough has been said about Pouha replacing Jenkins and exceeding everybody's expectations. ALSO, I don't know if anybody else noticed this, but Kenrick Ellis looked phenomenal during the Dolphins Game. Adding him to the three man rotation really adds youth and strength to a D Line that is proven in producing a stonewall against the run. My main point is that we need to work on the two outside linebackers that we have. Bart Scott is getting old, but he is a player and I think he is a great ILB still and will be for another two years or so. David Harris as well, but he's got a good 4 or 5 years left in him. I hate to be the guy to say this, but Calvin Pace has gotta go. We are paying him WAY too much money for his performance each Sunday. Jamaal Westerman has shown flashes of brilliance, as well as Maybin, and I like the fact that they are both young. If we get a pass rusher and a great safety, this Jets defense is going to be a force to be reckoned with. Get rid of Pace, draft a pass rusher that will no doubt have an impact, and let our defense loose.

Poll

What position NEEDS to change the most?

Outside Linebacker

5 votes

Safety

40 votes

Right Tackle

30 votes

Quarterback

10 votes

Other

4 votes

89 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

i think safety is the biggest need on defence

in rex’s 1st year as HC we were the no1 defence in the NFL . why ? because he used so many exotic blitzes . but why change what was clearly working ? because our safety play left us open if the blitzes failed .

so instead of getting a better safety he dials back the blitzes . now were not getting enough pressure on the QB. cue the calls for a pass rusher .

your needs are spot on in that order . a decent RT make our offence a far better team.

if its for you it won't pass you

by tinley24 on Jan 1, 2012 9:13 PM EST reply actions

rather take an everydown OLB that can actually get pressure than have another guy sitting back and waiting for the QB to throw the ball at him, also I think that our actual RB’s let the O line down some, look how well LT looked today, he showed some good speed and was able to get some good yardage, greene is not that speedster we need to keep the other D on their heels

by jjnewoc on Jan 1, 2012 10:26 PM EST reply actions

Went with RT

I get what you’re saying about Smith and Pool, although I think if we can get a safety late in the draft as a prospect to build it’s not detrimental. When Leonhard’s in the game with Pool we play contain well. And while I see Smith get beat on a number of plays (he’s not quick and IS undersized), he does have flashes of talent, and 2011 was a decent year for him production-wise for the most part. Sure I’d prefer a Yeremiah Bell or Antre Rolle at safety, but I can see Smith making progress. Most importantly, he comes cheap. We still have Tracy Wilson to work on as well, so I have a hard time seeing safety as our top priority, even with the trouble we’ve had with the blitz and the ten or so big-time blown coverages. Can’t place them all on safety, and with a quicker linebacker corps, maybe the TEs or third receiver doesn’t get open after the opposing quarterback has had twelve minutes to throw.

I’m not sure about the LB position. Harris, Scott, Pace and Thomas have been capable, but rarely outstanding in applying pressure. Harris is the most valuable, I love Bart Scott’s enthusiasm as a Jet and his performance hasn’t been bad, but he was less a threat the last two years and it’s hard to see a spike in his production. Pace is also dependable but his numbers have dipped a bit the last two years. Thomas would be my first pick to lose a spot in the starting rotation, followed by Pace. I’m not so sure about the rotation LBs though, I didn’t see much from Bellore to build upon, and Mauga needs more time to tell but is worth looking into. Westerman has shown some talent and should get more plays next year, maybe even moving into the starting rotation for a few games. DeVito seemed to take a step back in his production this year, Maybin had a few good games but isn’t a starting player yet. He’s still young and would excel in a blitz if he played with a couple fast colleagues and we utilized it more. Sapp is an unknown. We clearly need speed at the LB position, I would draft a linebacker in the 2nd round or 3rd and perhaps a trade or FA if we could find someone with speed.

At quarterback, I think we do not draft anyone. Brunell is retiring and we can pick up someone in FA. We’re sticking with Sanchez through at least 2012 and I believe he’ll do better with a new OC. How can you not think so, really? Schotty’s had years of criticism and has been mum on the matter, the offense has been chronically under-performing and Sanchez shows a lot of potential when he gets into the rhythm, but it’s hard to get him going with so many three and outs, many due to horrible plays called more on probabilities and percentages than responding to what the defense is throwing at them. I think he’ll do fine with a new OC, and I think the team shows faith in him by not drafting another QB.

I think our biggest need is RT. Hunter’s been attacked all season and isn’t up to caliber. He shouldn’t have been placed as starting Tackle but there weren’t any options. I think we draft high and bring in a FA who is decent if there’s one to be found. I know OLs are at a premium so I don’t know how realistic a free agent is, but we need someone stepping into RT.

by NYisontop on Jan 2, 2012 11:20 AM EST reply actions

No. Calvin Pace has done us fine. He’s usually there to stop the run and he blitzes. Hunter’s gone, Eric Smith should be gone, is it true that Scott was cut?

by steven.am7 on Jan 2, 2012 4:53 PM EST reply actions

Gotta Disagree With Most Respondents

The two most important positions in a 3-4 D alignment are the pass rushing OLB and the NT. In Ellis and Pouha, the Jets have good NT play. The biggest element that has hurt the Jets’ D consistently is the lack of pass rush and speed at the OLB position. Both Thomas and Pace are older, slower, and better vs the run then in either coverage or rushing the passer. A safety is not more important in ANY defensive alignment. Improve the pass rush, and the safeties the Jets currently have will not be nearly the liability they are now. Add a stud safety, but don’t improve the pass rush, and the results won’t change much. Even the best DBs can generally only cover for so long, and when topflight NFL QBs have all day vs the Jets to find an open receiver, that means trouble.

The RT position is important, but again, it is not critical. A competent, average NFL quality RT will be sufficient, especially if Schottenheimer is still the OC. Heck, for that matter, if Schottenheimer is still the OC, the Jets could have 5 All Pros on the OL and it wouldn’t matter a bit.

"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 Jan 2, 2012 4:59 PM EST reply actions