Now that Nnamdigeddon is over, the Jets have to regroup and figure out how to put the finishing touches on their 2011 roster. One guy who might come up is a disgruntled big name from across town, Osi Umenyiora. Osi is coming off an 11.5 sack season. He is holding out because he is unhappy with his contract. Since the Jets lack a top pass rusher, their name might get floated as a destination.
There are two things that go into stopping an opposing passing attack, coverage and pass rush. They are related. If you cover well, your pass rush doesn't need to be as good because rushers have more time to get to the quarterback. That was the theory behind the Nnamdi chase. Inversely, if your pass rush is good, your coverage does not have to be as good because quarterbacks under pressure have to get rid of it quicker. Thus, your guys do not need to cover as well.
Osi would be much better than anybody the Jets currently have. Some have concerns, though. Let me give you a concern people have that I completely disagree with along with one of my own that nobody is mentioning.
Concern about Osi on the Jets I don't agree with:
People say the Jets run a 3-4 defense so it is not clear how Osi would translate to being a stand up pass rusher this late in his career. I am not sure he would have to, though. The Jets' fronts are not set in stone. They run a lot of sets with 4 man lines. Heck, they played with 4 linemen more than they did with 3 in 2009. Rex Ryan has frequently said he builds his defense around the strengths of his players. There would probably be times where Umenyiora would be a stand up pass rusher, but we would probably see the Jets shift to more of a 4-3 philosophy.
Concern about Osi I have:
He is very good. It is my perception, though, that he has never been the focal point of the Giants' pass rush. Does any team ever say, "We have to figure out a way to stop Osi?" Aside from one night when poor Winston Justice was overmatched in 2007, I am not sure. When you played the Giants in the past, Michael Strahan was always the guy you wanted to stop. Now I think it is Justin Tuck. Osi has always played with a lot of other talented pass rushers who drew attention, which made winning his matchups easier. How would he handle being the guy everybody set out to stop? This is was a big concern I had about Ray Edwards from Minnesota as well.
I cannot help but feel that last year was the time to make a move for Osi had the Jets wanted him. He was coming off a bad season, and his value was close to nothing. Now it would cost a decent pick and a big extension. I cannot help but think the Jets might be better served to split the money on two bargain pass rushers like the Matt Roth/Manny Lawson combo I talked about last night.
With that said, it would be something to consider. He is way better than anybody the team currently has. By drawing attention alone, he would make other guys better no matter how he handled being the focal point. I probably would part with a third round pick for him. In the first two rounds, you should be able to get high caliber starters. In the third round, you should get an ok starter. Getting a good starter for a third round pick would let the Jets come out on top. I am skeptical that would get it done, though.
What do you think?