The past 3 drafts(2011-2013) have really allowed the New York Jets to absolutely dominate the trenches and that will make every other position better. On offense, we already had Nick Mangold the #1 Center in football, D'Brickashaw Ferguson a top 10 LT and Austin Howard a top 15-20 RT. However we added 2 rookie Guards who have top notch potential with Winters being an ideal LG and Williams Campbell likely being able to be a very good RG, Oday Aboushi being both the Left and Right tackle back up or starting at RT is Austin Howard regresses. Not to mention the veteran pick ups of Willie Colon and Stephen Peterman. Having such a potentially strong O-Line will do a ton for the run game and I see Chris Ivory and Mike Goodson reaching their potential as a top 1-2 punch in the league. Along with the play of the O-Line and a strong run game this is the perfect situation for Geno to step into. A strong run game and O-Line to protect him will allow him to stay in a clean pocket and hit Holmes, Hill and Kerley for passes as well as whoever the hell our starting Tight End is. If we have a top 15 offense I would consider that such a success in us making a push to the playoffs. On defense we've added 3 1st Rounders(Wilkerson, Coples and Richardson), another kid who would have been a 1st or 2nd rounder if he wasn't facing jail time(Ellis), a very good veteran presence(Garay) and some solid young depth(Harrison). This D-Line, being coached up by the best 2 men possible(Dunbar and Rexy) will make things so much easier for our Linebackers to make plays in the run game and rushing the passer. QB's will rarely see a clean pocket which means our press coverage on the outside should be stout and our defense should rank in the top 5 again. So much potential up front and so many different looks can give us one of the scariest attacking defenses in the league. Now with our front lines being the real strengths of the team and having our potential QB of the future(the jury is still out) we can look to build around him on O and just add youth to the Linebacker and Safety positions. The Jets are on their way, get along for the ride or get left behind
Despite having played WR and safety in my short career in football, I'm a firm believer that the game is won at the line. You can't run the ball if the defense pushes the o-line back. You can't pass if the QB is running for his life every play.
Couldn't have said it any better myself!! A lot of people are bitching on here about not getting huge playmakers, but many forget that a solid team is built in the trenches. With a solid OL, we can open up the offense. With a solid DL, we can get to the passer. This draft was the exact way it should have been. Take the BPA and build the foundation. I see great things on the horizon for this football team. With close to $50 million in cap space next offseason, paired with upwards of 13 picks, I can see this team becoming a constant threat. I have a feeling the biggest signing we ever made was making Idzik the new GM. The sky is the limit now and I think we are gonna soar!
A positive thread..thank you and I totally agree. Rex is taking over the defense again this year and people forget that..I don't care who the names are the defense will be good. The offense is still missing some pieces but it can't be any worse than last year unless of course Sanchez is still under center.
You are selling Campbell way too high. "A very good RG" the guy didn't even play OL in college. He even attempted to transition back and Michigan kept him on the DL. That screams project and far from "a very good RG". More like lucky to make the 53 man roster. Howard a top 15-20 RT? Maybe but he needs to do it for more than one year and if the FO had a ton of confidence in this kid his contract would have been for much longer. As it he is a stopgap until he proves otherwise. You are selling a lot of nobodies, late round draft picks and Geno Smith way too high. This is far from a playoff team and adding a few mid to late round draft picks as well as a project QB doesn't change that. Ivory is a big question mark health and production wise. New Orleans wasn't too concerned with bringing him back and they've proven over the last few years they know what they are doing. Let's wait and see with him.
Yup. Sanchez needs to go. I think Garrard should start while mentoring Geno. I think he could be the perfect fit to teach Geno a few things. I also think our offense will be tons better than last season because of one main reason: we now have a competent and proven OC running it. Sparano was a complete disgrace at OC. The hiring of MM was a great move.
I am very excited about the defensive line, but our OGs will have to show me something before I can trust the OL to protect our new franchise QB.
William Campbell was recruited as both a DL and OL, his college coaches said in the draft process his future is at OL but in college again`coaches are trying to win games not showcase talent. Howard was a top RT last year, he was rated very high in the run game and serviceable in the passing game and should get better. As for Geno I said the jury is still out but lets be real having a strong O-Line along with his work ethic and tools and the coaching he's coming into will more than likely be enough for him to be our guy. In September, guys only wished we could get a kid like him now because he's a Jet its "well he's not that good" give me a break
The one argument I'm going to make against the OP is Kenrick Ellis. He was a big guy in a very small pond at Hampton College and I think it's very uncertain if he's actually going to prove out in the end. Sione Pouha was a decent NT but he was nobody that keeps a good young NT on the bench, particularly in a season where Pouha had back issues all season and played with stiffness and less strength at times.
First off let me commend you for this post. I't's refreshing change from many of the negative, and I don't mean critical, but simply those "the world is falling, everything sucks, fire everyone with the Jets" negative threads with not substance. Now, Some of the folks here might not agree with your absolute assessment from a ranking perspective but from a macro viewpoint I feel you are right on the money. I think is fair to say that out defensive line will be our strenght and one of the top in the league. That will make life easier for the secondary and LB core. We still need the OLB rush deamon but we can hope next year will be the year. I also feel the OL has improved tremendously from last year just based on depth and potential. Running will be better than last year with the 3 headed monster and an OC that knows his stuff. Ivory is an outstanding back. Some of the dark siders have the usual concern about Ivory ability to stay healthy, which could apply to just about anyone, Revis included. They had the same concern with Landry last year, only to salivate in anticipation every time he took the field and then were disapointed we did not resign him. So in 2013 the tranches are better, much better from my view point. The recieving core/TE is kind of hit and miss and remains to be seen what the impact on not having a top TE will do in the tough games. One thing I feel strongly about. Barring major injuries, we will not be the bottom of the barrel team many here seem to think. We will be competive, focused and faster, much faster and unpredictable in offense than last year..
Regardless of what he was recruited as the bottom line is he is a project and if you pencil him as anything else your just kidding yourself. As I said, the jury is out on Howard. He was average not "a top" RT. he was beaten consistently in pass protection and when he got beat he got beat bad. His run proetction was solid and while I think he can improve to label him as a top RT again is selling way too high. He is a decent option at RT and better than Wayne Hunter but he has a long way to go before he is a top RT. As far as Geno... I didn't want him when he was putting up ridiculous numbers against garbage like Marshall, Maryland and D1AA James Madison. He was an awesome college QB and there is no denying that but I could list a hundred awesome college QB's that amounted to nothing at the next level. I don't like him for a variety of reasons but I hope you are right about him and he does bring a good work ethic and excel in the pros because I'd love to be wrong. That being said I just don't see it. To be fair I like Winters and Aboushi and I absolutely love Damone Harrison. I think Winters will be starting almost immediately and Aboushi is a good player who had a bad combine. Harrison was a guy I really liked going back to last years mock drafts and combines. He has the mind and the size to be a contributor on this team. He's a very positive guy and also has a tremdendous work ethic.
I think Damon Harrison could be the guy to fulfill Pouha's void in the long run. The limited time that he had last season really impressed me, I thought he was better than Ellis. In any event, they could be a good rotation.
Worth noting that Garrard would have started last season BUT his knee just seemingly went. Not even during practice ... the eve of the first preseason game he had the procedure which kept him out. In Hard Knocks, I believe he said he was at the pool with his kids when he just felt a POP in his knee. He was getting rave reviews in camp but it is troublesome that he has missed 2 full seasons due to injury.
Knees suck. I tore mine while at Jujitsu. Not doing Jujitsu, stepping around something that was on the floor. I also coached a kid that tore his ACL kick starting his bike. You just never know when they are going to go, and it gets worse as you get older. As long as Garrard has confidence back in his knee, I think he will be fine. No one is expecting him to be Joe Montana, but I have a hard time seeing him on the field for all 16 games. Hopefully he makes it through training camp/preseason and he can start the season as the #1.
At least Idzik didn't draft Campbell with Rd 2 pick. That alone is a plus. (You know, the you-know-who drafted a project kid with 2nd rounder. Some whizkid he was, don't you think? Why do you even think Jets OL sucked?)
Aren't you the guy that trashed that Bills poster last offseason for talking up how good he thought the Bills d-line would be? But yeah, great post You are expecting "dominance" from "potential" and they are not the same thing. Just because there are first round picks doesn't mean they will be good (see Gholston, Sanchez, and general NY Jet draft history). Couples didnt do anything last year, Ellis is an unknown, Richardson is a rookie and out of position in a 3-4. Wilkerson is the only one of the group that has actually done anything in the NFL. Being excited for the talent is one thing, but talking as if they've already dominated the league is quite another.
Haha... yeah you are right about that. It's just sad how many times we have missed on that 2nd round pick over the years. It's too early to talk about Hill being a miss but think about these awful picks Vlad Clemens Mike Nugent and Justin Miller in the same draft...uggghhh Victor Hobson John McGraw LaMont Jordan Dorian Boose Rick Terry That goes back to Parcells 1st year in 1997. 16 years and in those 16 years we've either missed 9 times those 16 years or not had a pick. We didn't have picks in 5 years. Those years were 2000, 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2011. The only quality players we've drafted in the 2nd round in those 16 years are David Harris and Randy Thomas. I could go back even further into the misery that has been our 2nd round and throw the stud WR duo of Alex Van Dyke and Ryan Yarborough who comibined for 70 receptions and 6 TD's... not in one season but in their careers. No we did draft some really good Jets in the 2nd round but you have to go way back and the names of Johnny Hector, Mark Gasteneau, and Wesley Walker make the list but honestly I'm not old enough to remember any of the guys before that.
