I have been very interested in seeing how Ducasse has progressed from last year, if at all so I rewatched the game today focusing on Ducasse. A lot of people recognize that he has tremendous physical attributes but just hasn't been able to get it mentally. Many believe that he is a bust because as a second round pick he has yet to become a starter in this, his third year and has only managed to get on the field for about 100 snaps as an extra blocker last year. He also looked completely lost last year in the preseason and got Turner injured. While I recognize he hasn't done anything to gain respect from the fan base - my stance has always been that he was drafted with the intent to take time to develop him. If he ever gets it mentally he should be a solid player for us. I came away from this exercise impressed with how far he seems to have come mentally. He does not seem to be swimming at all mentally at this point. Quite the opposite - he seems very much aware of his responsibilities and generally has his head on a swivel. The one mental mistake he made was corrected almost immediately. My biggest criticism of him at this point is that he really needs to finish blocks when he's doing a 2 level block. He's doing well getting his initial chip/helper block and for the most part he's getting to his man on the second level but once he gets there he's not finishing the blocks - he's just giving the LB an initial pop and letting him go. I don't think Vlad was making many 2 level blocks last year. Most of the negative grades I gave him were for not finishing at the second level, which I think is being a pretty tough grader. Still, he came away with far more positive graded plays than negatives. A lot of those positive graded plays were pretty easy blocks where he was doubling with someone else, but I take that as a good thing. The coaches are putting him in a position to succeed. I'm going to try and follow him all preseason to see if the positive trend continues. Prior to this season I thought a realistic positive expectation for him was to become a solid backup. If he keeps looking like this and quickly learning coaching points I would be very happy with him as a backup G this season. [table="head"]Quarter|Time|Down|Distance|Run/Pass|Spot/Description|+/- 2|14:02|1|10|Pass|Jets 40 |||||Vlad stands his ground in pass protection against DT rushing directly across from him.|+ 2|13:41|1|10|Run|Bengals 48 |||||This is a dive left between vlad & center. He pushes DT off the line 1-2 yards and turns him opening a nice lane. Vlad then peels off the DT he's standing up to try and prevent LB from filling the hole. Unfortunately the guy he peeled off was able to make the tackle. Good job initially blocking his assignment but tried to do too much when he left his guy to block LB and his guy made the tackle.|= 2|12:52|2|8|Pass|Bengals 46 |||||DT directly across from Vlad gets stood up and then pancaked. Tebow throws incomplete|+ 2|12:42|3|8|Pass/QB Scramble|Bengals 46 |||||No one initially in his gap so he doubles doubles down on the DT with center. As he came down on DT a DE twisted across his face into his vacated gap on a blitz. Vlad and the center drove the DT across the field but the vacated gap left a free rush for the twist. Vlad left half a second too early here and it was a well timed blitz. Later in the game he noticibly held his gap for a little longer before helping inside or outside - probably a good coaching point. Tebow ended up scrambling for a first down.|- 2|12:00|1|10|Run|Bengals 32 |||||Vlad & the LT pull left for what looks like a toss left but Powell cuts it back right away as if it was a counter. I think it was a blown play and holding was called on the center. He got out and got a nice seal w/cumberland on the DE but it's insigificant because Powell cut it back in.|= 2|11:35|1|20|Run|Bengals 42 |||||Vlad turns & manhandles DT easily opening a nice lane. McKnight takes it for a gain of 8|+ 2|10:49|2|12|Pass/QB Scramble|Bengals 34 |||||Vlad lines up at LT with Howard outside him at TE. Vlad stifles DE at point of attack and eventually knocks him over. Tebow scrambles for 10.|+ 2|10:05|3|2|Pass|Bengals 24 |||||Vlad stands up and easily controls DT. Incomplete pass.|+ |||||end possession 2|8:43|1|10|Pass|Jets 29 |||||No one in his gap - he pauses and blocks down with center while keeping an eeye on the LT/his gap. Nice job, and instant improvement over previous error.|+ 2|8:11|2|6|Run|Jets 34 |||||Vlad & Center double team DT - drive him back 5-6 yards off the LOS.|+ 2|7:25|3|2|---|Jets 37 |||||Howard false start.| 2|7:25|3|7|Pass|Jets 32 |||||One on one with DT in pass protection - vlad stands him up and wins. Hill drops easy first down.|+ |||||end possession| 2|:45|1|10|Run|Jets 4 |||||Vlad & LT double team Dt. They blow him off the ball and drive him 5-6 yards off the LOS.|+ 2|:41|2|7|Run|Jets 7 |||||Goes 2nd level to LB as no one was in his gap. He gets a nice initial pop on the backer but doesn't stick with him and finish the block. LB gets away and help make tackle for short gain. I think I'm being hard on him giving him a minus grade here but this is something he needs to get better at.|- 2|:33|3|5|Run|Jets 9 |||||Initially doubles down w/center then peels off to LB in the hole. Nice recognition but failed to finish the block again after intial pop on LB. Because this was a two level block I'm just giving him and even grade. He did everything right except finish his block.|= |||||end possession| 3|10:13|1|10|Pass|Jets 27 |||||Vlad one on one with DT - stands him up and wins.|+ 3|9:43|2|5|Run|Jets 32 |||||Doubles down w/center then goes 2nd level to LB in the hole. Again, needs to finish block on the 2nd level as he stops after initial pop.|= 3|9:02|3|2|Pass/QB Scramble|Jets 35 |||||Doubles w/LT as no one is in his gap. Keeps an eye on the pocket, finds a free rusher and peels off to destroy him. This may have been his most impressive play of the day.|+ 3|8:25|1|10|Run|Jets 45 |||||Doubles down w/center then goes 2nd level but misses LB. This wasn't a terrible miss - it's tough for linemen to hit a LB in open space sometimes as they're just more nimble. Still a miss though. Does a superman dive onto the pile at the end for no apparent reason.|- 3|7:43|2|4|Pass|Bengals 49 |||||One on one pass block on DT, stands him up, wins.|+ 3|7:14|1|10|Run|Bengals 43 |||||Doubles down w/center and quickly goes 2nd level to LB. Loses footing and falls as he hits LB.|- 3|6:29|2|6|Run|Bengals 39 |||||Fires out and completely whiffs on DT who was stunting. Runs around looking to hit someone but can't find anyone. Probably his worst looking play of the day and the only time he looked lost.|- 3|4:30|1|10|Pass|Jets 32 |||||No one in his gap. Helps w/center while keeping an eye on LT/his gap, win.|+ 3|3:51|1|10|Run|Bengals 47 |||||Vlad & LT doublt DT and drive him 5-6 yards off LOS.|+ 3|3:05|2|8|Pass|Bengals 45 |||||Doubles down w/center. Hold called on #75|+ 3|2:45|2|18|Run|Jets 45 |||||Overpowers DT, turns him, drives him and eventually tosses him to ground|+ 3|1:57|3|12|Pass|Bengals 49 |||||Doubles down on DT w/center, win.Sack comes from the other side.|+ |||||end possession| 4|14:10|1|10|Pass|Bengals 38 |||||Doubles on DT w/center, win.|+ 4|14:05|2|10|Pass|Bengals 38 |||||Doubles on DT w/center, win.|+ 4|13:39|3|2|Pass|Bengals 30 |||||Pocket was rolled right. Vlad smoothly shuffled in sync with the rest of the line and picked up DE in his gap, win.|+ 4|13:06|1|10|Run|Bengals 17 |||||Chips on DT w/center then goes 2nd level. Play was stopped in backfield before he engaged with LB.|= 4|12:22|2|12|Pass|Bengals 19 |||||No rushers came on the entire left side of the line as they overloaded the other side and sacked McElroy.|= 4|11:50|3|20|Run|Bengals 27 |||||Blocks DT for a second but doesn't drive him and DT peels off block to persue run.|- |||||end possession| [/table]
nice analysis and a great write up.i might be the only one not jumping off the brige over the o.l i expect to see vlad play that turner role very well and be ready to start at a g position next year. that said.this board needs a bust to bitch about or it might explode.
wow you really really have way too much time on your hands. you should coach a high school team or something. so basically he can double team guys and hold his own as long as nothing odd happens and is very suspect in space.
Good read,this was probably his best performance as a jet and the light may be coming on for him. I feel his strength is blocking the linemen who are lined up in his gaps,but ask him to block a linebacker or get out in space and he struggles.This is probably why he lost the LG battle,if you look at what Slauson had to do with the 1's,he was pulling more often than not. If Vlad has any future as a starter for the Jets then it may be as Brandon Moore's replacement.Moore is in the last year of his contract.
lol - I've had offers to help but I just can't commit to it. Yes, he needs to improve his blocking in space - mostly just finishing IMO. I thought he made a great pickup later in the game when he saw a free rusher as he was helping with the LT, peeled off and destroyed him. By no means am I trying to sell him as a finished product. I think he's come a long, long way mentally though and from this small sample size doesn't appear to be a liability anymore. You're probably right. Maybe he is the future at RG. It's only one preseason game though - I'm interested in seeing his performances throughout the preseason to see if he can be consistent and improve on his weaknesses.
its good to hear that he apparently has made some strides mentally and is a bit more comfortable out there. hopefully he can show he has some talent now that he isnt just in awe. its scary to think of him pulling out on the edge too much right now. and as much as it taking 3 or 4 years to get to the point of being a real contributor i will welcome anything he can give this year or next. i appreciate the time you put into this. its not a small task and i think you have done it before with other guys.
Nice job. Echoes what my impressions were after watching him closely in TC. I think all he needs at this point is more reps before he'll be finishing those 2nd level blocks w/ ease. Slauson has had a helluva camp & looked pretty good last night too. I'm not sure it's wise to mess w/ the cohesion between he & Brick at this stage. Gotta be honest though...Brandon Moore is starting to show his age. He's been struggling anchoring in pass pro & doesnt get the same push he once did in the running game. Ducasse started in place of Moore in the Green-white scrimmage while Moore attended #28's induction. Quite honestly I think Ducasse is ahead of Moore right now. Will Rex/FO have the guts to do anything about it?
That would be a real bold move to make considering Moore is a veteran leader. I don't think he's going to be happy as a backup either. It may be a trade or cut situation if they were going to do it. Better a year early than a year late but who would be our depth? I didn't pay much attention to any olinemen other than vlad. Surprised to hear Moore is playing poorly though. It could just be a vet not giving 100% in preseason ...
nice analysis. I was very happy with Vlad's play last night...Extremely encouraging. In fact if he continues to progress he may unseat Slauson IMO.
Keep Slauson & work on moving Vlad to RG. C = Mangold LT = Brick You don't need a stud @ LG. Slauson can hold it down between both of them and he's making small salary. When RT sucks and RG is going to retire soon, there's more important upgrades needed. === I see Rex playing it safe & sticking w/ Moore as starter. Then develop Vlad for one more year and peacefully move into RG next season. If Moore starts then Vlad can backup both G positions. However, if Vlad starts, I've got a feeling Moore isn't gonna receptive to being backup @ this stage of his career. Would the potential upgrade @ starting RG be good enough to justify the loss of depth on OL? That's a tough question. Plus with the mess that's RT, perhaps it's better to have extra experience over @ RG? Move Vlad @ RG next season & he can break in as starter between Mangold & somebody who doesn't suck.
I don't think it will happen either..but if we want to be ground & pound we need the best bulldozers. Vlad maybe the best drive blocker on the roster outside of Mangold. Actually the O-line depth is gonna be drastically improved this year. Bare in mind teams typically only dress 8 linemen. Schlauderoff, Howard/hunter, & Griffin is just as solid as Turner/Hunter/Vlad in 2010. All those guys have looked pretty good. Now the one's I didn't mention currently on the roster...simply terrible.
I wonder how much of him improving mentally has to do with having Sparano instead of Schotty (& Callahan).
That was a great job, Long Time - Are you busy a week from Monday, I'd like you do a similar job on Nate Solder. I need to know if we can count on him. As far as Vlad goes in a way he is a still a bust for the Jets. As a second round pick the Jets have gotten very little in the way of production from him, and very little of that has been good production. The Pats were reportedly looking at OLmen that year and being that he was a local UMASS kid, I followed his predraft progress pretty closely. He was a complete dud in his rookie year. I don't know if it was the culture shock of coming from division 1AA to the NFL, or if he had learning problems, the Jets got nothing from him. Then because of your horrible OL depth situation in 2011, Vlad wasted a year as a back up RT. (not his fault) A job he did badly by all accounts. Of course play RT made no sense from the get go. From everything I ever read about him, his skill set was much better suited to be a G. The Jets finally did the smart thing and moved him back to G, where based on your report, he seems to be making progress at last. Good for him. But being an adequate back up interior lineman is not what you want from a 2nd round pick in his 3rd year, especially when the guy ahead of him is merely average. Now comes the ironic part. Lets assume that Vlad continues to make progress as a back up this season, and next year is ready to assume a starting role. So after 3 years of patience, the Jets FINALLY get the player they expected when they drafted him......and he walks at the end of the year. OUCH! (and that assumes he continues to progress) Not good, Long Time, not good at all, and that assumes he makes pluses out of those minuses you gave him. Don't forget that he only had pluses on 24 of the 36 plays you charted That's only a 2/3rd success rate. That's a great improvement for Vlad, but not a success rate you want for your starting G. (especially when you consider that for the most part he was playing against scrubs) BTW-The Pats play their next preseasn game on Monday night, so you probably will get it. Nate Solder is #77. Feel free to be a hard grader. Thanks in advance.
As I said, I think the Jets drafted him with developing him in mind. If they feel he's developed enough they probably will extend him instead of letting him walk after he's done the developing they anticipated when drafting him. It just wouldn't make much sense. Most of the negative plays were barely negative I.E. - not finishing a block at the second level. The main point being he didn't look like a liability on the field. If those negatives looked more like "Vlad gets beat by DT on an inside move - looks like Solder" or whatever I'd be more concerned with them. I am not spending my time looking at Solder. I'll just hope that he continues to get beat like a drum.
Nice work LTJF. Some of the meatheads here have been on Vlad since day 1 and refused to even acknowledge or understand that Vlad showed improvement during last season. He has worked all off season and it shows. Vlad has improved significantly from where he was a yr ago. Hopefully he continues the hard work and continues to improve.
Solder is a freakish athlete on a team that can afford to develop projects. They'll figure out a way to maximize his potential. Vlad is a freakish athlete on the Jets. They'll figure out a way to have him washing cars in Lake Ronkonkoma in a couple years.
That sounds great except for the fact that the Pats are relying on Solder to start this year and the Jets are hoping Vlad can be a solid backup. sarcasm?
So, as a group, do we prefer: 1. Brick-Slauson-Mangold-Moore-Hunter or, as has been hinted at some: 2. Brick-Vlad-Mangold-Moore-Slauson or, as some others have suggested: 3. Brick-Slauson-Mangold-Vlad-Howard?
