Nelson started because we were down to waiver/off the street guys for the second half of the season. In the final 5 games he had 19 rec, 210 yards (11 ypc) and 2 TDs. I hope we can do better than that this year.
This is only part of the story though. Nelson caught 16 balls in 19 targets for 175 yards and 2 TD's in the 4 game stretch when Geno turned things around. There's a very good chance that he winds up with a significant role as a security blanket type receiver for Geno next year. There's actually a real chance he winds up outside opposite Decker at the start of the season. It's more likely somebody takes that role instead but Nelson would not be a bad default choice there if the competition was still ongoing with no clear winners when the season opens.
Jets have a good WR group. Decker Nelson Kerley maybe Hill Jackoby ford Amaro Saunders and Evans and the guy from Nebraska Teams usually dress 5 We did fine in the draft Pryor is good Mcdougle will be good if he recovers from shoulder injury I am quite concerned about Milliner Just watched last years last game vs Dolphs. His 2nd INT he was about 10 Yards behind the WR. Lucky for us the QB way overthrew the ball and it went right to Milliner. There were two other passes where he chased the WR and waved his arms. Should have been pass interference. He must do much better. Don't know if Pryor could have saved the day. But if Vick is the QB we should put up many points
On the slot receiver thing: if Jace Amaro is not the Jets primary slot weapon going into 2015 something has gone wrong in the interim. Either he's tried to do that and crapped out or the Jets are engaged in some fantasy that he's actually an inline TE and only accidentally caught the number of passes he did in the slot the last couple of seasons. The NFL has a number of very good TE's who operate primarily out of the slot. Amaro is trying to join that group. Doing other things with him is a waste of value.
Am I the only one that have a problem w/ Nelson ending up still starting for us after a FA period where we had a ton of cap space and one of the deepest WR drafts ever?
or... Kerley took some of that away? I get what you're TRYING to say, he's not supposed to be a traditional TE and will be used more as he was in college, but the way you put it makes it sound like you expect him to replace JK. Under that interpretation I'll say I expect the hound to be in the slot, I expect BOTH to be and I'm not sure theres gonna be anything "primary" about there time there. With that in mind, we may just want to stow any notions of easily defined Receiving roles in the cellar. these guys will be all over the place, the jets are all about versatile and moveable pieces causing misdirection on both sides of the ball it seems.
I don't know, but based on last year Nelson starting isn't the worst of things. he's one of the best on the team next to kerley, a step above the unproven youths or Hill and his unreliable use of his touted physical tools.Sure handed, good character, runs decent routes, we could do worse than having a Nelson or two on our roster. really the upgrades would have been nice, and I won't pretend I wasn't all about getting Lee or hoping they grabbed somebody else off of FA, but nothing is ever guaranteed even when opportunity knocks. We got Decker, and A LOT of players looking to prove themselves along with the aforementioned reliable vets In JK and Nelson. we're coming into this year better than last, the jets aren't the bears or broncos but lets not pretend the team did nothing to upgrade itself at WR. We were NEVER gonna be able to fix everything with the draft. The lack of projected upper level talent at this or that position is something we as fans hate because we've got our own ideas of how things should have gone on a pedestal but for the upper brass its just a reality they were fully prepared to face. Idzik is stone cold to the idea of a once in a lifetime offseason opportunity and seems willing to let things play out if they don't go the way he would have liked when it comes to aggressively attaining talent. he'll find his level and go with value and quantity if thats breached or a circumstance becomes out of his hands, no panicking from Johnny GM, no sir. tell ya what though, if even ONE of the WR's form this draft pans out he'll look like a methodical genius. i think i went on a tangent that related less and less to responding to you're post... oh well, good ideas anyhow.
Going into the off-season I would have bet the farm that by the end of the draft Hill and Nelson would be pushed near the bottom of the depth chart if not off the team completely. Now, it looks like they will be battling for the 2nd WR spot. It's kind of crazy as I sit here thinking about it.
You expected the Jets to do more than sign the #1 free agent WR and draft two 4th rounders and a 6th rounder to compete? What world were you living in? Tannenbaum-Land?
I didn't call YOU BS, just your statement. It was not personal, my friend. I agree with you a whole lot more than I disagree, and have found you to be one of the more knowledgeable and reasonable posters in the draft forum. We all can get carried away at times and say things that aren't accurate or true. We may think they are or fail to doublecheck what we think to be true before we post, but that doesn't mean that those things are always true. IMO saying they are similar style players is very different from what you said initially. I also disagree that Saunders is just as elusive and just as tough.
Look for Nelson and Evans to share a lot of the load alongside Decker so we can put Kerley in the slot
That all makes sense, but it also fits into my point that you end up having to have a balance between some positions that are in effect wide open and those where you have to rely on a veteran player who is more or less set in the depth chart.
In mentioning Nelson, I did not mean to praise him. Heh. In fact it was more of a comment about the lack of talent that will be competing with him, leaving him, not a great player imo by any means, still in the mix. Instead I agree wtih Legler's point, that in effect the Jets really did not look so much worse last year going into the season than it does right now. The main difference is between Decker and Holmes, where Decker is healthy and Holmes was rehabbing, but most thought Holmes would in fact be ready by opening day. After him, the expectation some if not many had was that Hill would show significant improvement, an improvement we are still waiting to see, Kerley set in the slot, and people like Gates buried on the depth chart.
Following up on the Nelson discussion, I am sympathetic to your point about the lack of attention the FO gave Wideout this off season, but count me as in the middle about Nelson. He's not a bad receiver, but imo on most teams he would not be a starter. On the Jets, however, right now I don't see anyone who is likely to beat him out. Instead I am hopeful Amaro will be the one who will help most in the receiving game coming out of the draft. Since he sounds like an upgrade over Cumberland, the receivers in fact should be better.
not only that but it will be interesting to c if he can separate from the NFL level LB and SS - if he can look for him to set up wide and create additional mismatches beyond the numbers.
Something I just read regarding Quincy Enunwa: http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2014/5/15/5708908/nfl-draft-2014-steals-values-scouting-reports WR, Nebraska Round 6, pick 33 (209) Enunwa was one of my favorite later-round receiver prospects just based on his incredible physical makeup and production in his final year. He has prototypical size, is a force in downfield run blocking, can use his body to block cornerbacks out and post them up in the redzone and ended the season with an absurd 12 touchdowns on only 53 catches. He's a team captain whose only real issue is a case of the dropsies. Of course, this is an issue when "pass-catcher" is your job title, but with a little work on the jugs machine to shore up some of these drops, Enunwa could emerge as a very effective pro player.
But I think the health is a big difference. Gates wasn't buried on the depth chart, he was #4 WR on opening day. Looking up the snap count, Gates played 39% of the snaps during week 1. I really hope and don't think that will happen this year. I also think a healthy Decker is a clear upgrade over a rehabbing/hurt Holmes. The hole the WR corp has is the #2 role. Hill is there, but from the draft it seems the Jets are not set on him. I would also say there is a much better option than hoping Hill develops in Nelson that whoever we had last year. Looking at game 2, Gates played around 60% of the snaps and that was when Kerley missed the game I think. Now me saying the Jets receiving looks better (I'm also including Amaro/Cumberland > Winslow/Cumberland) than last year isn't saying the Jets receiver group is great. It's just that last year the bar was set really low and I think the Jets made some obvious depth upgrades and obvious #1 WR on the depth chart upgrade and a TE upgrade. But it was so bad from last year, it's like going from bad to average. There is still room for improvement and the Jets could have addressed WR earlier in the draft, but I think the FA group was weak and the draft broke out positionally good for the Jets. I'm still studying the actual players picked.
Those are my exact thoughts on Nelson. Hence, why I was expecting our WR corps to be upgraded to the point where guys like Nelson and Hill would be fighting for the 4th WR spot not in contention to start.
