You say that, but how many of us long time Jets fans had a feeling the organization would blow that week 17 game against Buf? A franchises history should have now bearing on the current regime, but it definitely doesn't instill a whole lot of confidence
I said it shouldn't impact Mac's decision making but I definitely get how it impacts fans' confidence and opinions on things.
I see the point of not wanting to spend big bucks on a RB. But the team really didnt overspend on any of the 3 guys they signed. I thought every signing was very team friendly. Plus there's no guarantee that any RB in this draft can come in from Day 1 and be a productive back. For every David Johnson there is a Melvin Gordon. Like every other position , a little luck has to be involved in your going to draft a RB in the middle rounds. To me its one less position that needs to be addressed , and with only 6 picks going into the draft , thats important.
I don't see how anyone can argue with the money spent on Forte or Robinson. If there is a complaint its on Powell's salary but imho he's only over-paid by about $1.5mm per. It's not great to overpay at RB but it's not a cap killer. Forte is arguably the most complete back in the league. He runs well, he's an excellent blocker and a great receiver out of the back field. Even at his age their aren't more than a couple backs as versatile and as productive. I think Robinson is an absolute steal and he could become the workhorse in a year or 2.
With regards to RBs, I follow the Mel Kiper rule of never drafting a RB in the first round so I don't consider Melvin Gordon as a valid example. Below is the list of RBs drafted last year. Not to pick on Powell who is one of my favorite Jets but the ones in bold matched or exceeded Powell's production last year all the while will be getting paid the same or far less for the next 3-4 years. As you can see the chances of getting production from a rookie RB is very high even well beyond the first round. The chances of getting production from a rookie RB is probably as high as it is from a veteran FA but cost a lot less. Even the ones who didn't produce could of if given the opportunity. We can't praise Mac as being such a good GM while at the same time express a lack confidence in his ability to draft a decent RB which is probably the easiest position to draft. Todd Gurley Melvin Gordon T.J. Yeldon Ameer Abdullah Tevin Coleman Duke Johnson David Johnson Matt Jones Jeremy Langford Javorius Allen Mike Davis David Cobb Jay Ajayi Karlos Williams Cameron Artis-Payne Josh Robinson Marcus Murphy Kenny Hilliard
Some would argue that signing a 30 year old RB is an argument in itself. That said the issue is the sum of the signings as a whole not with each individual signing.
I get it, age 30 is a wall most hit. Time will tell if Forte hits it now or not. Given his style I think there's a lot of tread left. If you look at production last year the RB position accounted for about 44% of the teams offense. The cap hit for this year for RB's is $7.2mm. The cap hit for WR's this year is $22mm. They're getting nearly 50% production for 1/3 the total cap hit of their WR's. It's still money well spent even if they overpaid Powell a bit and are paying Forte like he was 2-3 years younger. It's better than re-signing Ivory for his current contract.
of the guys you listed the first 4 were drafted in the top 2 rounds. to draft for need in the top 2 rounds is silly and I would say its silly in round 3 and 4 too but that doesn't work out with my numbers. so lets say that we are going to look 3rd round and below for our next bell cow running back, because its a position that guys get drafted mid rounds and are successful. there are 7 guys who were as good or better than he was. there were also 7 guys that were not. id much prefer a proven commodity than a 50/50 chance. and for the money the team spent I think it was handled very well. it allows the team to not have to look for that rb in the draft. if one of them is bpa then they can draft him if they want. but they don't have to.
So why list and bold Gurley and Gordon if you dont consider 1st rounders valid examples? I would hope 1st round picks outproduce a backup RB. And stats are all good and well , but I dont think there is a huge difference in the production Powell gave us last season , remember he really wasnt given a shot until Ivory started to breakdown late in the year , and the other guys on that list. Guys like Abdullah , Coleman and Jones might be solid in the passing game , but to me they have shown zero ability in terms of vision to be an NFL RB , and only had some success last year because of their above average speed. And speed is usually the first thing to go on any player.
And? Like I said if you find a back in the draft that's worth taking you can figure it out later. Planning on taking one without knowing whats going to happen is a bad move.
you're $20 implies that that's what we're spender per year on the position or even just on one player. But the fact is that position is covered over the next 3 years for that price. How is that considered a high price by any measurement?
You are implying a lot and incorrectly I might add. It's pretty clear that I'm saying that there was a more frugal approach we could have taken. Most GMs are doing the opposite of what Mac just did with regards to the position. They do not sign or resign 30+ years old RBs and look to the draft for their situational/3rd round backs. I subscribe to this more common practice.
I have no problem with the Jets signing 3 RBs this offseason because the next draft class should be much stronger at RB than this year's class is.
This notion that there are teams succeeding with nothing but young, underpaid RBs is a fallacy. Depth at the position requires some veteran presence. David Johnson was paired with Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington. TJ Yeldon was paired with Denard Robinson and Toby Gerhart (and they decided that wasn't enough and signed Ivory). Abdullah was paired with Joique Bell and Theo Riddick. Matt Jones with Alfred Morris. Langford was paired with Forte. Tevin Coleman with Steven Jackson and Freeman, and so on. You need some veteran depth and leadership at the position, and I thought we spent well, improved the position, and freed ourselves to draft other positions. RB is going to be a strength of our team.
TGG posters love to fabricate positions to argue against. The issue once again is that we SIGNED 3 VETERAN RBs. Not 1 with the plan to add 2 rookies. Not 2 with the plan to add 1 rookie to the mix but 3 VETERAN RBs!!! With just 6 picks and 3 VETERAN RBs signed we aren't pairing shit at least we better not be.
Totally respect this position as at least it is a counter to the actual original argument. Haven't paid much attention to the 2017 RB class to know if there's any validity to that.
No need to scream. So you would prefer that we use at least 1-2 of our 6 draft picks on RBs in rounds 2-4? Would you be OK with Forte or Powell or Robinson and two rookies learning about pass pro and Gailey's system? That's risky IMO. I'm not opposed to drafting RBs - I'm just fine with Mac signing FAs to eliminate a need to draft RBs.
For a start, congrats to the OP for starting a new thread! It's been a bit slow on here for a while... I can hardly believe the change I've seen in the status of running backs since I've been watching football. They were royalty back in the 1980s and nobody batted an eyelid when the Jets spent the second overall pick in the draft on Blair Thomas in 1990. Now they are disposable - use them a for a few years and then dump them for a cheap mid-round draft pick. I would probably agree with the OP that a rookie would have slotted into this team better, from a cap standpoint, than either one of Powell or Forte, but there's always the uncertainty over how a draft pick is going to produce.
I think the 2017 RB class is absolutely loaded. You said that you don't like picking RBs early, but next year I think at least 5 will go in the first 2 rounds if they all stay healthy and declare.
