After a long road trip today , I got to thinking. The Pats have had no problems in recruiting the FAs that they wanted and that was partly due to them being in a position to challenge for the Superbowl , this year and previous. They are undoubtedly one of the all-time best teams the NFL has ever seen. Will other FAs still be interested in signing as FAs with them , maybe for less $$$ than other rival teams are willing to offer , as they beleive they will be able to get their hands on a ring? Maybe, But I would also think that as likely that a player will want to play for the Pats , there will equally be players that want to prove themselves against them , what better way than to play them twice divisionally. The Patriots are there to be shot at next season and we as Jets fans have as good a chance of blowing up the Pats 'legend'. Of course alot of this will depend on how we do in the draft, free agency, how we prepare and a huge slice of luck. The eyes of the world will be focused more on our division next year than in most seasons I believe , could our division be the most exciting? Whatever happens next year , lets hope the Jets take at least one win off the Pats.
Wow if all you are looking at is to beat the Pats once makes for a good season then we are really in for a crappy season
No thats not what I,m getting at. Having the Pats in our div and being so dominant is a good thing for us as we have to jump that much higher than the rest of the league , there are players out there who will want to compete against them as well as play for them. Yes beating them once would be fantastic , but right now unbelievable. But the question is will FAs want to join us more , particularly players like Suggs , Chad Johnson etc...?
Gusto I see where you're going with your original post but I think the same thing holds true for Miami and Buffalo, and we're not going to win every FA signing battle in that regard. I definitely think the entire AFC East will have an opportunity to get better and compete with the Pats, but I don't think this necessarily will involve the Jets being winners in the whole deal. Then again maybe we could... I guess we'll see. :beer:
I'd test that angle if I were the head coach...we've shown time and time again...the Pats...the Steelers...the Ravens...the Giants...the Redskins...the Titans...the Eagles...that we can play bigger and badder teams competitively and we aren't as inept a franchise as we once were. I think the Pats are more scared of us *long term* than any other team in the AFC. Mangini and this team has never played them easy, and our talent level is only rising. The roster obviously still has to be tailored, but if we can convince a couple young, talented FAs that they can be apart of a great future...well thats just fuckin sweet isn't it?
Of course , the other two teams have just the same opportunity. Wheather 'talent' signs with us or the Bills or Dolphins doesn't matter , the division IMO will be the one to be in next season. If you were a FA wouldn't you want to come to our division? AFC east will be the toughest nest season.
1.What can "we as Jets fans" really do ? Do you think the front office trolls the boards and makes decisions based on what is discussed here ? 2. Why come here ? If a player wants to come to the AFC east and can't get on the Pats, wouldn't the Bills (young and rising) and Fins (Parcell's "mystique" and track record) be more attractive ? Not to mention less media scrutiny.
This is not as dumb a question as it might first seem and I do think it can become a self-fulfilling prophesy once the ball gets rolling. In other words, we need to show F/A's that we have the money and level of desire to be competitve, not only with the Pats but with anybody. The word needs to get out in the marketplace that we'll stop at nothing to win. It could start with getting just a few good players on board to compliment those we already have (Mangold, Brick, Leon, Jones, Rhodes, Harris, Revis, etc.) and go from there. So, I don't think this a moot question. It only takes a little positive mementum to get the ball rolling. But we need to get this started now... right now. We need to be aggressive and daring and do whatever is necessary to show we can get it done. I just hope we have enough Cap space to blow.
Because believe it or not...we're also young and rising. Not that I think we should be going out and signing big name FAs anyway...who was Mike Vrabel before he became a Pat? I'd rather find young gems in FA and draft well.
1. Tannenbaum was banned :wink: Actually everything on this board gets discussed to death , so the laws of probabilty dicatate that some one will be right. 2. Why come here? Why not? This team made the POs just last year and if Mangini and Co can do what they have set their stall out to do , then we should be a winning team once more.
Did playing in the South division make players want to go to Houston? This seems far fetched to me. In college, divisions mean something...in the pros, they only look at money and/or the team's chances of winning that they are going to. I don't think you'd find a lot of corner backs saying "I want to play in the AFC East so I can cover Randy Moss twice a year".
Why not? Football players have huge egos, and shutting down Randy Moss would launch their status as top cornerbacks. The South is a bad comparison, mostly because the Patriots are a unique case in that they are the best in history, period. The Colts, while champs, are not.
Its' the "Omar Minaya Theory"......You have to sign the best F.A.{Pedro Martinez} & then the rest of F.A.'s will come. In this case, Jets' must sign Terrell Suggs of Ravens & Samuels of Pats' & then the rest of boys will jump on 'bandwagon'. THis shows the Jets' mean business. Pats' did that last year....they signed Adalius Thomas 1st & the rest jumped on the bandwagon. Thats' just how it goes. Few wanna do it the hard way. More talent, fewer thing s can go wrong, less talent....more can go wrong. :wink:
Last I checked, New England is playing in the NFL too.... Just because there is a salary cap, doesn't mean you need to try to build a winner using only retreads, rookies and 'sleepers.' Signing a few big-time FAs in the offseason can do wonders, so long as those FAs fill needs and fit in the with team's schemes, philosophy, etc....
Yes, I know that...but Thomas is the biggest FA signing that franchise has made since Colvin and Harrison in '03....and Harrison wasn't exactly the perfect picture of health or character at the time (or now). Brady...Light...Mankins...Seymour...Wilfork...Samuels...Warren...Koppen...Green...were all drafted by the Pats. All rookies at one point, all keys to the future and present. Mike Vrabel was a backup with 8 career sacks before he signed with the Patriots. Sleeper. They brought Seau out of retirement. Retread. For some reason no on appreciated the Welker or Moss deals until the results of what they were building. Welker was laughed at and the Moss trade was supposed to destroy the franchise. Sounds like sleeper and retread to me. The Pats didn't even spend huge money...and Thomas' contract would have been much larger with another team...until their 7th season as an NFL powerhouse. Drafting well, finding sleepers in FA, the occasional big name signing, and retreads are how NFL teams are built all the time. I still don't see why we HAVE to spend though...I'd rather see us spend smart than spend big.
gus. this is nonsense. PLayers have three possible influences when deciding where to go. 1) Money- far and away the biggest infuence. as a mater of fact, its by so far the number 1 that I feel silly even adding anymore 2) where am I living-family, friends, income tax yadda yadda... 3) can I win a ring- and this doesnt hold true for all but Id be willing to bet the majority care. thats it.
....and what about all the quality players that haven't made their name due to being at the wrong place and wrong time? Its all about getting the right mix of players in.
Nicely summarized. I agree. I think different players may arrange those factors differently, but these are the 3. The one thing NY has going for it is a large market for advertising and sponsorships, but that falls under #1.
