I don't care whether you go downfield or play fake to throw in the flat. If your OL isn't doing its job and flattening the DL on the line of scrimmage so the QB has the time, and the RBs can run through some HOLES for a change, you ain't got no offense. Pure and simple. All this skill player arguing isn't going to change the fact that we will never have an offense of any kind or any strategy until we have an OL that can dominate the line of scrimmage regularly -- regardless of what kind of play is called. This is a bigger problem to solve than whether some QB can throw the ball 5 yards or 15 yards. This problem involves the integration of 5 to 15 players into a well-coordinated in-synch unit with a bad attitude about their opponents. When the NYJs have had a laughing stock OL for so long it has become a traditional joke in the NFL, they cannot all of a sudden collect a couple of new high-priced resumes and assume everything is hunky dory -- "let's go back to playing tiddly winks with the ballet dancers...!" One sprained ankle, one unlucky roll-up onto a fragile knee, and that lack of competent depth can rise up and absolutely kill the season. This team is far more vulnerable at the line of scrimmage than it is behind center or in the backfield. Those skill player kurfluffles are small potatoes to what our job is up on that line of scrimmage. Arguing about skill players, be they running backs or quarterbacks, without taking into account the line of scrimmage context within which they must function is tantamount to tying your hands behind you, closing your eyes, and taking a swan dive through your Peter Principle.
SF wouldn't have traded up for D'Brick. They had their sights on Vernon Davis all the way and knew we weren't taking him. Oakland? Not likely considering they spent the No. 2 pick on Gallery only 2 seasons before that. Detroit? Maybe, but I never heard they were looking to move up. I don't really see how you can say Cutler is closer to being a stud QB than D'Brick is at being a stud LT. Cutler has only played one season and was shaky at times throughout the season. D'Brick has started every game in the two years and really started coming into his own last year. He has shut down Jason Taylor every time he's played against him. Played very well against Osi and Schobel among others. I rarely see him get beat and he's improved his run blocking. The NFL is only a QB driven league in the media. Everyone knows you don't win without a solid OL. And solidifying the LT and C in the 1st round of the '06 draft was brilliant in every sense.
Well...yes and no. I do think Chad is a quality QB and can be the QB of a Super Bowl New York Jets team. However, I don't think he can do it on his arm alone. If the pieces are in place on the OL, running game and Defense and factor in creative play calling Chad can lead us to a Super Bowl Championship.
Now I agree with your post for the most part, but I have seen you bring this up a couple of times now and it just simply is not true. You make it sounds like we have seen a decade of poor OL play. The truth is we have only been struggling on the OL for the past couple of years. Three years back was the year the line was decimated by injuries, but it was manned with pretty much our old OL vets who had a pretty good run of things for a few years. It seems it was just the lack of replacing talent and keeping our depth built on the line that has sand bagged us the last couple of years. The laughing stock of the NFL would be our Defensive line. I cannot remember a year where it did not suck over the last several. It has looked decent in flashes here and there, but there has been an utter lack of consistency there for what seems to me - forever.
Now, Jetzz, I have no problem with your characterization of the DL. I have yet to get over the Raiders, or the Bills, or the Redskins running the ball with three tight ends and a fullback over and over and over because nobody on the NYJs thought about stopping them. But I wished to complain about the offensive line's traditional lack of line-of-scrimmage domination in that post. There is very excessive arguing about skill players without regard to the context in which they must play. None of these football experts (Not.) get the big picture of skill players and their dependency on the OL in the NFL. Whether the OL starters are decimated by injuries and the incompetent depth loses the line of scrimmage, or whether the OL starters and depth alike are overmanned on every play just because they're lousy -- the bottom line is no pass blocking and no run blocking. Curtis Martin created a lot more yards than his offensive line won for him -- he learned to take maximum advantage of what they did for him. This is just exactly what TJ did last year in somehow finding 1,119 yards when the blocking was no where to be found. The guys on this "Message Board" are sitting in stentorian judgment of Kellen and Chad when they had nary a chance in 07. It's just blatant buffoonery, in my opinion, and I am calling them on it.
I'm with you on this Jetzz. In this past decade overall we have had one of the better OL in the league. Thru the years we’ve had LT – Jason Fabini, Jumbo Elliott or D’Brickashaw Ferguson, LG – Kerry Jenkins, Dave Szott or Pete Kendall C – Kevin Mawae and Nick Mangold RG – Randy Thomas and Brandon Moore RT – Ryan Young and Kareem McKenzie. Outside of 2005 and 2007 we have had a solid line throughout.
I am with you on the skill player issue, but in a way you contradict that argument by saying Martin got more yards than his line could afford him. Martin had a pretty solid line to run behind up to 2004. Unfortunately, he and everyone else was injured in 2005 and after that things went from bad to worse. From the Parcells era forward we had an above average OL. I agree about the skill players and with the QB issue. If this was not true the CS would not have doled out the millions they did to try and fix the problem in FA this year.
In 2006 I would say they over achieved, but I agree. There has been a lot of talent on the line for a while (until now). That is what sustained us having as many playoff runs as we did.
I think the loss of Jason Fabini and Randy Thomas basically because they got TOO EXPENSIVE, is an example of brain death in the FO folks of the time. Disrupting the OL because of money (Pete Kendall is another example) should be a precedent that the NYJs don't repeat. If there is no hole to run through it doesn't matter very much if the running back is Thomas Jones or Darren McFadden does it? The education, care, and nurturing of savage OL and DLs is the first priority of a successful NFL team. The NYJs need to make this their priority because in the past it has mostly been a hit-and-miss process up there on the line of scrimmage. I hope Bill Callahan is the one to solve and manage this problem for a long time. The NYJs sorely need their own Alex Gibbs.
Cutler was a better QB last year than D'Brick was at LT, you know how many 20 + TD season Chad has had? The same amount as Cutler.
I would also like to add that Dante Culpepper had a higher lifetime passer rating than Chad Pennington before last season started. I hate that stat and I don't think Culpepper is the answer but it would have made more sense to Cut Chad and sign Culpepper for 7 million less and let him battle it out with Clemens! Apparently that stupid Chad supporter stat shows he makes better decisions than Chad and he has completed more than 5 passes over 50 yards in the last six years. And Dante has a bum knee not a bum arm!
That's what having Randy Moss on your team does for you. But what does your post have to do with what you quoted?
Can't argue about Moss. Got Chad drafted in the first round instead of the 6th where he belonged. Just adding to the Chad has as many 20 T/D seasons as Cutler. Just wanted to throw that Culpepper passer rating tidbit in.
I think that Dante Culpepper has lost a lot of mobility because of that horrible injury. As a result, I think he has new doubts about his competence that sabotage his confidence. In a way, Dante's maiming has had a much greater impact on him than Chad's rotator cuff injuries. This is not me saying this; this is the CS's on the teams that have taken Culpepper in and then released him later. If he were worth his stats now, he would not be cut loose, in my opinion. On the other hand, we see how closely held the NYJ CS keeps Chad these days, and at that salary as well. At the end of the day, a priori surmisings by us fans don't count the same as dollars-and-cents roster decisions of the CS's of the NFL. Chad has a job. Dante doesn't.
Just make it an open competition between now and opening day. Whoever shows that he can get it done most often than the others is the starter. That includes all facets of preparation, not just the ability to make the out pass - knowing the playbook and understanding the offense, watching film and preparing for an opponent, proving yourself and commanding your teammate's faith and respect. Then just stick with the decision, barring injury or major repeated mental errors.
This is not Madden... you can't throw in a 5th round QB and honestly expect him to be better than Pennington. I am more of a Clemens fans, but if I saw Ainge walking out there instead of Pennington if Clemens gets pulled/injured I'll probably pass out.
Ya know what I just realized about our 3 quarterbacks, they are all as boring as shit. Not one of them breed any real excitement on or off the field. Lets get a pic of Chad on some girls myspace page giving some hot little coeds a beer bong or Clemens drunk at club groping Jessica Simpson. This is a NY team for God's sake .... Broadway Joe would be turning over in his grave if he was dead. As far as this thread, it is as rediculous as my last comment. Pennington will win the starting job and Mangini and Tannenbaum are counting on him getting them a another contract extension with a 9 -7 season. You think they wanna leave their fates in the hands of two relative unknowns. They are playing the Run+D+conservative Passing=9-7+WildCard Formula resulting in another couple years at the helm.
dude thats so true, I mean Ainge would only be ranked like 68 overall-- its so hard to win with a guy like that.
You base that assumption on???? Brady was a sixth round pick with worse college numbers and look at him. Give the rookie a real shot, he can't be any worse than the verteran QBs on the team. I'm sure he could get us at least five wins.
