The way I see it, Ferguson isn't the best player of the 4 but because of his position he's probably the most valuable. Plus he had the best rookie contract, so he's already pocketed a lot of guaranteed money--I wouldn't be surprised to see him sign a big deal that defers a little cash over the next two years to make it easier to get the other guys signed. Finally I agree with WhiteShoeWillie--Tannenbaum very well may want to send a message that the guys who show up and do their job without complaining will be rewarded.
Even if it would be difficult we can find another Fergeson. It would take us a decade to have any chance to get a center as good as Mangold.
That's the residue from the Jones/Washington/Faneca episodes.. You had to know it was gonna manifest itself in some fashion.
Sanchez already sent the message. He took Brick to the White House. I know he's still a kid, but he is the leader of this team already. I think we'll get all of the core 4, but Mark already made his choice IMHO.
The only reason Ferguson isn't considered in the same light as Mangold is because Mangold is the best at his position while Ferguson isn't. They are both extremely high caliber players and losing either would be a disaster.
Maybe that was to grow the bond stronger because he was jealous of his and Mangold's relationship. lol
Sanchez also said Brick was pretty interested in politics so it was probably more meaningful to Brick than it might have been for Mangold. I really hope they can lock up Brick for something like 8-9 million a year... that could really look like a steal in a few years.
The best way to do that would be to renegotiate Harris into a real deal at this point. The Jets appear to be worried that his injury history could indicate problems. I understand that worry but they should have room to lock him up without giving him a Patrick Will type deal because he is making so little right now. His camp has to also be looking at the injury history and thinking that 65-70% of a Willis deal now with a lot of upfront money is a better risk than playing naked this year and possibly never seeing a big deal.
I disagree wholeheartedly. Looking solely at the Jets Franchise, we've had the following centers before Mangold: Mawae(Multiple Pro bowls) Duffy(Solid player), and Fields(Multiple Pro bowls). Conversely, before Brick...you have to go back to the 80's with Marvin powell to find a comparable talent. Elliott and Fabini were both solid..but neither are even close to being the pass protector Brick is. A team can still have a strong O-line w/ an average center...however, a team can never truly have an elite O-line w/o a great LT. Ask any opposing D coordinator who theyd rather have out of the line-up between Brick and Mangold, and i'm positive 95% of them would immediately respond w/ Brick.
The notion that LT is the most important position isn't entirely accurate. Mangold is equally important because he calls out the protections and also eliminates the inside blitzes. Rarely if ever do you see a blitzer get thru up the middle. Mangold also has dominated some of the best DL in the league (Wilfork, Haynsworth etc)
Only furthering my point...we've been able to replace great centers w/ other great centers almost on a constant basis since our existence. LT on the other hand? Other than Powell and Hill who else that we've had compares to Brick as a pass protector?
I wouldn't call them "great" centers. The only one that is on the same level as Mangold was Mawae. Brick has been great for us but Fabini was solid until his injuries started mounting up.
Bingo. D Brick's cap number if I'm not mistaken in 2011 is 12 million. (I'm going off nyjetscap.com). If he agrees to a new contract look for that number to come down. The more I look at this roster, there are some easy ways to save money in the coming years. Look for the front office to go to Scott at some point to restructure, and this is probably Big Wood's last year. Unfortunately he was popular and I know there was some backlash, but getting rid of Faneca was completely necessary to giving the front office some sort of breathing room to decide who stays and who goes based on their opinion more then finances. I still say Tanny finds a way to keep Harris Mangold D Brick and Revis along with one of the receivers, leaving the other one and Cro out in the cold. Honestly though with what leverage is Holmes going to have to demand huge #1 wideout money? He's only playing 12 games and is coming off a year where he's going to be suspended, and his numbers won't be the same in this offense as they were in Pittsburgh. Not even close. Unless he becomes a total model citizen, I just don't see where teams are going to pay for a receiver coming off a 600-800 yard year and a suspension.
I don't think it's a coincidence that the news about D'Brick and the news about what the jets are willing to offer Revis came out on the same day.
It's gonna be hard to keep the main four happy, but I'm sure Tanny will find a way. This might be the end for Ellis
Tanny definitely has a plan for resigning the core players. He is a cap magician and knows what he can pay each player to keep the maximum talent. He realizes that he can tag mangold and save money on his deal and sign ferguson and save money on the potential cap as well. Revis is too important to not resign so they must pay him but 16 mill a year means they would be hard pressed to find the funds for harris, edwards, holmes, or cromartie. They are apparently willing to pay harris top dollar but want to get the other deals done first. I agree with everything they have done so far. It just bother me when fans at the practice are chanting "please pay revis" when they dont realize that paying him what he wants means that we lose another quality player on the roster. Theoretically, might as well cant "Dont resign Edwards"
The Jets have been especially lucky when it comes to the center position. Most other teams have not had the number of quality centers that we have. With that being said, Mawae is the only other one we have had on the level Mangold is playing now. Not only was Elliot better than Fergeson but he taught Fabini how to play the LT position in the NFL.
I've got a different thought. Right now d'brick isn't the top player at his position. Top 10, maybe top 5, but not the best. Thus you could sign him to a deal that wouldn't be outrageous. Yet, I could definitely see brick becoming the best left tackle in football this upcoming season and beyond. He has really progressed and has all the physical capabilities. So in essence you could have the best left tackle in football for the next 5 years at a little bit of a discount.
