Say what you will, but the Jets got further in the playoffs with BT starting at DE than they ever did with John Abraham. Abe looked dominant at times rushing the quarterback, but he could never stop the run. Sometimes Abe look downright silly the way he got pushed around by the OL against the run. He was the definition of one dimensional. I wish BT the best, lets hope he exceeds all our expectations.
KurtJetsFan put it right....If Ed Reed was taken before us we would rarely ever have this conversation. Hell, if he was taken in the second round we would neve r have this conversation.... Al Toon must have been a terrible pick because Jerry Rice was taken after him....jeez
Also remember that Herm was never very good at developing young players. Hopefully, with a little more coaching we will see a different #99. He's got the tools and the desire, I, for one, am expecting a good season from him this year and a great one next year.
I think BT will make an outstanding 3-4 OLB. He's already solid against the run and will disrupt the backfield alot. He has superior strength for his size and can even bullrush smaller Tackles and TEs. If he developes some passrushing moves he may be able to rack up 6-8 sacks at the OLB position if the D-line can do its job. I think BT can ressurect his career with the new system.
Just out of curiosity, have you said anything good about the Jets? At least, the least arguable pick, Nick Mangold....is there anything negative to say about him
Kimo playing DE in the 3-4 is not supposed to make plays but mainly is there to eat up blockers. Stats are misleading sometimes....
From today's Bergen Record. Didn't see it posted elsewhere. Confirms the speculation that he's moving to LB Jets giving Thomas a shot at outside 'backer Monday, June 12, 2006 By RANDY LANGE STAFF WRITER Bryan Thomas said it's a "mystery" where he'll line up in the Jets' defense in the fall. But some inside and outside the team think Thomas is being transformed into nothing less than the new Willie McGinest. It has been rumored but not confirmed until now that Thomas, a modest producer as a four-year Jets defensive end, is being considered as a full-time outside linebacker in the role McGinest mastered his last six New England seasons under Bill Belichick and Eric Mangini, the Jets' new head coach. "I've been hearing that comparison from other teams," said Brian Mackler of Tenafly, Thomas' agent. "Obviously, Coach Mangini had a lot of success at that position with that player. I'm excited for Bryan." And an NFL personnel man said, "I've got to think Bryan is every bit the athlete McGinest is." Thomas isn't so sure yet. He told The Record on Friday he still doesn't know where he fits into the new scheme being constructed by Mangini and coordinator Bob Sutton. "Nothing's set in stone," he said. "I don't know what the plans are, and the plans could change during training camp." As for McGinest, now with the Browns, Thomas said: "I've studied a lot of players, and he's a fantastic player. To say I'm trying to be like Willie McGinest ... those are big shoes to fill." Gang Green fans also may have doubts. Thomas, the Alabama-Birmingham product, was booed when the Jets drafted him 22nd overall in 2002, then had a difficult rookie season. In the three years since, he's made slow progress playing behind John Abraham, traded in March to Atlanta, and Shaun Ellis. Despite his 4.5 speed, Thomas has yet to become the edge rusher the Jets envisioned. But Thomas and Abraham got a taste of linebacker -- the "W" position -- in Donnie Henderson's two seasons as coordinator, and Thomas showed 'backer aptitude stopping the run and dropping into coverage. With one-third fewer defensive snaps than Abraham in 2004-05, Thomas still had more tackles for loss/no gain (18 to 14). And his four pass defenses last season alone equaled the number of PDs Abraham had in six years combined as a Jet. "John was not great at going backward," the personnel man said. "Bryan can go backward." The 6-foot-4, 266-pound Thomas worked at linebacker at Mangini's recent passing camp and at the voluntary practices that have followed and is expected to play there at the full-squad minicamp beginning Thursday. Wherever he winds up, he thanks Abraham and Ellis for helping him overcome the rough start to his NFL career. "They told me, 'Don't worry about it, keep your head up, don't get discouraged.' They helped me with a lot of technique stuff," he said. "John is gone, but getting this opportunity is a blessing. It's coming at a real good time in my life. "It's a good opportunity for me to go out and showcase what I've been wanting to do and what I can do." E-mail: lange@northjersey.com
I beg to differ. Thomas may play OLB a little bit. But he has not been offically moved to OLB. He will still a DE and i think he will play DE on 4-3 plays and Kimo will play DT with Robertson. that article is BS
^^ What supports your argument. If our base is 3-4 why would we have such a light weight at DE, especially when we need a rush OLB and his size fits the bill nicely. Just wondering what you read that makes you so sure the article is false....if anything the stats do show he may have more potential playing at OLB then Abraham would have.
You must be on whatever is todays in drug otherwise you would have known that BT was a starter due to JA various downtime injuries
I really dont think hes all that bad. I think hes more of a hated figure because we drafted him when there was no need for a DE at all. I dont think he'll be as good as abraham but i do think he will play 13-16 games a year unlike abraham who is injured all the time. Plus now that they got kimo or w/e his name is from pittsburgh, isnt bryan still gonna be playing the bench. IMO he is a fine reserve to say the least.
mangini is thinking of putting him and OLB in their new 3-4 defense. supposedly thomas is alittle small for the line and would be perfect as a linebacker. he is fast enough and is most definitely strong enough for the position. he has a shot w/ a new position. all we can do is wait and see how he does.
His thinking capacity is his real down side & as a LBer you need to be able to think & react immmediately which are not BT strong points
