He has to play well against the Giants. If he does..he's likely our starting LG. Peterman makes a lot of sense as 6th man capable of filling in at both G & center. He can also mentor the young guys Winters & Campbell. I had a feeling back in January that Vlad would make his way into the starting line-up.He's just too good of a run blocker to keep off the field.
This guy is way too soft and will just never be what fans hoped he would when he was drafted in 2010. There has to be someone better out there that can get the job done.
Vlad is as bad at what he does as Vernon Ghost was at his job. It is an embarrassment he is still even on the team.
If you actually believe this, then you've never seen one or both of them play. Vernon Gholston couldn't beat O-Lineman in the 4th quarter of preseason games in his 4th year of football. Ducasse has been steadily improving since year 1. Do yourself a favor and focus on #62 on Saturday or try to catch a replay of either of the last two games. I don't know what kind of ceiling he has, but he's good enough to start right now.
Actually, if you want a great analysis of Vladimir Ducasse, LongTimeJetsFan broke down each of his snaps during last years preseason on this very website. Do a message board search for "Ducasse" in thread titles, there are three of them.
Gholston actually got to play. I can count on two hands the number of times I have seen Vlad on the field during the regular season. Not saying he is as bad as VG, but how can you be so sure that he isn't?
I mentioned it above. Ducasse pushed guys around all night on Saturday, has done it the last couple preseasons and I've seen him make plays during limited action in the regular season. I certainly don't have any specific examples but...I've seen it. One unbelievable thing about Vernon Gholston was how he was constantly getting manhandled by 4th quarter preseason scrubs throughout his entire career. I used to focus on him just looking for something to get encouraged about, beat some nobody for a sack, anything, and he just couldn't do it. I don't know that Ducasse will be ever be more than average, but IMO, he's already shown more than Gholston ever did.
I don't want to give up on him. Jonathan Goodwin was a 5th round OL drafted by the Jets a long time ago and has been the starting center for New Orleans and San Francisco in the big game. I never saw a thing from Goodwin, but he was behind Mawae. Who is Ducasse behind? If he is being held back, why?
Because Gholston did absolutely nothing right when he was here. Vlad came in here pretty bad, but like others have said, he has improved every single year he's been here. Vernon Gholston didn't do anything the entire time he was here. The guy can't even get on a roster as a backup.
He's been behind Peterman this year, but he's starting Saturday night and I think a strong game gets him the starting job at LG. I think he had a poor rookie showing, and then Slauson came in the next year and took hold of the job. Then they did that weird rotation last year for some reason. Basically Slauson held off Ducasse by being on the same talent level and not having had the poor rookie year. Vlad always had more upside, according to the draftniks, and it certainly took a few years to realize, which is frustrating, but he looks to me like a player ready to contribute.
The problem is that some stupid JAGs gav held him down. I hope the guy does well, but what gives anyone a positive interest in this guy? Is it just because he can beat some backups?
It's not interest on the guy. I didn't make this thread when he was buried in the depth chart telling others that he should be looked at. I made this thread after he's been taking 1st team reps for a couple days now. It's preseason, this is the time to find the guys who are finally coming along. I with you and everyone else, I hope he makes the most of his shot. He's got the physical tools to be a dominant guard in this league, he just needs to put it together.
He has plus strength, like serious, people-moving strength. He's also shown the strength and agility to deliver an effective shock at the LOS, then move to the second level and take on someone else. He had a great pull last saturday where he got out fast and cut the linebacker. Backups? Well, yeah. I suppose that's all he's faced, but he has beat them and now is the time to step up. I'm not putting the guy's poster up on my wall, I just think it's silly that he got such an immediate negative response from the fans.
