DbJ?s Mid-Season Evaluation

It has been an interesting season so far, but at this mid-point of the season, I?d like to throw out what I?ve seen so far and what I think the future holds.

I?ll start with the offense.

Quarterback: The Chad Pennington comeback has been a real feel good story. His ability to make the throws required has answered a lot of critics. Additionally, his ability to run the offense has been impressive. From a game management standpoint he is about as good as it gets. However, I think there are two big criticisms that are well earned. First, when he is off, he is really off. He doesn?t seem to have the ability to play through a bad performance and overcome it. Second, I think he is only as good as the rest of the team allows him to be. Great Quarterbacks (Elway, Manning, Marino) have the ability to take over a game and carry their team to victory. I just don?t see Chad being that guy. With that said, I think he can be the QB that can take this team to the promised land?he just need the horses around him to get there. The other tantalizing aspect is the prospect of bringing in Kellen Clemens. I think if the Jets are out of playoff contention near the end of the season, it is an absolute must to get Clemens some playing time and see what he can do in a regular season game. Those that want to cast aside Pennington now and start the Kellen Clemens era are suggesting the team take a big gamble. It is a decision, which if made now, is not easy to reverse. I liken it to being married with children. Leaving your wife to date a really hot stripper may seem like an appealing option, but it may not work out like you have envisioned. And if it doesn?t work out, wifey isn?t likely to take you back. My thoughts are stick with Penny (we need to see if he can stay healthy a full season anyway) and then make the decision on the best option in 2008 or 2009.

Running Back: It is sad to see Curtis Martin?s career end the way it has, but honestly, it is in the best interest of the Jets for him to never play another down for them. We are not making a Super Bowl run this year. By playing Curtis, you are taking playing time away from younger backs that need to be evaluated. Thank you Curtis?see you in Canton. On to those younger backs. Let?s start with Barlow. He doesn?t have breakaway speed and can?t break tackles. So what good is he? Not much. I don?t see him returning next year. Next, Leon Washington. He has been a pleasant surprise. He is super fast, can cut and breaks tackles. It is just a matter of time before he busts one for 80 yards. I?m not convinced that he can be the Jets feature back, but he can definitely share the load with a bigger, pounding back. We have the ?lightning?, now we just need the ?thunder?. That ?thunder ?may already be on the roster, in Cedric Houston. It is too bad Cedric got hurt. In limited playing time, he showed some flashes. I am hoping to see a lot more from him in the second half of the season. Derrick Blaylock sucks. A major disappointment from the Bradway reign of terror. He is definitely gone at the end of the season. Unless Houston shows us something in the second half of the season, I have to believe that the Jets will be targeting a RB on Day 1 of next year?s draft?although I doubt it will be in round one.

Receivers: Coles is great, but he needs to shut his friggin? mouth. I can?t remember the last time I heard this crybaby say something positive in the press. I want his talent on the team, but if his attitude is bugging me, it must be getting under Mangini?s skin. I will not be shocked to see him traded next season?which would be a shame, because I think he fits well with the offense and Penny. Jerricho Cotchery is fast becoming my favorite player. He catches almost everything that comes his way. He makes first downs. He makes touchdowns. He bounces off of tacklers. In short, JC is a beast. How Herm never got this guy involved is an absolute joke. Tim Dwight has not been the second coming of Wayne Chrebet. He just doesn?t have the hands to make the consistent third down catch. He also seems to run a lot of routes short of the first down marker. I think he may be one-and-done for this team. McCariens is just not very good?terrible inconsistent. Great catches followed by drops. I?ll be shocked if he is on the roster next year. I?ll talk about Brad Smith here too, just because he is listed as a receiver. This dude is a player. He does whatever it takes to win. The comparisons between him and Ray Lucas are an insult. Within two years Smith I predict Smith will be a star in this league. All of the runs with him at QB are just setting up a big passing play at a key spot later in the season. Kudos to Tangini ? This is the key guy from last year?s draft. With all that said, I think the Jets are going to target a WR high in the draft?especially if we trade Coles.

Tight End: When I looked up the stats I was surprised to read that Baker has 15 catches for 132 yards and 2 TDs. With the exception of that horrible call at the end of the Cleveland game I can barely remember him playing. I?ve always thought that he was a nice player and I think he will get more involved in the passing game if we can ever generate a consistent rushing attack. Sean Ryan appears to be an OK player. Otherwise, not much to report here.

O-Line: Two words ? Nick Mangold. Forget about D?Brick for a minute. Mangold stepped into the spot of a perennial Pro Bowler and has been near perfect. I can?t remember any botched snaps. The pocket rarely seems to collapse from the inside. As for run blocking I?ll address that in a minute?but all-in-all Mangold has been great and is going to anchor this line for years to come. Now onto D?Brick?generally speaking, I think he has done a reasonable job for a highly drafted rookie. He is playing the spotlight position on the offensive line and if not getting manhandled. Give him another year or so and I think everybody should be pretty pleased with this selection. The only other guy of note is Pete Kendell. I think he has been a reliable vet, but at 33 years old, I just don?t know how much longer we can count on him. With regard to Brandon Moore and Anthony Clement, basically I think neither is pulling their weight. Moore has had too many stupid penalties and Clement is not an effective pass blocker. I think the right side of the line needs to be replaced in the offseason. At least one quality vet needs to be brought in and line is still a draft priority. As a unit, the line has done a better than expected job against the pass rush, but the run blocking has been pretty poor. Until that problem gets fixed it doesn?t matter who we have at running back, we won?t be successful.

On to the defense:

D-Line: Ugh. Can?t stop the run. Can?t pressure the QB. Who is good on this unit? Ellis? No. von Oelhoffen? No. Robertson? While he has shown improvement, the answer is still NO. I would not be surprised to see this entire line blown up next season. If it can?t be done because of cap reasons, I would at a minimum expect either Ellis or Robertson to be gone?and honestly, between the two, I think Ellis should be the one to go. In a 3-4 the DE has to be able to generate pressure without help?and he just can?t do it. Amazingly, I think the Jets have to address D-Line in the first round next season?again.

Linebackers: This unit is getting a fair amount of criticism too, but honestly, I think the linebacker woes are directly related to the inability of the line to perform. I feel bad for Vilma, because he is probably the best effort guy on the defense. The scheme is not ideal for him, but if the line improves, I think so will his play. I?ve been quite please with Bryan Thomas and Victor Hobson. Both seem to be making plays often. Barton has been decent in the 3-4 as well. I think we have the right players, they just need time to work with the scheme and for the D-Line to improve in front of them.

Secondary: Kerry Rhodes is the best player on the Jets. There should not even be a debate. He is always around the ball. He hits hard and finishes tackles. Honolulu, here he comes. Erik Coleman gets a lot of heat, but honestly, I don?t think he has played that poorly. While he is not going to be a dominant safety, he is good enough to start for this team. There are bigger areas of concern of the team, so safety is not an area that needs addressing. You might say, perfect segue into the CBs. Well, I?m not so sure. Dyson has been respectable and Miller/Coleman have been inconsistent, but not awful. Again, I think much of the problems here are due to the lack of pressure being generated up front. When the QB has all day to throw, good receivers are going to get open. This unit is young. Let?s not make any hasty decisions. Overall, I am not too unhappy with this unit.

(Continued in next post)

 

That brings me to special teams:

Kickers: Ben Graham is great. Plain and simple. I would not trade him for any other punter in the NFL. Mike Nugent has been the frequent target of ridicule on these boards. The biggest reason why is because of where he was drafted. If you take that out of the equation (that is spilled milk) he has been an OK FG kicker. Great? No. Terrible? No. Just OK. The bottom line is that unless we are can get Adam Vinatieri, who are we going to get that is a sure-fire improvement? Let’s hang with the kid a little longer. With regard to kickoffs, Nugent has been atrocious. I just don’t understand why Graham isn’t kicking off. He has a bigger leg…seems like a no-brainer. I’d like to know if they ever experimented with this in practice.

Return Game: You can pick on Miller at CB, but as a kick returner the guy is great. For that reason alone he was worth the 2nd round pick. He is good for at least one big return per game. Punt returns have been a disappointment. Dwight just isn’t showing me anything. The only positive is that he fields the ball cleanly. I think it is time to make a change. Give Miller or Washington a chance.

Kick Coverage: Brad Smith is everywhere. How does he do it? It seems like he is making a couple of tackles each game. The rest of this unit has been solid as well.

Finally, the coaches:

Head Coach: The most glowing praise I can give Mangini is that he seems prepared for every situation the team is in. After years of the Herman Edwards Follies, it is refreshing to see a Head Coach managing the clock, timeouts, replay, tempo, and substitutions like he has done it before. The Head Coach may be the reason you win, but he should NEVER be the reason you lose. The tone of professionalism, attention to detail, aggressiveness and preparation is a welcome change. I hope to see EM on our sideline for a good long time. I think he may be “The One”.

Coordinators: Overall, Brian Schottenheimer has been outstanding. For most of the season, he has been aggressive and is constantly on the attack. However, on occasion, it seems some conservativesim creeps in, especially after a shot downfield fails. If the guy can get a running game, I think he will put together a really special offense. The no-huddle and use of Brad Smith have been strokes of genius. The jury is out on Bob Sutton. I think we need to give him time to get the right personnel for his scheme. However, the lack of blitzes is something that has to change. With the line generating no pressure, the LBs and safeties need to apply the heat. Mike Westhoff has been nothing short of brilliant. He is doing some of his best work this season.

To summarize, I think this team is headed in the right direction. There are still some major holes that need to be filled (notably O-Line, D-Line and RB), but Rome wasn’t built in a day. This year’s team is better, and infinitely more entertaining, than last season. However, with a bright, young coaching staff and front office, it is hard not to be optimistic that a deep playoff run is not that far down the road. Patience Jet fans…our day is coming.

I welcomce your comments.

DbJ

 

The problem is that he is constantly dropping negative remarks about the coaching staff and Mangini's approach in particular. My probem is that you have a young coach trying his best to turn this team around and then one guy (no one else is getting quoted) is snipping about him. It is a headache Mangini doesn't need. The reason he is getting away with it is he is such a good player. The reason I want him to shut up is so they don't trade him away....which I think may happen if he doesn't stop yapping.

 

I guess I don't see it that way at all. While Vilma has not been spectacular, he is leading the NFL in tackles (couldn't believe that myself when I looked it up). He is doing what he can in a system that he is not ideally suited to play. Barton (who I know you didn't criticize) is only 4 tackles behind Vilma. I actually think Thomas has been the most visible on the group. While statistically he is not as good as Vilma and Barton his seems to cause more disruption than anyone else in the front 7. If you want to pick on Hobson, my ammo is not great. I don't view him as a star, but I also don't think he is a major weakness.

 

I am sure there is something clever there....I just don't know what it is.