http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/jets/ I really hope the jets dont stay with d rob at NT. side not cimini look like booger from revenge of the nerds.
As usual, Cimini's stats are not correct. The Jets averaged 3.5 yards per carry last year, not 3.4. And if you look at the stats they had their best average when running behind Clement (4.2), compared to the 3.6 running over Brick and the 3.0 running up the middle. Sure the Oline can still be upgraded, but I think they should concentrate on the guards first personally....
Cimini is classic.. OK, maybe the #s say they allowed more, but we were WINNING MORE. What's that mean? More garbage time draw plays for the opponent.... Also, when winning, they have less rush attempts against, meaning those garbage time draw plays take a bigger chunk out of an average. Cimini will NEVER have an absolute positive spin on the Jets... it would hurt him if he did. I'm not saying we were great in FA.. we weren't, but he had the nerve to call someone awful on team. I'd bet you dollars to donuts that was made up and not from an NFL source. No NFL source would say that... THINK IT? Sure, say it.. no way.
He's right about the front 7 and the offensive line needing work though. D-Rob was not a good nose tackle for most of last season and the Jets got run all over as a result. I agree on the guards being the priority at this point on offense. 3.0 up the middle is just terrible, even though that's where all the short yardage attempts go which skews things some.
W/ all due respect, I just don't get where these proclamations of drob's poor play is stemming from. Yes, i agree, the first 4 games of the year he was awful. But after the bye week he was arguably our best player in the front 7. He took on double teams, maintained his gap, used his hands, and was very disruptive. I'm just not sure what else you can ask of an NT. I realize it's a common custom to take a look at the run defense numbers and immediately tie that into an NT's performance, but the run D' s problems are pretty obvious on tape. Middle to left of the front line maintains their gap and clogs things up, so teams run off tackle to the right, and blow Kimo/Hobson off the LOS. Teams did this repeatedly over and over again. Thats where our run D's main weakness lies...it has nothing to do w/ D rob...and I dont mean to come across as jaded..I'm just alil lost as to where these criticisms are stemming from beyond pulling #'s out of left field and the ever present superficial wanting of a more traditionally sized NT.
The play of KVO was the main reason for the poor run defense. D-Rob played the NT position well, especially after the bye, and Ellis was solid at DE all season. I expect the run defense will be much better this year. I think Coleman is an underrated player who is just hitting his stride now, and he is a HUGE improvement from KVO, who was basically just as effective as having no one there.
I would like to think that our GM knows just a little better the Jets true needs than Cimini. Save the money teach the young players, pay them and retain them. teach the young guys the system. I'll bet the ranch that if we retain our guys and not loose quality men to F/A a dynasty will be in the making
I like D-Rob, but I think Cimini might be on to something in trading him. In addition to his big contract number, Dwayne has an arthritic knee that is only going to get worse. If we could package him up now with our #25 and move up to take Branch or Okoye, I would do it.
Here's the thing though: While D-Rob did improve a lot after the bye, the Jet's run D did not. Everybody saw D-Rob become more of a force in the middle but the facts are that the Jets gave up just as many yards up the middle post bye as before. What I was left wondering was whether D-Rob really understood the role of a NT in the 3-4. He basically had as many tackles after the bye as before, although fewer solo tackles (which paradoxically is a good thing) and more assists. More forceful play out of D-Rob was good to see. But having the results basically be the same for the team was not. You could put a lot of good DT's at NT in the NFL and watch them individually continue to play well while their team's rush D did not benefit. It takes a specific mindset to play NT and job 1 in that mindset is to block the middle and tie up as many people as possible. Not make tackles - block the middle. That's where D-Rob fell short in my opinion. I'm hoping that he's thinking really hard this offseason about how to become a pure hassle inside against 2 or 3 blockers. That's what would best enable both him and Jonathan Vilma to contribute to a strong rush D next season.
KVO is mainly responsible for the poor run D. It was basically like only two players were playing on the DL. It was amazing how quickly D-Rob understood his responsibility as the nose tackle. With an improvement at DE, which I think we'll get with Coleman, the DL will be much better.
The reality of the situation is most likely somewhere in the middle of where you and I stand w/ D rob. I will make the arguement however that the run D did improve on most plays late in the season, although not statistically which was basically b/c teams discovered if they ran off tackle to the left at Kimo, any OT could blow him off the line, and any RB could out run Hobson to the corner, causing alot of big run gains. There isn't really much D rob can do about that. W/ that said, he can indeed still improve, and would be a better fit at DE, where despite his lack of height, he has the ideal bulk, power and quickness to be a force at the spot. But we can also do a whole lot worse at NT, as he brings a unique skillset to the position, continues to improve, and is arguably are best player in the front 7. His high cap number and knee condition are an arguement for another day. But one can make the arguement that 1. He hasnt missed any time due to the condition and hasnt complained 2. Can you really put a price on arguably the best player in our front 7?
The offseason is 5 1/2 months long, not just 1 so there's still alot of time to get new pieces of the puzzle in place. Depending on how they draft and post June 1st cuts the Jets could be a very solid team with a good foundation of key players.
Exactly. Cimini's opinion holds as much water as yours or mine. He may as well save the blog and just post those things on message boards. I'm not saying he's wrong, but I don't see him being any more educted about the Jets than most people on this board.
1. We are building this team via the draft. 2. We should see some leaps from our last year picks. 3. We should see leaps in progress from entering our 2nd year in the system. 4. If our draft is only 75% as good as last year (or better), we should be in good shape. 5. We were very smart with our finanicals and our cap is healthy due to smart choices. 6. I expect this to be a good year, but I truly believe you will see this team blossom into an absolute powerhouse by years 3-4. 7. Rome was not built in a day. 8. Take that to your mama Cimini.
