So this is our roster?....

My submission for post of the year. This is right on target; good work Br4dw4y5ux.

TBTF

 

Your avatar, is that Gastineau in cuffs?

 

Was Chad's injury in preseason 03 not down to a missed block by a running back? Hard to recall. There were big holes in '05 - no tackle worthy of recognition, kendall, mawae and moore playing like lightweights in the interior, it was dismal.

This year's line, however, is an upgrade, IMO, on last year's line by default. Clement and Moore aren't likely to be worse, Ferguson and Mangold I assume will be better until I see evidence to contradict that. Bender may be a marginally inferior pass blocker to Kendall, but he is a marginally superior run blocker and, if my analysis is even close, we are going to have our best success on days when we establish the running game as a legitimate threat. Bender lets us do that as well as or better than Kendall. That is what will help Pennington, because that is what brings his biggest weapon into play, the league-leading play fake. For that to be a factor the run has to scare people, so I live in realistic hope that this year will not be last year, but will in fact be better, when it comes to o-line play.

Beyond that, I trust EM & BS to make a realistic assessment of our offensive weaknesses and scheme around them so far as they can.

I suspect some weeks will be better than others.

Last year I highlighted eleven games I thought were 'winnable' and 5 we had no chance in. I qualified that by saying we may sneak one of the 'impossible' games out, but that to make the playoffs we'd have to win almost all of the games we were capable of winning. We went 9-2 in those games (dropping the games at Cleveland and at home to Buffalo), 1-4 in the others (Pats, @ Pats, Bears, Colts and @ Jags). This year I see 16 games in which we have a shot to win. There isn't a single matchup I look at and think we've no chance. That's why I'm wearing my optimistic hat right now.

Then again, what do I know? :grin:

 

I don't like to say I told you so but I KNEW we should have went Guard in round one damnit!

 

Ne'er a truer word has been spoken. We've cast our lot and "made our bed." Now we have to lie in it and live with whatever happens. I like Bender at the position but I'm afraid it's going to be a touch of OJT: "On-The-Job-Training."

 

Moore is an OK guard when he has a above average RT next to him. A few years back when we signed him long term, most folks were happy. He got that contract due to Kareem McKenzie playing RT at the time.

Tackles and Centers are the glue that makes an OL work. We're weak on the right side in spite of Moore, and due to Clement.

 

Suppose Bender is equal to Kendall talent-wise and possibly even better. Then we basically have the same line as last year when we went 10-6. So what's the difference? The only difference is the schedule. So, if that's the real issue here, we can discuss it but I really think that the schedule is not that bad and very manageable.

 

Next year, we draft OL and DL and whatever hole erupts this year. Let's not expect much this season. 2008 is where we can tell if Mangini is the real deal.

One more draft, one more year of FA signings.

Hey. We may end up with a stud OG in a few days and the picture will completely change.

Remember: We ARE rebuilding ...how fast? We'll see.

 

And guards are the glue that hold tackles and centers together. Several of the Jets intermittent problems on the line over the last half decade have been when a mainstay guard suddenly left the team.

Kerry Jenkins after 2001, leaving a hole that was not filled until Dave Szott recovered from his training camp injury. The result was Curtis Martin getting off to the worst start of his career and Vinny Testaverde losing his starting job.

Randy Thomas after 2002, leaving a hole that was not adequately filled in 2003, leading to the first Jets down season since 1996. Chad was hurt in part because he was in with second stringers on the line in pre-season.

RT Kareem McKenzie left after 2004 and the line was just a mess in 2005, at least partly because the RG was a mediocre player and incapable of gluing Adrian Jones to Mawae given that Jones was also questionable.

Now we have what we have this year. Two questionable guards and a line with big questions as a result.

Picket Fence. Knock out one slat and you have a hole.

 

You keep saying this, who are most people exactly. I was here when he was signed long term, and I remember a substantial number of people, including myself, being VERY hesitant about him. I never thought he was very good. The guy has always been a penalty machine, and last year was just ridiculous. Being in the league as long as he has, and STILL being called for that many penalties is inexcusable.

 

The beautiful part of all of this is we'll know who's right on Sunday.

I tend to believe that Mangini/Tanenbaum must know something we all don't, because they have shown a willingness to trade at any point to fix a problem and they also have shown a willingness to look under every rock in the past. And, they went 10-6 last year.

So call it rose-colored glasses, or what you want, but I'll get worried when I see it.

 

I agree hindsight is 20/20.. but on defense last season were Barrett/Miller and Dyson the biggest liabilities? No, it was the porous run defense IMO. All along I thought we could tough out another year of Barrett and Dyson at CB if it meant getting another piece for the oline for years to come.

 

I could not have said it better myself.