I agree in principle that you don't overpay on the OL except at the tackle spots and elite level centers. HOWEVER, you look back over the last several years and it seems like anytime the Jets spend money on the O-line it pays off and results in winning.I'm gonna go back quite a ways with some of these names. But everyone of these guys was acquired via free agency(many with lucrative contracts) or high draft pick and every single one of them worked out on at least a short term basis. 95- Matt O'Dwyer 96- Jumbo Elliot ,David Williams 98- Kevin Mawae,Todd Burger 99- Randy Thomas 2002- Dave Szott 2004- Pete Kendall 2006-Brick,Mangold,Anthony Clement(So-so) 2008- Alan Faneca,Damien Woody Between 2008 & 2009 the Jets had the highest paid O-line and the BEST o-line in football. Might've been the best line franchise has ever had. (Early 80's w/ Fields/Powell/Ward/Rasmussen has a good argument). We won a lot of games in that time frame. Furthermore regarding Moore's locker room presence. Let's not forget the argument with Holmes midseason. Santonio seems to be a prick but it takes 2 to tango. Moore is still a good player but let's not act like he has a cheap salary. He's a highly paid veteran who's level of play dwindled this past season. That appears due to a hip issue. 32 year old higher paid guy, seen better days, team about to switch blocking schemes? I'm not sayin...I'm just sayin.
Bart Scott has nothing but guaranteed money left. It actually costs 1.25M more to cut him than to have him on the team.
I dont know what the stats were last year but in 2010 the Jets had the highest number of UDFAs on their team of any playoff team - so for us the problem has not really been with UDFAs but with drafting - our inability to find almost anything after the 1st round (in most drafts) is a real concern and I would like to see the scouting dept get as much of an overhaul as the coaching staff.
I'd rather the Jets focus on their weaknesses. Moore was productive last season & the RT was so bad I used to seriously wonder if he was taking money under the table to suck so badly. Moore's career is coming to an end but the RT & TE are just too weak on this team to be overlooked while $$ is spent on other positions.
we need money elsewhere. Draft a Tackle this year early so were not spending 5 million a year on one, then draft a guard next year or late this year and let him play behind Moore
I would rather see us bringing in proven FA offensive lineman, because as we've seen with our line this season, when the oline is fucked the whole offense goes in the shitter. We can draft defense, and offensive skill positions, but I hope we don't end up going with 'potential starters!' at oline again.
I wouldn't cut Moore. Felt his 09 and 10 seasons should have earned him a pro bowl selection. This year his pass protecting was solid. The run blocking on the whole went down. Hard to say if it was him, or losing Woody on the right side. And i like his presence on the team. He earned his contract and should play it out, as long as the hip isn't a concern. I would cut both Hunter and Ducasse. This means we need a starting RT, a backup T, and a backup G/C who can challenge Slauson and/or eventually replace Moore. How much cap hit would we absorb if we could somehow trade Holmes? I would take Nicks over Holmes in a heartbeat, but that's prob just fantasy island.
2 quick questions 1. Assuming you are 100% accurate in these numbers. You cut Moore and Hunter, and add Nix, and he Jets are now $6MM under the cap. At that point how many players do the Jets have under contract? I ask because $6MM isn't much when you still have to pay your draft picks and the other 5-10 vet FAs you need to fill out the roster....AND still have the 2-4MM left that most teams like to have in case you have to add players in season. 2. My understanding was that the cap cost increases mandated by this years contracts are higher than the initial cap room, even with the carry over. My question is, did you figure this in when you figured the numbers in your example? Here's where I think you run into problems. Assuming you're right that Scott and Pace can be safely released in 2013, you still have to replace them. Although like most high end FAs they never played to the level of the money they were making, they STILL to 2 good football players, and you have to replace them with players equally as good. That's not always easy. Value is often a matter of perception. If DRob had been a 4th round pick and played exactly the same way, he'd have been viewed as a very nice pick, who had a productive career. Instead he's viewed as a flat out bust. Its the same with Pace and Scott. If they had been mid level FA signings, people would be raving about their additions. BOTTOM LINE here, while its easy for fans and GMs to create mythical and real cap space releasing players. Its harder to replace them with equal or better players, at a lower cost....unless they were flat out busts, and that doesn't describe Scott and Pace.
Cutting Ducasse would be a dumbass move being that he was named a project pick straight from the draft. Cutting him would do nothing.
The problem at guard is on the left side not the right side. That said, there is an argument for letting Moore go a year early instead of a year late. Especially when the Jets are installing a new offensive system.
What's the problem on the left side exactly? Slauson overperformed and seems to just keep getting better. He's not great, but you can't have a superstar at every position. Stick with Slauson and get a RT. I don't mind getting a G cheap or in the draft, but going after Nicks doesn't seem like a very good idea to me.
If the team was in a different situation cap wise I could see the value in overpaying for an offensive lineman. Ideally the Jets will sign a veteran right tackle and get another season out of Moore before they have to replace him. I'm crossing my fingers that Ducasse can slide into right guard position after a year of coaching by Sparano but it's impossible to know if he can actually play in the NFL. I fully expect that at some point in the draft the Jets draft another lineman. Part of the problem for the time being is that the Jets are such a top heavy team. All of these guys have big cap numbers: Sanchez Holmes Brick Mangold Harris Pace Scott Revis Cromartie Not many teams have that many players with big contracts. Combine that with the fact that the Jets have had such few draft picks the last 3 seasons and you have the potential for problems if they don't hit some homeruns in the draft this year. They really don't have a middle class which is where your depth comes from. Do they have any really good young defensive players? Revis and Harris are essentially veterans at this point. Scott and Pace will probably be gone after next season. That leaves Mauga, Westerman and Maybin? None of those guys are starting materital but since Harris the Jets haven't drafted a linebacker. We still don't know if Kyle Wilson is a good cornerback. The Jets need two safeties, Eric Smith is not athletic enough to be an every down player. The defensive line finally got fixed up with Mohammed and hopefully Ellis is a good player. Rex seems to make any big guy pretty useful on the defensive line. So you basically have a team in transition with a lot of players being paid elite money and a lot of players making next to nothing. It's basically the opposite of the Pats who pay Brady, Wilfork, Welker, Mayo and Mankins. I have to believe that the Jets front office figured out that trading away tons of draft picks every year wasn't in the best interests of the team long term. This year they should have 8 picks plus hopefully supplemental picks. Tannenbaum has done a great job making the team a lot more talented then when he took over 6 years ago. If you look at the rosters it's amazing what he's been able to do. With that being said, in order to be competitive every year, you have to keep drafting well.
If he cannot earn any playing time, cutting him will clear up a roster spot for someone who can. That said, i think he'll be given the opportunity to earn a spot at Guard with the new scheme. If he isn't impressing, he should be cut.
Like many have said on here, Vlad has all pro potential and was picked to learn first and then step in and live up to his draft pick. He played well as a 6th OLineman at times and has showed potential, but he has also showed how dumb he is. In Sparano’s new blocking scheme, he can focus on playing man instead of Schotty and Callahan’s complicated zone blocking scheme that was hard for him to learn. I hope he can be a future starter for us... Just wish he wasnt dumb as shit. Oh and his natural position is tackle, thats where he played in college, feels more comfortable and has the ability to play.
It's really hard for me to see the all pro potential. Sure he's big as a house and strong as a bull but that's not all there is to football: just like sprinters often fail when they try to play wideouts, big strong guys aren't always good linemen. I'll want to see him play well in a game (or at least play well enough in practice to earn game time) before I call him a future all pro.
His natural position in the pros sure as shit isn't Tackle. He can't pass protect at all. I believe his only shot in this league is at Guard, in a simplified power blocking scheme. We'll see how he does in camp. I think being dumb as shit, as you pointed out, just doesn't cut it in the pros.
