The reason why Eric Coleman struggled last year was because opposing defenses analyzed an entire year of his game and game-planned accordingly toward his weaknesses. Coleman's glaring weakness is his lack of speed and mediocre coverage abilities. He is often a liability in coverage. Now, this weakness was accentuated because he was asked to help solidify the run defense to the point that his read/reaction abilities were fuzzed. The reason that this shouldn't affect Rhodes is a) because he is not such a liablity in coverage and b) because the change in scheme will automatically designate the pass as priority #1 for him. He won't have to take on as much responsibility in both phases of the defense -- run and pass. It will be interesting to see how Coleman responds with less on his plate.
Smith is a typical SS safety type, big hitter, will come up in the box, somewhat similar to Rodney Harrison and John Lynch. Coleman is better suited to the cover 2, which is now gonzo. Anyone remember the Jets going after Tebucky Jones? I think Coleman's starting spot is seriously up for grabs, with Smith as the favorite to get more time in the rotaion.
Donnie Henderson was also a former DB coach... not sure how Mangini being one changes much other then the scheme
Smith is a liability in coverage. Take it from a die-hard Michigan State fan!!! I think that Smith was brought in as a Special Teamer and situational player. And yes, I think that 3rd round was a bit high to draft someone for that type of role!
I expect Rhodes and Coleman to both start but im a little worried about Coleman. Hopefully he can step his game up but if he doesnt we have Maddox or Smith who we can rotate in. Both are big ?'s though. Didnt Maddox get hurt in training camp last year?
yeah i think he broke his leg or tore an acl on draft day last yr, to be honest i was more excited about Maddox than Rhodes. Maddox is a good, but not superb athlete. other than that he lays the wood. I would definitely look for Maddox on special teams this yr.
I do not understand why so many people are down on Coleman. He was almos rookie of the year two years (beat out by vilma) and played through a broken hand and leg injury last year. The D played like shit because the front 7 got no pressure and couldnt tackle but its all Colemans fault? He is great at calling the DB plays and adjustments and has a nose for the ball. He is one of the better young Safeties in the NFL, give him time before you try to run him out of town.
I think that Rhodes will turn into a great safety. I don't know if he has the size and strength for the SS position, but he does more so than Erik Coleman. Coleman showed a lot of promise his rookie year, but struggled last year. If he can bounce back then we will have a good, young safety duo. If he continues his sturggles this year, put in someone else after a few games. Whether it be Maddox, Washinton, or Smith. If both of them (Rhodes & Coleman) play to their full potential; then we will be great there. If they struggle, i wouldn't be opposed to mixing it up a little.
man people are on fire today taking the words out of my mouth. in all reality from the head up i think coleman is exactly what we need. not blazing speed but he puts himself where he needs to be. and thats the other thing people forget about his injuries last yr. oh well with the drafting of smith and some scheme work by mangini he'll be look just as good if not better than he did his rookie yr IMO. rhodes is great for us, but id like someone who could hit better. especially at SS. but his coverage ability was SUPERB for a rookie. hes got the natural speed. lets just hope he doesnt try to do too much now hes got his feet wet.
i agree, our whole team sucked last year. to anyone that disagrees...are u going to say that eric barton will forever be mediocre and that vilma will forever be mediocre since the rest of our team played like shit. in order to be a good team, there needs to be a team effort and our team effort last year sucked.
i agree with u except for ur reason for our defense playing poorly. the reason our D was so bad was because of our Offense. our offense had so many 3 and outs last year that our defense was playing 75% of every game which resulted in tired and injured players all over our defense causing them to play alot worse then they really were. Our defense wuldve been top 10 if we had a decent offense last year.
We are fine with Kerry Rhodes and Eric Coleman ,hopefully Mangini knows what he is doing and can turn them into pro-bowl calibur players.What we really need in the secondary is another cornerback to go along side Justin Miller, barrett is good but would be evn better as nickel back and Dyson even though he is young i dont see him as a long term option.
There is no way in hell we spend a 3rd thinking this guy is just going to be a special teams, and situational player, You have to be kidding me. They drafted this kid cause colemans jump is up for grabs.
Ah how people forget, your talking about a guy who was one of the best corners in the league not to long ago (dyson). Ay I think this kid will be good this season, maybe its just my diehard love for the Jets, but I think dyson will turn it around this year.
Dyson was a starter for a good seahawk defense who by the way was in the superbowl last year. I think he might have been our best pickup this off-season including the draft.
I absolutely love our DB's, actually. We've got so much depth and young talent, really, we're almost guaranteed to have atleast one or two safety's or corners turning out to be very good players, and at the very least, solid starters. Andre Maddox from last year's draft was my early favorite to surprise us, yet after his injury, Kerry Rhodes came in out of no where. Really, Bradway does a good job of scouting these types of players whom are mature enough to immediately contribute. Should be fun to see Eric Coleman, Kerry Rhodes, Andre Maddox and Eric Smith all fighting for the safety job. I'm absolutely clueless to the bunch picking on our CB's. Andre Dyson is a proven starter in this league and was even on a good Seahawk defense that made it to the Superbowl just this past season. Isn't this all you need in today's league? Shut down corners hardly exist anymore, remember? Dyson, Barrett, Miller and Strait is adequate cover.
I am very worried about the Jets safeties. I am also worried about Chris Simms. Doesn't mean I'm going to pull either. You can't really hate on young talent looking to get better. Though I wouldn't feel comfortable with them being the last line of defense, the rewards of them maturing into solid starters is worth it. This is the EXACT season when youngsters should be given plenty of PT and shots. You aren't going anywhere, and maturation games are usually harsh. Take advantage. Get a clear picture of what you got, and move on.
