I know that the draft is but a few weeks away but pretty much the FA period has ended and id like to share my thoughts about some jets topics I have on my mind and would like to hear some other thoughts as well. From the Jones trade my thoughts are that not only did we get a hard working, dependable back but we also got exactly what leon washington and all our backs could not do last year and that was pick up blitzes. I dont have the quote from Grossman with me but he praised thomas as being that last line of defense against a tough blitz. That is exactly what we need because IMO that was the one thing curtis was not as well known for but it adds a whole new dimension to the offense. Stemming from Thomas Jones' blocking skills, I believe this will help add to the passing game in the aspect of getting baker involved a lot more in this offense. By having Jones being that extra blocker it can allow for Baker to get open more and add the new dimension to the passing game which has been lacking. I still have faith in Baker that he can be a solid player on this team but Olsen is too enticing of a prospect to pick up and he would help us benefit the most from the blocking of Jones. There have been a lot of criticism of the lack of key defense accquisitions in the FA period and i think that those thoughts are not correct. I believe that accquiring aging veterans in our 3-4 defense is not the answer and the solution is the draft. We need those young late round picks like Eric Smith last year to come in and want to prove they belong by busting their ass. Free Agents IMO wont play with that tenacity rookies play with and thats why I believe that Tangini didn't really go after anyone big in FA. All the signings they have made must have some sort of well informed decision in order for them to add FAs here. I think that all the Patriots moves no matter how many ESPN "ANALysts" praise them for their signings have helped us greatly. We had a great first year under Mangini and in this upcoming season would have a greater target on our backs. The thing is now with the patriots signing all these guys they probably have become the class of the AFC in most peoples minds meaning that we wont have that Jets are as close to the Patriots hype going around the league. IMO the Jets are doing it the right way by building a competitive team that will outhustle guys and are dependable rather than signing a 4'8 punt returner, an injury prone textmessager, and kelly washington. Everyone can applaud their signings and let them tower over us in other peoples minds but i believe that no matter what the Patriots do to try to widen the gap between us, Tangini is able to make the under the radar move and get the necessary players to help us without all the hype. Im sorry if I rambled or this doesn't make sense but its just a few thoughts I had about what has happened so far. but regarding our 1st round pick, Olsen if hes there or Blalock.
I have a feeling that these older FAs being brought into the club will be used primarily for grooming purposes mostly. On that note , very surprised that Hamilton was let go. As you say FA period is nearly over and most of the moves have been done... so we know that we are drafting mostly D now , right? Well I don't know. I still want to fix the rest of the O line and move on from there. There was another thread on here about TJones protecting Grossmans ass , and he is apparentley a pretty good blocker indeed , but I would much prefer to see him running than blocking and getting nicked up in the process , we don't want to get down to Cedric and Leon again! The one thing I can guarentee is that the 'stealth Jets' of last season are not going to go unnoticed this coming season. As interested in the Jets as I am , I'm also looking forward to seeing if the Pats can pull off what we all think is BBs last hurrah. If we don't make the POs , it would be nice to play NE on the last day and finish with a win.....no more Bear hugs!!!
I think Hamilton was brought back and I think Blalock is a #25 pick, not a #59. I think Jones being a good blocker is nice, but a little overrated. Leon was a rookie - all rookies struggle with protection - there's no reason to assume he would never learn. I agree that our FA approach is the right thing to do and I agree that the Pats are really putting themselves under some pressure to win, but I don't think we are goign to fly under anyone's radar this year. What I'm most interested in seeing is how we go about this draft. My hope is that we continue to build both lines even though we clearly need help at CB. I think a better line will help all the other positions play better.
bcsf, with all the extra cap space the jets will have, why not use it to get some help. you build thru the draft but still use fa as a tool to get some missing pieces to the puzzle. what good is saving all the excess cap gonna do us. i don't think the jets should go out and spend for the sake of spending but, there are holes on this team that can be filled thru fa. drafted rookies are not gonna come in and automatically be world beaters. also, tangini did a good job drafting in the first round but the rest are still a question mark as to wether they develope or not. so assuming this year is gonna be a great draft is just that, an assumption!! when you get right down to it, tangini has proven nothing yet. all this genious Crap is just that, CRAP!!! it still remains to be seen if this duo is the real deal or same old jets.
I agree but FA has come and gone. There may still be some late cap casualities and cuts and maybe they have someone in mind there. Other then that, the draft is all that's left.
One note... Curtis was very well known for being a great pass-protector, and our O missed that last year. Thomas Jones' ability to block is yet aother thing that reminds me of CMart
Yeah acquiring aging vets on defense is the Miami Dolphins strategy of the moment and last few years. I don't think anybody wants to try to emulate what the Fish have done recently. Getting a single pro-bowl caliber stopgap like a Keith Traylor or Rodney Harrison when all the other pieces are in place might work, but signing Adalius Thomas to a big contract when you're still worried about the defensive line and the cornerbacks just doesn't make sense. Better to find a younger player and mold him into the system over a period of a couple of years as you fix the other pieces of the puzzle. If you get to the end of the line and that OLB spot is the problem then go get your FA to fill it.
