Hack should not take a single meaningful snap until we have an average to above average OL. Anytime before that is just pointless. It'll be more of an indication of this OL than his ability.
The line is missing a tackle and some depth. I think a lot of work can be done this season. The key thing this offseason is getting Hackenberg rebuilt in terms of the mechanics. It's truly a shame this process didn't start the moment he was drafted.
It did start. They have worked with him. He has definitely improved and will continue to improve. We are missing two tackles. Our current tackles are extremely below average. Winters is average, and Mangold could be out the door. I wouldn't be opposed to 2-3 picks being OL. We should try to get some FA help too. But it's time to load up on Linemen.
Injury would be my foremost concern with ROMO because of his brittleness and injury history, his age and the likely cost of his contract. I would not be as concerned with Petty and Hack since they are younger, and Petty at least is pretty mobile. QB is the most important position on a team. It doesn't make a difference how great an OL is if the QB is mediocre or worse. Great QBs can still thrive behind shaky OLs. If you get a chance to get a great young QB you take it and don't look back. Not taking him, or taking him and wasting a year or two of his career sitting on the bench when he is ready to play because of fear of his getting hurt is not wise or the best use of resources. If you're that worried about getting your young QB hurt, then you fix the freaking OL. If Hack wins the job in TC, why wouldn't you want him taking 90% of the snaps in 2017? Sorry, no offense meant, but that just makes zero sense to me. IMO Mac should have gotten his LT in this year's draft and he didn't. The 2017 draft is supposedly a weak one for LTs. He's got his work cut out for him for 2017, but if he wants to really fix the position, I believe that he can. If the Jets cut all of their older, expensive FAs, they can get somewhere around $55 million in cap space. Figure roughly $8 million to sign their draft picks, and they should be able to find a vet who can come in for at least a year or two and protect their QB's blind side. Terron Armstead of the Saints and Cordy Glenn of the Bills may both wind up FAs. I can't imagine that either team would let them go, but I don't know what those teams' caps look like for next year or who else might be FAs. If neither of those are available, the Jets could potentially sign Ryan Schraeder of the Falcons to solve their problem at RT if he hits the FA market. Another potential LT FA is Andrew Whitworth, who is getting long in the tooth, but he's still been pretty solid for the Bengals at LT. There may be others, or a tackle or two that the Jets will like in this draft. There are some good young OGs who may be available as well. Carpenter is solid, and it wouldn't be horrible if Winters started again on the right side, particularly if Schraeder is there, but hopefully they can upgrade his spot as well. If they re-sign Ijalana, they'll still have Qvale, Shell and Ijalana as backup OTs. Maybe they'll draft a quality OG. I believe that the OL can be fixed. I wouldn't let it hold my team back or make me not play one of our young QBs. Hopefully, they won't have to wait until the 2018 draft to fix their OL. If so, they might as well fold up their tents and forfeit next season. If Mac doesn't understand the importance of finding our QB of the future (which I'm positive he does), then building a quality OL won't matter. We can trot out a long list of has beens, JAGs and wannabes at QB, but the team will only spin its wheels.
I'm not saying to keep Hack on the bench just for the sake of it. If the Jets can put together a top 5 group of OL in '17 and IF Hackenberg won the job in camp over a veteran journeyman, I would support him starting. The stars will really need to align because I just don't see how the FO will be able to replace 3, potentially 4, OL starters in '17 and expect them to mesh and perform well enough to protect a potential franchise QB. The Jets will mess Hack up if he gets out there and has flashbacks of his soph yr at Penn.
As for the oline, Carpenter, Mangold, Winters and Ijalana should be starting next year barring any new starters signed or drafted. The real problem is we don't have a real NFL quality starting LT on the roster. Unless one of the younger guys makes a big step we should either pick up a LT in free agency or draft one. I'm personally a proponent of drafting Forrest Lamp sometime next summer, as he has had the most success against Alabama's NFL quality pass rush this year (I don't believe he gave up any sacks and only a few pressures against guys like Tim Williams, Ryan Anderson and Jonathan Allen, outside of just a few plays he shut down his side). Ijalana I think is lightyears better than Breno and should be resigned as a starter/high quality backup. Winters and Wesley Johnson are also set to be free agents, Johnson has surprised me and is our go-to interior backup/spot starter and potentially Mangold replacement. Winters has steadily improved enough to earn another contract.
I'm referring to the change in his mechanics. Didn't they say they would do that, this offseason? Something about not changing a pitchers throwing motion. This process could've started the moment he was drafted. That's why they don't want him out there. Winters might be one of the most improved lineman, he's actually been decent. I also believe Ben Ijalana has been serviceable. Idk why Bowles put breno back out there, he's absolute trash. That is also upgradable. Definitely need to get younger and I would also love to see us get 2 or 3 lineman this offseason.
Then we agree. I'm disappointed Petty is not playing now. I imagine when the Jets are mathematically eliminated (which should be after this week), they won't have any more excuses to give the ball to Fitz.
One thing Dilfer didn't say is that a high elbow puts extra strain on the shoulder, which isn't good either. But IMO there are more important things than the elbow, and Wentz has enough tools to succeed despite it.
There's a difference between Rodgers's elbow and Wentz's. Rodgers only has the high elbow long before the final loading stage while Wentz's elbow is elevated even as his hips start to uncoil.
Dilfer knows what he's talking about. You can see this problem in other sports too. Not good Good Not good Good
Very interesting stuff. Thanks for posting this, Browning. I'm gonna look for photos of other great QBs at the same place in their throwing motion and see where there elbow is in relation to the ball.
Cam seems to keep the ball higher, but he also has a problem with being inaccurate high, so there must be other factors than just the elbow being higher than the ball. I suspect that footwork is an issue with him, just as it was with Favre. They throw the ball at all kinds of angles and depend a lot on their natural arm strength rather than stepping into their throws.
