Monthly Archives: April 2005
The guys over at Jets Insider have some great pictures from yesterday's mini camp practice. It's wild to see pictures of Laveranues back in Green & White.
Defnitely worth checking out.
Here's Part Two of the Zero Sum Game. A month ago, I assessed
what the Jets had done in the offseason, and landed on a decent +3
score. To give credit where credit is due, thanks to Tom Schaller of Bronczilla for the idea. Again, here how this works:
- Any notable roster or coaching activity is fair game.
- With
a starting score of zero, the Jets will be given points ranging from -2
to +2 for roster, coaching or any other moves they make during the
offseason. - Zero represents no positive or negative net
effect, where +10 might be a successful offseason, while -10 would
represent the opposite.
Mass-Resigning:
Re-signed DT Josh Evans (now retired), LB Kenyatta Wright, WR Jonathan
Carter, G/C Jonathan Goodwin, TE Chris Baker, G Dave Yovanovits and S
Oliver Celestin. Necessary moves, but mostly role-players and depth
options. (+0)
Acquiring Doug Jolley: For
trading down, the Jets got a TE who has professional experience, knows
how to stretch the field, find pockets and catch passes. Run blocking
takes a step backward from Becht, but the Jets also received extra
draft picks. (+0.5)
The 2005 Draft: A first
round caliber CB/PR who made some 'silly' mistakes, a clutch kicker, a
potential replacement for Reggie Tongue, a new 'gunner' and some depth
at RB, TE & DT (+1)
Released K Doug Brien:
After having his hand in three Jets losses (net difference would have
been a 12-4 record & an AFC Championship game), this was a move
that was a long-time in the making, but finally happened once Nugent
was secured through the draft. (+0.5)
Jets Score as of 4/30/05: +5
Here are some quick thoughts from Herm's press conference today, to kick off the first day of Mini-Camp.
On the Rookies:
Many will help out this year. The vets have set tempo (some are not
practicing but acting as coaches like Chad, Curtis & Dewayne. The
have been good, finding out what is expected of them and are paying
good attention.
On Fiedler:
Herm thinks he is a really good QB… he has been sharp in the last few
sessions. Realized that Fiedler is a good DOWNFIELD thrower.
On Laveranues: He is glad to have him back, and see how he is going to help out the team this year.
On Chad:
Pennington, as before is on schedule to throw ball in June. Even though
he hasn't been able to throw & practice, he is keeping the Dinger
busy. Asking lots of questions and stopping by his office everyday.
On Offense:
“With a future Hall-of-Famer, we are still gonna run the ball.” Expect
to see more double TEs, and as Herm stated “The secret's out!” He is
looking forward to using the shotgun more this year, though he thought
he was going to suprise everyone the first time they went shotgun in a
game. Offensive personnel are happy to see some changes.
On Nugent:
Herm told Nugent that all eyes were going to be on him in practice
today. Westhoff didn't start him out easy, he spotted him up for a 42
yarder as the first one of the day… it went “a little right.”
On Pouha's Potential:
Herm stated that “the big guy” is a good player & has discipline.
Something to the effect of being mentally tough to do his Mormon
Mission (no TV, only 2 calls to parents a year) for three years and of
all places, in Pittsburgh (I think he expected a chuckle… no luck).
Herm went on to state that he “hasn't had a guy like him since Chester
[McGlockton].” Based on the Jets' thin chart at DT, he will be called
on to play, play after play. He has many attributes, but Herm stated he
is strong & quick, but Pouha needs to get in better
shape/conditioning before the season starts… (Lightbulb! Thus the
reason for Legree's presence)
On Letting go of Brien Now:
It was not in the Jets' best interests due to salary, but after a
conversation with Doug earlier this week (Monday), Herm knew it was in
Brien's best interests, and the jets wanted to make sure he was able to
get a job with another team quickly.
On Justin Miller's Contributions:
Will play on return team, no doubt, and he will compete to be a
starter… though he has to earn the job. If he doesn't, he will most
likely play nickel. Herm admires his “great ball skills” knowing that
if he makes a pick, there is a chance he score. Herm told him early
that “With three Defensive Back Coaches (Secondary, Donnie &
Herm)… you are gonna get coached!!”
On Donnie Abraham:
Herm hasn't spoken to Donnie, he is giving him time. Herm plans to give
a call next week, he knows that they have a “tough conversation” ahead
of them, which might be why they haven't talked yet. (My first thought,
Herm is not going to “ask him back”)
On the Draft:
Based on the Jets' assessment, there was more value for them in the 2nd
and 3rd rounds. With the trade for Jolley, they saw the opportunity to
get 4 good players on the first day, and they took it. The Jets had
talked with Oakland last year about Jolley but nothing ever happened.
Herm knows that Jolley can catch, stretch the field, run, and is smart.
It's been great to see more and more
comments getting posted on the site, so thank you for participating,
you're thoughts are what make this site great!
In an effort to
keep that participation up, I wanted to start threads that are more
specifically about your thoughts on a particular topic from time to
time. I am dubbing these “Audibles” and will label them as such, so you
know what to do when you see them.
Now that we are past the
draft, there are still some areas (obvious & otherwise) where the
Jets still need to shore up and find some more help. Imagine that you
have Bradway's job, with all the restrictions (existing players, salary
cap, system etc.) he would face. What would you do to address needs before the season starts? Here are some ideas for starters:
- What positions would you be concerned with?
- Where do you need to cut to make roster spots / cap room?
- Based on the Jets' systems, what characteristics for position players are you likely to look for / sacrifice?
- What type of player (aging vet, �ber player/free agent, young untested buck..) would you try to sign?
Have fun!
Thanks to Bob Jensen for clearing up the rumor I had read on a possible Mickens-Hunter trade. Apparently Hunter's agent imagines conversations that “never ever” happened. Today's Newsday notes denies the Jets even spoke to Dallas about the possible trade.
I came home last night and popped on SportsCenter,
to see the spectacled John Clayton speaking about Ty Law's future on
last night's 6:00PM EDT SportsCenter. Clayton seems most convinced that
Law will shop his services within the AFC (Steelers, Colts) but spoke
primarily about the Jets as the organization he thinks Law will land…
From
my understanding, anyone who is interested can't really make a move
until he is healthy, which sounds like could be some time next month.
Law probably won't want to sign anything until his value can be maxed.
Time will tell…
This is from ESPN Insider by way of PFW's Whispers:
The
Colts haven't ruled out signing ex-Patriots CB Ty Law. Law isn't
expected to be ready to take a physical or be put through a workout
until the end of May. At that point, the Colts will re-evaluate Law.
They expect competition to come from the Jets, Steelers and, yes, the
Patriots. Given their cap situation, the Colts cannot afford “market
value” for Law. Five cornerbacks on the free-agent market signed
contracts that included signing bonuses of at least $10 million.
Can the Jets afford this?
Dallasnews.com reports that Ray Mickens might soon be traded to Dallas for Pete Hunter, a much younger cornerback (drafted in 2002) who played his college ball at Virginia Union (a CIAA school).
Both
have had injury problems last year (Hunter's knee, Mickens' ACL) but I
would be interested to learn more about this. Does Bradway think this
kid can start? Would this preclude other moves at the corner? It is
clear that even though Parcells is a great evaluator of talent, he gets
a little bit blinded by anyone who has played for him before.
More as I know it…
From Ken Berger in today's Newsday:
“A person close to cornerback Donnie Abraham (BB: his agent)
said his decision whether to retire likely won't be resolved until
after this weekend's minicamp, from which he is excused. That will give
Jets coaches a chance to see what they have in the secondary before
Abraham makes his decision. One of Abraham's teammates said retirement
talk from him is nothing new, having come up in at least one previous
offseason.”
Berger reports that Brien will be released on June 2nd so that the bonuses due him can be pushed to the 2006 season.
Josh Evans
has decided to retire after a back injury that already sidelined him
for most of last season. I think people see this and might dread what
the Defensive Line will look like for the Jets this year. Being that he
didn't contribute much last season, this is not a huge hit, and expect
to see another veteran free agent brought in sometime before camp.
Everybody's entitled to my opinion.
Therefore, I am going to weigh in with my thoughts on the Jets draft.
As a disclaimer, I would add that whilst I watched hardly any college
football last season (although I plan to this year), I have followed
the draft closely, although all of my opinions are simply based on the
opinions of others. However, I am usually pretty good at evaluating
whose opinion is worthwhile and, therefore, I am usually able to get a
pretty good feel for this sort of thing.
Round 1: The Jolley trade.
We've already been back and forth on this, but (as I already said) I
liked it. Everybody else seemed to hate it, but then most Jets fans
seem to have come around, probably due to the fact that we ended up
getting a player who they would have been happy with at 26 anyway.
People under-estimate Jolley and the extra sixth rounder we acquired,
but then over-estimate the “gulf” between 26 and 47.
Of course,
Heath Miller could turn out to be a great player (one ESPN pundit said
he thinks he will be rookie of the year), but he was far from a sure
thing. I don't think a sports hernia is too much to worry about, but
the Jets obviously felt more comfortable going with a proven veteran
than someone they couldn't even work out and get a close look at. Also,
we would have had two less picks in the later rounds, which would have
seriously affected our flexibility in the draft.
Round 2 – Part One: Mike Nugent.
I confess I was very surprised that we made this pick. I knew Nugent
would go in the second round. What can I say? He's a kicker (and a
pretty good one by all accounts). If he kicks the winning field goal in
the superbowl then it will be worth it.
I hated John Hall (despite
that kick in Oakland) because he used to kick too low, so even chip
shots could be blocked, so I preferred Brien, but the Pittsburgh
meltdown was pretty hard to take. How much of it was his fault though?
Will this just mean that we now stall at the 35, instead of at the 25?
Hopefully, Humdinger's hiring has put paid to that.
He booms
kickoffs as well, which shouldn't be undervalued. Our bulked up special
teams unit should give us the field position advantage that was lacking
in the regular season losses to the Steelers and Patriots. His main
weakness is apparently “an insistence in being included on kickoff
coverage teams, which may one day lead to an injury”. The words
“clutching” and “straws” spring to mind.
Round 2 – Part Two: Justin Miller.
Obviously the Jets need secondary help. I think it is probably unlikely
that Miller will step in and start, so the starting job opposite David
Barrett may go to Donnie Abraham (if he doesn't retire), Ray Mickens
(if he can stay healthy), Derrick Strait (if he develops and can stay
healthy) or a stop-gap veteran (if we can find one). Where he will make
an immediate impact (hopefully) is returning kicks. More field position
advantage here, if he is all he is cracked up to be.
Miller has
talent and the Jets are most likely looking at him as a potential
starter for next year. The knock on him (and the reason he fell to us)
is his attitude, although hopefully the drunk and disorderly thing is
now “out of his system”. He is also a bit of a gambler (biting on
fakes, not placing bets) apparently, so you better have good safeties
back there�
Round 3: Sione Pouha.
If ever there was a guy who needs a nickname, this is it. He looks like
a sumo wrestler and is a bit of a character, who spent three years on a
Mormon mission and once pulled a woman from a burning building. I
thought he sounded like something out of “The Lion King” – which might
itself be a pretty good nickname, but I am probably thinking of the
spin-off series that Disney did shortly after the movie, which I am
reliably informed by my seven year old niece was called “Timon and
Pumba”.
Anyway, I digress. He's a big 330 pounder whose stock
went up after he demonstrated speed and strength at the combine. He has
a quick burst off the line and is built to stuff the run. A lot of
teams were looking at him as a day two sleeper. Many think the Jets
jumped the gun on this, but there were a few teams looking at him as a
second round sleeper. Or sleeping giant, if you will. Green Bay traded
up to the pick afterwards to get another run stuffing DT, so they
clearly thought the run-stuffer well was running dry at that point. The
Jets had to make this pick to fill a need and this was the guy who
fitted the system best.
Whether he will be ready to start is
anyone's guess, although the Jets may look to platoon him with Legree
and Reed (note: Josh Evans just announced his retirement). The main
knock on Pouha is that he doesn't seem to give a full effort on every
play. If this is the case, then he may be better suited to being part
of that platoon. The other knock is that he is 26, which is obviously
older than many prospects, but presumably he has less “miles on the
clock” because of his missionary sojourn. I like his other weakness -
“cannot cope with double teams”, because playing alongside Robertson
will guarantee he never sees one.
Round 4: Kerry Rhodes.
Not a guy who was on my radar, so I had to do some research. At first
glance, his weakness is that he is not physical enough in run support,
which leads me to worry that he will be another Mousey Tongue. However,
he is tall (although not as tall as his cousin; 6'11″ Portland
Trailblazers C Theo Ratliff) and still learning the position, so he may
improve in that area. This pick could mean that Mousey becomes
expendable.
Obviously a guy they were pretty high on, given the
fact that they gave up a sixth-rounder to move up three spots to get
him, Rhodes will add depth to the secondary and probably contribute on
special teams.
Round 5: Andre Maddox. Now
here's a guy that will definitely contribute on special teams. That's
the main reason they picked him up. Our special teams unit previously
consisted of guys like Askew, Sowell, Cotchery, Wright, Glenn and
Celestin. Introducing guys like Maddox (and Barry Gardner through free
agency) could make some of these guys expendable, or could mean that
they are not going to play special teams next year and instead have an
increased role on offence or defence.
Andre Maddox in Action
He
may also add to the depth in the secondary – you must, by now, have
heard his comments on Brodney Pool: “I've seen him play. He can't
tackle. I'm better than him.” This is not another Mousey�he's a “hard
hitter”.
Round 6 – Part One: Cedric Houston.
One scouting report says this, which I like: “Holds the ball high and
tight, so fumbling has never been an issue”. His stock fell after a
slow 40 time in the combine, but he is suffering with an over-active
thyroid problem, which may have impacted upon his speed. Curtis Martin
will be passing his wisdom down to Houston and Derrick Blaylock and one
or other of them are likely to benefit.
Cedric is a Travis Henry
clone from what I read and could be the Jets main option on the goal
line. Hopefully, if the Jets decide to give the ball to Houston, we
won't have a problem.
Round 6 – Part Two: Joel Dreesen.
I had thought we were set at the tight end position, but this was a
value pick. Looking further into things though, Dreesen is likely to be
useful for the Jets because of his versatility. Dreesen can also line
up as an H-back and, ominously for James “Vader” Dearth, is also a very
good long snapper. Dearth showed last year that, although he is
regarded as one of the best long snappers in the game, he offers little
else and the Jets really suffered from a “Dearth” of talent at the
tight end spot.
It looks like Dreesen has much more to offer
than Dearth, who is probably now expendable. This will further add to
the depth at the tight end position for the Jets. Oh, and Gil Brandt
loved the pick (whoever he is).
Round 7: Harry Williams.
A fast wide-out who might also return kicks. It is a big jump from
division II NCAA to the NFL, (especially when you have Coles, Chrebet,
McCareins, Carter and Cotchery ahead of you), so Williams might need a
stop somewhere else along the way. The Berlin Thunder are said to be
licking their chops.
Round 8: Undrafted free agents.
We have signed 10 guys so far, but I haven't heard much about any of
them. A few linebackers and linemen, but no big names. Disappointing?
Maybe, but most of those guys fell for a reason.
Summary:
So the draft has filled several areas of need, unexpectedly bolstered
our special teams (perhaps this is one area where the Jets feel they
can get an edge on the Patriots) and picked up a couple of projects
that may pan out. What it has also achieved is that some of last year's
roster players are now arguably expendable and, if they are cut, this
could give us some cap room for perhaps some post June free agent
activity. A stop-gap veteran at both CB and OT would make many happy.
I
won't grade the draft, because I think it is senseless to do so without
having seen any of these guys play (and probably even if you have seen
them play). I think most would agree though that last year's draft was
an A and hopefully this year's rookie crop will garner similar results.
I was looking at Ron Borges' column
again on MSNBC. I saw that, after stating the Jets didn't do their
homework for the draft, he stated they drafted Justin Miller in the third round. If you look at the article now, you will notice the change.
Ah, the irony…
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: thejetsblog.com <thejetsblog@gmail.com>
Date: Apr 27, 2005 4:40 PM
Subject: A “D” To the Jets
To: Ron Borges
Mr. Borges-
I
recently read your standard/template “Draft Grades” article on MSNBC
and I wanted to send you a quick email to let you know that your
reporting on the Jets is both shoddy and incorrect.
Most importantly, you report that Justin Miller was picked up in the third round… incorrect. This needs immediate retraction.
The
Jets had two (2) second round picks due to the Jolley trade you were
obviously not a fan of. Regarding their second round picks, if YOU did
YOUR homework, you would know that the Jets knew the Vikings were going
to use their 2nd round pick between the Jets two second rounders on
Nugent. By picking Nugent, and holding off on Miller, the Jets showed
extreme discipline and ended up getting a first round talent corner
(off the field problems… we know) in the late second round, as well
as the kicker to replace Brien (who singlehandedly lost 3 games for the
Jets last year).
Don't tell me a kicker isn't important… someone who writes about the Patriots should at the very least understand that.
Beyond that, there are plenty of reasons Jets made certain picks when they did… just like the Patriots.
1) Pouha will take Josh Evans' place, who only played one game last year (just retired).
2)
Two safeties to eventually replace the woeful Reggie Tongue, one who is
a premiere special teams player in Andre Maddox (a “well-known
GM/Coach” congratulated Bradway afterwards telling Bradway he was about
to take him himself)
3) A long-snapper who can also play H-Back (I think you call that “versatile” when it relates to the Pats)
4) A running back who has been compared to Travis Henry, but had a resolved thyroid problem.
I
know these are all just opinions and conjecture, but I wanted to take
the time to let you know that you are dead wrong about the Jets' draft.
I am not even going to waste my breath on your “B” for your hometown
Patriots, other than to say, you probably have a pretty good indication
of what the needs were for the Pats, and you knew what the Front Office
needed to do to fill them.
I think a “B” is a little generous, but I can understand the leeway.
Believe
me, I know the Jets far better than you do. I know the needs the Jets
had to fill, and they did alright. With one of the largest active
college scouting departments in the NFL (check Scouts.com if you don't
believe me) don't ever write that they didn't do their homework, at
least before you do yours.
With the most respect I can muster,
Brian A. Bassett
www.thejetsblog.com
Bruce Feldman, who writes a blog for ESPN
(Insider Required) about NCAA football made a list of ten picks he
loved in the draft… only two teams had more than one pick
mentioned…. guess who was one of those teams?
2) Kerry Rhodes, Jets, 4th: His D-coordinator at Louisville, Mike Cassity, has coached about a dozen NFL DBs and thought this guy was as good as any.
5) Mike Nugent, Jets, 2nd: Best college kicker of his generation, he will win three games for the Jets as a rookie.
Take that, Ron Borges!!!
