The TJB20: We Must Protect This Haus
This one sparked a lot of discussion amongst the panelists. In this post we talk cheapie starting safeties, the carrot (or stick) for Lito Shepphard, Wu-Tang inspiring nicknames for our new ILB, and the genius that is Paul Hackett … yes that Paul Hackett.
Is it getting hot around here or is this panel catching FIH-YA?
Need a second to review the rules and the panelists, check out the introductions.
4) Do you like the moves the team has made so far in the offseason? Why?
Jason Fitzgerald from NY Jets Cap: How can you not like what the team has done this offseason? I actually think this was a better use of money than the 2008 offseason. In 2008 we spent a lot of money on players who will likely be on the downside with the Jets whereas this season we spent money on young players that should experience the best years of their careers here. Bart Scott is a tremendous upgrade over Eric Barton and should help the team both in run support and in preventing the backs and tight ends to get big gains on pass plays.
Jim Leonhard doesn’t cost much and should provide much more stability to the safety position and Lito Sheppard is a low risk high reward signing. The Jets kept the offensive line intact and brought in some decent veterans that should contribute on both sides of the football. There are still areas of the team that are weak, but there were not many options on the open market to fill those spots. The Jets used their cap money to get better for 2009. You have to like that.
Bob Bullock from Jetstream (NJ.com): I LOVE the defense that Rex Ryan is putting together. If he can get something out of Gholston, this team will be a top 5 defense. Of course we’ll probably have to win games 10-3, but whatever it takes to get a W!
Bob Glauber from Newsday: Love the moves. How do you not like Ryan bringing in a stud linebacker like Bart Scott to play alongside David Harris? Leonhard is a guy who covers a lot of ground in the secondary, and I think Lito Sheppard is going to have a comeback player of the year type season.
Michael Salfino from SNY: The moves have been good. But I’m troubled by their willingness to rely on their current crop of QBs. The draft will offer no help because the chance of getting a rookie QB who can step in are so small as to not really be quantifiable. Until you have a QB in the NFL, you generally have nothing. The Jets can put together an all-time defense and be championship-caliber or a top-shelf one by current standards and be ordinary contenders. But I don’t see the former and am skeptical of the latter.
Josh Alper from NBCNewYork.com: Yes and no. The team is shaping up to be a facsimile of the less successful Ravens teams of the last few years. Great defense, strong running game and a feeble passing attack. Defense only wins championships if you can score points.
Matt Loede from NFLGridironGab.com & JetsGab.com: Yes, I love the Ryan hire, and while firing Mangini came as somewhat of a shock, Ryan is ready to be a head coach, and it seems like the players to date like the hire as well. Bart Scott is a young, game-changing LB, and Jim Leonhard played well last season with the Ravens, and can make plays in the secondary. Lito Sheppard is a great pickup, and Larry Izzo is a guy who is solid on special teams and easily replaces David Bowens in that area.
Max from JetNation.com: Yes, Mangini was simply too stubborn and the team suffered as a result. From a fan’s perspective Rex Ryan is going to be fun to watch. They will be aggressive and let it all hang out. You can’t ask for more than that. Through free agency they have improved the defense.
R in CT from DamnedCT: It’d be hard not to like the moves the team has made thus far, especially in terms of the defense (which is what I enjoy most) — they greatly improved their Achilles’ heel from last season, the secondary, plus shored up the linebacking corps. I also like the moves they didn’t make — re-signing Coles long-term or giving up too much to get Cutler. I look for them to address some of the holes (wide receiver, offensive and defensive line depth) through the draft.
John Butchko from Gang Green Nation (SBN): It’s tough not to love the moves. The Jets filled a lot of their glaring holes. Even though I think Ray Lewis is a better overall player, I think Bart Scott was a better fit for this team for two reasons. The obvious first reason is his relative youth. The second is that his cover skills are tremendous. How many times did the Jets get burned by tight ends last season? Scott finally gives them a cover linebacker.
Lito Sheppard reminds me a lot of Kris Jenkins a year ago. The situation became toxic for him in Philadelphia (and he gets a lot of blame for this just as Jenkins did in Carolina). He sulked, and his play regressed. Since he is only 28, I do not think it was because his skills eroded. He seems like the prototypical guy who needs a fresh start. I think he is content after getting a new contract and will play well for the Jets, at least for a few years until the Philadelphia situation replays itself.
I see Jim Leonhard becoming a fan favorite, kind of a defensive version of Wayne Chrebet. He seems to combine Eric Smith’s intellect and insticts with Abram Elam’s ability against the run. In addition, he can cover better than either.
With the signing of Marques Douglas, the team has a guy who has played on each level of Ryan’s defense (line, linebacker, secondary). He can lean on them to help the transition.
Seth Edelstein, Jet Fan Extraordinaire: How often do you see one of the top LB’s in the league AND a solid FS follow their coach to a new team?? Usually $$ gets in the way, but we were lucky we had it to spend on Scott. You now have 2 starters+ to help the rest of the defensive guys learn a new system. We targetted guys and we got em….solid. Gotta add depth for jenkins, an eventual replacement for ellis, and a WR.
Sean McCormick from Football Outsiders: For the most part, I’ve liked the moves the team has made. I didn’t think it was necessary to get rid of Mangini, but I like Rex Ryan as a potential head coach, and I think that his defensive scheme has a good chance to mesh with the players who are now on the roster.
I also like the fact that the team retained Schottenheimer, even with Schotty’s tendency to take a fire and forget approach to his offensive playcalling (he could learn a lesson in how to take base plays and build on them from Paul Hackett…yes, Paul Hackett). It makes it more likely that the team will get a productive season out of one of the quarterbacks they have on the roster.
I thought the team paid way too much money for Bart Scott, but at least they didn’t pay way too much money for Ray Lewis. Scott won’t live up to his contract, but he’ll be a solid player who will be around for quite a few years. Jim Leonhard was one of my favorite players to watch last year, and I’m very happy to see him on the team. I can understand the thinking behind the Lito Sheppard trade, and he does possess the ballhawking skills that you want out of a number two corner in a pressure defense, but he’s played very badly for two seasons in a row now.
I would have been more inclined to do what the Pats did and go after Shawn Springs or Leigh Bodden. On offense, Coles and Cotchery were limiting each other because they are effective on the same kind of routes and depth levels, so it made sense to move Coles off and open up a starting spot for a vertical threat like David Clowney. There are a lot of untried players on offense right now, but the offense makes more functional sense.
Drack from TheJetsBlog.com: Yes. Getting Bart Scott into the fold was a must as he will play coach during the offseason (teaching his teammates the defensive system) and defensive quarterback during the season. The other moves were JAG (just another guy) moves, in my opinion. C’mon, do you really believe Jim Leonhard is that much of an upgrade?
The release of Laveranues Coles was disappointing at first but when you realize that Coles just isn’t the same receiver when Chad Pennington is throwing the ball to him, the move is OK.
Let me throw this out there…why must the Jets always be active in free agency? Seriously. There are plenty of teams out there that do just cycle players in and out of their systems, Pittsburgh being the most notable.
Actively persuing and signing multiple free agents each year hurts in so many ways. It makes it harder for a team to resign your own players, throws at team’s salary structure out of whack, affects locker room cohesion and disturbs the psyche of heir-apparent players.
The signing of free agents is a wind whipped up by the media, who then fans the fans. It almost seems as if the media needs the Jets to be active in free agency so they have something to talk/write about.
Bent from TheJetsBlog.com: The deeper I delve into the deal for Ol’ Dirty Bartscott, the more I think they made a shrewd investment. You have to love his leadership, familiarity with the system, versatility and impact production. Also, his non-Eric Barton-ness. Leonhard is also a great fit. These could both be moves that cause others to improve their level of play, much like the Faneca signing had a ripple effect on Mangold and Brick. I am less bullish about adding Lito “The Lord” Sheppard, but I can’t oppose the trade because it is low risk and was fairly priced with a lot of upside, because he used to be really good and is still young. Larry “Dr Robotnik” Izzo was a great addition to the special teams, even if the new rules might marginalize his strengths. Marques Douglas should upgrade the defensive line depth nicely. Perhaps more importantly, I don’t think any of the guys they parted company with was a major loss.
Corey Griffin from TheJetsBlog.com: I’ve always been of the belief that defense wins championships – in every sport. Offense will get you there, but it’s the third period neutral zone trap, diving grab in left center and forced fourth quarter 3-and-out that brings home the trophy. Adding former Pro Bowl cornerback Lito Sheppard and up-and-comer Brian Leonhard to a secondary that loomed as the Jets biggest weakness spoke volumes for how head coach Rex Ryan believes a championship contender should be built. Bart Scott was first, but it felt like icing on the cake after seeing the secondary taken care of. With Revis already taking away half the field on a consistent basis, teams will struggle to pick and choose against the Jets and instead force more balls into coverage – thus allowing Sheppard, Leonhard and Kerry Rhodes to make plays on the ball and create turnovers and momentum-changing stops.
Add your thoughts on the offseason moves in the comments.
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“It makes it harder for a team to resign your own players, throws at team’s salary structure out of whack, affects locker room cohesion and disturbs the psyche of heir-apparent players.”
^very true.,but the jets needed the move more than anything. it came down to that or rebuild. we can now build the team in the draft and still compete. I believe the jets held weapon X(Clowney) back so they could resign him cheap. look out NFL ,the jets are coming!!!
starting from mangini getting fired to the hiring of Rex to Favre retiring to signing scott, lenard, trading for lito to resigning moore and richardson to letting coles go
Perfect Offseason so far.
All thats left is resigning leon and having a strong draft
wu-tang clan
the greatest group in Hip/Hop history…..hip hop may be dead, but Wu-Tang is Forever
I wish people would stop bashing the qbs. Clemens hasn’t gotten a fair shot yet (regardless of his height) and Ratty might continue to impress. You don’t have to draft a qb in the first round – many of them are busts. We made some great moves in the offseason, now let’s see if one of our qbs can play.
I wish football season would start already!!!!
I’m so tired of hearing about baseball and the season just begun!!!!
Hey NYC … Clemens is a bust, but I do agree with you that drafting a QB in round 1 would be a mistake. We need a WR/TE and O/D depth first.
Josh – Two words for you buddy – Trent Dilfer. You can also throw a Jim McMahon and Brad Johnson in there for good measure. Also you are assuming our QB’s will not be good – you have nothing to base that on.
Hold on… ****Throwing Chair through Florham Park Window ****
You can raise it as a question mark, but can’t assume they won’t be good enough to get the job done – pure speculation based on nothing. (And if you want to base it on Kellen Clemen’s first 8 games, go look at Eli and Peyton’s first 8 games)
Sean – Much love for you pal, but we are all now dumber for reading your response. Anyone who merely mentions Paul Hackett, should be banned from the internet altogether. Even Twitter… No…, Especially Twitter. Al Gore just threw up in his mouth a little.
How could you not like what the Jets did? I am all for building through the draft, but when you are a few holes away from a dominating defense, you don’t wait the 3 years to develop from within. You make moves and bring in guys like Sheppard, Leonhard and Scott. I just want TC to get here so we can finally see this defense we’ve all been drooling over, and watch the QB battle once and for all.
My alias probably won’t be effective if I misspell it…
***CHANTING: “Ownership Capitalism Must Go! No PSLs! Football Fan Communism! No PSLs!”****
Jets-Fan-4-Life – stop guessing. No one has any clue yet if Clemens is a bust. Let’s find out.
im under the Clemens Bus(T).
For the record, I’m not a KC fan per se, but I don’t think it fair to judge him on those 8 games. Yes, he looked like crap. What qb would’ve looked good on that team?
I like ratty, but kc looked great in preseason the year before, too. Someone has to step up and take the job, hands down.
Once we signed Bart Scott things were vastly improved….not only because he is a stud LB but he brings an attitude that this team hasnt had since the Parcells/B Cox days….
I love the Lito move especially since he needs to play his ass off to get paid
While Leonhard is a small piece of the puzzle he costs almost nothing and knows the system better than anyone….plus anyone than can allow Rhodes to play like he did 2 years ago is an upgrade in my book
what happen to the last blog you guys put up?
all we need is jeremy macklin and we will win the east pats will not have chance also shonn greene would be a great pick thats if the guy from pitt is gone in the 2nd round we have to trade up to get him by all means
i really hope they get some more fire power for clemens or ratliff. you just can’t win games 13-10 often enough anymore. if the recent rule changes are a sign of anything the league likes offense.
Get these guys some big wideouts Britt, Robiskie, or Barden
jeremy maclin makes us better than the pats? your crazy bro
Jesus wouldnt make us better than the pats? and we do not need to try to get better than them.. Kellen i have no faith in dont care how many games he has played.. lets see ratliff
DARIUS HAYWARD BEY!
I feel like the overall sentiment is to give KC and the Rat a chance this year. I agree with this sentiment. Too often do we jump on our local athletes after they show some poor performance. For his first eight games, with the team that we placed on the field, Clemens was not that bad. I agree with those above who
We used to do the same thing with C.P. He would be bad one year, usually because of injury, and then the next year when he was healthy, we would be shocked that he played well. He was the same player each year though, there was nothing to be shocked about.
Clemens is supposed to be a good quarterback and now he will have a good line and limited responsibilities (run first offense). That is a job that he will be better able to do, than anyone we will be able to pick up at seventeen in this years draft (unless Sanchez were to fall, which I doubt).
Only Stafford and Sanchez are worthy of a first round pick this year. While I like some of Josh Freeman’s intagibles, I believe he is overhyped and to raw. It will be a desperate reach if we take him 17, especially when there are other immediate holes that we can readily fill. I believe the 6′5″ cannon armed Freemen is really seeing such a boost because of how well a similar type of story of a quaterback, Flacco, is doing/did. We have seem this before, recently I would think of Vince Young to Jamarcus Russel.
17 is a possible spot for us to take a wide receiver or a defensive lineman. There is a question as to who will be left at wide receiver. I think Maclin and Crabtree will be off the board. I think there is a good chance that Bey will be gone to, because he is fast and Al Davis loves speed. I think Percy Harvin is overrated and is too similar of a player to Leon Washington, to find time on the field. Who does that leave for wide reciever? Nicks or Britt
I would prefer to take Tyson Jackson or Peria Jerry, converting the latter to a defensive end.
In the second round you can get a Robiskie or a Barden, solid additional targets, for an offense that will focus mainly on the run.
However, I still wil be happy with a receiver in the 1st.
3rd round- I have been saying it a lot, but I got belive Green and Jennings are the best RB deals for our team.
And then at some point just some huge mass of a TE with solid blocking skills. Does anyone know who that TE is in this draft?
NYC
Your right its not fair to say KC is a bust, however logic points most of us to believe he will be. Here is why, even with the same O-line in ‘07 noodle arm Chad who was injured yet again still had better stats then KC.
Then during the off-season KC still couldn’t win the spot from Chad even with the additional push he was getting from the front office. After Brett Favre retired KC was interviewed and instead of saying positive stuff like my team, my guys, I will lead us to victory, KC chose to say that Ratliff is great, the team is fine, it will be a tough challenge I face this summer in QB competition. The end result this guy has no confidence, the team knows it, the fans know it, and the front office knows it too. He has been given ample amounts of time and opportunities to clam the starting spot but he just is not good enough to get it. IMO the Jets will build him up for trade value and then look to trade him when Ratliff beats him this year.
The happiest moment of the off season for me so far , isn’t a move the Jets made, but a move that they didn’t. I can be proud to be a Jets fan this season, no matter what their record is, which is something I couldn’t say had they brought Cutler into the mix. I’m just happy to root for a team that isn’t led by an arrogant QB without integrity or class. I’d of had a hard time truly rooting for that scumbag.
miles austin wide redcvier from dallas is going to come for a vist source rotoworld
ONE QUESTION…..Kellen Clemens isnt better than Jim Mcmahon? Rex Grossman? Craig Morton? David Woodley? Tony Eason?
I had no problem getting rid of Mangini but, I would have cleaned house and gotten rid of Schottenheimer and Sutton. Neither deserved to stay, any more than Mangini. Schottenheimer hasn’t been good for two years and Sutton has never been anything. If you try and tell me about passing yards, rankings, or wins — I put that all on the players. They were succeeding despite poor coaching. With the proper coaching, who knows how far last years’ team could have gone.
As for the player pick-ups, only time will tell.
I don’t agree with Drack on Free Agents. There are good free agent pick-ups and bad ones. Last year, free agents rounded out our Offensive and Defensive lines. A GM has to use everything in his power to formulate a winning team. Our team had four wins, prior to Tanny’s superior FA pick-ups. I am a big fan of homegrown talent but, in todays sports world, it is rare for a player to stick with one team. There is money to be made and that is a big reason for them playing the game.
One question who is this “Max” guy from JetNation anyway?
re – KC
NO !!!
Drack – I actually do think Leonhard will be a big upgrade. Elam practically lost the Denver game on his own, so he’s a best a work in progress.
Corey – It’s JIM Leonhard. Brian is the ex-Rutgers FB currently with the Rams. Don’t worry though, Bassett has done this himself at least twice and I’ll probably do it too before all’s said and done!
As for Seanmac’s Hackett comment, sorry DKnyj, but it does make some some sense. What Sean said is true but wasn’t a glowing endorsement of Hackett…I’m sure Sean would still concede that his play calling was terrible, which is the main reason we all (rightly) wanted him gone. Nobody could question he built a solid offense…he just couldn’t drive it.
getting Rex Ryan alone puts this offseason as an instant success.. To add Bart Scott, Lito Shepperd, and Leonard makes it a very successful offseason.
Alex,
I think it’s Josh Freeman’s “tangibles” that have seen him rise. First, if you round up, he’s 6-6…tremendous height for a QB. Second, he matches that height with great mobility and the ability to throw on the run, especially deep. Third, he has a cannon arm…as good as anyone in the NFL today. Plus, unlike Vince Young, or even JaMarcus Russell, Freeman was in a pro-style offense, not the spread. So, he may be more NFL-ready than many people think. On the negative side, he’s a junior, he was from a terrible program, and he’s been inconsistent. IMO, he’s worth a first-round pick because of his potential…he really has a unique skill set…more like Elway or pre-injury Culpepper than Young or Russell.
The Jets defensive moves have been spot on. Both Scott and Leonhard haven’t reached their NFL ceilings, yet and I can’t believe that Lito’s skills eroded as much as it seemed the past 2 seasons. If Gholston gives them any sort of production, the defense could be special. Izzo makes the special teams better and adds another fiery leader to the team. If the Jets get lucky with average QB play, the team could be very good.