As the Jets journey towards the draft in April, I will examine prospects that could potentially be on the Jets’ draft board. Please feel free to leave your thoughts or suggest a prospect in the comments.
College: Marshall
Measurables: 6’3″ 265 lbs
Projected Round: 2nd
Positives
Curry has natural pass rushing abilities as he is an explosive and disruptive force on the edge. He has excellent quickness of the snap and has that initial burst to befuddle offensive lineman. He has the flexibility to turn the corner and close in quickly on his man. He makes good use of his hands and can generally stay low in order to get under the offensive lineman’s pads and pick his way to his victim. He has natural strength at the point of attack and can extend his arms to engage blockers and deliever a powerful blow.
He plays with excellent balance and can change direction fluidly. He can side step blocks and shoot the gap to create pressure. He is often able to set the edge and maintain containment and has the ability to anchor himself. He can pick his way through the mass of bodies to pursue the runner and has good range and can make plays in pursuit. He is an excellent tackler who has a non-stop motor and will keep going until the whistle. He has the skill set to transition to an OLB.
Areas of Improvement
Curry tends to rely too much on his speed and lacks a wide variety of pass rush moves. He tends to get tired as the game progresses which leads to sloppy technique that includes struggling to disengage from blockers. His pad level can get too high once engaged which allows lineman to push him out of the play and he’ll too often look to run around blocks when playing the run. He could stand to bulk up too.
There are some questions as to how he’ll fair given he faced lower level competition in the Conference USA. 
Analysis
Curry certainly has the capability to become a pass rushing demon in the NFL however, he will need some time to develop and hone is skills as a 3-4 linebacker and develop an extended repertoire of pass rush moves and getting used to more contact rather than just relying on speed alone.
The Jets’ main needs include a pass rusher and offensive lineman. While we don’t know what they’ll do, we do know there is greater talent to be had in comparison to Curry but if the team decides to go in a different direction round one, Curry might not necessarily be a bad selection for round two.
Curry Highlights
]]>Fred and I have talked,” said Nix. “We want to extend Fred. I’d like for Fred to finish his career as a Bill. He’s meant a lot to us. I’ve got great respect for him. We do want Fred back and we do intend to try to work out a deal with him. I’ve told him that. What we said is what we’re going to do.”
Nix said the plan is to get a new contract done before the 2012 season starts. That leaves both sides with about seven months before the regular season begins. Jackson told Buffalobills.com that talks have not been initiated at this point.
“Not yet, but it’s expected that we’ll get started at some point,” said Jackson. “I know they’ve got a lot of stuff to get squared away this offseason.”
Jackson might be 30 years old and struggling to stay healthy, but he’s a big part of making that offense move. For the Jets that means that they are going to have to plan to neutralize him again in 2012.
Also, it’s an indication that the Bills are looking to make their WR Stevie Jackson a priority.
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Many of you have asked if we think that the Jets might be interested in Routt. My thought is that while Rex loves corners, they have enough money tied up in their top two to afford a player like Routt. The Jets won’t have a lot of money in free agency this year, so their are going to have to do their best to prioritize.
]]>Clinkscales has had some previous interviews with other teams, but nothing has worked out for him so far. Clinkscales does a great job of running the draft program, for the Jets, so I’m happy that he’s staying on for at least another year. Sooner or later a guy as smart as Clinkscales will get a job elsewhere, but in the meantime, I’m happy the Jets can keep him in one of their most important draft classes since 2006.
]]>Ferguson’s struggles went relatively unnoticed, however, because of Wayne Hunter’s spectacular meltdown on the other side of the line. Hunter was charged with 8.5 sacks and 11 penalties according to ESPN New York, and his inability to handle the outside rush essentially took every deep pass out of the playbook. An upgrade here is a necessity. Better blocking out of the tight ends would also help New York re-establish its running attack.
It’s a great point. The Jets have to address the running game not solely with a stud running back, but with at least 1.5 more blockers in the form of a Right Tackle and a Tight End. For as good a set of personnel as the Jets have had on the line in the past, they have to be wary. Brick is a great pass blocker, but run-blocking has never been his game. That means the Jets are going to run right a lot more than they are going to run left, so when a team knows where to key those linebackers, then it makes it even harder when the Right Tackle and blocking Tight End can’t block they way they need to.
It would be one thing if a team expected the Jets to do something and couldn’t stop them from doing it, but last year proved that the Jets running game couldn’t over-execute the tendencies of their plans. That has to change. Sparano will help, but for that to make a real change, it means the Jets need to get better personnel to run-block.
Now I will oddly snap my head around like Papa John.
Better ingredients, better running game.
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With the Jets now looking towards 2012, so are we. As we think about the needs the Jets have to fill before getting to training camp, we wanted to hear your thoughts on the most critical positions that the team needs to address with potential starters this offseason. Of course this list will fluctuate as the team cuts, extends or signs players, so we’ll try and update it regularly. For now, here’s the first shot.
1 Safety (Same)— Rex Ryan is demanding on safeties. He likes flexible players who can cover or play up in the box — oh and they have to be really smart. Jim Leonhard is the only player the Jets had on their roster that fit all those criteria, and he did it at a size and range smaller than most anyone else in the league. Again, the reason it’s so critical is because the team should really address at least two spots one way or another. The consensus seems to be that Jim Leonhard wants to return … but he’s a free agent and it’s risky. He’s also had two season ending injuries in the past two years. The Jets are going to have to bring in at least one maybe two outsiders in 2012.
2 Offensive Line (Same) — Whatever the Jets are doing with Wayne Hunter, the hope now is that it’s not as a starter. The Jets are set at Left Tackle, Center and Right Guard for another year, but hopefully Mangold’s injury will put into perspective just how delicate this unit is right now. Ducasse showed some very raw talent when he did see the field in 2011, and Rob Turner might be coaxed into returning since he’s coming off an injury, but the Jets have to find a front-line Right Tackle for this team … hopefully a veteran they can get on the cheap or in the first two round of the NFL Draft. Slauson could be upgraded, but he cannot be moved to the Tackle spot as he’s just not athletic enough to do so.
3 Wide Receiver (Same) — Patrick Turner signed a new contract, Santonio is returning, Plax might not. Kerley will only get better, the Jets might be limiting the role of their pass catching TE … so it’s a pass catching mixed bag. The Jets need to find another player who has the ability to start for this offense, or be a third option at the least.
4 Outside Linebacker (Same) — The Jets have needed a young three down OLB since Ryan has come to the team. Bryan Thomas is a free agent and Calvin Pace’s future with the team could be in question. Maybin might deserve to see more time on the field, but the Jets have to start thinking about a line of succession at this spot just like they did with the defensive line last offseason.
5 Tight End (Up from 6) — Sparano generally asks his Tight Ends to block in-line, and occasionally run 20 yard corner routes, so Dustin Keller’s role has to be considered in flux with new Offensive Coordinator Tony Sparano. Without a passing coordinator to balance out Sparano’s desire to use Tight Ends to run and block, at the very least the team has to think about who will be the starter in 2013.
6 Inside Linebacker (Down from 5) — Maybe nothing will change here. The Jets figured out that nice three safety rotation well last year, and it worked more than it didn’t. The Jets are going to have to pay Bart Scott whether he’s suiting up or not, so why not have him on the team? His future might be in question, and his salary is a drain on a role that could be done a lot cheaper, but as the other ILB spot goes so might Harris’s. We know what Scott can do, so while the team is going to think about an eventual replacement, the money might not dictate it this year.
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Our friends over at PFF looked at the AFC East and some trends they noticed on each team this year and mentioned three players from the Jets who are trending.
Most improved player? John Conner.
In Year 1, about the only thing Conner had going for him was a cool nickname. The Terminator’s performances didn’t quite live up to the expectations and he found himself limited to 138 snaps as he was outplayed by veteran Tony Richardson. A year later, and as the Jets’ top fullback, Conner turned around his performance to finish seventh overall in our FB rankings. It’s quite telling that a fullback was the most improved player on the Jets’ roster.
The offensive line didn’t give him the same clean blocks he might have gotten the year prior, but Conner certainly had the opportunity to hone his blocking skills this year. Conner played well for the Jets, and if the Jets can stabilize their offensive line going into 2012, their running game should be put in good stead by their new coach, (hopefully) more consistent line, and lead blocker.
The biggest dropoff? Santonio Holmes.
The scary thing about that 2010 number is it doesn’t do justice to the year Holmes had, with picking up a +10.3 for his receiving, and only penalties, rushing and blocking. So good was his performance (as it has been for the prior two years to 2010), you understood why the former Steeler got the money he did. That entire combination just adds–along with the seeming attitude issues–to the disappointment in the year Santonio Holmes had. Mark Sanchez didn’t help, but Holmes just catching 52% of balls thrown his way isn’t all on his QB. We know how good he is, so a bounce back year is a strong possibility, but it’s worrying that after getting paid, he put forth a year like this.
If I had to stake my life on whether or not Santonio was going to come back to the Jets in 2012 and rack up more than 1000 yards, more than 10TDs, and more than 70 catches, I’d bet against it. That’s how strongly I feel about his inability to be the Jets #1 receiver. 1A? Sure. But he’s not a pure #1. In Houston, Andre Johnson has carried that receiving corps on his shoulders for years. Tone isn’t capable of that level of production.
Now could all the hate propel Tone? Potentially, but how long does that last? A season at best? Maybe the Jets will get a better receiver to play with him to get him cleaner routes. Maybe Sanchez will get better. Maybe Tone will like the new offensive coordinator better and not have his agent throw him under the bus anonymously. Maybe he’ll stop acting like a spoiled child. Maybe.
By everything I hear or have seen, he’s not liked in the locker room, he’s not liked in the press room, and he’s not even really liked in the postgame VIP hangout room … but the Jets are paying him regardless of production for the next two years. What is going to make him want to grind? Want to put in extra time when the chips are down? We already saw what he’s capable when the season is on the line during the last week of the season by showing up his QB in front of others, then quitting.
I’m a firm believe that no person is just good or just bad. Does Tone do good for charity? Yes. Did he take a trip to Africa with Digs? Yes, he absolutely did. But now that he has his money, he’s shown his true colors and honestly I’m reminded of what I see on the bottom of my shoe after a trip to the dog park.
Can Tone be a great complement? Without a doubt, but I think he can only flourish when there’s other legitimate threats to pull attention away from him. His best seasons were when he had Braylon Edwards or Hines Ward taking attention from opposing secondaries. Plax didn’t do enough for him, and so he struggled. The Jets threw more than they did in 2010, Santonio played four more regular season games than he did in 2010 and he still was statistically flat. He had very few breakout plays, and if he did, he then fumbled or made poor decisions (celebration penalty).
Phew. Demons, exorcised.
Who needs more snaps? Mayhem of course!
Give some credit to Maybin this year who looked like a ton of wasted potential after the Bills opted to move on from him. He kept going, though, and caught on with the Jets and produced (as a pass rusher) when the opportunity presented himself. Maybin finished the year as the Jets top-graded pass rusher by some distance, so the Jets need to find a way to get him on the field for more than the 197 snaps they managed to with them. It’s rather telling that his 24 combined sacks, hits, and hurries were bettered only by Calvin Pace, who managed just 12 more on 185 extra pass rushes.
We agree that Maybin could use more time on the field. But one of Rex Ryan’s guiding principles is to stop the run first, and let the pass rush will take care of itself.
But to earn that time, he has to be able to move laterally … that or the Jets really need to think long and hard about how they utilize him. He’s fantastic at rushing the passer, but he can be a liability in front-side run stopping. The Jets are either going to have to make him the designated weak-side backer, or figure something else creative out that I can’t even think of. The more Maybin is on the field, the more teams will just run right at him and until he can prove he can play the run, there’s no way they can keep him on the field consistently.
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