The NY Jets are my number one passion, but I am also a fan of the great USC Trojans. That being said, I feel drafting players from USC is a huge gamble.
I have heard some grumblings regarding the Jets targeting the Trojans DE Fili Moala (6’5” 300lbs). I can tell you from watching him first hand he is simply lazy. He looks good from time to time because of the consistency of high level talent surrounding him. That holds true for most USC recruits. That’s why I see Sanchez as such a gamble and Moala as well. These two players could end up as hall-of-famers one day; my point is that it’s so hard to evaluate players coming from this elite program when their collective talent is so superior to the opponents they face.
No one ever seems to focus on the amount of 1st and second round busts USC produces. I won’t even begin to list the WR’s and RB’s not to mention defensive players. Let’s not forget to include the USC legend that holds Kurt Warner’s clipboard out in the Arizona. To be fair they do produce high quality defensive backs and linebackers consistently. Their 2009 LB class is amazing.
Like usual, the top 20 players in the collective mock drafts from experts across the net are in constant motion. Not unlike a shark that needs to move to live, the even flow of elite college players can have an interesting effect on a team holding the #17 overall pick. It looks more and more likely that Mathew Stafford, the QB from Georgia, will not go #1 to Detroit. I think they will follow Miami's and Cleveland’s lead by skipping a QB at the top of the draft and taking a premier Tackle (Alex Smith, Lienhart, and Vince young are not helping the cause of young signal callers coming out of school). Taking an O-lineman in the top 5 makes sense on many levels including the overall cap space you save. The new group in Detroit has the ultimate reclamation project trying to turn around the 0-16 Lions.
That being said, they do need a QB. I have already covered the whole trade scenario where a team like Detroit would want to move up to #17 to pick up Mark Sanchez if he is still available. There are other directions the Jets could go with this pick. Players like Sanchez, Crabtree, Moreno, and Percy Harvin looked like top 15 picks and out of our reach at 17 only a few weeks ago. The newest mock drafts are predicting that most if not all of these guys could be waiting for the NYJ to snatch them up in the second half of the first round. Some experts are now ranking Sanchez above Stafford, Moreno had a bad 40 yard dash time in the combine (which is meaningless to me) and Crabtree has a much publicized foot injury. Oh, how things change.
With all the trade scenarios, the quality that will be available throughout the first 3 rounds and the big time players who could be available at #17 Mr. T has his work cut out for him. As I have said before I am all in favor of trading down and scoring more draft picks. Players like Kenny Britt, Alphonso Smith, and Clay Mathews will almost certainly be available in the second round. In my opinion they would be 1st rounders in past drafts. The quality and quantity of LB's and WR's in this draft really raises the value of 2nd and 3rd round picks.
On to the free agency department. Let’s break this down: Coles found a perfect place to land in Cincinnati. One must wonder if we had waited on releasing him until the Houshmandzadeh situation had been resolved, could we have received a 4th or 5th round draft pick for Coles by trading him instead of letting him walk. Just a thought, and I am very aware that hindsight is 20/20.
The Jets signed my guy Leonhard. Finally Rhodes has a counterpart that can help him and not use him as a crutch. Our secondary is getting better day by day. I'm so glad the front office didn't sit back and think Rhodes and Revis were good enough to carry a bunch of below average teammates. Remember those guys Brady and Moss? Oh, and that other dude Welker? It takes more than 2 excellent players to patrol their neighborhood. We have 3 good safteys and 3 good corners right now. When I think how the addition of these new players as well as Ryan’s new system could affect Rhodes, it feels real good!
One other quick note on the Jets and free agency... Why have we not talked to LJ Smith from Philly??? We need a TE to compliment Keller, and Smith lives in NJ. He will be signed somewhere else within days if not hours. Why haven't we even sniffed at him? I really think the Jets have dropped the ball over the years when it comes to picking up FA and RFA from the Eagles. Most of these guys wouldn't have to move or relocate their families if they jumped ship from Philly to the NYJ. That’s a big bargaining chip.
Kurt Warner signed a totally crazy contract that basically guarantees him 19 million for one season. It's technically a two year deal, but 19 mil is guaranteed, so if he retires after 09 he still gets the money. That’s a simply horrible move, especially with Matt Lienhart (who has already collected over 18million dollars for sitting on the bench) still on the roster.
And a final note: The Giants are having a great off-season signing Boley, Canty, C.C. Brown and Rocky Bernard to continue to build their D. Considering the players that were already on the roster I have to say, I love that defense! When Ernie Accorsie bailed out as the Giants GM and Jerry Reese took over, I really thought he was just going to be an interim figure head until they could find someone better. Boy has he made a name for himself. Let me slow down before I get mistaken for a Giants fan.
I have heard some grumblings regarding the Jets targeting the Trojans DE Fili Moala (6’5” 300lbs). I can tell you from watching him first hand he is simply lazy. He looks good from time to time because of the consistency of high level talent surrounding him. That holds true for most USC recruits. That’s why I see Sanchez as such a gamble and Moala as well. These two players could end up as hall-of-famers one day; my point is that it’s so hard to evaluate players coming from this elite program when their collective talent is so superior to the opponents they face.
No one ever seems to focus on the amount of 1st and second round busts USC produces. I won’t even begin to list the WR’s and RB’s not to mention defensive players. Let’s not forget to include the USC legend that holds Kurt Warner’s clipboard out in the Arizona. To be fair they do produce high quality defensive backs and linebackers consistently. Their 2009 LB class is amazing.
Like usual, the top 20 players in the collective mock drafts from experts across the net are in constant motion. Not unlike a shark that needs to move to live, the even flow of elite college players can have an interesting effect on a team holding the #17 overall pick. It looks more and more likely that Mathew Stafford, the QB from Georgia, will not go #1 to Detroit. I think they will follow Miami's and Cleveland’s lead by skipping a QB at the top of the draft and taking a premier Tackle (Alex Smith, Lienhart, and Vince young are not helping the cause of young signal callers coming out of school). Taking an O-lineman in the top 5 makes sense on many levels including the overall cap space you save. The new group in Detroit has the ultimate reclamation project trying to turn around the 0-16 Lions.
That being said, they do need a QB. I have already covered the whole trade scenario where a team like Detroit would want to move up to #17 to pick up Mark Sanchez if he is still available. There are other directions the Jets could go with this pick. Players like Sanchez, Crabtree, Moreno, and Percy Harvin looked like top 15 picks and out of our reach at 17 only a few weeks ago. The newest mock drafts are predicting that most if not all of these guys could be waiting for the NYJ to snatch them up in the second half of the first round. Some experts are now ranking Sanchez above Stafford, Moreno had a bad 40 yard dash time in the combine (which is meaningless to me) and Crabtree has a much publicized foot injury. Oh, how things change.
With all the trade scenarios, the quality that will be available throughout the first 3 rounds and the big time players who could be available at #17 Mr. T has his work cut out for him. As I have said before I am all in favor of trading down and scoring more draft picks. Players like Kenny Britt, Alphonso Smith, and Clay Mathews will almost certainly be available in the second round. In my opinion they would be 1st rounders in past drafts. The quality and quantity of LB's and WR's in this draft really raises the value of 2nd and 3rd round picks.
On to the free agency department. Let’s break this down: Coles found a perfect place to land in Cincinnati. One must wonder if we had waited on releasing him until the Houshmandzadeh situation had been resolved, could we have received a 4th or 5th round draft pick for Coles by trading him instead of letting him walk. Just a thought, and I am very aware that hindsight is 20/20.
The Jets signed my guy Leonhard. Finally Rhodes has a counterpart that can help him and not use him as a crutch. Our secondary is getting better day by day. I'm so glad the front office didn't sit back and think Rhodes and Revis were good enough to carry a bunch of below average teammates. Remember those guys Brady and Moss? Oh, and that other dude Welker? It takes more than 2 excellent players to patrol their neighborhood. We have 3 good safteys and 3 good corners right now. When I think how the addition of these new players as well as Ryan’s new system could affect Rhodes, it feels real good!
One other quick note on the Jets and free agency... Why have we not talked to LJ Smith from Philly??? We need a TE to compliment Keller, and Smith lives in NJ. He will be signed somewhere else within days if not hours. Why haven't we even sniffed at him? I really think the Jets have dropped the ball over the years when it comes to picking up FA and RFA from the Eagles. Most of these guys wouldn't have to move or relocate their families if they jumped ship from Philly to the NYJ. That’s a big bargaining chip.
Kurt Warner signed a totally crazy contract that basically guarantees him 19 million for one season. It's technically a two year deal, but 19 mil is guaranteed, so if he retires after 09 he still gets the money. That’s a simply horrible move, especially with Matt Lienhart (who has already collected over 18million dollars for sitting on the bench) still on the roster.
And a final note: The Giants are having a great off-season signing Boley, Canty, C.C. Brown and Rocky Bernard to continue to build their D. Considering the players that were already on the roster I have to say, I love that defense! When Ernie Accorsie bailed out as the Giants GM and Jerry Reese took over, I really thought he was just going to be an interim figure head until they could find someone better. Boy has he made a name for himself. Let me slow down before I get mistaken for a Giants fan.
J.Wagner
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