Biggest game for us in 4 years...

In late 2011 the Jets played the Giants in the regular season. Something that happens only once every four years. Sanchez and Rex vs Manning and Coughlin. The Jets had been on a roll for 2 seasons and the Giants had been irrelevant since their Super Bowl win in 2007. Both teams were fighting for their playoff lives. The Jets played a dumb game, Sanchez was an anti-leader, the Giants wanted it more and we lost.

This started an amazing spiral. First off the Giants went on to win a 2nd Super Bowl with Tom and Eli, and the Jets began one of the worst runs in team history. During this run we fired countless coaches, 2 GM's and the entire scouting department. Sadly we have the same owner, but nothing can be done about that.

Since then we haven't even sniffed at a playoff birth.

Fast forward to the day after Christmas 2015. We are 9-5 with 2 division games left. There is a scenario where we finish with 11 wins and miss the playoffs, but we can't worry about that. All that matters is winning this week. It's Jets vs. Pats in late December. AND, it's in our house. Normally we play these late season games against the Patriots in Foxboro surrounded by snow and slush. This year it's here and it will be 70 degrees at kickoff. I can't decide if the weather or the fact that the Jets are playing a meaningful game this time of year are weirder.

I was recently watching a documentary about the turning point when the 49ers became the dominate teams of the 80's taking over for the best team in the NFC of the 70's, the Cowboys. The Niners had fought hard against the Cowboys for a long time, but the Cowboys always won in the end. Well, in the late 70's the 49er's hired the best assistant coach in the league and he changed the culture in SF.

I think Todd Bowles will become a great HC in this league, and he is the best move we have made in over a decade here in Jet Land. He has been 100% consistent in his message. It's all about accountability and ZERO excuses. At 9-5 the Jets have overachieved mightily. Bowles message: "we haven't accomplished anything yet". And he's right.

The Jets have captured lightning in a bottle with Fitzpatrick, Marshall, Revis, Harris, and Mangold. 5 of our top 6 players (Wilkerson being the other) are over 30 years of age. All of them will see a decline in their abilities next year. Fitz is injury prone and 3 of these 5 players have missed games this year. My point is this, next year we are facing a major O-line rebuild, our 2 best corners are old by NFL standards, and our 2 top WR's have never been speedsters, and they will only be slower next year.

This is our chance to make a run. We have a stable of very young, very talented, and very lethargic players, mostly on defense. I have some hope that Bowles can salvage some of them and continue to build an elite program with Maccagnan. I hope they know who to get rid of and who to keep. But the offense is due for a major reboot. I hope this team understands that this is a brief, small window to try and do something. Just like the Giants, who were a mess for years leading into that show down with us in 2011, we need to get hot late in the season and make a run.

No excuses.  

Everything that is wrong with the New York Jets

This organization is a disaster. I have been saying since the beginning of September that I believe we are a 6 or 7 win team. We started out 4-1 and my prediction looked very shaky. Well, we are 1-3 since then and we have slipped to 3rd place in our own division. The Wildcard spot is slipping away each game we play.

We played some teams with real issues during the first quarter of the season. We snuck away with 4 wins in 5 games. We were 4-1 and the media was raving about the Jets. This was the real turning point of the season.

We played New England in their house, and overall we played hard. Brandon Marshall, who has been outstanding for us so far this season, truly shit the bed in that big game. #15 brings an awful lot to the table as a true #1 receiver. Without him we are 3-6 at best right now. So by trading a 5th round draft pick it has bought us 2 extra wins during the first half of the season. That's nothing to sneeze at. BUT, the one thing he lacks is big game experience. And it showed in Chowderville.

Since then this team has simply mailed it in. A disastrous game vs. our #1 non-division threat for a wildcard spot in Oakland. Our coach said our defense was "loafing". He was 100% accurate. Then we face Jacksonville, consistently the worst team in the league for a decade. We struggled and barely squeaked out a win. Next was the show down with Rex Ryan and The Bills.

Again, sloppy uninspired football. Dropped passes, horrendous play calling, and our seriously underachieving D-line still applying little pressure on the QB and giving up big runs at the worst times. Lets not forget we have four 1st round picks on this D-line.

So why were they playing hard to start the season and have checked out for the last 3? The answer is simple. Our players, especially the thirty four Rex Ryan leftovers, were satisfied being 4-1. And they were fine being 4-2 after a hard fought game vs. our arch enemies from Cheatersburgh, MA. This is a team with too many players who are simply happy being 7-9, or 8-8 and coasting through the season.

They play hard when they feel like it, and they sit back and put their feet up when the going gets tough. Rex Ryan cultivated this environment, most especially during his last year here. He and his staff decided early on that they didn't have enough talent and they quit about 3 weeks in. He also cultivated a culture of ZERO accountability and very little discipline.

Big time, highly paid players like Wilkerson and Richardson. These two players can play like top 5 defensive linemen in this league... when they want to. If they gave 100% every down and demanded 100% from their teammates they could easily be viewed as the best defensive one two punch in the NFL. But, instead they talk a big game and give you about 10-15 full speed plays per game.

It's not just these two who are the problem, but they are the kingpins. When we drafted Williams #6 overall one of these two clowns needed to be traded. We could have ended up with an early 2nd or even a late 1st for one of them. We are not going to resign them both anyway with Williams as new cornerstone of the team our GM is trying to build. So why just sit on them and let Wilkerson walk in free agency and get nothing in return?

Especially considering the gaping holes we have at OLB, TE and most importantly QB.

It all boils down to the mismanagement of our roster for many years. In the late 90's Parcells built an outstanding roster via free agency (bringing Mawae in and a bunch of his former players as well), the draft (landing a group of outstanding defensive picks) and trades (Martin is maybe the 2nd best Jet of all time).

Our team floundered after Parcells left and Terry Bradway took over as GM. He hit on a few draft picks like Vilma, but there were far more busts in the draft. And his trades and free agent moves were a disaster. Justin McCariens anyone?

But in 2006 our cap guru Mike Tannenbaum took over as GM, Bradway went back to scouting and we hired a bright young coach named Mangini. Mr T signed a few key free agents, executed a few solid trades and put together maybe our best back to back drafts in team history landing D'Brick, Mangold, Revis and Harris in 06' & 07'. Not to mention a few solid role players in later rounds.

Mangini was simply not ready for a head coaching position, and Tannenbaum started to like seeing his name in the headlines which led to an ill-advised trade for Favre. 2008 was a wasted season but we had an outstading roster. Rex came in like a hurricane and we added a top 5 drafted QB as more of a final piece to the puzzle, instead of the first piece like many other teams have done. I liked the approach, and we made it to 2 AFCCG's.

Sadly Rex's coaching short comings started to become apparent. The team lacked discipline and the head coach had zero involvement with the offense... an entire HALF of the team neglected. Mid way through 2011 the wheels came off and they have never been put back on.

We have had a bunch of trades, free agent signings and terrible draft picks since. 4 plus years of terrible mismanagement can't be fixed in 1 season. The free agent miscues are easy enough to move on from when the contracts are structured properly. Idzik only did one thing well during his short tenure, he didn't lock up long term money on anyone. But Tannenbaums last few drafts, both of Idziks drafts and our new GM's first draft are all heavily flawed.

I know you might say "drafting is not an exact science, every teams drafts are flawed". That's true, but successful teams know what they are looking for in the draft. Sure, every team has busts, but they also have late round hits that balance out. It's about a lot more than just physical tools.

Woody has obviously steered our front office and scouting department away from guys with off the field issues. We have had the bare minimum of trouble makers. But focusing on what motivates these guys seems to be overlooked. Maybe we have taken TOO MANY choir boys. Maybe a Dez Bryant here or there is a key ingredient?

Lets start with the 2015 draft. Williams has .5 sacks through 9 games. Not 5... point 5. A half sack from the #6 overall pick, whose playing on a front 7 with a bunch of other 1st round picks, as well as impactful players like Harrison, Harris, Davis, and Douzable. Combine that with a top 3 secondary and one of the most respected defensive coaches in the NFL today. And he delivers 1/2 of a sack in 9 games. Not saying he's a bust, but that's sad. Mauldin has shown a few flashes and our 2nd round pick, a top 40 draft pick, has done NOTHING. Now I do like our 5th round pick yielding Marshall, but this draft doesn't look good so far. Just like how the Texans draft history was poor during Mac's time there running their scouting department. But, it's way to early to pass final judgment, so I will move on.

2014 was the worst draft in Jets history and that is like picking the worst public relations moment of Mike Tysons career. It's saying a lot. 12 picks, and all we got is a HUGE maybe that Pryor may develop in Bowles defense. Nonetheless, he has already proven he was drafted too high, but we still have hope he can at least become a contributor. Just a horrific draft. Sets us back years.

But lets not forget 2013. We had three top 50 draft picks including 2 in the top 15. We land a CB who is undersized, and has a long history of injury problems, and struggled mightily his rookie year. Next was a player who some call the steal of the draft. But the last 6 months has certainly taken the bloom off the rose with #91. He obviously has major judgment and attitude issues. And those are hard to fix. Finally we land the one and only Geno Smith. Gross.

2012 gave us Coples and Hill with our first two picks. Both were looked at as great values considering where they had slipped in the draft combined with their physical tools. Both were drafted WAY too high. Hill should have been a late rounder and Coples a 3rd. I'd actually compare these picks to our 2014 first 2 picks. Amaro is a late rounder and Pryor is a 3rd. Again and again we reach and roll the dice thinking we are getting a steal.

2009 & 2010 were horrible drafts for a variety of reasons, but mainly because this is when Mr T started trading away draft picks like tic-tacs. Five plus years later and we are still feeling the affects of these dumpster fire draft classes.

So the only draft I skipped was 2011. We landed a blue-chip defensive end in Wilkerson, we traded away our 2nd rounder as part of bringing in Cromartie the previous year, and we take Ellis, Powell and Kerley in the following rounds. When 3 of your top 4 draft picks are still on the team 4 years later that's not bad.

Sadly Wilkerson has shown he has elite talent but very little consistent fire when compared to guys like Watt, Chancelor, Von Miller, and other elite defenders of his generation. And Kerly has basically shut it down since getting his big extension. It shows that we aren't looking for guys that have the proper motivation.

This is what sets championship organizations apart from perennial losers. Just like the Browns, Jags, Dolphins, Texans, and a few other teams that are always stumbling through free agency, bad trades and lack luster drafts, we are always underachieving.

And, in my opinion, it all boils down to the ownership. Woody Johnson is the one constant through this whole debacle. Hess was even worse, but I'm not going back to a different millennium. The top owners in this league wouldn't have touched Favre with a ten foot pole at that stage of his career. They would demand a certain standard regarding the quality of individual they draft. I know Woody isn't scouting players or attending the combine. But it starts with him.

You need a Pete Carroll, Ozzie Newsome, Bill Parcells type of culture changer to step in and get this organization back on track. A guy with a rare vision. I love Bowles as a head coach, but he needs a real game changer at GM, and I just don't think Mac is that guy.

I give Maccagnan credit for making a decision and saying "whatever it takes I'm signing Revis". It was a good PR move, it has had a big impact on the defense, and it took balls. He's not afraid to make a decision. But I really don't like the way he has structured contracts, handing out way too much guaranteed cash.

I also don't like his first draft. If Williams becomes an elite game changer and a 10 year starter... and Petty becomes a solid starter it's a homerun. But I simply would have picked different players with every pick except for Petty. Williams was a luxury we simply couldn't afford at #6. 4 DE's in the first round over 5 consecutive years is asinine. Devon Smith was a HUGE reach. Trading down in the third round was a mistake, a few key players came off the board and Mauldin was a reach as well.

What we need to do, we can't do in todays NFL. A message needs to be sent to this roster. Guys with bad attitudes and inconsistent effort need to go. Parcells did it in 84' after suffering through a disastrous 1st year as head coach. He dumped the big name players with little fire in their bellies and found 'his' guys to fill their roles.

Jimmy Johnson did it in Dallas. When he arrived as the new head coach his former college player Michael Irvin came to his office with a list of the guys in the locker room who were simply coming to work for a pay check. These lazy vets would criticize the young Irvin after big losses for being so upset. They would tell him to calm down, he was getting paid either way. Johnson turned over almost the entire roster and landed hungry players who NEEDED to win.

Unfortunately in 2015, in the NFL's biggest media market we are handcuffed. 16 bad games and your ass can be fired. There are no more 3 or 4 year rebuilds in this league anymore (outside of Jacksonville LOL).

2 preseason games in the bag... and how to find a franchise QB

A lot has happened since my last post about Geno Smith. I have been saying for a while now that he is an Anti-Leader. Well, he proved it by doing something very un-QB-like and getting into a squabble with a guy in our locker room who obviously hits much harder than he does. Geno's jaw is broken and I couldn't be happier. I hope some other QB takes the reigns and he never gets his job back.

But I've wasted more than enough energy talking about this piece of garbage. On to the players who are actually on the field.

We have completed a few weeks of training camp and 2 preseason games.

The first preseason game was a disaster. Our defense looked lost and our offense looked like they had never played football before in their lives. Fitzpatrick is a simple dink & dunk, old, journeymen QB who is way past his prime. He was underwhelming in both games.

However, Bryce Petty, the guy I ranked as the 2nd best QB in this years draft actually showed some signs of life in game 2. He was shell shocked in the first game, and he openly admitted not being prepared mentally to play. He said that he was not nervous the week heading into the game, but when he ran out on the field for the first snap he panicked. Recognizing what had happened he prepared himself differently this week and promised he's be more poised. He certainly was.

I must say I was impressed. I felt 100% confident after watching him week 1 that he absolutely needed to sit his rookie season and learn. But after his performance week 2 vs. the Falcons I truly wonder if he can contribute this season. I have no issue with replicating what the Giants did in 04' with Eli. Let him sit and start the veteran the first 6 to 8 games of the season. If it looks like the playoffs are out of reach then throw Petty in there and lets see what he can do.

The only problem with this plan is Geno Smith. If Fitz is lackluster, which we can almost bank on, by the beginning of October Geno will be in there. And God forbid he actually show some signs of life. Then next year we will have a comp between Smith and Petty. We may also use a high draft pick on a QB. All of this is so illogical. There needs to be a systematic approach to evaluating QB's with the intent of establishing a franchise guy like Luck, Wilson, Rivers, Rodgers and so on.

This is how we should handle the QB situation for 2015. Fitz is told he starts the first 4 games no matter what. There needs to be a little stability for any starter. Give him 4 full games and see what he has left in the tank. If we are winning obviously we keep riding the beard for as long as we can. Most likely he will be unimpressive. So the next move is giving Geno 4 games. No matter what, let the guy show what he can do with these new weapons. I'm sure he will also struggle. He will have so much rust coming off a 6-8 week layoff. He's not prepared when he is actively playing, I can't imagine the train wreck he will be jumping in after 4 or 5 games. By mid-season, if we are below .500, we HAVE TO get Petty out on the field. If he shows the "magic" that is required to win in this league then we can dump Geno in the offseason and not waste a draft pick on a QB. Maybe instead we can get Petty a RT, HB and or WR with our 1st rounder.

On the other hand if Petty also looks horrid with 6 to 8 games to prove himself then we know that when the 2016 offseason starts we have one objective: Find a high quality starting QB via trade or the draft. The whole idea of evaluation is to have a clear picture of who you have at any given position. You must see players in REAL games to really know if they are a keeper. At any position besides QB it's pretty easy to rotate guys and see them in different scenarios. Our problem has been giving way too much time to guys like Sanchez and Smith who show that they can only be quality back ups. You have to keep churning through guys until a Russell Wilson type player emerges. Guys like Brady, Wilson, Favre, Montana and Romo were not 1st round draft picks. But, once they got a chance to start it was readily apparent that they had "it". WE NEED TO FIND A GUY WITH "IT". And there is no clear place to look, only a clear method.

Enough about QB, there were some other interesting stand out's during our first couple of preseason games. First I will mention Ivory, Powell and Stacy. PERFECT 3 headed monster. I see no way that Ridley makes this squad. I think Richardson goes back to the practice squad as insurance and we ride these 3 backs all season. Ivory is a grinder, Powell is explosive and doesn't need a lot of touches to get hot. he comes right off the bench and is ready. Stacy has outstanding vision and can drop his shoulder to get the extra 2 or 3 yards at the end of a run. Love these 3.

I am deeply disappointed by Jeremy Kerly. I have championed this guy since his rookie season and was thrilled he got a 4 year extension. Sadly he has turned into a guy who has lost his fire. He got paid and he doesn't want to compete anymore. He's been openly crying to the press because he is in a competition for the slot WR spot. He feels "he has already earned" that position. Another guy Rex ruined, just like Richardson. We have an exciting group of WR's in camp including a true #1, maybe the best #2 in the business, at least 3 high quality candidates for the slot and a early 2nd round pick who will be excellent at stretching the field  if he ever gets on it. Kerly better wake up and smell the coffee.

Our 3rd round pick Mauldin  looks a bit shaky. He is a high motor guy with size and strength, but his instincts are lacking. He over pursues on every play and usually ends up missing the tackle. Same for last years 1st round pick Calvin Pryor. This guy is almost too aggressive. I like Jarrett way more to start alongside Gilchrest. But it's hard to bench a 1st round pick in year 2 of their career.

Milliner is injured yet again. I think it's time to move on with him. Sadly our top 4 draft picks of the last 2 years could easily not be contributing when the regular season starts. We know that Sheldon. Dee and Geno are out, and Pryor could get benched. Very, very sad.

Something that is not sad is the play of Leonard Williams. My God, this kid is the real deal. If only he could throw the ball LOL

2015 is a new year. Patience is required. We understand that we are at least a year or two from being a contender. I just hope that Bowles and Mac last long enough to see their work through.

Geno Smith: it's starting to look like another year wasted

So I hate Geno Smith's guts with a deep seeded passion in my soul. And that's the nicest way I could put it. He's everything you don't want in a QB. Lazy, undedicated, (which both equal) inconsistent, and lacking the proper cognitive speed to perform at the NFL level. The game simply moves too fast for him.

However, as each summer day passes, and training camp also continues to grind away, it seems more and more like it's going to be another wasted year with this loser as "our guy". A guy who doesn't show up to a meeting the night before a game, a guy who flips off his own fans in his home stadium after he plays horrible and they boo him (how dare they), a guy with 30 starts under his belt as well as a losing record and a terrible TD to INT ratio and a career completion percentage in he mid 50's.

I can't figure out why the new regime would stick with a guy who would cost us very little to cut. Maybe they just couldn't make a move to improve this position. Maybe they did fight for Foles, maybe they did try to pry Rivers away from northern CA, maybe they did try to trade up for Winston. Or maybe not. Either way, Fitz looks like he's washed up so far in camp, and Petty is nowhere near ready to be a starter.

So since #7 is the best of what's around, why not focus on the few positives he brings to the table.

First and foremost he has a delusional view of himself. That's actually a pro when talking about a QB. Any guy who's going to step behind the center in this league and attempt to lead his team to victory has to believe he is the best player on the field. Even if Manning or Brady is on the other sideline that week, he has to see himself as the man. Geno has this.

He has made some boneheaded PR mistakes in his first couple of years, but when he speaks to the press after games  he sounds like a relatively smart professional athlete. He says all the right things in those hard to navigate post game pressers. If you think that's so easy look at guys like RG III who cant get their foot out of their mouth.

He has a strong arm. Not top 5 in the league, but pretty damn strong. His accuracy and consistency is putrid, but he can toss the ball when he needs to.

His teammates seem to like him. Haven't heard a bad word that I can remember where anyone threw him under the bus. I would assume he's a decent locker room guy, and I doubt he struggles commanding the huddle.

He's durable. Couple of minor bumps and bruises, but nothing major. And I have seen him take some HUGE hits. He is built solid.

There's very little about his on the field game I can compliment, however there is one thing he does very well, and has done very well since his first start. He really knows when to tuck the ball and run and when to stand in the pocket and throw. I very rarely have seen him elect to become a runner on a play and not have it yield at least 5 or 6 yards. Most times its a first down. He also knows when the journey is over and gets out of bounds or slides most times. He's won us a few games because of this. It's very instinctive with him and should be developed (especially in the red zone). He's sneaky mobile, but he obvious sees himself as a passer first. That's perfect in the NFL.

Finally, his passer rating, completion percentage and TD to INT ratio all improved in year 2. Not much, but nonetheless they got better. A glimmer of hope? Not for this grizzly old Jets fan, but maybe you youngsters aren't totally jaded and can still dream.

Geno has an outstanding Offensive Coordinator, a Head Coach who will not make excuses for him or tolerate a lackadaisical approach, a GM who surrounded him with all the talent he could ask for,  including the benefit of what will be a pretty formidable defense. A dominate D can help rescue a turnover prone QB from the abyss from time to time.

You are in a perfect situation Geno. The bright lights of the NFL's biggest media market are on you. Will you step up? Suck as much air as possible into those gigantic gaping nostrils and feed your brain with oxygen... Maybe then the light bulb will go off and you will not let the opportunity of a lifetime slip away.

Parity in the NFL

I've always loved the NFL over any other sport and even college football because of how it's structured. Everything is about creating a level playing field. Look at last years final four. The media markets represented are very telling. Boston is an A- media market, Seattle is a B-, Indianapolis is a C and Green Bay????? They aren't rank-able. But all four had equal resources and cap money to spend. One of those 4 teams obviously had one unique advantage, but that's for another thread LOL

I've always believed that the talent gap between the team that wins the super bowl and the team with the worst record is very slight. Success or failure has a lot to do with how healthy your team was able to stay, how much chemistry they have and the quality of coaching. Another great part of the NFL's structure is the teams with the worst records get the top picks in the following draft. So we routinely see teams who are down and out back in the playoffs with a 1 or 2 year turn around.

That being said, this season looks like a true phenomenon. Usually by this time of year its easy to identify at least 4 or 5 teams that have no realistic chance of doing anything. Sadly many times in my 30 years as a Jets fan we have been one of those teams. But this year it's hard to find a team that I would bet my house on not making the playoffs. Lets break it down.

First we have elite teams. They have a franchise QB, a well rounded team and veteran, respected coaches. They are always in the playoff hunt.

• Patriots
• Broncos
• Packers
• Ravens
• Seattle

Next are solid contenders. They have a franchise QB and are building around him. As well as a solid established coach.

• Cardinals
• Colts
• Lions
• Steelers
• Cowboys
• Giants
• Chargers
• Bengals
• Chiefs

So far that's nearly half the league. Next we have teams that have a young starter and are moving forward with him. They aren't in rebuild mode, they have just completed that and are ready to make a playoff run.

• Eagles
• Panthers
• Rams
• Raiders
• 49ers
• Jaguars
• Dolphins
• Vikings
• Bucs
• Titans

Next we have teams that don't have a franchise QB, and are definitely in rebuild mode. Playoffs don't look likely.

• Jets
• Bills
• Browns
• Texans
• Redskins
• Bears

That leaves us with 2 teams that don't fit any category... and frankly could make a run only because they do have franchise QB's... unfortunately the rest of the players around them are terrible. This is rare, but with a genuine high quality QB they have a chance.

• Falcons
• Saints

So if you truly examine this list we have only 6 teams out of 32 who don't have either an established franchise QB or a young highly drafted player poised to take that spot. And 2 of those 6 teams (Bears and Redskins) have guys who have had success in the past and could regain their previous form, making them immediate contenders.

I have only 6 teams who I would be comfortable betting on missing the post season. And any of those six could win the super bowl if only a QB were to emerge this season. The Jets and Bills especially are stacked roster wise at every position but QB. But lets not focus on the bottom of the list. The top 16 teams on this list all have a solid spot at playing in the big game this year. That's crazy.

Less than 1 week until training camp...

The New York Jets 2015 training camp kicks off in just a few days. This year, for the first time ever, camp will be held here in NJ. Hofstra and Cortland universities were the previous camp sites going back many years. These locations were just not a reality for me as a fan to attend. I have always visited Florham park and watched practices there. But they were few and far between. This year I will have a chance to see a lot more.

This is the time of year where we can take a long hard look at the roster and a picture of what our Jets will look like starts to come into focus. I will break down the strengths and weaknesses of this squad, but I will start with this disclaimer: I do not feel this roster is finished yet. I think there could still be a big move on the horizon over the next 2-3 weeks for Mac and Bowles. I am shocked they are going into camp with Geno Smith as the #1 QB. But I'll get deeper into that later.

I think our GM and brand spankin' new front office did a solid job this offseason. I would have done many things differently, but they were obviously focused on making this team as competitive as possible today. There doesn't seem to be much thought put into the years to come, but in 2015 we have a well rounded roster.

I personally disliked Mac's approach when it came to disregarding what Mr. T and Idzik did before him. He seemed to forget that we have guys like Milliner, McDougle, Coples, Richardson... Via free agency and the draft he spent big bucks and a very high draft pick addressing areas where we have young talent that we have drafted and want to develop.

With Cro, Meeeevis, and Busta Ryhmes its hard to see where our other young CB's fit in. With three 1st round DE's chosen in the previous 4 seasons I don't like the idea of taking Williams and then doing nothing with the others. I understand what a value Leonard was with the #6 overall pick, but we have serious needs in other positions. If you want the big man with that pick, off Wilkerson or Coples to pick up some more picks or maybe a veteran O-linemen, or even a pass rushing OLB (Coples never was and never will be a linebacker... he's a hand-in-the-dirt linemen).

But in the end Mac and Co. have a lot more insight than I do, so my faith is in them. Mainly because as fans we have no choice. Enough about the draft, lets examine who we have heading into camp.

I want to start with O-line. This is one area that Mac didn't seem to make a big priority. He signed the 6'5" 320+LB guard from Seattle James Carpenter. He's a B- veteran who has size but poor technique. However, he is a solid upgrade from Willie Colon (who is still on the roster for depth). We also have 2 other young guards in Brian Winters and Oday Aboushi. They both have started games and look like they could become solid starters. Between the four previously mentioned players I think we should be able to establish two B-/B+ level guards this season. I also doubt Colon makes the roster unless we take some major injuries on the O-line during camp.

That leaves us with D'Brick and Manbeast at LT and Center respectively, and a big, gaping hole at RT. Breno Giacomini is not a starting quality tackle in this league. I have no issues with him providing depth, but if he is our starter week one, our offense will struggle. That position is simply too important to the flow of the machine. Addressing this glaring need could be the "big move" I mentioned earlier that may be on the horizon. At least I hope so. As it stand today this O-line is not solid enough to make us competitive. I grade it as a C+, and I think you need a least a solid B+ to compete in the NFL.

Next I will look at the TE position. Gresham just signed with the Cards. And I cant, for the life of me, figure out why we passed on him as a free agent. Right now we have Amaro and Cumberland as our top 2 prospects with Kellen Davis as our #3. Davis has 50 receptions in his 8 year career, so obviously he's a blocking TE. In todays NFL you need 2 solid pass catchers at the TE position. We do not have that. Amaro is unproven and Cumberland is proven... sadly. We know what we have in him, and it's not much. Our hope here is that Jace starts to look like a 2nd round pick. O-line and TE are the 2 areas where Mac seemed to want to build on young talent that was in house. That's why I started there. Nick O'Leary was available to us in the draft and would have been an excellent compliment to Amaro. I am disappointed we passed on him multiple times. I grade these guys as a group as a B-, only because not many teams have great TE tandems.

Next I will jump into the CB spot. Lots of attention on this squad in 2014 when we were starting guys off the street each week, and even more attention during the offseason as we spent a boat load of guaranteed money on this position. I don't see how we move on from a guy like Milliner this quickly. With the moves Mac made it seems like he is doing just that. A top 10 pick, with the highest ceiling of any CB to come out in the draft in a decade, a guy Saban said has more upside than Patrick Peterson, and a guy who actually played well in Rex's very challenging 3-4 scheme at the end of his rookie year... is not a guy I think we dump, trade away for pennies on the dollar or bury on the depth chart. I never liked is fragile body, and didn't want him in the draft for that reason, but he's ours. I'll be damned if we trade him for a 4th or 5th rounder and watch him go to multiple pro bowls some where else. The Guy from the 2013 draft we should be moving on from plays QB for us, not CB. I really wanted to see what we have in McDougle, Walls and Dee... and I am not thrilled with the long term money that we gave to two CB's in their 30's, but in 2015 our secondary should be pretty damn solid. Unquestionably an A+ squad!

Next up is Safety. Wow, Gilchrest, Allen, Jarett and Pryor. None of them are A+ players, but as a whole, and combined with our corners, I love this squad. We can weather a few major injuries to our secondary and still field maybe the best group in the NFL. Wish we would have had all of these guys last year when we were playing Manning, Brady and Rodgers all in a row. Big question: does Pryor evolve into what we all hoped he would be? With Bowles as your HC, these safety's couldn't ask for much more. It's make or break time. I think our safety's are a B+ group that could become an A by seasons end because of Bowles and the benefit of playing with a great group of corners.

Lets dive into the LB position next. VERY interesting group. We lack a game changing outside pass rusher, but we do have a well rounded group of vets and young guys. Harris and Davis in the middle are a rock solid pair, especially now that Davis will become the every down ILB. At the OLB spots we have 3 interesting vets in Pace, Babin and Henderson. I think they are all past their primes and are just situational guys now, but Henderson could catch on if he can stay healthy. He had a couple of good years in Minnesota. I'll be keeping my eye on him. We also have Coples who is very one dimensional at LB and the rookie Lorenzo Mauldin. He has a great back story and is an inspirational kid, I just don't see him as a future starter. By far Mac's biggest reach of the draft. Our LB's as a whole grade out to a C+ IMHO.

Our D-line is stacked, but with the loss of Richardson we are one or two injuries away from a crisis up front... believe it or not. The Richardson suspension is interesting when you look at the draft. Is there a chance the Jets were tipped off regarding Sheldon's drug habit and saw this coming? I am NOT a fan of Richardson. I don't like is attitude. I will never root for this guy. But he is a rare specimen. This four game suspension may have saved the Jets millions of dollars when his contract is up. I hope so. As for Wilkerson's contract, I can care less. He's a solid DE, but he's not a megastar. He, however, does have a wining attitude and is a choir boy off the field. So I would invest some cash in him, but not 70 million. Big Snacks is my favorite D-linemen, and I hope he continues to grow at his position. This squad gets an A- because of the loss of Richardson for the first quarter of the season.

Ivory, Stacy, Ridley, Richardson, Powell and Bohanon.. Now that's a backfield. That's also the order in which I see their talent. I am a huge fan of Richardson and Stacy and I think either can be a 500+ yard back up, Ivory and Ridley are proven vets and Powell is the best back that nobody has ever heard of. 5 RB's and a FB is not realistic heading into week 1 of the regular season. I think Richardson heads back to our practice squad and Powell and Stacy fight it out for a roster spot. Outstanding depth here. If Ivory were to go down with a major injury one of these guys could become a 1,000 yard rusher in 2015 and a real fantasy football sleeper. A- backfield because there is no real megastar, but in todays NFL this is a great way to structure this squad.

That leaves QB and WR. Our 2015 WR corps is pretty damn intimidating. The Marshall trade was brilliant. If we get just one 1,200 yard 8 to 10 TD season from him its well worth the 5th round price. But the sum of it's parts is what's exciting about this group:

• A true, big, game changing, clutch, savvy #1 WR,
• combined with the best true #2 in the business,
• add in a fearless, prototype slot WR known as Mr. 3rd down,
• and a lightning fast 2nd round draft pick

...and you have a defensive coordinator's nightmare. The problem with ensemble groups like this is when guys are asked to be something they are not. Like Decker playing #1 last year. Or moving a guy like Antonio Allen to outside CB. This is when things start to crumble. This WR group is very nicely settled into their roles. We also have young guys who are developmental like Hakim, Evans and Enunwa.... but sadly most of the 12 WR's we are bringing in camp will probably be cut by week 1. I think there is some real talent there, but we can only carry so many guys. This group gets an A from me.

As for the QB's, my opinion on Smith is well documented. I think he is lazy and has a bad attitude. He has the skills to be a wining QB, and he's probably bright enough, but 30 games is enough for me to know that he will never lead us anywhere but to mediocrity. I like the veteran trade for Fitz and the 4th round pick of Petty. Bryce has MAJOR upside, but in 2015 we simply don't have the guy. And sadly that's the whole ball game in todays league. QB group gets a D, and I am being kind.

That's why I am so critical of how Mac spent the money this offseason. We are at least 2 tears away from Petty developing into a high level QB. By then Revis and Cro will be sucking our cap dry and will be a shell of their former selves, not to mention Decker and Marshall will be all but done. I grade this team as a C- collectively mainly because of the QB situation. It's our worst group and the most important. If we had made a move for a guy like Foles I think we have an A- team which is easily top 8 in the league. But with Geno its 6-10 or 7-9 and back to the drawing board once again for Woody Johnson.

Guys who I can root for...

I have been pretty disgusted with a lot of the guys on our current roster and the rosters of the past 3 or 4 seasons. I suffered through guys like Santonio Holmes who make you wonder why anyone would ever pay to buy a jersey with the name and number of a selfish diva. To be clear, I'm not referring to guys who were injury prone, didn't live up to expectations or who were wildly inconsistent.

This thread is about attitude and personality. To some fans it means nothing. They simply want the players to show up and play hard on Sunday, and I get it. But for me as a fan who lives and dies with this team, who truly bleeds green, the public persona of these players matters to me. I don't just root for a player because they are on the roster. I also don't, for a minute, think I know who they really are as people. I just know their aforementioned public personas. It matters to me because everyone I know associates me with the Jets and these players represent what this organization is all about.

One of my all time favorite players was Chad Pennington. I loved his intangibles and I could really root for this guy. He was a polarizing figure in Jet land, and I admit that I wasn't reasonable regarding the fact he was never going to get us to the promise land. He was limited physically in too many ways. But only hindsight has shown me that. When he was on our roster I had 100% faith in him.

Our current team, led by a self obsessed, immature overrated DE like Richardson who can't stop mouthing off on social media and an undedicated, lazy QB who flips off his own fans in his home stadium is hard to root for in general. These guys have done nothing since 2010 that has inspired me personally. But, instead of focusing on them I wanted to shout out a few players who's passion for the game is displayed ever time they step on the field, and who I can truly say I am a fan of.

This list has gotten shorter and shorter over the years. Parcells squads in the late 90's had a host of players who were root worthy. Our 2004 squad was overflowing with guys I was excited to see play and truly rooted for as individuals. Not so much today, it's a much shorter list.

Demario Davis. Loved him as a draft pick, high motor, loves contact and violence, fast, smart... and he was one of the few players who called out Rex and his teammates last season when the loses started to pile up in 2014. He's a winner and I am excited to see him take David Harris's job this season as an every down ILB.

Chris Ivory. He's pretty quiet off the field but his voice is heard when he's on it. He plays hard, works hard and combines speed vision and pure power. I love power backs like him who can find another gear when they see some daylight. This guy embodies the approach of "shut up and do your job". Very few players like that on this squad.

Jeremy Kerley. Even watching this guy at practice is exciting. His route tree is elite, not afraid to go over the middle and he has earned his nickname Mr. 3rd down. He suffered some weird decline at the end of the 2014 season that coincided with his getting a nice contract extension. I hope that was some weird fluke. High hopes for him in 2015.

Eric Decker. Another guy who practices hard. He's a guy you can be proud of as a fan. Great representation of what you want on and off the field. And the hot wife doesn't hurt his image at all.

Nick Mangold. Is there any dude you would want to have a beer with more than Nick? His consistent dominant play is obviously why Jet fans love him, but I am confident he adds a lot of chemistry to the locker room. He's funny and now he's a savvy vet who I am sure commands the respect of every player on the team. There have been a lot of highs and lows since he was drafted in 2006. But this guy has been a source of pride for Jets fans since the day he became a Jet. I'd rank him a top 5 draft pick in our teams history.

Finally... Brandon Marshall. If you told me 4 years ago that I would have this guy on my list I would have laughed so hard I'd piss my pants. But this guy has courageously found help, turned his life around, become a role model and a leader. I am truly inspired by his transformation. He's a game changer on the field and hyper competitive. He survived that epic collapse in Chicago last year with out losing it and saying anything too stupid. I also love him calling out Revis and Cro on twitter before OTA's this past week. Healthy competition breeds success. He will be a big help with getting this roster to bond with one another. I am proud that he is a Jet.

My top 5 players who I can't stand based on attitude are Geno (not committed), Richardson (ignorant child), Milliner (delusional), Revis (selfish disloyal douche), and David Harris.

Harris is a good guy on and off the field and has been pretty underrated as a top ILB throughout his career. The reason I don't root for hi is because he is simply not a leader. The Jets have needed a vocal leader at his position since he was drafted. he's done us a disservice by being as quiet as a mouse. I admire his production and durability, but this is the one guy who we don't need to shut up, and instead w e have a mime as the QB of our defense for the past 8 years.

Roger and Robert sitting in a tree.... K I S S I N G

1. Everyone on earth, including Patriots fans, know that Belichick is a low life that will break any rule to win.
2. Everyone on earth knows that all coaches and players bend rules and stretch them wherever they can.  
3. Everyone on earth knows that no equipment guys would ever do anything like this without being told to.

 

That being said... No team has every won a Super Bowl without

 

1. Having some serious luck fall their way
2. Cutting corners and cheating

 

Example:

Bill Walsh once told the officials his headphones weren't working during a home playoff game vs. Parcells. By rule the Giants had to shut their headphones off. This was an advantage because it was at the start of the game and the 49ers scripted their first 15 plays. So they didn't need to communicate. Once the 15 plays were up miraculously their electronics started working again. Parcells warned Walsh the next year that if he pulled that sh*t again he would expose him.

 

Everyone does it. HOWEVER, when you get caught you have to pay the piper. When you get caught TWICE, (spy gate/deflate gate) you start at the top and crack heads. We've been down this road already once with the Pats. They violated league rules by signing Belichick when he was under contract with us, they were caught in spygate and the evidence was destroyed, now they broke the rules again in the second biggest game of the year, which tainted the Super Bowl ....

 

If you look at what happened with the Saints and bounty gate, anything short of Brady and Belichick being suspended for the entire 2015 season is clear favoritism. 

 

The owner is a proven cheater going back to stealing Belichcik. The head coach as been fined $500,000 for cheating. Even a 5 year old can tell that Brady is lying. It's time to send a message to their organization, and more importantly to fans that this is not professional wrestling... It's a real sport and when cheaters are caught the penalties will make other teams think twice about how far they will go to tip the tables in their favor and cheat all of us.

 

I would not be as upset if it wasn't for Krafts response into all of this. He knows he is above the rules and he has gotten to the point that he flaunts it. My only hope is that he ends up dating some skank that audio tapes him saying something racist so he can be forced out of this league.        

Folks, Robert Kraft drew up that punishment himself. He's not mad. If anything he's closer with his piss boy Goodell.

He told Rodger:
 

• I am only giving up Brady for 2 games, so suspend him for 4 and we will appeal.
• I will save about $900,000 by not paying Brady for 2 games so fine me $1,000,000
• We know who we want to draft this year and our board is set, so hold the "investigation" off until 3 days after the draft ends so I won't lose our 1st rounder in 2015.
• And make sure my coach receives absolutely zero consequences. Even though you ass raped Payton in New Orleans.
• Let's make sure we tell the press how upset I am and how we hate each other. That will seal the deal.

 

 

And that's exactly what happened!
 

Ted Wells complained about how this organization didn't cooperate and how the ball boys weren't made available for follow up interviews. SO WHY DID IT TAKE OVER 100 DAYS TO RELEASE this report ?? All that time to check some god damn text messages and say "we think they did it on purpose"????
 

At this point the WWE is more legitimate than this league.
 

In any other league, or if any other NFL team was caught cheating during a post season run the guilty team would be forced to vacate their title and involved parties banned. Imagine if this was the Jets for a second. Any chance we get this treatment?
 

Brady should be the Pete Rose of the NFL.
 

Instead he will be a first ballot HOF'er. Ridiculous.

Macc's 1st draft is in the books...

The New York Jets selected 6 players in this years draft. We also traded our original 5th round pick for Brandon Marshall a couple of months ago, and traded our 7th round pick, which was originally traded to Houston for Ryan Fitzpatrick (and later traded back to us along with a 3rd round swap and WR DeVier Posey) to move up in the 4th round to get a QB. We traded another 7th rounder for disgruntled RB Zac Stacy from St. Louis. So we netted 9 players from our 2015 draft picks.

My first overall impression of our new GM and front office is that they performed in a savvy way for a bunch of rookies. Their 2 big highlights were taking the 2nd best player in the draft with the #6 overall pick, even though we have an embarrassment of riches at that position already, and 2nd... trading up one position to box out the Browns and land Bryce Petty in the 4th round.  They preached for weeks that they would go best player available in this draft and not reach for players because of need. Its an old school philosophy that takes discipline.

Landing a top 2 talent with the 6th pick is a sick value. It also creates a culture of competition. Richardson, Wilkerson and Coples are confident guys, but when they saw that pick each one of them didn't think about where they want to vacation during the bye week, they thought about what they ate for dinner that night and making sure to hit the gym the next morning. The new leadership has no ties to any of those guys, and if they want to stay starters they are going to have to work. Hard.

Our 2nd pick was speedster Devin Smith from Ohio State. he's a Desean Jackson clone, and he s exactly what we were missing in our WR corps. He was a 1st round graded player we picked in the second. I would have taken Green-Beckham, but I didn't spend months vetting him like our front office did. He is one of the best game changers in the draft, but he is a mess off the field. They obviously passed because they were not trying to take any head cases, at least not in their first draft. One thing that stands out about this draft class is character and effort.

Round 3 was the one blunder of the draft for Macc. He traded out #6 pick in the 3rd with the Texans and moved down 12 spots. We essentially gained an additional 5th round pick. By moving down 12 spots we missed out on Duke Johnson and Eli Harold. Two guys who would have been outstanding fits for us based on value, BPA and need. These were 2nd round talents who slipped a bit.

Instead we took Lorenzo Mauldin. He's a 3/4 LB with nice size and great character. I saw someone of the net write "if this was a guidance counselor draft he'd be a great pick." LMAO. I like the kids back story, he overcame a lot to make it to the NFL. I'll be rooting for him, but he has a lot to learn and he's slow. This pick was unquestionably a reach. I think he was more of a mid 4th/ early 5th round talent. Mid 3rd was too early.

However, I reserved judgment until I saw what Macc would d with the additional 5th rounder we picked up. I'll get to that after I touch on our 4th round pick. Macc traded up one spot in the 4th with Jacksonville to essentially box out the Browns from taking Bryce Petty. Petty was the 5th QB taken in this draft but I think he is the 2nd best QB prospect that was available. So, I like the player and how we landed him. Macc used the 7th rounder that we gained via the 3rd round swap with Houston. Well played. More about Petty later.

Our 5th round pick we acquired from the Texans yielded us a fat lazy Guard named Jarvis Harrison. He is big, strong and aggressive. he should have been a late 2nd round pick. Sadly most other teams understand that guys don't outgrow lazy. Lazy zebras don't change their stripes. This guy was a reach and not a high effort, high character guy like the other players we took.

2 picks before we went in the 5th Jay Ajayi went to the Dolphins. One of my favorite players in the is whole draft went to Miami. Very disappointing. Guys like Nick O'Leary and Kyle Emmanuel were still on the board, and we went with Harrison. In retrospect I wish we would have just stayed put in the 3rd and taken Harold. Oh well...

Finally we take the athletic nose tackle Deion Simon in the 7th. Don't know much about him besides he's big. I have to wonder if he makes the roster considering the players we already have on our D-line.

We also acquired Marshall, Stacy and Posey as I mentioned earlier via trades involving our other 2015 draft picks.

I'd give this draft a B-, with the potential of being upgraded to an A+ depending on how many of these picks become starters. We know Marshall is an automatic starter at WR. It's hard to see how Williams isn't a starter for a long time for us. Smith will have time to move up to a #1 or #2 WR as he plays behind Decker and Marshall for the next 2 years. I don't see him starting anytime soon. The big question marks are Stacy, Mauldin, and Jarvis Harrison.

If one of those 3 steps up in 2015 and becomes a solid starter this draft is a huge win for Macc and Co. If guys like Smith, Stacy and Mauldin become solid role players this is also a good first outing for our front office. But... if all we really net is Marshall as our #1 WR and Williams transplants Wilkerson and we end up trading Mo, it's hard to see how these 9 players made us a better team.

For the record my draft would have played out like this....

Round 1- OT Flowers
Round 2- WR Green-Beckham
Round 3- OLB Eli Harold
(No Houston Trade)
Round 4- QB Petty
Round 7- Trade for Stacy
Round 7- Used to move up for Petty

Shane Ray: Text Book Self-destruction

I have absolutely campaigned for the Jets to use their #6 overall pick on Shane Ray. I'd rank Williams and Fowler as better overall players, but we certainly don't need another D-linemen, and Fowler will be gone by 6. I was not only enamored by his talent, but I really liked what I saw in interviews. The other variable was that he is a former teammate of Sheldon Richardson. We have a big need at this position, and he seemed like the perfect fit.

A week ago a reporter leaked info regarding a well known toe injury that Ray has struggled with since the senior bowl. It was reported that he may need surgery and could be out 5 months. This was viewed as a major blow to his draft value. I, for one, was not shaken from my stance that he was right for the Jets, and worth a top 10 pick.

Today Ray was found with Marijuana during a routine traffic stop. I simply can't wrap my mind around that. If there was ever a week of your life that you shouldn't be driving around with weed, its 72 hours before the NFL draft.

This is not only reckless but it's simply stupid. I can't endorse taking this guy in any round after this latest idiotic move. he will most likely slip to the mid 2nd round, and the team that takes him is getting an elite talent. I just don't want my team rolling the dice on a guy like this that will definitely disappoint us over and over and over off the field.

And for anyone who wants to compare him to Lawrence Taylor... He is not anywhere near as talented, and LT wouldn't have last 3 years in todays NFL with all of the media exposure including social media. Cell phone videos of him snorting crank off of some strippers tits would have surfaced quickly and he would have been done.

So where do we go with our pick now? I'd really like to see us trade down. My prayer is that either Cooper or White are somehow still on the board at #6 and the Jets bait a team like the Browns to reach and trade up. If we moved down as far as #20 we can land a potential elite, 10 year starter for our O-line. If we can land a guy like Peat, La'el Collins or Humphries, as well as picking up more picks this year and next I'd be thrilled.

My top 25 prospects in the 2015 NFL draft

This is the top 25 players in this years draft IMHO. I don't think they go in this order, I previously posted my predictions regarding that. This is just pure talent wise.

1) Fowler Jr
2) Leonard Williams
3) Shane Ray
4) Shreff
5) White
6) Waynes (CB)
7) Armstead
8) Humphries
9) La'el Collins
10) Shelton
11) Peat
13) Gregory
13) Kevin Johnson
14) Darby
15) Odighizuwa
16) Green-Beckham
17) Winston
18) Cooper
19) Dorsett
20) Ajayi
21) Tomlinson
22) Gordon
23) Byron Jones
24) Duke Johnson
25) Dupree

I have said Winston is a bust, but if he went mid to late 1st I think he would be worth the gamble. But he's a bust if taken top 2. You'll also notice no Gurley. He may be the most talented athlete in this draft but I think he barely plays at all considering how fragile he is. So I didn't bother listing him.

My 1st round Mock

This is how I see it playing out. I think the Jags trade with the Eagles and the Jets trade with the Browns. I know there will be lots of disagreements about the potential trades and players I choose for different teams (if anyone actually reads this stuff) but this is my best guess a couple weeks out. These aren't necessarily players I like, it's how I think it will go down. For what it's worth.

1. Tampa- Winston

2. Titans- Willams

3. Eagles- Mariota

4. Raiders- White

5. Redskins- Fowler

6. Browns- Cooper

7. Bears- Beasley

8. Falcons- Ray

9. Giants- Schreff

10. Rams- Gurley

11. Vikings- Clemmings

12. Jets- Peat

13. Saints- Waynes

14. Dolphins- Jalen Collins

15. 9ers- Shelton

16. Texans- Parker

17. Chargers- Malcolm Brown

18. Chiefs- Lael Collins

19. Browns- Gregory

20. Jaguars- Armstead

21. Bengals- Landon Collins

22. Steelers- Goldman

23. Lions- Philips

24. Cards- Dupree

25. Panthers- Humphries

26. Ravens- Gordon

27. Cowboys- Darby

28. Broncos- Perriman

29. Colts- Flowers

30. Packers- Bennett

31. Saints- Phillip Dorsett

32. Pats- Kevin Johnson

I feel really confident about 95% of these, my only tough ones were the Broncos and Pats.

Not sure what the Jets would demand for the #6 pick. I'm sure we couldn't get both of their top 20 pics ... and this is just a 1st round mock, so it was immaterial.

I'd like to land the Browns #12 overall (which I have here) and their 3rd rounder as well as Manzeil. Or I'd take their #12 and next years 2nd with Manzeil OR, their #19 overall and Next years 1st. Either way I'm sure they'd be happy to move that QB, and it would just be bonus for us. We wouldn't be tied to him, he'd be like an add on. Low risk high reward.

Also there will be excellent options waiting for us at 12 or 19 and we get to add extra picks.

Some future stars & busts in the 2015 draft...

Every year I like to post some players who stand out to me in the draft. In the past I have shown a pretty good eye for who are the guys who translate well into the pros and who won't.

Here's this years list, and for the record, they are all not a perfect fit for the Jets, but they are all going to shine.

Kevin White, I think he is the best WR in this draft. My only reservation is that he disappeared in some games during his time in college. He is easily frustrated. But he is a rare specimen.

Dante Fowler JR... may be the Kahlil Mack of 2015. Well rounded.

Shane Ray... my pick for the Jets. He is a long term starter. I think he's a cut above Calvin Pace and will be more consistently productive.

Brandon Schreff... best O-linemen in the draft. Period. Should be top 10. For the record, if I'm the Bucs and I can't trade that pick, I take him.

La' el Collins. You'll hear this name for a long time. 10 year starter.

D.J. Humphries. If you needed to completely rebuild an O-line you have 3 perfect guys in the first round here.

Owamagbe Odighizuwa... the next Demarcus Ware. Yup, I said it.

Laken Tomlinson... 1st round talent that will be available in the early 2nd. Maybe one of the best values in the draft.

Byron Jones, CB, another 1st rounder that will slip.

Dorial Green-Beckham.... not a 1st rounder because of the Josh Gordon like concerns, but he's a s good as Dez Bryant. No question. Mid second rounder is where I'd pull the trigger.

Some more names, Eli Harold DE/OLB, Philip Dorsett WR (my pick for the Jets), Ali Marpet OT, Garrett Grayson QB, Nick O'Leary TE, Kyle Emanuel ILB, Duke Johnson (my pick for the Jets), Jay Ajayi RB (LOVE this guy, perfect for the Cowboys), Obum Gwachum DE/OLB, John Miller G, Ellis McCarthy DT, Josh Robinson RB, Cody Riggs CB  and Bryan Bennett QB.

Finally some busts...

Victor Beasley (especially if he goes to a 3-4 team), Winston/Mariota, Gurley/ Gordon (Gurley won't stay healthy and Gordon won't live up to his draft spot... like Mark Ingram), Amari Cooper (at best a #2 WR), and Devin Funchess... don't think anyone will know how to use him.

Bad Liars

Lord help me! All of the smoke screens and misinformation that gets thrown around this time of year in the NFL (National Fake League) is so transparent.

Whats being said:

Tampa has all but started printing Winston jerseys. They are making it clear (too clear) that they want the embattled Florida QB. I think there is about a 60% chance he lands there, and for me, 60% is pretty good. My reservations revolve around Lovie Smith wanting to hitch his wagon to that horse. He doesn't seem like a Lovie guy.  I could easily see them trading out, going with Mike Glennon at QB and stockpiling draft picks to rebuild that horrid O-line.

The Titans have said publicly that if Mariota is there with the 2nd overall pick he will be their starter week 1. WOW. Could that be anymore ridiculous. They are obviously bating teams who are QB thirsty to give up their next couple of drafts to move up for this guy. The Titans taking Mariota with the 2nd pick is as far from reality as me fucking Eva Mendez.

The Eagles are saying that Bradford is the second coming of Peyton Manning. LMFAO!!!! They traded for this guy to try and use him as bait to move up in the top 10 to snag Mariota. If he is their starter week 1 then I can officially label Kelly as a moron. The Eagles leaked that the Browns offered them their #1 pick (I don't know which one) for Bradford the day after the trade. When have you EVER heard of an NFL team discussing trades that didn't happen??? It's all about inflating this guys value. I think that's why they gave up more than the Rams in the trade. The Jets better not fall for this garbage.

The Bears and Chargers are saying their overpaid QB's are not on the block. Seriously???? Both of these guys collected gargantuan pay checks in 2014, they both were relatively healthy, and neither led their teams to the playoffs. Rivers has said publicly that he's not interested in signing an extension. WHY would either one of these teams not ship those guys out of town on the next bus if they could get any decent value in return??? You know who's not on the fucking trade block???? Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers,  Andrew Luck, Calvin Johnson, Demarius Thomas, JJ Watt, Russell Wilson and Darrell Revis. That's it.... 8 guys.. and Thomas is a stretch. Everyone else is up for grabs.... for the right price. Trust me.

This could possibly be the most exciting first round of any NFL draft in history. You may see a guy like Mariota slip deep into the first, or a team may mortgage their future moving up for him. I see at least 4 trades in the first round, and as many as 8. I also think at least one Superstar QB gets moved during that prime time event.

My dream would be any QB besides Geno or Fitz being our week 1 starter, but more specifically Rivers landing here would make us a legitimate playoff contender. He has 2-3 more good years left. He's spent his whole career in a small media market, and finishing up in NY (where he was technically drafted originally) would be perfect for him to get the recognition he deserves. What a great way to give a big F U to the Giants for drafting and trading him.

I wouldn't want to lose our #6 overall. We need a game changer with that pick. If we land Rivers... (I'd give up next years 2nd round pick conditionally... if he's still on our roster in 2016 The Bolts get our 2nd, if not it's our 3rd.) then I take Shane Ray with our first pick, then offense the rest of the way. Dorsett in the 2nd, Duke Johnson in the 3rd, Nick O'Leary in the 4th/ late 3rd (might have to move up). I'd also consider Jake Long at LT (if he's healthy) and move D'Brick to RT.

These smoke screens are pathetic, but tis' the season. In 5 short weeks the 2015 season will come into focus.

First 48 hours of free agency...

Ok, we have totally revamped our secondary in 48 hours. We signed (or resigned) the dynamic duo known as Revis & Cro, as well as Buster Skrine, a talented young guy from Cleveland. So before we make any more moves and before the draft we have Revis, Cro, Milliner, Skrine, McDougle, Pryor, Allen and Jarrett. Not too shabby. Went from an F to a B+ as a secondary.

We also added James Carpenter a guard who was a #1 pick in 2011 from the Seahawks. He's a B- guy, and an upgrade at the position for us. As of right now we don't have a ton of desperate needs. We need an impactful outside pass rusher, another RB, and another TE. I feel like I'm forgetting something. OH!!!! A QB.... the centerpiece to the whole team.

As well as the free agents I mentioned we also traded for Brandon Marshall & Ryan Fitzpatrick and resigned David Harris & Bilal Powell. I can't complain about any player we have brought in or resigned. All good moves. But I have some major concerns with the contract that Revis signed and the fact we let Harvin walk. And sadly I think both of these moves will have more of an impact than all of the good things that have happened.

First the Harvin thing. Because of the ridiculous contract we gave Revis our stock pile of cap cash has quickly dwindled. It made the luxury of a 10 million dollar x-factor guy like Harvin less feasible. Decker and Marshall both missed time with injuries in 2014. I think Harvin was an important piece to the puzzle in 2015. Not only do we lose him but he's definitely signing with The Bills or the Pats. We had until March 19th to make a move with Harvin. Trading him for anything is better than letting him walk to your division rival. His contract was crazy, but you had time to let teams talk to him, and if they could agree on a new contract they would easily give up a late round pick. Just cutting him was dumb.

And as for Me-vis, I mean Revis. He's going to be 30 years old this summer. He isn't worth 16 million this year. Corners hit the wall, with zero warning, right around 29-30 years old. Last season was probably his swan song. He has absolutely NOTHING left to prove moving forward. He is guaranteed 39 million dollars. He has a ring. He's back on a team, playing for an owner who dumped him when he was recovering from an injury and his future was in doubt. Now he gets to take Woody's money and sit back and fade away.

Obviously Woody knew fans would be thrilled to get Revis back and he's trying to sell tickets. So he told our new GM to do anything needed to resign him. If Woody would have just done this in 2010 the contract would have made sense, and he would have never ended up in New England. Now we decide to make him the highest paid CB in the league... when he's on the downside of his career.

I know, and our front office knows this is a 2 year deal for 39 million. He will make 16 million this year, 16 million next year and he is scheduled to make 15 million in 2017, when he will be 32. No way we pay a guy at that age that much money. So if we cut him in 2017 we eat 7 million in dead money against our cap. That's unacceptable. Brandon Marshall makes 7.5 million. That gives you an idea of what we are losing with that dead money.

With all that being said, it will be nice to see #24 in green & white again. And he does improve our defense dramatically. The biggest mistake over the past week was not finding a way to bring Nick Foles to the NY Jets. He was the best guy available, everyone knew he was on the block, he is a rare talent that has proven he can play in the NFL, and he's young. That was a potential 10 year starter for us. Without a franchise QB, everything else is just academic.

St Louis got Foles for Bradford... and Philly threw in a 2016 2nd round pick!! That's nuts. If we would have offered our 2016 2nd round pick Philly would have pulled the trigger. We could have also packaged Harvin and let Kelly negotiate a new contract before the trade is official. Bottom line is we could have had Foles and our team didn't get it done.

Right now we have Smith, Fitzpatrick and Simms. If we take Mariota at #6 (if he's even there) we most likely start Fitzy and Mariota takes over mid season. And he will struggle. Not only does that put our new leadership on the hot seat, but it also means we can't take Fowler Jr or Shane Ray with our #6 pick. It also sets up a scenario where in 2016 we have a wildcard highly drafted QB as our starter.... and if he is a bust we will be hitting the reset button yet again heading into 2017 with Revis's ridiculous contract hanging over the head of our new GM.

The biggest move that Mac and 'Super' Bowles needed to make in their first few weeks in charge was getting us a QB. And we will never see a situation again with a QB this good & young, with a guy as nuts as Kelly who is willing to deal him. This was a one shot deal. And the New York Jets missed horribly. Like usual.

Legend or Complete Idiot?

Chip Kelly has lost his mind. This guy is a cautionary tale. He was a flashy college coach who ran a gimmicky offensive system and brought a lot of attention to the Pacific Northwest. He parlayed that gig into the HC position of the Philadelphia Eagles. He inherited a team with enough talent to make the playoffs his rookie year. He had a QB emerge in Foles who had 27TD's and 3 INT's. A guy he didn't draft BTW.

In year two, with a team made up mostly of guys he didn't bring in they win 10 games with Sanchez filling in for an injured Foles. He follows that up by having a show down with The Eagles front office, his friend Tom Gamble gets fired (literally thrown out of the building) and Kelly emerges as not only the HC but is given complete control of personnel decisions. He has accomplished NOTHING in his first 2 years in the NFL, and essentially got a promotion.

So a guy with zero pro personnel experience is running your team. What does he do in his first few weeks with the power?

First he lets Jeremy Maclin walk without even trying to resign him, he trades debatably the best RB in the game (a guy who fits his offense perfectly) McCoy for a LB with one year of experience and who missed the entire year with an injury, then he trades Foles for a QB who missed the entire season with an injury (Bradford), then he signs Ryan Mathews who missed most of the season with an injury, and finally Demarco Murray, who has had major injury issues.

Remember he already has Darren Sproules on the roster. So they have more money tied up in the RB position than before he dumped McCoy. You just paid more for the same, or possibly less production. And every player he is bringing in has major durability concerns.

Now I remember a hyped up college coach who came into the league and traded away the best RB in football, and took a lot of heat for it. Jimmy Johnson had a vision just like Kelly does. But Johnson inherited a 1-15 team, and he traded for draft picks. Then he drafted the right guys.

Trading proven homegrown players for other teams injury prone cast offs is just dumb. I don't claim to know more about football than Kelly, but he is alienating a very finicky fan base and setting himself up for failure. He has zero experience and a ridiculous ego.  That rarely end well. In 18 moths or less, and I stress OR LESS we will know if he will be seen as a legend or a complete idiot.

Marshall & Harvin

Brandon marshal will be a NY jet in roughly 12 hours when the New league year begins and free agency officially opens. Our new GM wrestled this elite wide out from Chicago yielding only a 5th round pick. Outstanding anyway you look at it. I am a fan of Marshall, since he turned his life around that is. He was a raging hard on his first few years in the league. But, he had the courage to get diagnosed, seek treatment and talk about it publicly. Even though he is 30 years old, I think he will have a very significant impact on the field and in the locker room as well for the next 2 years.

Percy Harvin is now considered expendable. WTF does that mean? If you want Harvin cut you:

• ...don't understand the CBA and the requirement for each team to spend 89% of its cap over a 4 year period. We are on pace for 72% 2 years into it. We need a 10 million dollar guy on our roster.

• You believe that by keeping Harvin we have too many playmakers on offense. Sure with Marshall and Decker we have a solid #1 and #2 WR now, and Kerly is an excellent slot guy, but Harvin contributes by running the ball, catching it, in the slot, on the outside and he can win us 2 or 3 games just from a few spectacular special teams plays.

• You think he is too injury prone. Well, that just proves the point that if we can afford it, we can't let playmakers walk. Decker and Marshall both missed games last year with injury.

• You don't think one step ahead. This is chess not checkers. Think it out... cut Harvin, The Ravens, Pats or Dolphins sign him, we are weaker, our AFC rivals are stronger, now it's week 17, we are tied with Miami for the final wildcard spot. Harvin torches us. WAS HE WORTH 10 MILLION THEN???

The simple solution with Harvin is to renegotiate and get him 7.5 million a year for 2 years guaranteed. That would put him at the same pay grade as Decker and Marshall, and it's more than he will get on the open market. It's also better for him, because he's scheduled to make 10.5 million this year and its not guaranteed. So if he blows out his knee the 1st game of the season we cut him and his career is over and he's broke. There's no "insurance" on his current higher paid deal.

I listed a scenario in my last post regarding drafting Mariota. I said the only way I'd draft him and keep him would be if we somehow landed Marshall in a trade and kept Harvin & Decker. Well, we will know in about a week if the Jets are going to keep Percy. If we have those 3 savvy veterans who all have different strengths which are also very complimentary to one another, I do take Mariota with the #6 overall pick.

I let him, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith fight it out all summer. The guy who gives us the best chance to win week one starts. Fitzy is a guy I always liked and he had his best years working with our new OC Gailey. I also haven't totally given up on Smith. The way this plays out is simple.

Either Fitz or Geno wins the week 1 starting job. If it's Fitz, Smith is most likely released. If it's Smith, he gets his final chance to steal the long term starting job. Watching Geno, his best games have been at the end of his first 2 seasons. It seems like once the playoffs are out of sight, Geno relaxes, the game slows down and he actually looks good. Maybe with the Duck coming to town he will sense that the public perception is that it's just a matter of time until Super Mariota takes over. He will play with nothing to lose, and might actually do well.

However, I think Geno and/or Fitz will most likely last 5-7 weeks. They both have a chance to help us win, but I doubt they will. Fitz is too old, and Geno is not dedicated enough. So week 8, Mariota takes over, and gets some valuable experience, heading into 2016. This isn't a sexy prediction, but we just don't have enough of a draw to land the free agents we would need to be competitive this season.

Marcus Mariota

Ok, last year I really took notice of this kid. This past college season I fell in love. But I realized that his NFL transition will be a challenge. I also have some issues with his frame. He's skinny and that's especially dangerous for a mobile QB. But, as I read back over my posts here from the past few months I noticed that I have waffled a lot. I've been all over the map with this guy. At one point he looked like the clear #1, but I think Winston has settled in at that spot. Tampa loves him, and he is way bigger and NFL ready.

So Mariota suddenly looks very much like he may be available with our #6 pick. This is where I stand. Taking a guy in the top 10 who is not a day one starter, no matter what position he plays, is simply a waste. I think Geno will beat this guy in the preseason. I also think the microscope that is the NFL's biggest market is the wrong place for a guy like this. However, Chan Gailey is a guy who could realistically do wonders for this kid.

This is where I start to waffle. So I'll make it clear:

If Harvin and Decker are our top 2 targets going into the draft I pass on Mariota at #6 unless we can do a draft and trade like the Chargers did with Eli in 2004.

If we make some-sort-of move and land a #1 WR to compliment Decker, Harvin and Kerly I would consider Mariota at 6. There are rumors about Brandon Marshall being traded to the Jets. With Marshall, Decker, Harvin, Amaro, Kerly, Ivory and Spiller.... This might be enough to give this guy a leg up and win games as a rookie.

The final scenario would be a team late in the first round trading up for a WR like Cooper or White and swapping 1st rounders with us (as well as a bunch of additional compensation for us obviously). If that were to happen, and Mariota slips down to the late 1st I'd take him there. Anywhere from picks 25-38 would be the sweet spot to take him. Then he could sit year one and learn.

He has the character, leadership, he solid when dealing with the press but he's also reserved and humble, which is ideal in NY. Eli has all of these qualities... and two rings to go with it. Not being an exciting press conference guy can serve you well in the Big Apple sports world. He also brings that dynamic ability to run with the ball that is so important in the new millennium NFL. When 325lb guys can run a sub 5 40 yard dash, you need a mobile QB. It's not a black and white decision, and I hope the Jets make the right one.