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Mo Wilkerson, Jets Get Back Together Monday


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Defense Seeks to Build on Last Year's Unit That Tied Mark for Plays At/Behind LOS

 

It's been a busy offseason for Muhammad Wilkerson. The Jets' rising star has been mixing in charity work and other fun things with fatherhood.

"I'm spending time with my family," he told me after a Play 60 event he was involved in last week. "My daughter turned 2 last month, and I'm having a little boy next month. I'm just doing the family thing."

 

Oh, yeah, and he's staying in shape to take on the return to football, which begins Monday when many of the members of his football family come back to the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center for the first day of the voluntary "phase one" part of the team's offseason program.

 

Mo smiled at the memory of the upbeat way he and his teammates closed the curtains on last season, with the rousing 20-7 KO of the Dolphins and the announcement of Rex Ryan's return to lead the Jets for a fifth season.

 

"We finished 8-8. People expected us to finish worse than that, so we exceeded their expectations but not ours," he said. "It was a good way to finish the season but hopefully we'll roll it over into the upcoming season.

 

"We'll come back here on the 21st, we'll have our OTAs and everything. That's just a great way to start off the season, by working out with each other and building a bond. This is where it all starts."

 

 

Mo has talked this offseason about his desire to be "a Jet for life," and that's music to Jets Nation's ears. He's a local guy from Linden down U.S. 1 not far from MetLife Stadium and he's got a great career ahead.

 

And another reason he likes it here in green and white is that he's part of the group of up-and-comers on the line and in the front seven. Sons of anarchy, indeed.

 

"Right now, it's not about individual goals. I just feel like everybody can do something a little better," he said. "There's always room for improvement, and I think myself and my teammates have been doing that this offseason, getting ready to get back. Because at the end of the day, I think we all understand that we have the ability to do something special here for the Jets."

 

One of his unit's goals could well be to spend even more time in the opponent's backfield. I finished some research recently, the results of which shouldn't come as much of a surprise: The Jets defense in 2013 equaled the Jets record since 1970 for the most plays made at or behind the line of scrimmage.

 

We had 159 tackles for loss/no gain for the year. The last time we had more than last year's 41 sacks were the 43 QB takedowns by the 1995 (yes, '95) team. There were 101 run stops at/behind the line, most since '96, and 17 tackles on receptions, tied for the most since '70.

 

The only other team with 159 stops for loss/no gain? None other than the 1981 New York Sack Exchange team. The unit, led by Joe Klecko, Mark Gastineau, Marty Lyons, Abdul Salaam and Greg Buttle, combined its franchise-record 66 sacks with 93 run/reception stops as it created havoc for enemy offenses.

 

 

 

Just like those great names from the early Eighties, the current Jets have come together with the likes of Wilkerson, Sheldon RichardsonQuinton CoplesDamon HarrisonDavid HarrisDemario DavisKenrick Ellisand old head Calvin Pace. Most are relative NFL "youngsters," and Wilkerson can't wait to see how they mature.

 

"We're real young up front, we're very talented. We're pretty much in our prime now, and hopefully we'll get to play together for a long time," Mo said. "We feel like our time is now."

And now, or more precisely Monday, is the time for the Jets veterans to get back together and start the building process for the season ahead.

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There's really no reason at all for the Jets to extend Mo before 2015.

 

unless it keep you from trying to extend him and other stars in the same year down the line.  the lions aren't using the 5th year option on fairly, that could be a sticking point for mo

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He's a good guy almost the Anti-Revis, let him play out his year and sign him up, I cant believe how the players did not see this in the CBA, someone was Defiantly asleep at the wheel.

Of course the NFLPA saw it. If they didn't, all they to remove it is to boycott the NFL until it gets removed. But they knew what they were doing.

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He's a good guy almost the Anti-Revis, let him play out his year and sign him up, I cant believe how the players did not see this in the CBA, someone was Defiantly asleep at the wheel.

Basically. They have him locked up for the next two years, and this year is dirt cheap. There's absolutely no reason to do an extension this year. None. Next year, before his already big raise kicks in, they can (and should) sign him to a long term deal.

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Of course the NFLPA saw it. If they didn't, all they to remove it is to boycott the NFL until it gets removed. But they knew what they were doing.

Then those guy are defo morons, what a terrible deal for the players, personally I'm not bothered, the Jets and other NFL teams keep their young long and more importantly Cheap players. 

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Then those guy are defo morons, what a terrible deal for the players, personally I'm not bothered, the Jets and other NFL teams keep their young long and more importantly Cheap players.

In their previous agreement, all first rounders could be signed to five year deals. Now it's four, with a relatively expensive option for a fifth. The Jets are in a good situation with Wilk where he's worth more than what the CBA requires in that fifth year. I haven't looked, but I imagine most teams aren't even thinking about kicking in that option year for their pick. Either they're extending them for less, or letting them walk.

Don't get me wrong, the players got the shaft here, but the contract lengths and the fifth year option isn't the worst of it.

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In their previous agreement, all first rounders could be signed to five year deals. Now it's four, with a relatively expensive option for a fifth. The Jets are in a good situation with Wilk where he's worth more than what the CBA requires in that fifth year. I haven't looked, but I imagine most teams aren't even thinking about kicking in that option year for their pick. Either they're extending them for less, or letting them walk.

Don't get me wrong, the players got the shaft here, but the contract lengths and the fifth year option isn't the worst of it.

 

Actually couldn't they be signed to 6 years under the old CBA? Or maybe it was 5 years with a team option for a 6th, and in some cases a 7th; I forget.  It's just that it wasn't customary unless it was a very high 1st rounder, which Wilkerson certainly wasn't. Or unless you're a CB who gets drafted by a team whose GM wants to break new ground.

 

Think Revis's was for 4 years (at more $ than the pick ahead of him got over 5 years), with a team option for 2 years $20M ($5M in year 5 then $15M in year 6).  Never happened because he held out after 3 and the evil Jets gave him a new deal.

 

Now the maximum is 4 years with a team option for a 5th at much higher $ than year 5 would have been under the old system.  Certainly better for the players unless you're that uncommon player like Wilkerson, as you mentioned, who could probably get more than that high 5th year money on the open market.

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Then those guy are defo morons, what a terrible deal for the players, personally I'm not bothered, the Jets and other NFL teams keep their young long and more importantly Cheap players. 

 

5th yr option was a part of the deal that got the whole thing done. It wasn't like the owners asked to put it in there at the last second. It is fully guaranteed for the player even if he has a career ending injury. If players don't perform like a top pick, they won't get a big contract. If they do, they'll get a pretty good amount of guarantee for one year before cashing in a huge paycheck. Its not like Jets are getting Mo for a couple mil next yr. He'll get $7mil, which is about double of what he has made so far.

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95. Jesus. I always forget that Hugh Douglas was a Jet .

 

Thanks, Big Bill.  He was so easily replaced by Dorian Boose, Eric Ogbogu and Casey Dailey. That fat **** traded down to a ton of picks and Jason Fabini was quite literally the only one worth a nickel.  That draft was so pathetic that Blake Spence and Scott Frost were like the top picks. 

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