Gas2No99 Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Jets hatch plan to prevent defense from getting nickel-and-dimed Richly InCimini-atedESPN Staff Writer A look at what's happening around the New York Jets: 1.Tweaking the D: The Jets were a top-10 defense last season in the major statistical categories, but one area that needs work is their sub defense -- the nickel and dime packages. Everybody knows how important they are in today's game. With so many spread offenses, it's common for defenses to use their nickel personnel for at least 50 percent of the snaps. Interestingly, the Jets used their nickel and dime packages for only 440 snaps (43 percent), good for 21st in the league, according to ESPN Stats & Information. They didn't perform particularly well with five or six defensive backs on the field, finishing 21st in yards per play (6.19), 19th in yards per rush (5.29) and 15th in yards per pass attempt (7.06). Perhaps that factored into some of their draft-day decisions. First-round pick Darron Lee, known as a blitz-and-cover linebacker, will play immediately in the nickel. Third-round pick Jordan Jenkins could start out as a pass-rushing specialist and fourth-round cornerback Juston Burris will have a chance to work his way into playing time. If nothing else, the Jets will have more speed on the field for those crucial second-and-long and third-and-long plays. 2. Diamonds in the rough: College free agency isn't about big money, as most undrafted rookies receive modest signing bonuses, but it's always interesting to track the money because it often tells us which players were deemed "priority" free agents. Thirteen of the Jets' 14 additions received signing bonuses, but only three exceeded $10,000 in guaranteed money -- wide receiver/kick returner Jalin Marshall ($12,500), safety Doug Middleton ($15,000) and defensive end Lawrence Thomas ($15,000). Marshall is a player to watch, especially with the Jets' issues in the return game. 3. Double agents: At the NFL owners meetings in March, I happened upon a strange sight one day while walking a near-empty hallway in the posh Boca Raton hotel that hosted the event: I spotted Jets owner Woody Johnson chatting with one of Darrelle Revis' agents, Neil Schwartz. I should've taken a cell-phone picture of the former bargaining-table foes, but I blew my chance. It would've been priceless. Schwartz and his partner, Jonathan Feinsod, have clashed several times with Jets management over the years, so much so that the two agents became part of the discourse on the team. That's why it was newsworthy the other day when it was revealed that Revis had terminated his relationship with his longtime agents. It was a surprise, to be sure. We might never know the real reason for the split, but you have to think it wasn't financially driven. Pit bulls at the bargaining table, Schwartz and Feinsod maximized Revis' earning power with creative contracts, a couple of holdouts and a well-orchestrated trade. Evidently, something didn't sit well with Revis, who last year fired a childhood friend who served as his business manager. Schwartz and Feinsod can take solace in knowing they still will collect their commission on his current contract. It'll be weird not having them affiliated with Revis, but we'll always have the Roscoe Diner. 4. The three wise men: The Jets have to be one of the most seasoned teams in the league when it comes to interior defense. The three men in the middle -- inside linebackers David Harris and Erin Henderson, plus nose tackle Steve McLendon -- have a combined 22 seasons of experience. The downside is you always worry about a lack of speed when you're dealing with older players. Henderson and McLendon replaced younger players, Demario Davis and Damon Harrison, respectively. Harris likes his new middle men. On Henderson: "He played better and better as the season went on. You go back and watch and the last game of the season, he played phenomenal. It all came together for him. We're all looking for great things from him this year." On McLendon: "[Harrison] was a hell of a player for us. He pretty much averaged 70 tackles a season playing nose tackle, and that's unheard of. Now Steve is here. He comes from a similar system in Pittsburgh. He knows a lot of our verbiage already. I talk to him almost every day. ... He's athletic, he's as strong as an ox and he's a veteran, so he knows how to approach it." 5. A Brady hunch: You have to admire Eric Decker's confidence, saying Tom Brady's probable suspension will open the door for the Jets in the AFC East. Some might say he's too confident, considering their starting quarterback is ... well, floating in free-agent limbo. Decker did say he expects Ryan Fitzpatrick to be the opening-day quarterback, so maybe he was basing his prediction on that. 6. Tight end or dead end? The Jets' tight ends combined for only eight catches in 2015, one of the least productive seasons in recent history for the position. Are they predicting a bounce-back year? Well, not exactly. Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey said he's taking a wait-and-see approach. "We're going to get the football to the guys who need to get the football and help us win games," he said. It's one of the things you have to like about Gailey: He refuses to put his offense in a box; he adjusts on the fly. 7. A Tebow Tome: Tim Tebow has a new book due to be released in October. It's called "Shaken," and it deals with the highs and lows of his NFL career. I can't wait to see how he addresses his ill-fated season with the Jets. Some people in the organization think he was a selfish player who wanted to bail on the team at the end of the year. 8. Ear plugs could be an option: The neighborhood around Harris' locker has changed. Gone is the retired D'Brickashaw Ferguson, quiet and always mature beyond his years. New in that part of the locker room are Sheldon Richardson and Rontez Miles, both young and brash. "I guess I have to be the old, wise [leader]," Harris cracked. Jalin Marshall - WR - Jets ESPN Jets reporter enRiched Semen-i called UDFA WR Jalin Marshall a "player to watch" this summer. Marshall received a $12,500 signing bonus from the Jets, an unusually high number for an undrafted free agent. The Ohio State alum is very much a project but his expertise on returns could lead to playing time right away. Last year, the Jets ranked 26th out of 32 teams in kick return average. Source: ESPN.com May 22 - 9:20 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetdawgg Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Improving the ST play was as prioritized as improving the D and the O this season. Good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32EBoozer Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Still don't understand the Lawrence Thomas signing. 6'3"HEIGHT 33 1/4"ARM LENGTH 286LBS.WEIGHT 10 1/8"HANDS OVERVIEW Ranked in the top 30 of all recruits nationally coming out of Detroit, Thomas could have signed on with many different programs across the country. He stayed close to home, however, signing with the Spartans. Thomas redshirted in 2011 before splitting the next season between defensive end, fullback (he caught seven passes for 78 yards), and defensive tackle. He missed the first half of the 2013 season with a back injury, managing only on the year. Thomas proved healthy the following year, starting every game (12 at nose tackle despite his tall, athletic build), making 30 tackles, 4.5 for loss. MSU coaches moved him at defensive end for most of his senior season, resulting in career highs in tackles (38), tackles for loss (five), sacks (three), and pass break-ups (six). This improvement did not escape Big Ten coaches, who voted him honorable mention all-conference. PRO DAY RESULTS Short shuttle: 4.45 seconds 3-cone drill: 7.55 seconds Bench: 24 reps of 225 pounds ANALYSIS STRENGTHS Outstanding athleticism for a man his size. Came in as a linebacker before moving to defensive line. Has muscular, well-defined lower body with very little bad weight on his frame. Knee-bender who comes off ball looking to strike a leveraged, upward blow. Good motor and is always working to improve his positioning with footwork and upper body strength. Hard to get him sealed and wont quit on plays. Plays with good lateral bend and quickness. Unselfish and does dirty work asked of him to keep linebackers flowing. Can be a two-down power end or has room for more weight to be play inside. WEAKNESSES Hard worker, but lacking in overall production. Not much of a finisher on the other side of the line. Needs to get into blocker's framework more quickly with his hands. Aggressive in his "take on" but could improve with the quickness of his control and shed. Effort pass rusher who didnt get home much with the Spartans. Uses a random spin move that gains little ground. Doesn't seem to rush passer with a plan. DRAFT PROJECTION Round 7 or priority free agent BOTTOM LINE Worker bee type with the energy and athleticism to get you excited, but the lack of production that could keep him from becoming anything more than a rotational lineman. Teams will need to decide where to play him, but with a frame that carries so much good weight already, it isn't hard to imagine Thomas carrying 315 pounds for a full-time spot inside. Keep in mind that Thomas played fullback as a freshman and teams might want to give him another look there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRENGTHS Outstanding athleticism for a man his size. Came in as a linebacker before moving to defensive line. Has muscular, well-defined lower body with very little bad weight on his frame. Knee-bender who comes off ball looking to strike a leveraged, upward blow. Good motor and is always working to improve his positioning with footwork and upper body strength. Hard to get him sealed and wont quit on plays. Plays with good lateral bend and quickness. Unselfish and does dirty work asked of him to keep linebackers flowing. Can be a two-down power end or has room for more weight to be play inside.
WEAKNESSES Hard worker, but lacking in overall production. Not much of a finisher on the other side of the line. Needs to get into blocker's framework more quickly with his hands. Aggressive in his "take on" but could improve with the quickness of his control and shed. Effort pass rusher who didnt get home much with the Spartans. Uses a random spin move that gains little ground. Doesn't seem to rush passer with a plan.
BOTTOM LINE Worker bee type with the energy and athleticism to get you excited, but the lack of production that could keep him from becoming anything more than a rotational lineman. Teams will need to decide where to play him, but with a frame that carries so much good weight already, it isn't hard to imagine Thomas carrying 315 pounds for a full-time spot inside. Keep in mind that Thomas played fullback as a freshman and teams might want to give him another look there.
Tinstar Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 16 minutes ago, 32EBoozer said: Still don't understand the Lawrence Thomas signing. 6'3"HEIGHT 33 1/4"ARM LENGTH 286LBS.WEIGHT 10 1/8"HANDS OVERVIEW Ranked in the top 30 of all recruits nationally coming out of Detroit, Thomas could have signed on with many different programs across the country. He stayed close to home, however, signing with the Spartans. Thomas redshirted in 2011 before splitting the next season between defensive end, fullback (he caught seven passes for 78 yards), and defensive tackle. He missed the first half of the 2013 season with a back injury, managing only on the year. Thomas proved healthy the following year, starting every game (12 at nose tackle despite his tall, athletic build), making 30 tackles, 4.5 for loss. MSU coaches moved him at defensive end for most of his senior season, resulting in career highs in tackles (38), tackles for loss (five), sacks (three), and pass break-ups (six). This improvement did not escape Big Ten coaches, who voted him honorable mention all-conference. PRO DAY RESULTS Short shuttle: 4.45 seconds 3-cone drill: 7.55 seconds Bench: 24 reps of 225 pounds ANALYSIS STRENGTHS Outstanding athleticism for a man his size. Came in as a linebacker before moving to defensive line. Has muscular, well-defined lower body with very little bad weight on his frame. Knee-bender who comes off ball looking to strike a leveraged, upward blow. Good motor and is always working to improve his positioning with footwork and upper body strength. Hard to get him sealed and wont quit on plays. Plays with good lateral bend and quickness. Unselfish and does dirty work asked of him to keep linebackers flowing. Can be a two-down power end or has room for more weight to be play inside. WEAKNESSES Hard worker, but lacking in overall production. Not much of a finisher on the other side of the line. Needs to get into blocker's framework more quickly with his hands. Aggressive in his "take on" but could improve with the quickness of his control and shed. Effort pass rusher who didnt get home much with the Spartans. Uses a random spin move that gains little ground. Doesn't seem to rush passer with a plan. DRAFT PROJECTION Round 7 or priority free agent BOTTOM LINE Worker bee type with the energy and athleticism to get you excited, but the lack of production that could keep him from becoming anything more than a rotational lineman. Teams will need to decide where to play him, but with a frame that carries so much good weight already, it isn't hard to imagine Thomas carrying 315 pounds for a full-time spot inside. Keep in mind that Thomas played fullback as a freshman and teams might want to give him another look there. Can't be sure, but if it were up to me, I would see if this kid could drop some weight and develop as a strong side outside linebacker in the Catapano mold . I think this regime is very interested in finding a young Sam linebacker who's on the bigger side . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRENGTHS Outstanding athleticism for a man his size. Came in as a linebacker before moving to defensive line. Has muscular, well-defined lower body with very little bad weight on his frame. Knee-bender who comes off ball looking to strike a leveraged, upward blow. Good motor and is always working to improve his positioning with footwork and upper body strength. Hard to get him sealed and wont quit on plays. Plays with good lateral bend and quickness. Unselfish and does dirty work asked of him to keep linebackers flowing. Can be a two-down power end or has room for more weight to be play inside.
WEAKNESSES Hard worker, but lacking in overall production. Not much of a finisher on the other side of the line. Needs to get into blocker's framework more quickly with his hands. Aggressive in his "take on" but could improve with the quickness of his control and shed. Effort pass rusher who didnt get home much with the Spartans. Uses a random spin move that gains little ground. Doesn't seem to rush passer with a plan.
BOTTOM LINE Worker bee type with the energy and athleticism to get you excited, but the lack of production that could keep him from becoming anything more than a rotational lineman. Teams will need to decide where to play him, but with a frame that carries so much good weight already, it isn't hard to imagine Thomas carrying 315 pounds for a full-time spot inside. Keep in mind that Thomas played fullback as a freshman and teams might want to give him another look there.
JetPotato Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Author change is priceless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsons Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 16 minutes ago, Tinstar said: Can't be sure, but if it were up to me, I would see if this kid could drop some weight and develop as a strong side outside linebacker in the Catapano mold . I think this regime is very interested in finding a young Sam linebacker who's on the bigger side . The video on him is not good, I don't see him making a successful transition to LB let alone playing well on the DL... I don't understand the 15k guarantee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinstar Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 12 minutes ago, jetsons said: The video on him is not good, I don't see him making a successful transition to LB let alone playing well on the DL. I watched 2 games of his against Iowa and Michigan and here's what I notice . The kid has a non stop motor and can set the edge of a defense . He's strong at the POA even thou he doesn't get a lot of up field push . He's not a DT at all because his strength is more noticeable against college tackles and TEs than against the more bigger offensive guards. He looks much like Bryan Thomas out there in that what he does makes the defense work, but doesn't show up much as a stat line. I think he could be a useful player as a 43 DE or a 34 OLB but at a few less pounds which should make him quicker . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsons Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Just now, Tinstar said: I watched 2 games of his against Iowa and Michigan and here's what I notice . The kid has a non stop motor and can set the edge of a defense . He's strong at the POA even thou he doesn't get a lot of up field push . He's not a DT at all because his strength is more noticeable against college tackles and TEs than against the more bigger offensive guards. He looks much like Bryan Thomas out there in that what he does makes the defense work, but doesn't show up much as a stat line. I think he could be a useful player as a 43 DE or a 34 OLB but at a few less pounds which should make him quicker . I didn't see Any of that... I saw him manhandled by TE's like he was a DB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoot-Face Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 2 hours ago, Gas2No99 said: 4. The three wise men: The Jets have to be one of the most seasoned teams in the league when it comes to interior defense. The three men in the middle -- inside linebackers David Harris and Erin Henderson, plus nose tackle Steve McLendon -- have a combined 22 seasons of experience. The downside is you always worry about a lack of speed when you're dealing with older players. Henderson and McLendon replaced younger players, Demario Davis and Damon Harrison, respectively. Lol at the bold. Demario wasn't fast, and McLendon is a NT for ****'s sake. Not really a speedster position. Nice try, Rich. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Integrity28 Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 6 hours ago, Jetdawgg said: Improving the ST play was as prioritized as improving the D and the O this season. Good It really was. For all the bickering that goes on here about the QB, the reality is that ST single-handedly lost several games. The QB didn't outright lost any games, sure the QB contributed to some losses, or couldn't dig us out of the hole in some losses.... but he didn't outright case them. ST did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32EBoozer Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 7 hours ago, Tinstar said: Can't be sure, but if it were up to me, I would see if this kid could drop some weight and develop as a strong side outside linebacker in the Catapano mold . I think this regime is very interested in finding a young Sam linebacker who's on the bigger side . Add him to the stable of unimpressive OL "PROJECTS" that we already have....what's one more? Catapano, Bishop, Carter, Jones and Reilly fighting it out for playing time @ LB should be enough. A waste of $15k if you ask me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesr Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 Ah, the offseason ... where a $15k payment for a UDFA is worthy board material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainejet Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 So you mean to tell me their grand PLAN is to put small fry covering Rob Gronkowski???? HA HA HA 6-10 here we come.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesr Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 4 hours ago, Mainejet said: So you mean to tell me their grand PLAN is to put small fry covering Rob Gronkowski???? HA HA HA 6-10 here we come.... I'd imagine it'd more be Dion Lewis and the like, rather than Gronk. Just because Lee can cover doesn't mean he's the only guy who'll cover TE's etc ... Gronk is a real outlier that every team struggles with. I don't think we ever had Davis covering Gronk last year (or if we did, it wasn't our usual plan). I think it was more Pryor that was used. The main thing with Lee is that at least there's a viable option of using him in coverage - watching Davis try to cover last year was disheartening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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