Gangrene Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Jeff Otah: Everyone’s a Winner July 24th, 2012 | Author: Khaled Elsayed No denying yesterday was a busy day for the front office of the Carolina Panthers. They kicked off the day by adding some depth to their receiver position by trading for Louis Murphy. Then, with rumors of the Panthers working on another deal, I can’t have been the only one surprised to see Carolina finally give up on talented tackle Jeff Otah. For a conditional pick, he was traded away to the New York Jets. Given the situations of both teams involved, and of Otah himself, I can’t help but feel that this is a good move for all parties. The Hunter becomes the Hunted It wasn’t so long ago that Matt Slauson said “we have Wayne (Hunter), and in our opinion, that’s an upgrade”. As an exercise in why fans should rarely believe anything their players tell them regarding personnel (what was he going to say? That the new starter was stinking the joint out and he longed for the day Damien Woody would come out of retirement), Slauson tried to inspire confidence in his beleaguered right tackle. It didn’t work. The problem was that Jets fans had become accustomed to not noticing their right tackle all that much. And that was a good thing. We started grading NFL players in the 2008 season and the Jets were blessed with about as good a right tackle as there was. You didn’t notice Damien Woody giving up pressure, because he didn’t. You didn’t need to notice him in the run game because you were too busy celebrating the fact that Thomas Jones was picking up yards without doing much to get them. Indeed Jets fans were spoilt. After three seasons of dominance (Woody earned a combined +70.6 grade from 2008 to 2010) the league’s top right tackle retired, and in his place came a guy who spent the prior three seasons playing the role of an additional lineman and filling in for Woody when he was out through injury (substitute appearances that rarely went well). Suffice it to say that things didn’t improve for Hunter in a full time role. Only some truly inept play from Barry Richardson, Jeromey Clary and Lance Louis prevented Hunter being our lowest graded right tackle, his -31.1 grade was a long way from what the Jets were used to getting. For Gang Green it meant going from a guy who gave up 52 combined sacks, hits and hurries in three years, to one who would give up 54 in a single season. Throw in 11 penalties for Hunter (Woody had 14 in three years combined), some less than impressive run blocking and you have a real tale of riches to rags for the Jets. That Vladimir Ducasse was unable to supplant Hunter and looked woeful in his 97 snaps (-5.3) in 2011, was even more of a concern. Ducasse was a second round pick and has failed to beat out even the poorest of starting right tackles in the league, so just how bad is he? The Jets brought in both Ray Willis and Stephon Heyer in late May, Willis was later waived, to offer some veteran competition but Ducasse’s inability to challenge Hunter for the starting job forced the Jets into making another move. The Jets were a team out of options at tackle, and with Mario Williams moving to the AFC East and penciled in to start at DLE for the Buffalo Bills, you could almost smell the carnage that would have followed with Hunter going up against Super Mario. I know I haven’t forgotten the sack and five hurries Williams managed in Week 11 of the 2010 season, when the two were lined up against each other just 14 times. Apparently neither had the Jets. The Real Upgrade There was a reason the Panthers traded up in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft to pick Jeff Otah. There are few tackles with his physical talent. He’s not the most athletic of tackles, but he’s one of the most powerful. With a team that had DeAngelo Williams on the roster and had spent an earlier 2008 first round pick on Jonathan Stewart, they were going to try and overpower an NFC South that wasn’t home to the most stout defenses in the league. The early signs were encouraging for Otah, who handled himself well in the first quarter of his rookie year (outside of a schooling from Ray Edwards) before missing the middle of the season. Still he came back and finished strong with all of his last seven games earning positives grades. His season (including the playoffs) ended with a +8.8 grade, giving up just 18 combined sacks, hits and hurries. He wasn’t quite as impressive in 2009 as the Panthers struggled to replicate the form that had won them the NFC South. Instead he squeaked out a positive grade for the year (+0.3) but was again unable to play a full slate of games. He missed the final three, and would then miss all of 2010. Still he was in the starting lineup in 2011, though he looked far from his best in the season opener before sitting out another game. He returned for a three game stretch looking to be back to his best form before injury struck again and another season was lost for him. There’s no doubting that he has talent, but clearly Otah is a guy that has huge problems staying on the field for an extended period of time. Anytime a team gives up on that much potential you’ve got to ask even more questions about whether he really has the body or mentality to get back on the field and stay on it. For the Jets it’s a no risk deal. If Otah is healthy he can’t fail to be any better than what they already have. If he can’t stay healthy, then they’re in no worse a situation than they were in before. Any time a team tries to get better at a position you have to applaud them. Cutting ties For Carolina to get rid of him, you would think would make them a worse team. After all they’re now left with Byron Bell and Garry Williams fighting for the right tackle spot. Neither man is likely to fill you with confidence based on how they have played over the past two years. Bell put together a year in 2011 that earned him a -26.2 grade, although when you think he was an undrafted rookie you think he could have done a lot worse than give up seven sacks, seven hits and 24 hurries (heck, Wayne Hunter would have killed for those numbers). 2009 UDFA Williams was spotty as a starter in 2010, having some decent games, but also getting some severe beat-downs on more than a few occasions. Neither man has the talent of Otah, but then what good was that talent to the Panthers? Stability is a big part of an offensive line and if you’re going to have to constantly chop and change at the right tackle spot, you’re shooting yourself in the foot. With questions aplenty within the organization as to whether Otah was soft or had the required motivation to deliver on potential, why do the same dance you did last year? Moving on is sometimes the hardest thing, but you need to be bold with these decisions, otherwise you’ll never rectify the situation. Win-win So kudos to the Jets for realizing that they hadn’t in fact upgraded on Damien Woody. Kudos to Carolina for moving on from an unfulfilling relationship. And kudos to Jeff Otah, because sometimes a change of scenery is all it takes to get you back to your best. Just ask Laurent Robinson, Jared Gaither or Willis McGahee. The best could be yet to come from the big man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREENBEAN Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Sounds good to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleedin Green Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 For the Jets it’s a no risk deal. If Otah is healthy he can’t fail to be any better than what they already have. If he can’t stay healthy, then they’re in no worse a situation than they were in before. Any time a team tries to get better at a position you have to applaud them. This article sounds about right to me, and the above is exactly why I like the move. Worst case scenario the Jets are still exactly where they were a few days ago, and while that's not great, it isn't the worst situation in the world either. Not to mention, if it doesn't work out, this move does nothing to restrict them from possibly making another move down the line if someone shakes free at the end of camp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaJetsFan Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Please, please, please, please!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gangrene Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 This article sounds about right to me, and the above is exactly why I like the move. Worst case scenario the Jets are still exactly where they were a few days ago, and while that's not great, it isn't the worst situation in the world either. Not to mention, if it doesn't work out, this move does nothing to restrict them from possibly making another move down the line if someone shakes free at the end of camp. Agreed, the upside is exciting; the downside ... well, there is no downside. If he fails his physical or can't get healthy, they have very little committed - hopefully they will keep their eyes open to other camp cuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitonti Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 again I hate these stats but how come Vlad was woeful at -5.3? That's far better than -31.1 of Hunter or even the -29 of Byron Bell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whodeawhodat Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 again I hate these stats but how come Vlad was woeful at -5.3? That's far better than -31.1 of Hunter or even the -29 of Byron Bell. that -31.1 put a number on just how mad he made jets fans....that number doesnt even take into account that stupid ass smirk on his face as his teammates were picking themselves off the ground. If that was a school grade he wouldnt have been left back, he would have been demoted and parents may have lost custody.If i had the choice of any 1 player to replace, it would be this guy. I hope he is right that he will be better this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 WHAT ABOUT OUR DEPTH?!?!?!?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nj meadowlands Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 WHAT ABOUT OUR DEPTH?!?!?!?!?! Fair and balanced??? HA!!!! This article REEKS of Homerism!!!! IT IS WAY TOO POSITIVE TO BE FAIR AND BALANCED!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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