whodeawhodat Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 Clyde Gates made his way through the Jets locker room Monday almost as quickly as he runs down the field. He zipped past reporters and said he did not have time to talk. He grabbed his belongings from his locker and exited. Surprisingly, he didn’t drop anything on the way out. With three drops against the Patriots, Gates is the latest Jets wide receiver to become the poster child for this team’s biggest problem. Forget Geno Smith, forget the struggles in the running game or Dee Milliner’s mistakes, the No. 1 issue the Jets have is at wide receiver. What else is new? This is a problem the Jets have had for years. Want to take a guess when the last time a Jets receiver was named All-Pro? Here’s a hint: You were watching VHS tapes and listening to Starship. No Jets receiver since Al Toon in 1986 has earned the honor. Keyshawn Johnson in 1999 is the last one to even make the Pro Bowl. The Jets have had some decent receivers in the past decade — Wayne Chrebet, Jerricho Cotchery, Braylon Edwards, Laveranues Coles and Santonio Holmes all qualify. But they have not had a game-changer, and it is killing them. It hurt Mark Sanchez severely, and it will do the same to Smith, Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Manziel or whoever the Jets quarterback of the future is. Everyone talks about the NFL now being a passing league, but it helps to have someone on the receiving end. Take a look at Peyton Manning and Tom Brady right now. Both are among the greatest quarterbacks ever to play the game. Manning is thriving with Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker and Wes Welker running routes for him. Brady? He’s throwing sideline tantrums about the way his inexperienced receivers are playing. The 2013 Jets have shown more promise in their first two games than anyone not named Rex predicted. Their defense looks like one of the league’s best, and Smith has shown flashes that he could lead the team. But the receivers are dragging the team down. Every one except Jeremy Kerley is playing a slot above where they should be. Holmes at 29 and coming off foot surgery is no longer a No. 1 receiver. Stephen Hill remains raw and should be a No. 3. Gates is a No. 5 at best. It would be easy to blast general manager John Idzik and say he should have addressed this issue in the offseason, but there was no easy solution then, and there remains no easy solution now. Idzik inherited a team with salary cap issues and lots of positions that needed help. The Jets could not afford a top receiver in free agency like Mike Wallace (five years, $60 million from the Dolphins) or Greg Jennings (five years, $47.5 million from the Vikings). The Jets could have gone the cheaper route and signed Darrius Heyward-Bey (one year, $2.5 million from the Colts) or Donnie Avery (three years, $8.55 million from the Chiefs), but it is questionable just how much that kind of signing would have helped. Idzik could not just give up on Hill entering his second season after the Jets used a second-round pick on him in 2012. That left him married to an injured Holmes and a developing Hill. The best solution for Idzik came on draft day. The Jets had their fingers crossed that Tavon Austin would fall to them at No. 9, but the Rams snatched him one pick ahead of the Jets. When that happened, the Jets should have traded one of their two first-round picks to move down in the draft and take either DeAndre Hopkins or Cordarrelle Patterson, who both went late in the first round, but finding a trading partner on draft day is not always as simple as picking up the phone. Now the Jets are stuck with a half-speed Holmes, a still developing Hill, an ineffective Gates and Kerley, who is the best of the bunch but suffered a concussion in Week 1. It would be hard for Smith, Mark Sanchez or Joe Montana to thrive with this group. In 2009, Mike Tannenbaum swung a deal for Edwards after Eric Mangini grew tired of him in Cleveland. Idzik can only hope there is a diva receiver somewhere in the NFL wearing out his welcome who could hit the trade market. Otherwise, he better get used to watching games like last Thursday, when his wide receivers did not give the Jets a chance to win. Milliner started too soon Competition has been the catch word of the John Idzik regime with the Jets. But the team’s decision makers look like total hypocrites when it comes to rookie cornerback Dee Milliner. Milliner did nothing to earn his starting job other than being drafted No. 9 overall. He spent the entire spring on the sideline, recovering from shoulder surgery, then showed up to training camp a week late after a contract holdout. Nevertheless, coach Rex Ryan handed Milliner the starting job, with the general manager’s blessing, presumably. Now Milliner is struggling, and Ryan benched him against the Patriots. Well, Milliner probably should not be starting in the first place. Ryan said Kyle Wilson had the best offseason of his career and Darrin Walls emerged in the spring as a useful corner. Yet, both were pushed aside when Milliner showed up in Cortland. Ryan should have put Milliner at the bottom of the depth chart and let him earn his role. That’s what competition is about, isn’t it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stugotz81 Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 The fact the Chrebet never made a pro bowl makes me boil. The guy never got the respect he deserved. He was better than half of the receivers on the AFC pro bowl roster.year in and year out. Respect didn't start coming for small white clutch receivers till Welker, now its like the new muta fu*kn trend. Put Chrebet in the NFL today, he's a top prospect for every and any team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whodeawhodat Posted September 18, 2013 Author Share Posted September 18, 2013 The fact the Chrebet never made a pro bowl makes me boil. The guy never got the respect he deserved. He was better than half of the receivers on the AFC pro bowl roster.year in and year out. Respect didn't start coming for small white clutch receivers till Welker, now its like the new muta fu*kn trend. Put Chrebet in the NFL today, he's a top prospect for every and any team. I met him at bahama breeze in tampa a few years ago and he looked in good shape. i hope he stays that way, I remember reading about him not being able to put his shoes on after a game due to getting dinged in the head during the game(read concussion). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whodeawhodat Posted September 18, 2013 Author Share Posted September 18, 2013 Also, we could have had Jonathan Baldwin. I know for a fact he was being shopped openly, not sure why the reporter didnt mention that when he talks about trading for a diva, they really dont get more diva than him from what I have heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joewilly12 Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 We have the best WRs in the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smashmouth Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 The fact the Chrebet never made a pro bowl makes me boil. The guy never got the respect he deserved. He was better than half of the receivers on the AFC pro bowl roster.year in and year out. Respect didn't start coming for small white clutch receivers till Welker, now its like the new muta fu*kn trend. Put Chrebet in the NFL today, he's a top prospect for every and any team. Loved Wayne Chrebet fantastic Slot receiver but he was not a pro bowler because he simply did not have the numbers to justify it. he played in a ball control offense and really was only effective in the slot. When Keyshawn left they tried playing him at WR buts that's a different world and he really did not fit. They were the perfect complement to one another even though they hated each other . letting Key go was a big mistake for our offense in the early 2000's and this team has never had a solid bunch since. When Coles emerged as Penny's number one target the Jets let him go. When Santana Moss began to emerge we traded him for what seemed to be a damaged Coles constantly dealing with nagging leg injuries. Fact is we should have kept both of them from day one added a pass catching TE that we didn't have at the time and a large possession type WR and we would have been contenders for quite some time. The Jets handling of the WR position and its effect on QB's Developing QB's and the offense in general has SUCKED ....Can't blame Idzik since he had limited resources this coming offseason will show what Idzik;s got because he will have picks and plenty of cash to play with. Lets hope he makes some good offensive moves and at leats gets our offense semi respectable. Certianly we have a good young defense in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pointman Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 Haha! The article starts awesome.. "He zipped past reporters and said he did not have time to talk. He grabbed his belongings from his locker and exited. Surprisingly, he didn’t drop anything on the way out." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joewilly12 Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 But the receivers are dragging the team down. Every one except Jeremy Kerley is playing a slot above where they should be. Holmes at 29 and coming off foot surgery is no longer a No. 1 receiver. Stephen Hill remains raw and should be a No. 3. Gates is a No. 5 at best. Agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kleckineau Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 Obamanu will save our team from receiverlessness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larz Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 kerley is coming back for ****s sake everybody calm down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetlife33 Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Can Mike Goodson play a little receiver? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patriot Killa Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 KERLEY !! OUR SAVIOR !! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-boQirvkJVE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BroadwayJoe12 Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Can Mike Goodson play a little receiver? Not for nothing, but he actually is going to be quite the asset out of the backfield. He was one of the players I was really looking forward to seeing; it's been a while since we've had a back with his type of game-breaking speed. Not sure I can go another year with seeing a shonne green-esque play that should be a 70 yard score, go just for 20ish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patriot Killa Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Not for nothing, but he actually is going to be quite the asset out of the backfield. He was one of the players I was really looking forward to seeing; it's been a while since we've had a back with his type of game-breaking speed. Not sure I can go another year with seeing a shonne green-esque play that should be a 70 yard score, go just for 20ish. Hope little homie can read blocks like a champ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SenorGato Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Not for nothing, but he actually is going to be quite the asset out of the backfield. He was one of the players I was really looking forward to seeing; it's been a while since we've had a back with his type of game-breaking speed. Not sure I can go another year with seeing a shonne green-esque play that should be a 70 yard score, go just for 20ish. Agreed, Goodson could be a real shot in the arm for the running game and is one of the players I was looking forward to seeing this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BroadwayJoe12 Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Agreed, Goodson could be a real shot in the arm for the running game and is one of the players I was looking forward to seeing this year. The running game showed some real signs against the pats and it's something I'm looking forward to seeing in general. The big thing for us would be Vlad showing he's capable of producing at a competent level consistently, because if you can couple him with Winters, you're looking at an offensive line that could climb back up into the top 10 or so within the next couple of years. If Goodson and Ivory show anything, we'll have a couple good backs on the cheap along with a much improved line. It would allow us to spread some of that money to the skill positions, lock Wilkerson up and maybe start drafting for depth for a change so we don't fall off a cliff if we lose someone like Denver and Clady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j4jets Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 The fact the Chrebet never made a pro bowl makes me boil. The guy never got the respect he deserved. He was better than half of the receivers on the AFC pro bowl roster.year in and year out. Respect didn't start coming for small white clutch receivers till Welker, now its like the new muta fu*kn trend. Put Chrebet in the NFL today, he's a top prospect for every and any team. As much as I loved watching Chrebet play, he only had one 1k yard season and was the 8th leading receiver in the AFC that year. He also had 8 TDs, but being the 8th leading receiver, his TD total had to be around 12 to be considered. Keyshawn got selected to pro bowl that year. Chrebet never had a near-probowl caliber season besides that if you still think he deserved it in 98. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeKlecko Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Also, we could have had Jonathan Baldwin. I know for a fact he was being shopped openly, not sure why the reporter didnt mention that when he talks about trading for a diva, they really dont get more diva than him from what I have heard. The last thing you want a rookie QB to have to deal with is a diva WR, besides, the Jets already have one of those in Tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patriot Killa Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 I want a solid FA and Lee out of USC, Kerley out playing slot and a very good TE... Then we really got weapon's around Geno... then we actually sound pretty scary. That is, if we have a O line Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whodeawhodat Posted September 19, 2013 Author Share Posted September 19, 2013 I want a solid FA and Lee out of USC, Kerley out playing slot and a very good TE... Then we really got weapon's around Geno... then we actually sound pretty scary. That is, if we have a O line I like the cut of your jib Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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