Will Jets’ Coples Fulfill Potential Under new Regime?

[ylekram]

I wouldn't change it for him but some of these guys are 4-3 guys and are likely to put a 4-3 in place.  And at the end of the day it may be better suited to our personnel.

although true, you cannot switch to a 4-3. no linebackers and no defensive ends that we know of at this point

[#27TheDominator]

I wouldn't change it for him but some of these guys are 4-3 guys and are likely to put a 4-3 in place.  And at the end of the day it may be better suited to our personnel.

 

I am not big on these rigid distinctions.  IMO neither was Rex, but exactly who is better suited to a 4-3?  Coples?  Maybe Davis.  Maybe.  The only reasons it might make sense would be if the best players were not getting on the field, but who is being held down by the alignment?  This has not been Vilma at ILB or Robertson at NT. 

[Jet Life]

I wouldn't change it for him but some of these guys are 4-3 guys and are likely to put a 4-3 in place.  And at the end of the day it may be better suited to our personnel.

Coples is a 4-3 DT. That is where he thrived in college. Our entire line is full of DTs 

[Bruce Harper]

I am not big on these rigid distinctions.  IMO neither was Rex, but exactly who is better suited to a 4-3?  Coples?  Maybe Davis.  Maybe.  The only reasons it might make sense would be if the best players were not getting on the field, but who is being held down by the alignment?  This has not been Vilma at ILB or Robertson at NT. 

 

I agree about the rigid distinctions.  I suppose an argument could be made that a 4-3 may be better because we have more good and versatile linemen than we have linebackers.  But the line tends to lean more toward tackles than ends.  I think Coples could be a good end with the rest of this line.

[DaBallhawk]

Blame Rex. Square peg, round hole.

Maybe 4-3 can save "Body like Tarzan, plays like Jane."

I'm sick of speculating on this guy...actions speak louder than words, quinton. DO SOMETHING!!!!

 

Plays like Jane? Have you ever watched him play? He's virtually putting guys on IR on a weekly basis. Does a lot of dirty work in terms of setting the edge, too.

[Paradis]

Coples' best work came at DT. He thrives in the interior... but Sheldon and Mo have also proven they deserve to stay at DT, so I would expect Coples to pop more than he has in the past at DE...

 

but mark my words, at some point in the next 2-3 years, Coples is going to be the D-Line salary casualty, and he's going to show up some where like SF, or MIN -- playing DT and he's going to ruin the league.... cue a thousand threads about the Jets and Coples and why.  

[Greenseed4]

Mo isn't going to crack the line-up?

 

 

#tradebait

[Savage69]

Head coach candidate Dan Quinn is 'a defensive genius,' says Jets linebacker Quinton Coples

Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

NEWARK -- The Jets are still seeking their next head coach, but Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn appears to be a top candidate for owner Woody Johnson and his search consultants, Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf. 

At least one Jets player wouldn't mind seeing the team hire Quinn, who is in his second season as Seattle's defensive coordinator. The Seahawks led the NFL in both fewest points and yards allowed in 2013 and 2014. 

"Their defense is great," said Quinton Coples, the Jets' rush outside linebacker. "He definitely puts guys in position to actually make plays and be great. Their defense says a lot and speaks for itself. I don't know too much about him personally or outside of that. I would say he's definitely a defensive genius throughout this league." 

That's high praise from a guy who used to play for head coach Rex Ryan, a well-respected defensive strategist. 

Coples spoke Thursday morning after an appearance at Newark's Malcolm X Shabazz High School, during which Coples honored students who achieved academic success, or made significant improvement. It was part of the Quinton Coples Foundation's Student of the Month program. 

As Coples prepared to head home to North Carolina, where he grew up, he considered the possibility that the Jets might hire another defensive-minded head coach, in Quinn, despite having more shortcomings on the offensive side of the ball than on defense. 

Seattle this season became the first team since the 1969-71 Vikings to lead the NFL in fewest points allowed for three straight years. 

"That's crazy," Coples said. "I think it's all about matching the right guy with the personnel. If (the new coach) is good for our team and he can utilize everybody and all the pieces that we have, then the sky is the limit." 

The Jets were a flawed defense this season, though not a terrible one. They finished sixth in the NFL in yards allowed, fifth in rushing defense, 14th in passing defense, 24th in points allowed, 30th in third-down defense and 25th in red-zone defense. The Jets' defensive line remains the best part of their entire team, but for the second straight offseason, they desperately need to address their cornerback position. 

Echoing what he said during the season, Coples said Thursday that he believes the Jets' defense can succeed in a 4-3 alignment. The Jets played a 3-4 system under Ryan. Quinn uses a 4-3 in Seattle. 

"By far, I think we have the talent to do it," Coples said. "A 4-3 would be great, if that's what they choose." 

Coples, a former first-round draft pick, entered the NFL as a defensive end. After playing on the defensive line as a rookie in 2012, he moved to rush outside linebacker in 2013. It was a rocky adjustment at times. 

He can still play on the line, as an end. He did it for three games late in the 2014 season, when Muhammad Wilkerson was out with a toe injury. If the Jets use a 4-3 next season, they could put Coples and Wilkerson at the end spots, with Damon Harrison and Sheldon Richardson at the tackle positions. 

Coples said he hasn't been following the coaching search all that much, and he doesn't have a preference for whether the Jets hire coach with an offensive background or defensive background. 

"I figure they'll make a decision real soon," he said. "I'm looking forward to the decision and going out and meeting the person, whoever they choose. I just think the right coach for the right personnel, you can definitely be successful." 

He knows the next coach could be stricter than Ryan, a players' coach through and through. One of the Jets' candidates, ex-Bills coach Doug Marrone, would definitely fall into the category of a more traditional, hard-line coach. 

During the season, Coples said he expected it would "be tough to adjust to the new style" of Ryan's replacement. 

"It would be different," Coples said Thursday of playing for a stricter coach. "That's a part of transitioning in a coaching change. It's going to be different, regardless of if he's stricter or he's looser. Whatever the situation may be, there's going to be a change and there's going to be a difference. It's not going to be the same around the building like it's been. I'm looking forward to it, and diving into the system and making it work."

[Ex-Rex]

Blame Rex. Square peg, round hole.

Maybe 4-3 can save "Body like Tarzan, plays like Jane."

I'm sick of speculating on this guy...actions speak louder than words, quinton. DO SOMETHING!!!!

Rex is most to blame. He has never really 'settled' on a position for this guy. Had him at DE in 3-4 which is not suited to pass rushing because you are a space eater in the 3-4 at end. At LB he has to backpedal which is certainly NOT his strong suit. So good to see Rex go. I only hope the new guy is a 4-3 and keeps Dennis Thurman as DC and has him install portions of the former Dallas flex.

[ylekram]

Rex is most to blame. He has never really 'settled' on a position for this guy. Had him at DE in 3-4 which is not suited to pass rushing because you are a space eater in the 3-4 at end. At LB he has to backpedal which is certainly NOT his strong suit. So good to see Rex go. I only hope the new guy is a 4-3 and keeps Dennis Thurman as DC and has him install portions of the former Dallas flex.

yes. all rex's fault. he should have just benched coples. after all, the positions he played were taken already

[Shadetree]

Plays like Jane? Have you ever watched him play? He's virtually putting guys on IR on a weekly basis. Does a lot of dirty work in terms of setting the edge, too.

...it's a quote from Joe Klecko in beginning of the year.

[DaBallhawk]

...it's a quote from Joe Klecko in beginning of the year.

 

He said "at times", and that was a while ago. I think he was just trying to get him to play a little harder or show more passion and emotions. Coples just isn't that rah rah type guy, he doesn't talk trash or jump around like crazy the way Sheldon does. He doesn't come off very energetic, he's boring and quiet off the field. Personally I love the way he plays and the way he performed especially late in the season when he replaced Wilk at DE. Whenever he gets his hands on you he tries to tear you apart like that giant in the Mortal Kombat game.

[Shadetree]

I'm with ya ballhawk...but the guy needs to step up and be an impact guy.

Flying in unblocked and blowing people up is nice.

Bull rushing a 340 LB lineman is nice.

Doing those things all the time will get coples the props you and I think he's capable of achieving. Doing those things once in a while just doesn't cut it.

I see Pro Bowl talent. I'm getting Division II results.

Klecko was right. And he still is. "AT TIMES. He looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane."

[khesanh]

Coples' hand should be in the dirt 100% of the time - he's a 10 sack guy playing DE. That son of a bitch Rex Ryan had Coples playing CB for christ's sake.

 

Agreed. He needs his hand in the ground the man is a DE not a OLB stop experimenting with these players.  Its sort of like on Madden when you change someone's position the overall rating changes.  If we move to a 4-3 we will have a DL comparable to the Rams and a deep rotation Coples, Richardson, Wilkerson, Snacks.