kelly Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 As the Jets get close to training camp, I am going to examine the roster and give you my top 25 players. Each weekday, we will reveal another person on the list, leading right into camp. I am not including rookies on this list because I do not feel it is possible to fully evaluate them before they play a game. No. 17 : Calvin Pace Last year’s ranking : 13 Position : Outside linebacker Age : 34 How acquired : Signed as a free agent on March 3, 2008 Years left on contract : 1 2015 Salary Cap figure : $2.25 million Looking back at 2014 : After a strong 2013 season, Pace’s play slipped in 2014. He had just 39 tackles, his lowest total as a Jet, and registered five sacks after getting 10 two years ago.Pace used to be an every-down player, but saw his playing time chopped a bit. He played on 81 percent of the defensive snaps, still a very high total for a player of his age.Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 39th outside linebacker out of 46 that qualified. He had a positive grade from the website in just one game.Pace struggled in coverage, but the Jets usually did a good job of keeping him out of too many coverage situations. Against the Steelers, he gave up four completions on four targets, according to PFF stats. He had 24 quarterback hurries.Pace, who is always sulking and complaining when he meets with reporters, did seem a bit rejuvenated by the young studs around him, such as Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson. Outlook for 2015 : Pace is back … again. For the past three years, there has been a question of whether Pace would return, and each year the Jets bring him back. He turns 35 in late October and his contract is up after this season, so maybe this is his final go-round with the Jets … maybe.It will be interesting to see how new coach Todd Bowles uses Pace. Will his playing time decrease? The Jets took Lorenzo Mauldin in the third round of the draft, and if the rookie figures things out quickly, that could lead to Pace spending more time on the sideline.Pace is on his third coach with the Jets. The only other player on defense who was here for the entire Rex Ryan era and played under Eric Mangini is David Harris. It is easy to see why coaches like Pace. He is not flashy, but he is reliable. He has rarely been injured and does not make many mental mistakes. > http://nypost.com/2015/07/06/is-this-the-year-calvin-pace-is-reduced-to-jets-spectator/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted July 14, 2015 Author Share Posted July 14, 2015 The Jets finished tied for sixth in sacks last season with 45 and are essentially banking on the same cast of outside linebackers again for 2015. They passed on Clemson edge rusher Vic Beasley at No. 6 overall in April’s draft, instead opting to bolster the defensive line with Leonard Williams. Gang Green may have to rely on a pair of long-in-the-tooth veterans to generate heat off the edge once again this season. Calvin Pace is the team’s longest-tenured player and will turn 35 in October. Jason Babin already turned 35 earlier in the offseason. But the coaching staff believes “there’s plenty of football left” in each of their bodies. That’s not to say both Pace and Babin are guaranteed to make the 53-man roster. The Jets hope to get a lot more out of 2012 first-rounder Quinton Coples, who has mostly been a disappointment to this point in his short career. Mauldin is trying to make the switch from college defensive end. The pressure on this group is even further ratcheted up following defensive end Sheldon Richardson’s four-game suspension. > http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/07/13/jets-believe-veterans-calvin-pace-and-jason-babin-have-plenty-left/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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