Jets Options to Get O-line Right

[JetNation]

By Glenn Naughton

 

The Jets roster, as currently constructed, doesn’t appear to have many spots that could allow a surprise back-up to steal a job away from an anticipated starter, but that could all change in time, especially along the offensive line.  More specifically, the right side of  the offensive line.

If healthy, Ryan Clady will start at left tackle with James Carpenter holding down the left guard spot and Nick Mangold at home taking care of the center position.  Right guard and right tackle however, aren’t quite as cemented as Brian Winters and Breno Giacomini could be replaced for different reasons.  Winters because of a logjam of young players at guard, and Giacomini’s situation could come down to dollars and cents.

Should the Jets eventually come to terms with free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick at or around the rumored $12 million price tag he would come with, Mike Maccagnan will be forced to free up over $10 million in salary cap space, and Giacomini appears to be the low hanging fruit.  An inconsistent presence at right tackle, Giacomini’s release would free up $5 million in cap space according to overthecap.com.

Winters started ten games in place of the injured Willie Colon at right guard and was much a much improved version of the player he had been in each of the two previous seasons.  After struggling (especially in pass protection) in seasons one and two, Winters was solid in 2015, while turning in a pair of respectable performances against Ndamukong Suh of the Miami Dolphins.

After a strong 2015, Brian Winters will have to fight off plenty of competition this season.

However, with the Jets having several young players who have experience playing the guard position, Winters could find himself in a dogfight to stay in the starting lineup.  Should Winters and/or Giacomini find themselves out of the job in 2016, here are a few names who could claim their spots.

OG Jarvis Harrison-   A fifth round pick out of Texas A&M last season, Harrison is believed to be a highly talented young player who dominated in college but he fell to the fifth round due to concerns regarding his work ethic.  Things didn’t bode well for Harrison as a rookie as he not only failed to get on the field, but also saw himself demoted to the practice squad late in the season.  Not what you might expect from a player of his stature if he had made progress in dispelling those concerns over his attitude.  Even still, Harrison has the tools to play in the league and will likely be given every opportunity to become a steal for the Jets moving forward.  Playing LG and LT in college, Harrison could be a candidate to get some reps at RT at some point as well.

OG/OT Craig Watts-  Watts is a player most Jets fans are unfamiliar with as he was signed to a futures contract after the end of last season.  A former San Diego Charger, Watts has yet to play a regular season NFL down, but don’t let that fool you.  Watts dominated lower level competition at West Texas A&M where he played over 650 snaps as a senior without yielding a single sack.  Having never played football before his junior year in High School, Watts is raw and will need some seasoning, but he’s had some of that with the Chargers.  San Diego took an extensive look at Watts at both RT and LG where on film, he flashed the ability to hold  his own at the point of attack once locked on, especially in short yardage situations, but he did struggle at times against bull-rushers and in space.  At 6′ 3”, 335 pounds, Watts has the prerequisite size mix it up in the trenches, and if the Jets can iron out the kinks in his game, don’t be shocked if he finds his way on to the field as a starter or at least a jumbo package lineman.

 

Dakota Dozier will look to find a way on to the field in 2016.

OG/C Dakota Dozier- At this point, the Jets might be doing Dozier a disservice by asking him to move yet again.  Drafted out of Furman University where he played offensive tackle, Dozier was converted to guard as a rookie before Todd Bowles and company moved him even further inside as Nick Mangold’s backup at center.  Oddly enough, when Mangold went down with an injury last season, the Jets promoted Wesley Johnson from the practice squad and opted to start him over Dozier.  It was somewhat of an odd move for Dozier, but in all reality, it shows that the Jets see something in him they’re willing to work with.  To keep a developmental player on the roster despite being hesitant to use them on game day shows that there is, or at least there was, a belief that he’ll eventually turn in to a serviceable player.  With undrafted rookie free agent Kyle Friend coming to camp, Dozier may find himself competing at guard once again.

OT Brent Qvale- An undrafted free agent holdover from the Rex Ryan/John Idzik era, Qvale did enough to impress the Jets current regime to the point that they kept him on the 53-man roster while getting him on the field sporadically as a swing tackle.  A former guard and tackle out of the University of Nebraska, Qvale would be the early favorite to win the RT job should Giacomini get his walking papers.  Head Coach Todd Bowles was asked about Qvale earlier this off-season and expressed a willingness to give Qvale a shot at either tackle spot if necessary.  Now, how much credence you give to a coach’s presser in the middle of the off-season?  That’s up to you.

OT Brandon Shell- A rookie out of South Carolina, the Jets liked Shell enough to give up their 4th round pick in next year’s draft in order to grab  a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft, so that they could choose Shell.  It’s highly unlikely Shell would win a job out of camp given some of his struggles at South Carolina, but any time a regime moves up to grab a player in a spot that may be vacated sooner rather than later, you can’t help but wonder if the Shell pick was made with the eventual departure of Giacomini in mind.

So come opening week, when the Jets take on the Cincinnati Bengals at MetLife stadium, it could be the first of many business as usual weeks, with Winters and Giacomini manning the right side of the Jets line, or there could be some newer, younger faces tasked with opening holes and protecting quarterbacks for both the near and distant future.

 

 

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[Mainejet]

There are no better options than Winters and Giacomii and cutting Giacomini would surely make the offense, much, much, worse than it already is. None of those scrubs mentioned are ever going to unseat Winters or Giacomini. Yet, Giacomini is very clearly on his way down. His play has diminished quite badly. If he is member of this team he will surely cost us games. If he's cut, there are no suitable replacements. This is the crux of the issue with the offense. It will be no wonder why the Jets will only win 6 games this season after you see the OL in action. It ALL starts and ends with the OL and Mac did NOTHING to fix a rapidly aging OL. Look no farther than Mac as the reason why this this season will suck.

[AFJF]

12 minutes ago, Mainejet said:

There are no better options than Winters and Giacomii and cutting Giacomini would surely make the offense, much, much, worse than it already is. None of those scrubs mentioned are ever going to unseat Winters or Giacomini. Yet, Giacomini is very clearly on his way down. His play has diminished quite badly. If he is member of this team he will surely cost us games. If he's cut, there are no suitable replacements. This is the crux of the issue with the offense. It will be no wonder why the Jets will only win 6 games this season after you see the OL in action. It ALL starts and ends with the OL and Mac did NOTHING to fix a rapidly aging OL. Look no farther than Mac as the reason why this this season will suck.

He drafted an O-lineman last year and traded up to draft one this year.  Whether or not they pan out remains to be seen, but how is drafting two O-linemen doing "nothing"?

 

[Mainejet]

6 minutes ago, AFJF said:

He drafted an O-lineman last year and traded up to draft one this year.  Whether or not they pan out remains to be seen, but how is drafting two O-linemen doing "nothing"?

 

There are NO starters out of that group. NONE. They needed starters as the right side was already shaky at best. There were several blue chip, very safe OL draft picks to be had in the draft as well. So in regards to somebody they could plug in for a while? They MIGHT be fine. But their current starters are getting prettyold, long in the tooth, and their play will be in serious decline THIS season. Like I said, if you want to know why this team is only going to win about 6 games? Just look at the OL....

[AFJF]

7 minutes ago, Mainejet said:

There are NO starters out of that group. NONE. They needed starters as the right side was already shaky at best. There were several blue chip, very safe OL draft picks to be had in the draft as well. So in regards to somebody they could plug in for a while? They MIGHT be fine. But their current starters are getting prettyold, long in the tooth, and their play will be in serious decline THIS season. Like I said, if you want to know why this team is only going to win about 6 games? Just look at the OL....

How old is old?  Of the five starters, only Mangold is over 30 and he probably has two solid years left.

 

[Greenseed4]

1 minute ago, Mainejet said:

There are NO starters out of that group. NONE. They needed starters as the right side was already shaky at best. There were several blue chip, very safe OL draft picks to be had in the draft as well. So in regards to somebody they could plus for a while? They MIGHT be fine. But their current starters are getting prettyold, long in the tooth, and their play will be in serious decline THIS season. Like I said, if you want to know why this team is only going to win about 6 games? Just look at the OL....

Did you watch the draft?  I did.  

Did you see how the talent fell?  I did.  OL were getting swooped up in a crazy fashion.  Reports are that we had several Offense players (read: OL) rated ahead of Lee but that they were unavailable when we picked.  It happens.  I know we made inquiries for Tunsil as he continued to slide but Macc didn't feel the asking price was worth it.   He's allowed to make that decision because he gets to see the full picture.

Who do you think we should have taken? Spriggs at 20? Ifedi?

Nothing is "very safe" in the draft.  You make the best decision based on the information available, and you do a little finger-crossin. 

[Mainejet]

1 minute ago, AFJF said:

How old is old?  Of the five starters, only Mangold is over 30 and he probably has two solid years left.

 

Giacomini is very clearly in decline, Mangold is our best OL but he will start to decline, Clady cannot stay healthy to save his life and if any one of the 5 starters goes down> You will quickly find out that this team has no suitable long term replacements. They needed to draft an OL in April. Instead, Mac did NOTHING for the offense. An offense that was only beginning to shine and still needed a lot more work. Well, his neglect will show in a big way this season. Now you can claim there's nothing wrong all you want, but let me ask you, if this team has a bad season (under .500 and misses the playoffs) what will YOU point out as the reason?

[SenorGato]

Nice summary of these guys....I'm really intrigued by Shell's combo of pro size and college experience and still have hopes for Dozier (still as a Mangold replacement).

[Greenseed4]

23 minutes ago, Mainejet said:

Giacomini is very clearly in decline, Mangold is our best OL but he will start to decline, Clady cannot stay healthy to save his life and if any one of the 5 starters goes down> You will quickly find out that this team has no suitable long term replacements. They needed to draft an OL in April. Instead, Mac did NOTHING for the offense. An offense that was only beginning to shine and still needed a lot more work. Well, his neglect will show in a big way this season. Now you can claim there's nothing wrong all you want, but let me ask you, if this team has a bad season (under .500 and misses the playoffs) what will YOU point out as the reason?

WHOOOO?

[AFJF]

1 hour ago, Mainejet said:

Giacomini is very clearly in decline, Mangold is our best OL but he will start to decline, Clady cannot stay healthy to save his life and if any one of the 5 starters goes down> You will quickly find out that this team has no suitable long term replacements. They needed to draft an OL in April. Instead, Mac did NOTHING for the offense. An offense that was only beginning to shine and still needed a lot more work. Well, his neglect will show in a big way this season. Now you can claim there's nothing wrong all you want, but let me ask you, if this team has a bad season (under .500 and misses the playoffs) what will YOU point out as the reason?

Clady has been in the NFL for 8 seasons.  In six of those 8 seasons, he has started every single game.  Sometimes NFL football players get hurt.  I have no idea how starting every game for 6 of 8 seasons equates to "can't stay healthy to save his life".

Giacomini isn't declining as much as he was just never that good to begin with.  He's also a player that Mac didn't sign, and he may have just traded up to draft his replacement in Shell.

Yes, Mangold, like every player in the history of the NFL, will reach a point at which he's not as good as he once was, but he's still a good player.

It's easy to sit back and say every young long shot on a roster won't make it because statistically, the overwhelming majority don't...that doesn't mean fans shouldn't look at who's out there and talk about what some of them could bring.

 

[AFJF]

12 minutes ago, SenorGato said:

Nice summary of these guys....I'm really intrigued by Shell's combo of pro size and college experience and still have hopes for Dozier (still as a Mangold replacement).

Been a big Dozier fan since before that draft and hoped the Jets would grab him.  As I've said in the past, the fact that they kept him on the 53 while elevating a PS guy (Johnson) to start over him and then later moving one of their own picks (Harrison) to the PS tells me they like his long-term potential.

[Beerfish]

1 hour ago, Mainejet said:

There are no better options than Winters and Giacomii and cutting Giacomini would surely make the offense, much, much, worse than it already is. None of those scrubs mentioned are ever going to unseat Winters or Giacomini. Yet, Giacomini is very clearly on his way down. His play has diminished quite badly. If he is member of this team he will surely cost us games. If he's cut, there are no suitable replacements. This is the crux of the issue with the offense. It will be no wonder why the Jets will only win 6 games this season after you see the OL in action. It ALL starts and ends with the OL and Mac did NOTHING to fix a rapidly aging OL. Look no farther than Mac as the reason why this this season will suck.

I agree with quite a few things you say but Giancomini sucks and there will be no drop off at all if he gets dumped for one of our young jags, vs and older more expensive jag.

[Mainejet]

20 hours ago, AFJF said:

Clady has been in the NFL for 8 seasons.  In six of those 8 seasons, he has started every single game.  Sometimes NFL football players get hurt.  I have no idea how starting every game for 6 of 8 seasons equates to "can't stay healthy to save his life".

Giacomini isn't declining as much as he was just never that good to begin with.  He's also a player that Mac didn't sign, and he may have just traded up to draft his replacement in Shell.

Yes, Mangold, like every player in the history of the NFL, will reach a point at which he's not as good as he once was, but he's still a good player.

It's easy to sit back and say every young long shot on a roster won't make it because statistically, the overwhelming majority don't...that doesn't mean fans shouldn't look at who's out there and talk about what some of them could bring.

 

Well, then I guess the better question is, when was the last time the Jets hit on an OL prospect? Brandon Moore? It's also absurd completely in itself to think that Brandon Shell would ever, even in a very best case scenario. replace Giacomini this season. He needs work.

So once again, right now, given the current condition of the players along the OL, and the current status of developing talent (The Jets do not have any, MAYBE Jarvis Harrison), the Jets are screwed in 2016. That is ALL 100% due to Mac's incompetence, inability to prioritize.

The NYJ in 2016 are not going to win a lot of games. They'll be lucky to win 6 games the way I see it. When you see this team falter, look no farther than the OL as the reason why. Mac is just another retread General Manager that does the same stupid, get-us-nowhere sh*t as Idzik, Tanny, and Bradway. The NYJ will never even win the division with Mac running the show and Bowles coaching the team right in the ground.

[PepPep]

I think Qvale is the guy to watch here. He has a great combination of size and strength to perfectly fit as a powerful RT. Biggest knock on his has always been pass protection and footwork, something he has been working on ever since he was signed by the Jets as an UDFA.

I think if he shows he has improved his pass protection this season, with Giacomini possibly being cut to free up cap, he should win that RT spot.   

Otherwise, I think the O-Line will remains with Clady and last year's starters (including Winters at RG). 

In general, I think the Jets coaching staff like what they have in their young O-line prospects. Way more so than SOME Jets fans (I'm looking at you MaineJet), who only know them as 'scrubs' and have never actually seen them play or seen how they have been progressing behind veterans like Mangold, D'Brick, Carpenter, etc.  

[AFJF]

50 minutes ago, Mainejet said:

Well, then I guess the better question is, when was the last time the Jets hit on an OL prospect? Brandon Moore? It's also absurd completely in itself to think that Brandon Shell would ever, even in a very best case scenario. replace Giacomini this season. He needs work.

So once again, right now, given the current condition of the players along the OL, and the current status of developing talent (The Jets do not have any, MAYBE Jarvis Harrison), the Jets are screwed in 2016. That is ALL 100% due to Mac's incompetence, inability to prioritize.

The NYJ in 2016 are not going to win a lot of games. They'll be lucky to win 6 games the way I see it. When you see this team falter, look no farther than the OL as the reason why. Mac is just another retread General Manager that does the same stupid, get-us-nowhere sh*t as Idzik, Tanny, and Bradway. The NYJ will never even win the division with Mac running the show and Bowles coaching the team right in the ground.

How is a guy in year two of his first gig as a GM classified as a "retread", and what do the failures of past GMs to acquire O-line talent have to do with him?

[JiFtheOracle]

22 hours ago, AFJF said:

He drafted an O-lineman last year and traded up to draft one this year.  Whether or not they pan out remains to be seen, but how is drafting two O-linemen doing "nothing"?

 

Let's see since Mac arrived; the Jets have signed James Carpenter, signed Craig Watts, traded for Ryan Clady and drafted 2 OLmen.

But, nothing sounds better. 

[Mainejet]

36 minutes ago, AFJF said:

How is a guy in year two of his first gig as a GM classified as a "retread", and what do the failures of past GMs to acquire O-line talent have to do with him?

The pattern is showing already. Look at the bigger picture. What happened when Bradway and Tanny were here? Whenever those guys had the opportunity to go out shopping with the big bucks in their pocket, they always brought in the talent. The Jets would follow with a winning season as well. All is good in Jets land.

However, the very second those GM's had to earn their money being shrude in the draft and making very financially safe contracts for the salary cap? They all failed.

How is Mac any different?

Last year he had more money than probably anyone has ever had to spend in the history of free agency. He brought in the talent. I'm hesitant to compliment him for the job though. ANYONE can bring in the talent when they have that kind of money to spend.

Fast forward to this season. Everyone knew this was the offseason that Mac would have to earn his salary. hardly any salary cap space and less than a full compliment of draft picks. So what does he do?

He had the opportunity to trade Mo and failed. That would have gotten Mac at least one more 1st day draft pick. Now? We are going to watch Mo walk out the door after this season and we get NOTHING for him in return.

Mac's draft sucked. He drafted a midget, small fry linebacker that will get owned by 300 plus pound OL. He completely neglected the one facet of the team that needed the most attention, the OFFENSE. They needed an OL STARTER. Mac did nothing and that will be one of the main reasons why this team will suck this season.

In 2016, we'll be another bottom feeder team, bearing the full brunt of all jokes around the NFL.

So Tanny and Bradway guided us through one ok season followed by a terrible season and over the long haul we NEVER got any better. MAC is doing the very same thing - one good season followed by a terrible season. He's merely another retread that managed to blow smoke in Woody's rear end.

[PepPep]

2 hours ago, Mainejet said:

The pattern is showing already. Look at the bigger picture. What happened when Bradway and Tanny were here? Whenever those guys had the opportunity to go out shopping with the big bucks in their pocket, they always brought in the talent. The Jets would follow with a winning season as well. All is good in Jets land.

However, the very second those GM's had to earn their money being shrude in the draft and making very financially safe contracts for the salary cap? They all failed.

How is Mac any different?

Last year he had more money than probably anyone has ever had to spend in the history of free agency. He brought in the talent. I'm hesitant to compliment him for the job though. ANYONE can bring in the talent when they have that kind of money to spend.

Fast forward to this season. Everyone knew this was the offseason that Mac would have to earn his salary. hardly any salary cap space and less than a full compliment of draft picks. So what does he do?

He had the opportunity to trade Mo and failed. That would have gotten Mac at least one more 1st day draft pick. Now? We are going to watch Mo walk out the door after this season and we get NOTHING for him in return.

Mac's draft sucked. He drafted a midget, small fry linebacker that will get owned by 300 plus pound OL. He completely neglected the one facet of the team that needed the most attention, the OFFENSE. They needed an OL STARTER. Mac did nothing and that will be one of the main reasons why this team will suck this season.

In 2016, we'll be another bottom feeder team, bearing the full brunt of all jokes around the NFL.

So Tanny and Bradway guided us through one ok season followed by a terrible season and over the long haul we NEVER got any better. MAC is doing the very same thing - one good season followed by a terrible season. He's merely another retread that managed to blow smoke in Woody's rear end.

I disagree.

"He had the opportunity to trade Mo and failed.That would have gotten Mac at least one more 1st day draft pick." He did not get an offer worth taking. That's not necessarily a failure. Mo is one of the top D-linemen in football and it seemed (although neither me nor YOU can really know for sure) Mac was not getting any decent offers for him.

"Now? We are going to watch Mo walk out the door after this season and we get NOTHING for him in return." You don't know that. You can speculate all you want but you don't know if the Jets will re-sign him, tag him again next season, or tag and trade next season. You simply don't know and shouldn't assume.

 "ANYONE can bring in the talent when they have that kind of money to spend." Maybe (I mean, Idzik couldn't do it b/c he kept low-balling guys, but I digress), but not everyone can bring in talent and have a team go from 4 wins to 10 wins, having brought in a QB and WR for a 5th and 7th round draft picks that ended up having career years. Lest we forget his shrewd trades along with the money he spent. Furthermore, he spent the money wisely in that most of the contracts are do not have a ton of guaranteed money, and the Jets can be freed of most of the big ones next year- if need be. Some of the contracts are big but not nec. long term albatrosses. Mac was also able to fill in the losses of Ivory and Snacks (our 2 biggest FA losses) without much money. Fitz would be the 3rd biggest loss but that is still TBD. Even D.Davis, who did not have a very good season, was replaced through added depth and the midget we drafted in the 1st round. 

Which brings me to the draft. You simply cannot say hid draft "sucked" before any of the rookies play a single snap in the NFL. It's just a dumb statement. Whats even dumber, is describing Lee as "a midget, small fry linebacker that will get owned by 300 plus pound OL". I mean, you just sound silly when you say that and it really shows how little you know about the type of player Lee is, what his skills are, how he is used, etc., etc., etc. ad nauseam.  

Fact is, there is no guarantee that a 1st round O-lineman would be able to come in and start. Especially with the way the draft played out and the very few top tier O-linemen that were left by the time the Jets picked at 20 (Spriggs? Ifedi? Whitehair?). If you want to argue against selecting BPA in the first round, thats fine. But that is not the way Mac operates, and for good reason. Mac himself has said he believes quality O-linemen can be found in the middle rounds- so thats what he did, he traded up for an O-lineman he felt could fit as a future RT. As for 2016, we go into the season with Clady, Carpenter and Mangold solidifying the left side, and two returning starters in Giacomini and Winters on the right. Say what you will about our O-line, but its really not in THAT bad a shape. Hopefully some of the youth (Qvale, Dozier, Harrison, Shell) will develop into starters next year, maybe take one of the spots this year.  

I know the schedule is tough, and you can be negative all you want and blame Mac all you want and complain about the offense all you want before a single game is played but your arguments have been VERY WEAK. FLIMSY AT BEST. And you really just sound like you are ranting and talking out of your a** most of the time. 

[bitonti]

every year it's the same s--t. Jets fans micro-analyze the o-line, because we can't bear to think about QB. 

I love the offensive line as much as anyone but cmon. the topic not worth the effort we expend. 

This is the NFL, folks. OL loses importance every year while the QB gains importance every year. Chan Gailey's system thrives on getting the ball out quickly. Meanwhile 3 out of the 5 Patriots' OL starters are unsettled but that doesn't stop everyone from picking them to win the division. 

Talking about the OL (that still has an elite player in Nick Mangold) while the QB position is a wasteland might make us feel good but it's utterly pointless. 

 

put it another way the Jets could have 5 all pros on the OL and still be doomed with Geno Smith. 

[AFJF]

3 minutes ago, bitonti said:

every year it's the same s--t. Jets fans micro-analyze the o-line, because we can't bear to think about QB. 

I love the offensive line as much as anyone but cmon. the topic not worth the effort we expend. 

This is the NFL, folks. OL loses importance every year while the QB gains importance every year. Chan Gailey's system thrives on getting the ball out quickly. Meanwhile 3 out of the 5 Patriots' OL starters are unsettled but that doesn't stop everyone from picking them to win the division. 

Talking about the OL (that still has an elite player in Nick Mangold) while the QB position is a wasteland might make us feel good but it's utterly pointless. 

 

put it another way the Jets could have 5 all pros on the OL and still be doomed with Geno Smith. 

Are you suggesting we only discuss QBs all off-season?

[PepPep]

27 minutes ago, bitonti said:

every year it's the same s--t. Jets fans micro-analyze the o-line, because we can't bear to think about QB. 

I love the offensive line as much as anyone but cmon. the topic not worth the effort we expend. 

This is the NFL, folks. OL loses importance every year while the QB gains importance every year. Chan Gailey's system thrives on getting the ball out quickly. Meanwhile 3 out of the 5 Patriots' OL starters are unsettled but that doesn't stop everyone from picking them to win the division. 

Talking about the OL (that still has an elite player in Nick Mangold) while the QB position is a wasteland might make us feel good but it's utterly pointless. 

 

put it another way the Jets could have 5 all pros on the OL and still be doomed with Geno Smith. 

No way dude. Geno Smith will have a breakout season if he gets a chance to start from day one.

[drdetroit]

We're going to get to know Ben Ijalana very well next season 

[Raideraholic]

 

13 hours ago, bitonti said:

every year it's the same s--t. Jets fans micro-analyze the o-line, because we can't bear to think about QB. 

I love the offensive line as much as anyone but cmon. the topic not worth the effort we expend. 

This is the NFL, folks. OL loses importance every year while the QB gains importance every year. Chan Gailey's system thrives on getting the ball out quickly. Meanwhile 3 out of the 5 Patriots' OL starters are unsettled but that doesn't stop everyone from picking them to win the division. 

Talking about the OL (that still has an elite player in Nick Mangold) while the QB position is a wasteland might make us feel good but it's utterly pointless. 

 

put it another way the Jets could have 5 all pros on the OL and still be doomed with Geno Smith. 

Andrew Luck says you don't know what you're talking about OL losing it's  importance every year.  You have one of the top Qb's in the game( bonafide franchise Qb), and his team doesn't invest in putting a good offense line around him.( have a Qb that doesn't reach the level his talent suggest he should.

No doubt about Qb is the most important position in the NFL.( if you're going to hit on a position this is the one- no one will dispute that). You have to keep trying ( drafting till you find your franchise Qb - could take a number of misses till you find the right one).

Still the Jets are trying to develop some young Qb's. ( see if one of those guys could be that Qb).    What gives those young Qb's the best chance to develop- a good offense line , or a weak one.

More young Qb's are ruined playing behind a porous offense line.  see   Steve Young didn't become the Qb till he played behind a better offense line.

[thebuzzardman]

14 hours ago, AFJF said:

Are you suggesting we only discuss QBs all off-season?

I don't post here much but read often. As most topics on this board devolve into Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith pissing contests, I'd say the answer is yes.

Oh, and now there is the Hackenburg sucks/doesn't suck over analysis in the mix.