Ryan Kalil coming out of retirement!

[Rangers9]

This is a big get for Douglas and very impressive. Even if it does not work out good signing. 

[More Cowbell]

On 8/2/2019 at 12:56 PM, Nixhead said:

Bingo! Fanaca was past his prime but he did wonders for the Jets O - Line. Ryan Kalil will do the same. He will make our whole offense better. This is a great signing!

Honestly, I'm glad he addressed a need in the OL and C position to be exact but to me, this is no way similar to the Fanaca signing. Fanaca was past his prime yes but he didn't  have the injuries  this guy did and we didn't  talk Fanaca off the couch to play for us. 

Hopefully we get a full season without injury. It's  an upgrade over Harrison bit for how long is what I'm wondering about. We need to keep looking for a long term guy if he's  not already on the team. This is a stop gap at best. 

[Bocajetfan]

2 hours ago, More Cowbell said:

Honestly, I'm glad he addressed a need in the OL and C position to be exact but to me, this is no way similar to the Fanaca signing. Fanaca was past his prime yes but he didn't  have the injuries  this guy did and we didn't  talk Fanaca off the couch to play for us. 

Hopefully we get a full season without injury. It's  an upgrade over Harrison bit for how long is what I'm wondering about. We need to keep looking for a long term guy if he's  not already on the team. This is a stop gap at best. 

Honestly I don’t believe it was ever intended to be anything more. 

[More Cowbell]

10 hours ago, Bocajetfan said:

Honestly I don’t believe it was ever intended to be anything more. 

The way people are talking here, you would think we just signed Mike Webster in his prime. 

[nyjunc]

13 hours ago, More Cowbell said:

Honestly, I'm glad he addressed a need in the OL and C position to be exact but to me, this is no way similar to the Fanaca signing. Fanaca was past his prime yes but he didn't  have the injuries  this guy did and we didn't  talk Fanaca off the couch to play for us. 

Hopefully we get a full season without injury. It's  an upgrade over Harrison bit for how long is what I'm wondering about. We need to keep looking for a long term guy if he's  not already on the team. This is a stop gap at best. 

It's not intended to be a long term solution, Douglas is going to address the OL in the offseason.  He's goes into this thinking it's a 1 year maybe 2 year thing.  If we get more out if him that would be incredible but I expect Douglas to look for a long term solution at C this offseason.

[More Cowbell]

5 minutes ago, nyjunc said:

It's not intended to be a long term solution, Douglas is going to address the OL in the offseason.  He's goes into this thinking it's a 1 year maybe 2 year thing.  If we get more out if him that would be incredible but I expect Douglas to look for a long term solution at C this offseason.

If I was a betting man, I would be taking the under on 10 games played this season. Guys his age not being in football shape at the start of camp = injuries 

[Jetsfan80]

1 hour ago, More Cowbell said:

The way people are talking here, you would think we just signed Mike Webster in his prime. 

He's the best possible fix for the Center spot we could have gotten at this stage in the offseason.  Pro Bowlers aren't generally found in late July. 

[More Cowbell]

11 minutes ago, Jetsfan80 said:

He's the best possible fix for the Center spot we could have gotten at this stage in the offseason.  Pro Bowlers aren't generally found in late July. 

This guy is not a pro bowler, he was at one time but not now. This is what I'm talking about. People are expecting him to be great. I'll be happy if he plays 16 games and is still in one piece. 

[Jetsfan80]

2 minutes ago, More Cowbell said:

This guy is not a pro bowler, he was at one time but not now. This is what I'm talking about. People are expecting him to be great. I'll be happy if he plays 16 games and is still in one piece.  

Did you not grasp my point?  I was saying its almost impossible to find Pro Bowlers this late in the offseason.  I was agreeing with you that Kalil will likely not play at a Pro Bowl level in 2019.  He was ranked the # 16 Center by PFF last season.  That's about what we can expect out of him.  That's still better than the play we've gotten out of the Center position since Mangold retired (thanks Macc). 

[More Cowbell]

3 minutes ago, Jetsfan80 said:

Did you not grasp my point?  I was saying its almost impossible to find Pro Bowlers this late in the offseason.  I was agreeing with you that Kalil will likely not play at a Pro Bowl level in 2019.  He was ranked the # 16 Center by PFF last season.  That's about what we can expect out of him.  That's still better than the play we've gotten out of the Center position since Mangold retired (thanks Macc). 

Ok, when you said pro bowlers aren't  generally  found at this time, I thought you were implying we found one

[varjet]

I was impressed by what Kalil has to say, and with the apparent physical shape he is in.  So long as the contract has enough outs in it, I think this is a net net positive 

[HelenOfTroy]

It’s only a one year contract, for God’s sake.  Pro bowl Ryan is gone, but he is (or could be) a  serviceable stop gap till next year’s draft and FA.

There is something to be said about a player at a crucial position, that cares very much about keeping your QB upright.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/jetswire.usatoday.com/2019/08/05/sam-darnold-big-reason-ryan-kalil-unretired-new-york-jets/amp/

'He's a big reason I'm here': Sam Darnold key in getting Ryan Kalil to unretire

Luring Ryan Kalil out of retirement wasn’t an easy task for Joe Douglas and company.

It took seven weeks for the two sides to come to a contractual agreement. As a University of Southern California guy himself, Kalil had a hard time saying no to the Jets’ main selling point —Sam Darnold.

Even though Kalil had an itch to return to the NFL, he was waiting for the right opportunity to present itself. Kalil is a big fan of Darnold and it just so happens that center was a position of need for New York.

“He’s a big reason for me being here,” Kalil told reporters over the weekend. “I’ve been a fan of Sam’s since watching him at [USC] and Sam and I know each other a little bit. We’ve talked in passing in California, here. I just got excited at the opportunity to come and work with him.”

With Douglas playing hardball to get Kalil in green and white, he thought back to what the now-retired Josh McCown did for Darnold and how that could likely be Kalil in 2019.

“I think it’s going to be very beneficial for Sam,” Douglas said. “We’re a young team and when you have veterans that have proven themselves, proven to be great players in the league, young guys – they watch them every day.”

Kalil has kept a close eye on Darnold as a former USC Trojan himself. The opportunity to work with a talented young quarterback was enough for Kalil to put his retirement on hold.

For years, the organization hasn’t had a main attraction to sell to players like Darnold. The quarterback position has been an endless game of musical chairs between those with veteran experience and those with “potential.”

Darnold showed real potential first-hand through last season, though. After he returned from a sprained right foot, he was statistically one of the best players at his position. Training camp has proved this to be true thus far. Darnold has turned over the ball very little and looks like a more seasoned product under Adam Gase’s direction.

While the Jets work on getting Kalil up to speed, they appear to have found a perfect mentor for Darnold with McCown no longer within earshot.

 

 

[BroadwayRay]

The New York Jets addressed a glaring weakness by signing center Ryan Kalil

For former Carolina Panthers center Ryan Kalil, a 12-year career with the same team that drafted him was surely all he could have ever hoped for at the NFL level. Embedded in that span was eight seasons with an overall grade of 70.0 or higher and six campaigns with 1,000-plus snaps — most recent of which was just last year.

So when the iron man decided to hang up his cleats following the 2018 season, it appeared to be a fitting end to a career defined by an ability to stay on the field and produce while doing so. In recent years, though, it had become clear that Kalil’s play had begun to fall off. After not allowing a pressure rate above 5.0% in any of his first eight seasons, he did so twice in his past four campaigns.

Last season, he ranked 29th among qualifying centers in pressure rate (4.5%) and finished 31st among 39 centers in pass-blocking grade (63.2). It certainly wasn’t the pinnacle of his career, but Kalil’s skillset hadn’t exactly crumbled underneath him, either — hence why the New York Jets came calling his name Aug. 1.

Jonotthan Harrison was set to assume full-time center duties in 2019, but with Kalil’s arrival, those plans are no more. Harrison barely graded out as a better pass-blocker than Kalil in 2018, with a 63.6 mark. But he played less than half the pass-blocking snaps Kalil did and still garnered three more penalties than the veteran.

That’s precisely what Kalil brings to this Jets squad: a veteran leadership presence.

He’s been there and done it as a top-five center in his prime, and unfortunately, that means Harrison will have to make way. The Jets’ offensive line was relatively average in 2018 outside of their trials and tribulations at center. The overall unit combined for the 14th-best pass-blocking efficiency (85.5) and allowed 151 pressures on the season (21st).

However, Harrison and fellow center Spencer Long combined to allow 40 of those as the two worst-graded qualifying offensive linemen on the Jets. On about 150 fewer pass-blocking snaps than that duo’s 801, Kalil surrendered 29 pressures.

From a pure pass-blocking perspective, the argument could be made that Kalil isn’t much of an upgrade from Harrison and Long’s 2018 performance. When run-blocking is factored in, though, Kalil is a clear step ahead.

With a 25% first-down/touchdown rate when rushing to the left or right of Kalil in 2018, the Panthers ranked tied for fourth while Jets centers helped generate a mere 15% rate (T-25th) in the same situation. As such, Kalil’s run-blocking grade of 61.1 ranked 17th among 39 centers.

No matter how the Jets managed to convince Kalil that New York could be his new stomping ground, they should reap the benefits immediately with him on the field, just as the Panthers did last season in what was a down year by the veteran’s standards.

Panthers running backs also averaged 5.1 yards per carry (T-6th) when rushing to the right or left of Kalil in 2018. In the same scenario for the Jets’ centers, running backs averaged just 3.2 yards per carry (31st). There are plenty of other factors at play there, but two yards is a massive difference in the NFL — the difference a veteran presence like Kalil can make along that shaky Jets offensive line.

https://www.pff.com/news/pro-the-new-york-jets-addressed-a-glaring-weakness-by-signing-ryan-kalil

[JustInFudge]

This might be the greatest thread in the history of JN when you look at the reactions vs. the results.

wow

This place lost it collective minds for Kalil, who was worse than Spencer Long.

 

[Jet Nut]

1 hour ago, JiF said:

This might be the greatest thread in the history of JN when you look at the reactions vs. the results.

wow

This place lost it collective minds for Kalil, who was worse than Spencer Long.

 

2nd greatest.

Close but not as epic as the thank god we hired Macc and Bowles thread.

[Bleedin Green]

1 hour ago, JiF said:

This might be the greatest thread in the history of JN when you look at the reactions vs. the results.

wow

This place lost it collective minds for Kalil, who was worse than Spencer Long.

 

You're not kidding, although after a quick once over, in the least shocking twist ever, I'm apparently less of an idiot than Gase.

I took on cautious optimism for Kalil (citing potential concerns over age and health), while making the point that at the very least improved depth should allow for competition at other positions (namely at guard for Winters and Osemele).

Don't get me wrong, this all went far worse than I ever anticipated at the time, but the management of the situation was quite literally the absolute worst possible.

[greenwichjetfan]

1 hour ago, JiF said:

This might be the greatest thread in the history of JN when you look at the reactions vs. the results.

wow

This place lost it collective minds for Kalil, who was worse than Spencer Long.

 

The first week of August was a good time to be a Jets fan. I mean, it always is, but last August was a little extra special. Back when some of us had hope that Gase would pull a Belichick and learn from his failures as a first time HC. Back before mono. Before Enu broke his neck again. When the only LeVeon we knew was the one on pace for the Hall. When CJ didn’t steal an entire season’s salary. When Q might somehow actually be competent and allow Leo to unleash his “true” potential. When Khalil was the savior. 

[Sperm Edwards]

It's still crazy how much worse he got. Easy to say we should have known, and whether some were touting him as though he was still a pro bowler or had reservations about him, I can't imagine anyone really believed he would be this bad. Maybe an injury because he wasn't properly in shape or something - like how much people already harp on those holding out of camp and then getting hurt - but it's crazy how he looked like a totally different player than he ever was, while totally healthy.

Of course the exact same thing could be said for Bell. Even those totally opposed to picking him up with that pricetag weren't expecting 3.2ypc.

Nor that Mosley would miss the whole season after being a model of health.

Nor that Williamson would also miss the season while the older D.Davis, whom we got rid of instead of holding for too long, was a first team all pro without missing a game (after playing 100% of the D snaps the year before in a breakout year for us).

Nor that even if QW wasn't a beast as a rookie, that he would have lost any healthy playing time to some rookie UDFA.

Nor that Leo W didn't have the big career awakening so many predicted, by playing for smart hardass Gregg Williams instead of stewpid pushover Bowles & his lackey. Despite the contract year adding more motivation, he got worse. 

Nor that Osemele was already damaged goods before we gave up a pick for him and paid him plenty, in the process potentially making our name mud in the eyes of many FAs.

Nor that, even if he wasn't the "first round grade" player he was once touted to be, and despite our desperation at the position, that a day 2 draft pick edge rusher wouldn't have even made the final roster or get IR-stashed as a rookie.

Starting to again think Costanza's "opposite" methodology would have provided a better basis for judgment.  

J!

[sec101row23]

Once a guy even contemplates retirement in football he is done.  Unless it’s a kicker.   Lesson learned.  

[Thai Jet]

59 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

2nd greatest.

Close but not as epic as the thank god we hired Macc and Bowles thread.

At the time it seemed like good hires. Damn that Charlie Casserly.

[joewilly12]

Let's all hope Ryan Kalil is the biggest bust JD ever signs. 

[Sperm Edwards]

1 hour ago, sec101row23 said:

Once a guy even contemplates retirement in football he is done.  Unless it’s a kicker.   Lesson learned.  

I don't know that there is such a rule. The better reason is because they're way past their prime, not because they're retired.

Some guys retire just because they want to skip camp or get away from their prior team(s). e.g. Favre, twice. While he didn't have a long career left in front of him, nor the arm he once had, it was because of age not because of prior retirement.

Others have their own reasons for retiring e.g. Ricky Williams, who returned, then got suspended, then returned again in his 30s. What's more, that was at a far younger-man's position than center or QB. He was a better 34 year-old RB than Kalil was as a 34 year-old center (or Bell as a 27 year-old RB, for that matter).

Lynch also returned at that very young man's position. Same theme: he wasn't the player he once was, but that's because he was a RB in his 30s, not because he was retired for a year or more. 

In comparison, Kalil was retired for a negligible amount of time. In effect, he was retired for like a month or so, since he wasn't playing football between the end of the 2018 season and the start of the 2019 season anyway. Showing up to camp a little earlier is about it, but he's been an NFL center since 2007. He was way worse than anyone could have imagined, even if a further dropoff from 2018 was expected. As @JiF noted, he ended up being a downgrade from Spencer Long.