Zuniga returns

[batman10023]

What’s the story here?  Third round guys should make the team. 

[C Mart]

1 hour ago, southparkcpa said:

A 3rd round pick belongs on the team….  This concerns me.  JD’s drafts have been far from terrific.  

SMH 

[BurnleyJet]

JD’s first draft looks pretty sucky. I also don’t like he’s keeping his sh*t draft picks over other players. Perine over Josh Adams being the prime example.

[jetstream23]

4 hours ago, southparkcpa said:

A 3rd round pick belongs on the team….  

We'd hope!  I agree with this at the time of drafting.

Quote

This concerns me.  

Same here.  But, I'd be more concerned if JD had the Tannenbaum and Idzik mindset of "Keep them on the active roster until they prove I was right to draft them even if they haven't earned it!"

Quote

JD’s drafts have been far from terrific.  

Sure.  But I think the jury is still out.  I honestly believe I'm one of the most even-handed evaluators of JD so far.  I'm not hater, I'm not a fan boi.  I give credit where it's due (getting very good value in trades of Leo, Jamal, Darnold, addressing the right positions in the Draft like OL, WR, etc.) and I hit him when he whiffs (didn't like the James Morgan and Cam Clarke picks in the 4th last year, thought he waited too long to hit D here in 2021 and hasn't grabbed one single solitary veteran CB for a position group that that should number about 5 or 6 on the depth chart, etc.).  I also hit him last year for Braden Mann's underperformance (he was in the Bottom 10 of punters in many metrics NOT attributable to the Jets poor offense and field position.  However, I'm very optimistic this year for Braden).

BUT, JD gets big props from me for doing things that lots and lots of humans simply can't do.... admit when he's wrong.  We see it everywhere, at work, in politics, in the media, etc.  People make a big decision and then spend lots of effort trying to prove it was correct, rather than prioritizing the betterment of the organization and making a tough call.

As it relates to Zuniga specifically, he was drafted in the 3rd and was probably expected to contribute immediately as a rotational/3rd down pass rusher before growing into a starting DE by his second or third season.  The guy has both been hurt and underperformed when healthy.  I see this, you see this.  Even better, JD sees this.  Should JD put him on the 53 just so that he doesn't show up on some list of drafted players who haven't made the team?  I don't think so.  Give JD credit for not compounding what looks like a bad pick.  Previous GMs would have found a way with Lawson's injury to sneak Zuniga into the 52nd or 53rd roster spot just to save face and embarrassment.  Zuniga is a "sunk cost" in economic terms.  You can't get that 3rd round pick back.  But, don't make it worse trying to "recover it" by spending more and using a roster spot just to resurrect it.  JMHO my friend.

 

[jetstream23]

1 hour ago, BurnleyJet said:

JD’s first draft looks pretty sucky. I also don’t like he’s keeping his sh*t draft picks over other players. Perine over Josh Adams being the prime example.

I actually think JD's been pretty good at admitting mistakes with guys like Zuniga, Morgan, etc.

Perine is debatable.  I like Josh Adams, but he made it thru waivers... AGAIN in his 4th year to a PS.  There has to be a reason for that. I think Perine is getting a bit of a benefit of the doubt here.  He's younger, he was drafted much earlier (Adams wasn't drafted), he came out of the COVID pre-Draft process and played in a dysfunctional offense under Gase and he had a couple minor injuries.  My guess is that the risk calculation was easy.... If we release Adams nobody will claim him and we can get him to the PS, if we release Perine somebody is going to grab him as RB3/4.

The Jets problem at RB is similar to their problem at WR.  Lots of C+ B, B+ talent without enough A and A+ talent.  My opinion is that guys like Johnson, Adams, Carter aren't very different from each other.  I think Coleman is here 1 season and then gone.  If a couple guys like Carter and Johnson look good in 2021 then Perine and Adams are backing them up in 2022.

 

Quote

https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/football/news/josh-adams-stashed-on-jets-practice-squad/

Adams was added to the Jets' practice squad Wednesday, Andy Vasquez of USA Today Sports reports.

This was the expected outcome for Adams after he was cut, as New York still sees potential in the Notre Dame product but prefers the four running backs it kept on the roster. The team won't hesitate to promote Adams to the roster should injuries strike during the regular season.

 

[NYJ1]

Holding on to Zuniga when there's no earthly reason to do so definitely snacks of the GM placing his ego before the team.

[Irish Jet]

A waste of space.

Shameless from Douglas. This wont go down well in the locker room. 

[Biggs]

 Building a new culture.  Out of gas.  

[varjet]

39 minutes ago, Irish Jet said:

A waste of space.

Shameless from Douglas. This wont go down well in the locker room. 

If I had time I would go through all of the practice squad players in the NFL. It is also a competitive thing, as players will be apt to sign with their current team’s PS.   Cutting Zuniga and trying to work with him  for later 2021/2022 is not a horrible move. There will be a need for him in 2022. 

[Irish Jet]

8 minutes ago, varjet said:

If I had time I would go through all of the practice squad players in the NFL. It is also a competitive thing, as players will be apt to sign with their current team’s PS.   Cutting Zuniga and trying to work with him  for later 2021/2022 is not a horrible move. There will be a need for him in 2022. 

Maye pretty much expressed frustration about Bless, who as awful as he may have been wasn't completely soft like Zuniga. 

Players are well aware about treatment of their teammates relative to others. You can't tolerate trash like Zuniga. He's not going to make, he's not even going to try. It's pathetic.

[Bruce Harper]

Obviously he has done less than zero here but a question for the college junkies: was this guy even decent in college?


Sent from my iPhone using JetNation.com mobile app

[32EBoozer]

14 minutes ago, varjet said:

If I had time I would go through all of the practice squad players in the NFL. It is also a competitive thing, as players will be apt to sign with their current team’s PS.   Cutting Zuniga and trying to work with him  for later 2021/2022 is not a horrible move. There will be a need for him in 2022. 

I also think being cut after your 1st year is a wake up call! Just because you were a 3rd round pick last year,  nothing is guaranteed. He has 1-2 years to get back on an active NFL roster before he’s flipping burgers. 

[southparkcpa]

8 hours ago, C Mart said:

SMH 

So, maybe you misunderstood me?  I recognize that half of third rounders are off the team in less than 2 years.  I was talking about the word SHOULD.   But, do you think JDs drafts are above average?  they are better than MAC and but I don’t see how his are better than most.  I’m. It complaining I’m simply being cautious before we anoint him.   

[Jet Nut]

10 hours ago, RoadFan said:

The downside is nobody else thought he is worth a roster spot either.

And the upside is if we find someone else we want to put own the PS he can just be cut.  

Who cares this much about the PS.

[Jet Nut]

6 minutes ago, southparkcpa said:

So, maybe you misunderstood me?  I recognize that half of third rounders are off the team in less than 2 years.  I was talking about the word SHOULD.   But, do you think JDs drafts are above average?  they are better than MAC and but I don’t see how his are better than most.  I’m. It complaining I’m simply being cautious before we anoint him.   

Theres one draft to bitch about compared to 5.  The second is promising, very promising.  Do I think that JDs drafts?  Yes.  

[Jet Nut]

2 hours ago, Irish Jet said:

A waste of space.

Shameless from Douglas. This wont go down well in the locker room. 

Yeah, the locker room will be up in arms over this.

LOL

[Sperm Edwards]

41 minutes ago, Irish Jet said:

A waste of space.

Shameless from Douglas. This wont go down well in the locker room. 

I think you’re overstating the significance of a single, initial practice squad spot. Unless “the locker room” truly despises Zuniga personally, I don’t think they GAF who’s on the PS, which is typically filled with undrafted nobodies & never-will-bes anyway.

The practice squads were expanded to 16 last year so there’s a whole lot of guys on all 32 teams’ PSs that have not only have no business playing in real games, but are also UDFAs who also don’t have Zuniga’s size-speed-strength measurables, where it’d even matter much if things clicked a bit from the neck-up over the coming weeks/months.

If JD gifted Zuniga a spot on the 53-man roster over someone who’d clearly earned it over him: someone we’d want/need to put on the field at some point almost every game? Yeah that’d be a concern (outside of 3rd round rookies, who’ve gotten that benefit of the doubt ~99% of the time on every team since forever; J.Polite notwithstanding). 

But using up a practice squad spot, for a guy who could be worth a damn if the light went on upstairs? IMO Douglas should be doing this. A prototypical 43DE size, with 4.6 speed and the strength to toss up 225 lbs ~30x, and who is (or at least at one time supposedly was) really quick out of a stance and the power to do something about it when he does (what his 127” broad jump supposedly shows), isn’t that common.

If it takes him 2+ seasons to not look lost on the field, instead of much earlier like we all wished, after missing half his rookie season to injury that began in the preseason (and game prep not technique type coaching after that) it’ll have been worthwhile to stash him instead of a different nobody. He’ll still get the benefits of the same coaching staff and film study as the rest of the defenders (or at least the other backup defenders). If he’s never anything and they dump him next month (or next week), the Jets aren’t good enough for this to be a real concern; nominally he’s a guy who backs up 3rd stringers ffs.

I haven’t loved everything JD has done, but seriously griping over a recent day-2 pick getting stashed on a 16-man PS seems a bit nitpicky. Particularly on such a young/green team where more than a handful of its would-be PS stashes made the 53-man roster as it is. 

Teams swap & pluck guys on/off the PS all season long, so the 16 they begin with won’t be the same 16 all season long anyway. Not for the Jets, and not for anyone else either.

[munchmemory]

Zuniga, Zuniga, Zuniga.   Every year, there is one of these guys.  Then, amazingly, they are out of the NFL and never heard from again.

[Jet Nut]

4 minutes ago, Sperm Edwards said:

I think you’re overstating the significance of a single, initial practice squad spot. Unless “the locker room” truly despises Zuniga personally, I don’t think they GAF who’s on the PS, which is typically filled with undrafted nobodies & never-will-bes anyway.

They asked Maye about Bless being one of the cuts and he was like, "oh well".  

Players dont get into other players business, they only worry about their own 

[Sarge4Tide]

I think Zuniga can be a good NFL player.  He'll never be a quick twitch elite edge rusher, but he can grow into a "bigger" defensive end and be good.

John Franklin Myers was a 4th round pick who got cut after 1 year, spent a year in IR, got bigger and stronger and now he's a good player. 

No reason Zuniga can't do the same - he can add 15-20 pounds, get up to 280ish and be a contributor.  Wouldn't surprise me if he was activated off the PS a couple of times over the course of this season.

[Sperm Edwards]

9 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

They asked Maye about Bless being one of the cuts and he was like, "oh well".  

Players dont get into other players business, they only worry about their own 

This is the second defensive coaching staff who’s been unimpressed by Austin’s play and upside. But wow, Maye would rather have guys from his position group, whom he’s been hanging & practicing with for 2+ years and who aren’t threats to his own job, rather than not.

I’m trying to decide whether it’s worth mustering up the physical exertion to shrug my shoulders over this one.

[sirlancemehlot]

So Bless Austin isn't worth a roster spot, but Jabari Zuniga, who plays like he has no arms, is worth developing.  Huh.  Ok. 

[FidelioJet]

4 hours ago, NYJ1 said:

Holding on to Zuniga when there's no earthly reason to do so definitely snacks of the GM placing his ego before the team.

It's the Practice Squad!

You have no idea what they think of him as potential.  None of us do, but to question the Jets signing a 3rd round draft pick, from a year ago, to the practice squad is really just looking for a reason to complain.

[Sperm Edwards]

28 minutes ago, munchmemory said:

Zuniga, Zuniga, Zuniga.   Every year, there is one of these guys.  Then, amazingly, they are out of the NFL and never heard from again.

It’s the practice squad. Every year there are literally hundreds of practice squadders with the same outcome. There’s little that’s “amazing” about it that guys who didn’t make the 53-man roster are soon out of the league.

I can’t believe you’re actually frustrated over 1/16 of the initial practice squad roster.

[FidelioJet]

8 minutes ago, sirlancemehlot said:

So Bless Austin isn't worth a roster spot, but Jabari Zuniga, who plays like he has no arms, is worth developing.  Huh.  Ok. 

What does Bless Austin have to do with Zuniga?

Other than looking for a reason to gripe - I see no correlation whatsoever.

[Sperm Edwards]

Once any rostered player gets demoted to the PS the likelihood is he’ll get cut for good eventually. Big wow. 

[BettyBoop]

15 hours ago, SAR I said:

YES!

(Who?)

SORE I

SORE I out for ride in one of his BMW to conjure up more bullsh*t.

[playtowinthegame]

12 hours ago, Spoot-Face said:

[playtowinthegame]

EDIT: DP

[varjet]

JD's picks in the 2020 Draft were not great but do make some sense in retrospect and based on what I have read in other articles.

The picks after Becton basically generally follow pretty closely Ourlads and the RAS scores.  In the absence of meaningful coaching input, that was the best they were going to do.

Becton-look at chance at a LT at 10, and did not think Wirfs could be a LT (probably right).  Thought Fant could play RT good enough.  

Mims-did not like the value originally and traded down.  Mims was then the value based on athleticism.  He did look good in the Gase system when he came back.   Not a great fit for the Shanahan system.

Davis-clear RAS/Ourlands/Draft pundit pick there, and we foresaw Maye moving on and Adams staying, thus needing a FS.  Whoops on all accounts.   The scouts overlooked if he was a football player.

Zuniga-almost exact same thing as Davis.  Edge high value position and good RAS value here.

Perine-Gase wanted a Gore clone.

Morgan-Gase wanted a QB that fit his system.

Clark-JD saw value based on talking to Becton's OL coach.   He is soft and will need alot of work to play in NFL.

Hall-some scout did their job and found great value.

Mann-needed a decent, cheap punter.  

They appear to have gone about 2021 entirely differently.  I would much rather trade up than down in the first three rounds.

[mrcoops]

32 minutes ago, playtowinthegame said:

EDIT: DP

[sirlancemehlot]

3 hours ago, FidelioJet said:

What does Bless Austin have to do with Zuniga?

Other than looking for a reason to gripe - I see no correlation whatsoever.

One roster spot over another.  Bless has more value and more experience.  He actually started games.  Zuniga is terrible.  He's another workout warrior that everybody just wants to "give a chance to develop".  He adds nothing to this team.  Austin added something.  So keeping Zuniga makes no sense whatsoever.  

[FidelioJet]

2 minutes ago, sirlancemehlot said:

One roster spot over another.  Bless has more value and more experience.  He actually started games.  Zuniga is terrible.  He's another workout warrior that everybody just wants to "give a chance to develop".  He adds nothing to this team.  Austin added something.  So keeping Zuniga makes no sense whatsoever.  

Zuniga isn't taking a roster spot. 

A spot on the practice squad for an exceptional athlete that produced in college - to see if you can turn him into a player - is exactly the type of person you want on the practice squad

We know what Austin is - we've seen his upside.  He's not the type of person you want on the practice squad.

[munchmemory]

3 hours ago, Sperm Edwards said:

It’s the practice squad. Every year there are literally hundreds of practice squadders with the same outcome. There’s little that’s “amazing” about it that guys who didn’t make the 53-man roster are soon out of the league.

I can’t believe you’re actually frustrated over 1/16 of the initial practice squad roster.

Who's frustrated?  And my comment was not about the practice squad.  It was about a certain segment of JN folk who have been talking up/fawning over Zuniga for a couple years now.  

As I said, he's just one of a bunch of similar JAG players who, historically, somehow catch the eye and imagination of some, who believe they are the next big thing.  Unfortunately, most are not.

[thshadow]

Imagine my surprise when I opened this thread, saw it was a heated discussion of whether or not we're making appropriate use of our SIXTEEN practice squad positions - and there's no jetsrule!