Jet Roster moves, its Football 101 folks

[SouthernJet]

Faneca - club house lawyer who was graded WORST on team as far as QB protection. with wr core of cotch/holmes/keller/edwards and a more seasoned qb this will be more of a issue. especially in games in 4th qtr where we might be trailing.

Washington - Please. Its a business. Severe, severe leg injury on a slashing type player. Odds are LONG he will ever regain form, especially this year. Add in his age and no brainer.

T Jones - How simple does this get? Greene beat him out for starting RB. LT can back Green up in case of injury. LT is a now 3rd down back/Green backup. Jones could not be a 3rd down back due to horrific hands. So will we pay Jones to be a pure backup to Green? No. Plus I doubt he would embrace that role as evidenced by his pouting at end of year when Green beat him out.

Rhodes - He sucked and wasnt a team player.

Feely - He gulped the goo in playoffs this year and paid for it with his job.

[s dubb]

I have to agree here. In all honesty, Faneca was probably our weakest Olinemen at this point. I can remember at least 4 instances where his guy just beat him 1 on 1 for a pressure,sack or sack fumble.

Faneca the last 2 years has been getting to the pro bowl on name recognition. I really don't see a huge drop off. Plus whoever wins the job at LG will be in between Brick and Nick. Not bad company.

Also we ended up saving 7.5mil

We can't keep acquiring players of Cro and Holmes caliber and have contracts soon to be pending on Revis,Harris and Mangold and not make business moves to free up money.

As for Leon, even if he's healthy, carries will be scarce and teams don't pay chunks of cash to special teamers.

Feely and Rhodes aren't even worth commenting on.

[THE ILK]

I agree too, however we have to pay Faneca $5. something million so we only save $2 mill this year.

I think he was due something like $9 million next year though, and there are rumblings that if he signs somewhere this year we are off the hook for some cash, but I don't know how to confirm or refute that.

[GREENBEAN]

My fear in all of this is that it ends up like the Pete Kendall debacle. We did not want to pay him the $1 mil extra he wanted and we paid the price by letting him go. That is why we signed Faneca in FA the next year. We NEEDED a guard to fill in that spot. I like to think they know what they're doing and I have more confidence in Rex than I ever did in Mangini, but there is reason to be concerned when were just here at this exact place a mere two seasons ago. We are now hoping a 6th rd pick and a rookie (who everyone is saying has technique issues) can fill in and protect our $50 mil QB and continue our running dominance.

All the weapons we have are moot if teams know there is a weak link in our o line.

[THE ILK]

My fear in all of this is that it ends up like the Pete Kendall debacle. We did not want to pay him the $1 mil extra he wanted and we paid the price by letting him go. That is why we signed Faneca in FA the next year. We NEEDED a guard to fill in that spot. I like to think they know what they're doing and I have more confidence in Rex than I ever did in Mangini, but there is reason to be concerned when were just here at this exact place a mere two seasons ago. We are now hoping a 6th rd pick and a rookie (who everyone is saying has technique issues) can fill in and protect our $50 mil QB and continue our running dominance.

All the weapons we have are moot if teams know there is a weak link in our o line.

It's not the exact same place we were in, D'Brick and Mangold are both well developed Pro-Bowl caliber players now.

I find it really hard to believe anyone we use to fill in for Faneca will be worse at protecting our $50 mil QB.

Faneca was the worst possible pass protector, he gave up more sacks on less chances than anyone in the entire league.

As for our running dominance, with the addition of Holmes to our receiving core, the running game is going to open up.

Our running back situation really has not changed that much, except Greene will be getting a majority of the carries this year. That is an upgrade over Jones IMO.

We had no Leon last year for most of the season and he was ineffective while he was healthy. I'd say LT and McKnight are going to an upgrade over that.

Oh and I really don't think either one of the monsters Vlad or Slauson are going to have that much trouble blocking, have you seen these guys?

Bottom line is Faneca was a grossly over paid and hyped player, he was a liability and a weak link.

Rex has stated that he feels of the guys he has now, one or both will be better than Faneca was, and I really see no reason to doubt him.

Also it's being reported he was causing dissension in the locker room, sounds to me like they got rid of him just in time.

[GREENBEAN]

It's not the exact same place we were in, D'Brick and Mangold are both well developed Pro-Bowl caliber players now.

I find it really hard to believe anyone we use to fill in for Faneca will be worse at protecting our $50 mil QB.

Faneca was the worst possible pass protector, he gave up more sacks on less chances than anyone in the entire league.

As for our running dominance, with the addition of Holmes to our receiving core, the running game is going to open up.

Our running back situation really has not changed that much, except Greene will be getting a majority of the carries this year. That is an upgrade over Jones IMO.

We had no Leon last year for most of the season and he was ineffective while he was healthy. I'd say LT and McKnight are going to an upgrade over that.

Oh and I really don't think either one of the monsters Vlad or Slauson are going to have that much trouble blocking, have you seen these guys?

Bottom line is Faneca was a grossly over paid and hyped player, he was a liability and a weak link.

Rex has stated that he feels of the guys he has now, one or both will be better than Faneca was, and I really see no reason to doubt him.

Also it's being reported he was causing dissension in the locker room, sounds to me like they got rid of him just in time.

All in all I agree with most of what you said, except the idea that we are going to assume players who have little to no NFL playing experience are going easily fill in for a guy who is as experienced as Faneca. Especially considering the chemistry on the line. This is a big question mark. BIG!

Like I said, it's my only my fear side of all of this I was voicing. (can I really voice through text?)

I am actually very optimistic concerning all of the moves we've made.

TJ, Leon, Rhodes, Sheppard, Strickland.... they can all go away for all I care. I'm just worried about our O line. The strength of our team.

[THE ILK]

All in all I agree with most of what you said, except the idea that we are going to assume players who have little to no NFL playing experience are going easily fill in for a guy who is as experienced as Faneca. Especially considering the chemistry on the line. This is a big question mark. BIG!

Like I said, it's my only my fear side of all of this I was voicing. (can I really voice through text?)

I am actually very optimistic concerning all of the moves we've made.

TJ, Leon, Rhodes, Sheppard, Strickland.... they can all go away for all I care. I'm just worried about our O line. The strength of our team.

I hear you, but we can never know for sure, you know "Only time will tell" "Seeing is believing" "Risk Reward" all that crap.

I just don't think these type of unknowns/fears should keep us from wanting to try and get better especially when Faneca was over paid, a liability, the weak link and a locker room lawyer.

I mean that kind of thinking gets you nowhere and let's face it they could have done nothing and got worse.

What we have going for us is Rex and Callahan see this as a worthwhile gamble to take, and I for one have more faith in that, then I do doubt/fear of the unknown.

[jack48]

Faneca - club house lawyer who was graded WORST on team as far as QB protection. with wr core of cotch/holmes/keller/edwards and a more seasoned qb this will be more of a issue. especially in games in 4th qtr where we might be trailing.

Washington - Please. Its a business. Severe, severe leg injury on a slashing type player. Odds are LONG he will ever regain form, especially this year. Add in his age and no brainer.

T Jones - How simple does this get? Greene beat him out for starting RB. LT can back Green up in case of injury. LT is a now 3rd down back/Green backup. Jones could not be a 3rd down back due to horrific hands. So will we pay Jones to be a pure backup to Green? No. Plus I doubt he would embrace that role as evidenced by his pouting at end of year when Green beat him out.

Rhodes - He sucked and wasnt a team player.

Feely - He gulped the goo in playoffs this year and paid for it with his job.

One more note on Leon. Did anyone notice how average he was before the injury in 2009?

Jones was going to get 10-15 touches. Anyone have any idea what his average was over his first 10 carries per game?

[Sperm Edwards]

All in all I agree with most of what you said, except the idea that we are going to assume players who have little to no NFL playing experience are going easily fill in for a guy who is as experienced as Faneca. Especially considering the chemistry on the line. This is a big question mark. BIG!

Like I said, it's my only my fear side of all of this I was voicing. (can I really voice through text?)

I am actually very optimistic concerning all of the moves we've made.

TJ, Leon, Rhodes, Sheppard, Strickland.... they can all go away for all I care. I'm just worried about our O line. The strength of our team.

The chemistry is not as big as you're making it out to be. If we were replacing two or three guys then it's a concern. But 4 guys returning, and the new addition is wedged between two premiere young linemen? Meh. That's about as good of a slot as a new addition can walk into.

It's not the same as the Kendall situation. His replacement was slotted to be either a rookie 6th rounder who no one on the team had coached before, or a 4th-rate free agent acquisition who no one on the team had coached before. It is not the same as a 6th rounder in his second year, who was coached in college by our OL coach for years, and having that player battle it out with a 2nd round monster who - while rough around the edges - has the feet and size to be an elite NFL lineman.

We want to pass more than the paltry 400x we did last year. The one area where Faneca is totally awful and an outright liability is in pass blocking. Further, it's not as though it's a sure thing he'll even be as good in 2010 as he was in 2009. The guy is getting progressively worse, not better, and probably not even the same.

[Bruce Banner]

I think the big problem is that Faneca's contract was redic in the first place. If they had given Kendall that $1M he wanted they wouldn't have been desperate for a LG and could have kept Kendall or gotten one for a reasonable price.

And it must have been hard to convince Faneca to take a pay cut when he can make $5M from this contract by doing nothing. Not a good contract in the first place. Tannenbaum defended it at the time by saying Faneca brings leadership. He's still a leader, so I guess he overvalued that.

[Sperm Edwards]

I think the big problem is that Faneca's contract was redic in the first place. If they had given Kendall that $1M he wanted they wouldn't have been desperate for a LG and could have kept Kendall or gotten one for a reasonable price.

And it must have been hard to convince Faneca to take a pay cut when he can make $5M from this contract by doing nothing. Not a good contract in the first place. Tannenbaum defended it at the time by saying Faneca brings leadership. He's still a leader, so I guess he overvalued that.

I don't consider his time here to be wasted or a flop. We had 2 premiere young OL talents and wanted to put a star in between them to show them the ropes. It's possible Kendall could have filled that role just as well, but we know with Faneca they have turned into great successes.

The problem with how they handled Kendall wasn't that they let him go but that they let him go with no one in his place. If they knew they were dumping him they had no business not addressing the position in pre-draft free agency.

Truth is, in an uncapped season, it's Woody's money alone and not wasted cap space.

[Thai Jet]

Faneca - club house lawyer who was graded WORST on team as far as QB protection. with wr core of cotch/holmes/keller/edwards and a more seasoned qb this will be more of a issue. especially in games in 4th qtr where we might be trailing.

Washington - Please. Its a business. Severe, severe leg injury on a slashing type player. Odds are LONG he will ever regain form, especially this year. Add in his age and no brainer.

T Jones - How simple does this get? Greene beat him out for starting RB. LT can back Green up in case of injury. LT is a now 3rd down back/Green backup. Jones could not be a 3rd down back due to horrific hands. So will we pay Jones to be a pure backup to Green? No. Plus I doubt he would embrace that role as evidenced by his pouting at end of year when Green beat him out.

Rhodes - He sucked and wasnt a team player.

Feely - He gulped the goo in playoffs this year and paid for it with his job.

Good job SJ and I understand your point. My concern with Jones is the question " Did Greene look so good in the PS because TJ carried the load (331 carries , 1410 yards) through out the season leaving Greene with fresh legs for the playoffs ? " How many fumbles will Greene have over 16 games ? Just askin....

[Thai Jet]

I don't consider his time here to be wasted or a flop. We had 2 premiere young OL talents and wanted to put a star in between them to show them the ropes. It's possible Kendall could have filled that role just as well, but we know with Faneca they have turned into great successes.

The problem with how they handled Kendall wasn't that they let him go but that they let him go with no one in his place. If they knew they were dumping him they had no business not addressing the position in pre-draft free agency.

Truth is, in an uncapped season, it's Woody's money alone and not wasted cap space.

I couldn't agree more. Our line was one of the worst around till Faneca got here. He helped mold and solidify the line. I wish him nothing but the best.

[SenorGato]

Why is Leon's broken leg such a big deal? Unless you're 90 years old a broken leg isn't that big a deal after the break is set.

[KINGDIRK]

Faneca - club house lawyer who was graded WORST on team as far as QB protection. with wr core of cotch/holmes/keller/edwards and a more seasoned qb this will be more of a issue. especially in games in 4th qtr where we might be trailing.

Washington - Please. Its a business. Severe, severe leg injury on a slashing type player. Odds are LONG he will ever regain form, especially this year. Add in his age and no brainer.

T Jones - How simple does this get? Greene beat him out for starting RB. LT can back Green up in case of injury. LT is a now 3rd down back/Green backup. Jones could not be a 3rd down back due to horrific hands. So will we pay Jones to be a pure backup to Green? No. Plus I doubt he would embrace that role as evidenced by his pouting at end of year when Green beat him out.

Rhodes - He sucked and wasnt a team player.

Feely - He gulped the goo in playoffs this year and paid for it with his job.

A-fukin-MEN! Whether or not we make a SB run, these moves were right and had to be made.

[Jack Straw]

Why is Leon's broken leg such a big deal? Unless you're 90 years old a broken leg isn't that big a deal after the break is set.

Yeah, try telling that to Joe Theismann....

If Leon Washington's leg didn't shatter in two different spots, breaking through the skin, it probably wouldn't be that big of deal. But it did break in two spots, and the only other NFL player who suffered a similar injury is Michael Bush -- and it took him two full years before he was even close to his old self.

While people saying "Leon is done" is premature and ridiculous, people asking "Why is his broken leg such a big deal?" is equally ridiculous.

[CrazyCarl40]

I'm thinking it's more like Economics 101.

[ZachEY]

I'm thinking it's more like Economics 101.

Cut a starter who only costs 2 million more than you're going to have to pay him anyway?

I guess we were in a different econ class.

[ZachEY]

I don't consider his time here to be wasted or a flop. We had 2 premiere young OL talents and wanted to put a star in between them to show them the ropes. It's possible Kendall could have filled that role just as well, but we know with Faneca they have turned into great successes.

The problem with how they handled Kendall wasn't that they let him go but that they let him go with no one in his place. If they knew they were dumping him they had no business not addressing the position in pre-draft free agency.

Truth is, in an uncapped season, it's Woody's money alone and not wasted cap space.

The faneca move was a necessity at the time. He and his agent knew this, so they took us to the cleaners. What could we do? We had no depth, and no options. I thought most people knew this the moment we signed him. "Yeah, his play is declining and yeah we're paying him too much, but we don't have much of a choice".

In the end, we both got what we wanted out of it. He stabilized the line and helped develop Brick and Mangold. Now, it's time to move on.