State of the Union:
I think we should be pretty happy today. For years, we've had:
1) One bad GM after another
2) A dysfunctional organization structure
3) Terrible coaching staffs
4a) A failure to draft offense and o-line in particular,
4b) Ignoring premium positions like o-line and pass rushers for defensive tackles, linebackers, and safeties.
5) The future
Let's take a look at each:
1) Idzik was bad, but Maccant is up there for one of the worst GMs of all time. He left our team in a state of nuclear devastation.Our team was the NFL version of Chernobyl. In comes, JD, a respected man around the league that many felt was ready to be the next good GM. Well, you never know how first timers will turn out. Unfortunately for him, he joined the team after the Draft and FA period.
His only FA signing was a center out of retirement that stole our money. His first real FA period was disappointing. He seemed to blow off last season with some questionable cheap FA signings and lack of support for the QB. At least he recognized the importance of addressing the o-line. His top draft pick was a Home-run at Left Tackle. Covid and injuries prevented us from properly assessing the rest of his draft. His draft maneuvering for Mims was bold and impressive. JD seemed to have made a decent deal trading Leonard Williams and later got a steal getting 2 firsts and a third for disgruntled Jamal Adams.
Although there were some good positive signs after his first year, there were some questions coming into his second season. Who would he hire for coach? What kind of offensive system would he implement? Would he stick with a terrible QB that was ruined by the previous GM and Coach. Would he finally put his QB in position to succeed?
2) After Gase was fired, the Jets finally changed the organizational structure. JD was now in full control. He would hire the new coach. It would be his vision of how to build the organization.
3) We've had a history of bad coaches, but Gase was the worst. Maybe one of the worst coaches of all time. He was despised by the fan base and often by many of the players. The little weirdo stayed in his office all day and barely communicated with his players. I don't want to throw up in my mouth thinking about him any longer, so I'll move on to our new coach. JD hired Saleh who was respected throughout the league and was seen as a top candidate for several coaching openings. Players actually wanted to play for him. They brought in many of SF's well-regarded coaches and it's favorable offensive system. The Jets also implemented a new medical & training program. As with JD, you don't know how new hires will turn out, but at least there is potential with Saleh and most importantly, he seems to be the opposite of Gase.
4) JD proves that he is not blind by jettisoning the worst starting QB in the league. Yes, the Jets did not provide Darnold any help in his three seasons. Terrible coaching, terrible offensive systems, and crappy players around him. The bottom line is JD saw a bad QB that maybe could be helped with better coaches and players, but decided to restart the organization with a QB with a higher ceiling. Now would he put players around that QB to help him succeed?
JD started the process last year by making Becton his first round pick. He followed that up with WR Mims. Then in free agency he signed Corey Davis and Keelan Cole. After selecting Wilson, many suspected that JD would go with CB or pass rush to appease his new defensive coach, especially because the top guard in the draft was expected to be drafted in the 12-14 range. So what does JD do? He trades up to get AVT. Brilliant move. He amassed a ton of draft picks over the next 2 years and could afford to give up 2 third round picks to land a stud guard that also could play tackle successfully if needed.
With the second round pick (#34), JD goes back to the offensive well again and drafts E. Moore, a route technician with 4.3 speed and college production galore. Some say he is as good of a route runner as Antonio Brown, but with good character (just look at AJ Brown crying over the draft selection of his friend Moore). AJ Brown, a proven stud WR tells Moore that Moore is better than him. Holy cow, sign me up. Wilson is going to love this kid. He gets open, is fearless over the middle, and is a threat to take it to the house on any given throw.
In the 4th round, JD once again goes offense and selects Michael Carter who gained 8 yards per carry and almost 11 yards per reception this past season for NC. 4 straight offensive picks. WUT? Well this answered whether JD would support his new QB.
Where do we stand on offense? We have a new QB in Wilson coming off an incredible senior season. We have a very good physical former first round WR perfect for our system in Corey Davis. We have second year, second round WR Mims that had a first round grade. We have another first round graded WR in Elijah Moore. We have a versatile Keelan Cole for depth and one of the best slot WRs in Crowder, although he is in his last year and not really a great fit for this offense. This is light year's better than last year.
TE is still a major question mark. Herndon stunk last year. This is his year to make it or get dumped. Kroft is a decent blocker and not much else. Griffin is a cut candidate. Our UDFA Kenny Yeboah, E Moore's college teammate, has a chance to make the team as a receiving TE.
Our RBs are Carter, Tevin Coleman, Ty Johnson - all perfect fits for the zone blocking SF West Coast offense. Plus there is last year's 4th rounder Perine. Johnson will be even better in our system. Carter will be a big upgrade from Gore. Coleman is a good experienced scheme fit.
O-line: Becton and AVT will be a stud left side of our line. McGovern and Fant are adequate, but should be better fits in the zone blocking system. Right guard is still a problem. Maybe JD didn't want 2 rookies on the line. Maybe Cameron Clark can move to guard. I would think that Lewis will be cut for a $5m savings. They have Feeney for depth.
Defense - We had ignored pass rusher for ages. JD and Saleh immediately addressed this in FA by signing Carl Lawson, Sheldon Rankins and Vinny Curry. We already have a stud in Q plus some interesting young guys like John Franklin Myers, B Huff, and maybe Zuniga can rise from the draft dead. We should get some good pressure from the d-line.
I'm not sure if Mosely is a great fit for the 4-3, but he should be healthy and rested. We'll see what Davis can do in this system.
Rounds 4-6 saw the Jets draft a crap-shoot of players with skillsets for Saleh's system. We might find a LB out of one those 2 LB-Safety hybrids. They also drafted 3 CBs in the 5th-6th round. Michael Carter II has a chance to make it as our slot CB. I don't know if any of these guys will start or need development time, but they have the skillset to potentially play for them some day.
5) The immediate future: Hopefully we sign one of Sherman/Nelson. We have the cap room. There are several decent depth pass rushers left if we want to add one. We need to add an experienced back-up QB (Hoyer or Mullens). We can add more cap room by cutting Lewis and Griffin. They could even cut Crowder for another $10m if they wanted to. GvR is another option.
Next year: We have 2 first round picks, 2 second round picks, and a third round pick (plus a 4th, 2 5th round picks and 3 6th round picks). Next year we can add another o-lineman (RT or RG) and a premium pass rusher. We can target a TE in the second or third round. Plus another CB with one of those top 5 picks. Maybe even another WR.
I don't expect a ton of winning this year, but the development of Wilson and the offense will be the key success factor for the future. If you're not excited about the Jets today, I don't know what it will take.Things are night and day compared to a year ago. Enough babbling. Godspeed my friends.