Who You Bring Back, In Order
JetsLife
Brad Smith
Harris
Holmes
Cromartie
Ellis
Hunter
Pool
Weatherford
Folk
Coleman
Eric Smith
Edwards
Dig
To me the top six are must haves. Edwards and Holmes are the same type
receiver but Holmes is a mile better.
Harlan Lachman
<d49343e3-6f7d-49a2...@r16g2000yqk.googlegroups.com>,
JetsLife <Jets...@aol.com> wrote:
Life, I will bite.
Brad Smith is not a dominant WR, the wildcat is an anomaly rather than a
critical set of downs and it has not been used reliably in the one place
it makes sense to me (near the goal line). He is a dynamic special teams
player and if he wants to play for a special teamer's and back-up's
salary fine. But I have no problem letting him go if he insist on and
can get more from another team. No way is he a must have.
Harris is a must have. Hence the use of the Tag. I hope they can reach
agreement on a 4 or 5 year deal. No one who watches the team questions
your assessment.
Holmes is wonderful but I suspect he will bolt for the dollars. If so,
don't shed a tear when the door slams him on his butt on the way out.
Cromartie cost us a #2 pick. If he and Aso are the same cost, I could
agree to the older player. But we need one or the other or our team is
weakened and we lost the pick to fix it. So Cro or someone of equal or
more ability is a must have. It just doesn't have to be him.
Ellis is old. If he wants to finish out his career here for a chance at
a ring for a one or two year cap friendly deal, fine. This is the type
of player we can get in FA. We cannot afford to overpay.
I am sure Hunter would be pleased to be considered a must-have. So would
his agent. First time I ever heard of a back up OL called a must have.
NOT.
Poole is a mystery to me. I thought he had an down, up, down season. The
coaches are responsible for getting this one right. If he needs another
year in the system and can be the dynamic, fast, hard hitting safety we
need, he is a must have. If he will always be the guy who screws up and
makes mistakes, he is not. IOW, he may or may not be a must have and
this decision has to be right.
Weatherford made the playoffs harder for the Jets. His failure to know
down or distance cost us the dumbest fake punt in Jets history (gaining
something like 14 yards and turning the ball over on our end of the
field). His punting in the playoffs was horrific. Let him walk or sign
him for the minimum. Calling W a must have is even funnier than calling
Hunter one, given the quality of W's post season. A dumb choke artist a
must have, puleeze.
Of the others, I think Braylon is a must have because of his size, heart
and run blocking on a ground and pound team. Holmes is the flash in the
pan WR who can pull a game out of his butt. Braylon could be the WR who
makes such plays less necessary.
Finally, while Dig and Coleman are likely affordable and have performed,
if I never see Eric Smith in a Jets uniform, I will be pleased. There is
no room for a tiny LB or a too slow safety who makes dumb plays and
mistakes.
harlan
JetsLife
> In article
> <d49343e3-6f7d-49a2-8602-645d5ff80...@r16g2000yqk.googlegroups.com>,
>
> - Show quoted text -
Uh just a quick note first: I said only the first 6 are must haves,
not anyone else.
Harlan Lachman
<6c5db513-b553-4c27...@z20g2000yqe.googlegroups.com>,
JetsLife <Jets...@aol.com> wrote:
Life, that was clear. If you reread my response you will see that I
respected your distinction.
Since I completely disagreed with the categorizations of must needs as
including Brad Smith, Holmes, Ellis and Hunter, I felt comfortable
stating that IMHO, Braylon was clearly a must have and that if Poole was
a lot better than he appeared to me (as determined by the coaches) then
he was too.
Since you addressed the other 7, I assume in order, I felt it
appropriate to expound brilliantly on those too.
harlan
JetsLife
> In article
> <d49343e3-6f7d-49a2-8602-645d5ff80...@r16g2000yqk.googlegroups.com>,
>
>
>
>
>
> > for next season's roster only. Beyond that the calculus changes:
>
> > Brad Smith
> > Harris
> > Holmes
> > Cromartie
> > Ellis
> > Hunter
> > Pool
> > Weatherford
> > Folk
> > Coleman
> > Eric Smith
> > Edwards
> > Dig
>
> > To me the top six are must haves. Edwards and Holmes are the same type
> > receiver but Holmes is a mile better.
>
> Life, I will bite.
>
> Brad Smith is not a dominant WR, the wildcat is an anomaly rather than a
> critical set of downs and it has not been used reliably in the one place
> it makes sense to me (near the goal line). He is a dynamic special teams
> player and if he wants to play for a special teamer's and back-up's
> salary fine. But I have no problem letting him go if he insist on and
> can get more from another team. No way is he a must have.
>
Well, the given for every Jets FA in question is "at the right price."
I don't want any player at exorbitant pricing.
So. Smith is unbelievably valuable to the Jets. It's not just Wildcat
it's his kick off returning, as well. He virtually single-handedly won
us the Cincy game. His KO return for a TD opening the Pittsburgh game
was as big as they come. Jets were reeling after 2 straight divisional
losses and his opening TD set the tone early in that game. If he
doesn't score perhaps the Jets lose their third straight and miss the
playoffs.
In Westhoff's scheme we've seen various KO returners produce: Chad
Morton, Justin Miller, Leon Washington, B. Smith, Cromartie. So it's
not as much about Brad or any returner ...
His Wilcattin' was absolutely critical in the Miami road win. He was
important in both Buffalo games - tho the latter doesn't quite count.
And I know there are some other games his Wildcattin' was key. When
Smith & the Wildcat have the kind of impact it has had, it's more than
anomaly. It's a key offensive weapon.
So when you add up all of Brad's production on offense and specials,
one sees just how valuable he is to the team.
Bottom line for me regarding Brad: I just really really want him to
remain a Jet for as long as possible. I just love what he brings to
the table.
> Harris is a must have. Hence the use of the Tag. I hope they can reach
> agreement on a 4 or 5 year deal. No one who watches the team questions
> your assessment.
>
> Holmes is wonderful but I suspect he will bolt for the dollars. If so,
> don't shed a tear when the door slams him on his butt on the way out.
>
If he signs for reasonable deal elsewhere, I'll definitely shed a
tear. Like Buddy Ryan told Santonio late in the season, as told by
Rex: you've won four games for the Jets. (Denver, Detroit, Cleveland,
Texans).
The guy is a flat-out playmaker and dynamic weapon.
My only concern - and it's major - paying 'Tone is his eligibility
status vis a vis off-field discretions. IINM one more failed drug test
or whatever and he's out for a year.
> Cromartie cost us a #2 pick. If he and Aso are the same cost, I could
> agree to the older player. But we need one or the other or our team is
> weakened and we lost the pick to fix it. So Cro or someone of equal or
> more ability is a must have. It just doesn't have to be him.
>
Agreed.
But, thinking about it now, I'd consider not paying up for Cro, Aso or
the like in exchange for some legit front-seven pass rush talent.
Unsure if I'd do it, but man, our front-seven pass rush was gahbage
last season. Obviously losing Big Jenks was a critical blow as he
could collapse the pocket. It was encouraging Pace came on late in the
season. The hit on Brady in the playoffs was a thing of beauty.
> Ellis is old. If he wants to finish out his career here for a chance at
> a ring for a one or two year cap friendly deal, fine. This is the type
> of player we can get in FA. We cannot afford to overpay.
>
Agreed, mostly. I don't think it's certain he's the type of player we
can get in FA: solid d-linemen don't just grow on trees. And Ellis is
still very much a solid d-lineman.
> I am sure Hunter would be pleased to be considered a must-have. So would
> his agent. First time I ever heard of a back up OL called a must have.
> NOT.
>
Yeah, maybe I went overboard on calling him a must have. I think what
I was trying to get at it is that I don't want to mess with the o-line
-- that is we must keep it an anchor and strength of the team. And as
a back up Hunter was part of that. He was an excellent back up. As it
stands RT is a position of major concern with Woody's injuries and
age. Is Vlad going to step in there?
> Poole is a mystery to me. I thought he had an down, up, down season. The
> coaches are responsible for getting this one right. If he needs another
> year in the system and can be the dynamic, fast, hard hitting safety we
> need, he is a must have. If he will always be the guy who screws up and
> makes mistakes, he is not. IOW, he may or may not be a must have and
> this decision has to be right.
>
Agreed. I didn't include him in my must have list.
> Weatherford made the playoffs harder for the Jets. His failure to know
> down or distance cost us the dumbest fake punt in Jets history (gaining
> something like 14 yards and turning the ball over on our end of the
> field). His punting in the playoffs was horrific. Let him walk or sign
> him for the minimum. Calling W a must have is even funnier than calling
> Hunter one, given the quality of W's post season. A dumb choke artist a
> must have, puleeze.
>
I didn't have him on my must have list. He was brilliant in the
regular season, atrocious in the playoffs.
> Of the others, I think Braylon is a must have because of his size, heart
> and run blocking on a ground and pound team. Holmes is the flash in the
> pan WR who can pull a game out of his butt. Braylon could be the WR who
> makes such plays less necessary.
>
I put Braylon so low assuming the Jets can't afford, cap wise, to keep
both.
To include Santonio and "flash in the pan WR" in the same sentence is
craziness, as I think you know. I understand your point but to semi
dismiss Holmes flies in the face of his brilliant career thus far,
performance for the Jets this year, and why Rex flew out of his chair
to tell Tanny to get Holmes now when he became available. I trust
Rex's football opinion a million percent more than ours.
If we have to choose one I'd go with Santonio. Unfortunately both
represent significant risks because of their off-field discretions. On
the field the downside for both is they're not true burners. Braylon
seems to be the speedier deep threat while Holmes has amazing
quickness and cutting ability off the snap. Each has good speed and
can get deep, but I don't think either one keeps opposing coordinators
up at night.
Ideally we bring back both on incentive-laden deals tied specifically
to staying out of trouble off the field, so they remain on the field.
> Finally, while Dig and Coleman are likely affordable and have performed,
> if I never see Eric Smith in a Jets uniform, I will be pleased. There is
> no room for a tiny LB or a too slow safety who makes dumb plays and
> mistakes.
>
Agree, mostly. Smith has made some bad plays, but sometimes I like
him. He came on late in the season and in the playoffs save his helmet-
to-helmet in the AFC Championship.
JetsLife
I think you said I said Weatherford and Pool were included in my must
haves, which they weren't. Roger that on the rest of your post here.