We have an easy schedule left and I beleive we have a good chance of finishing 10-6 and making a run at the pats. Chad will bounce back against the rest of these teams. I am not worried about him. He does struggle against very good to elite defenses but we have always new that he is not going to carry a team like Dan Marino. All this talk about Kellen is absurd. We don't need to rush this kid in there. Look at Rivers in San Diego.... Kellen has the tools to be good but mentally he is not Pennington. Why would anyone want to throw away this season to rush rookie qb in there. The teams who start rookie qb's ARE FORCED TOO. They have no other option and they have bad records. Do I think we could ever win a super bowl with Chad? Well I think so if given the right opportunity and the right team to play against. This team really has very few question marks considering how we started training camp. All we really need is a speed rusher and maybe a WR for the slot. I believe something special will come out of washington and houston. Houston in his limited playing time has suprised me with the way he hits the hole and lowers the shoulder. I think this guy has alot of upside along with the speedy Washington. Barlow has lost a step but still is a productive goal line back. I don't really want him getting the ball before the 5 yrd line though. Coles is back and Cotchery has impressed. The oline is solid and will only get better. Clement has actually played pretty well considering I thought he would be a huge problem area. Maybe being on a team that has a chance to win has motivated him finally. The defense has stepped it up and has alot of talent. We do miss a player like Abraham though. Someone to take over games defensively. I think mangini will draft that speed rusher next year. I think we can get by with the committee blitzing for now. The secondary has been solid considering we had no rush in the beggining of the year and will only get better as the defense adjusts more to this 3-4. I think the coaching has been questionable in terms of special team decisions. I am not so much talking about last weeks onside kick but I am talking about not trying to kick 2 fg's last week. I mean come on they were 50 and 53 yrds. If we had hit both we would've had the ball driving for a chance to win the game. Mike Nugent can hit them and anyone who doubts that is stupid. The guy was a second round kicker. I am sure all the NFL scouts worked him out with NFL balls and saw him drive balls through from 55 or else he wouldn't have been so high on draft boards. Mangini has to give this guy a chance to show his worth or else we will cut him and someone else will give him a shot and he will turn into a great kicker. The guy is going to have growing pains just like any other player. Its worse when the coach doesn't give you a shot to do your job. Also offensive coordinator needs to open the passing game up a bit. I am sick of seeing slants and wr hitches. Chad can throw the ball 20 yrds. I saw a few passes that were between 15-20 yds last week. We dumping the damn ball off too much and i think its because of the coaching. The problem could be related to Coles being doubled and Cotchery being able to get open CONSISTENTLY. Thats why I think we should get another speedy wr that will take pressure off those two. ALL in all our record won't be any worse than 9-7 this year. I think we will make it though at 10-6 and suprise a few teams. Just my thoughts.
I agree with most of what you say, save Nugent. Just because he was drafted in the 2nd round does not mean he has a strong leg. Nugent is all we have left from our 1st round pick in 05 thanks to Bradway. I don't think Nugent will even be ON the jets next year. We constantly give the other team great field position because his kickoffs barely reach the 10. Mangini knows that a long field goal attempt by Nugent = a miss.
ok... if i remember correctly ... everyone and their brother was high on Nugent. I remember this guy blasting long fgs. I know there are plenty of kickers in the nfl who don't kick off well but blast long field goals. If anything i beleive Nugent's problem is mental because of pressure to live up to his 2nd round status. Who knows maybe the guy had a leg injury and people don't know about it. I just find it very odd that this guy was a second rounder and isn't giving shots beyond 50 yards. If i was going to to draft a kicker in the 2nd round ... i would definately make sure he has a strong leg... or another freak like janikowski. Something smells fishy here... how many kickers in the history of the nfl have been drafted in the 1st 2 rounds or even 3 rounds.... I mean most kickers don't even get drafted and there is talent in that bunch.
I agree that draft status should not affect a players future or lack of w/ a team. But my arguement is, that Nugent truthfully hasnt been that bad. Just b/c a guy isnt great at long kick offs doesnt mean he cant kick a long field goal. Many people including myself have watched him closely during training camp and he can hit a 50+ yarder right down the middle against a rush consistently. Has he done that thus far in game situation? No. But how many opportunities has he had? 50+ yard kicks are a complete crap shoot at the meadowlands due to the swirling winds...and regardless of who our kicker is...unless the kick is essential between winning and losing, Mangini is gonna punt 9 times out of 10. Now it is true that Nugent does not have a marquee leg in reference to strength...but what he does have is very good accuracy. Ihave said over and over again...that at the meadowlands it is more important to have a kicker that can hit everything from 40 in and is 50/50 from beyond...than a kicker who will hit 7 out of 10 from 40 in and 7 out of 10 outward. Thus far in his career Nugent has been gold from 40 inward...in fact he is 100%. Until that # changes, or he misses a few game winners...I see no reason for him to be released.
Kicking is all mental. If Mangini put Nugent out there to kick a 55 yarder, that would send him into the stratusphere for confidence. "holy shit the coach believes I can nail a 55 yd kick!!!!". Plus much of the pressure is off on a kick that no one thinks he can make. During warm ups kickers like nugent will nail 50 yarders like it's a cake walk (Dempsy would close out warm ups by nailing a 50 yd FG from mid field, in BOTH directions, barefoot). Nugent nailed several in college to win big games, including two 50+ in one game alone. Remember, a 50 yd kick is hiked from the 33. That's pretty fn close. Somewhere in the next 6+4=10 games, with the Jets down by 1 or 2pts and only 30 seconds left on the clock, Mangini will be faced with a game "make or break decision": Go for it on 4th and 6 from the 33 or send Nugent in to try a 50 yarder to win the game. Like the old IBM commercials: You make the call.
Kinda like the situation last week when the Jets were down two scores with a FG being one of them and Mangini chose to go for it on 4th & 7 instead of attempt a 49 yard FG. The writing is on the wall as far as Nugent goes..This FO has no loyalty to him and clearly no faith in him either. If you can't trust your kicker to hit a 49 yarder on a mild November day in the Meadowlands it is time to get a new kicker.
that 54 yd fg just shows how stupid our coaching staff was last week... i think they were scared actually
