New NFL RULE, you don't have to make a move for it to be a fumble. Yes, even the new rules work against us. I think the loss of Stuckey is a bigger hit now that Coles is out. The guy looked like the real deal in the pre-season. Too bad we couldn't see much of him during the regular season. It was a bad day for our skill players, it will be interesting to see if they only look good with a qb throwing passes with touch all day or if they will adjust. We had a couple miscues on option routes that comes with the qb and his skill players not being on the same page...although it wasn't a good thing its nice for him to have enough zip on the ball so that each mistake doesn't result in a near int. All in All I know it sucks to lose again, but all of the draft picks from the current regime are performing VERY well. A serious off-season were we address the dline and a few more drafts and we should have a group that can contend with just about anybody, at least if Clemens continues to develop as I hope he can. I'm hate to see us lose week in and week out, but in times like these It's best to just keep digging,clawing,and scratching until some breaks come our way instead of the other way around.
The announcers said something about no longer having to make a football move to have possession of the ball. Not sure if thats true or not.
I agree we will get some wins, but I foresaw many losses even with KC in as QB. It is not really the QB; our defense is downright pathetic, especially against the run. If we fix the defensive line and add at least one other good lineman to our Offfensive Line, then we can start playing football with a great chance at winning; until then, it will be a case of; can Kullen pass good enough and score enough points to offset our loser defense.
You guys have got to be kidding me.... Mangini can not win another game until the middle of next season, and still not be worried about his job. As fans no one wants to own up it, but everyone, pre season, said this was a 5 win season looking to happen. Capt.Checkdown PERSONALLY took us out of 3 games we should have won, Yesterday, we were in a position to win....Drops, and a Weak defense, and spotty offensive play calling, are killing us, but you cant replace coordinators mid season, unless the guy is already on staff. I am sure the coaches don't like losing, however, consideing this was termed to be a lost year, all they are doing now, is moving up the draft board, and getting better players in positions of need. The 'football model' they want to follow, is fairly clear... They know who they want to keep, and They are drafting their core players, and not settling for someone they dont really want....Watching Revis, and Harris, T Jones, it's hard to argue.. Harris has 50 tackles in two games. Clemens is the Future, all he needed to do yesterday to solidify his hold on the position was play mistake free....and he did. What do they really NEED going forward..? A NT. A Pass Rushing 4/3 OLB An OG or OT. (Both if you assume Bender will not make the jump to the NFL level. And now, they are in a position to draft whichever player they feel best meets those needs. Once that happens, THEN you can spend FA $$$$$ to get over the top.... Spending FA $$$$$ to go .500 makes no sense whatsoever....
GREAT POST!!!! Clemens did what he needed to do and THAT is the most important thing right now.... The defense is going to need major changes in the offseason - They can tinker for now and try some things but, both lines need talent and Beef. At this point, having the offense do what it needed to do and having the defense be exposed for what it is while we geta better draft position is not bad.
I didn't think that rule was changed, and looking back to Sept, this is what happened in the SF/Pitt game...
The Jets can get picks for Vilma, Pennington and Robertson. None who belong on the team if we stay with our current defensive scheme. They can then add a few pieces through FA and have a ton of picks to try and fill the rest. There is no way we don't have top 5 position this year. It most certainly does make sense to spend some money if it helps the team. Just look at what Parcells did. He signs Testaverde, Bryan Cox and Curtis Martin as FAs. He trades Keyshawn and uses the picks for Ellis and Abraham. He takes a 1-15 team to the AFC championship in two years. That's how this FO should operate. Of course Leon Hess was willing to spend money and I don't think Johnson is.
You don't spend $$$$$, until the other pieces are in place. Robertson stays, because if you draft a NT, he moves outside, and if you are staying with the hybrid 3/4-4/3, you want to be able to line him up inside in a 4/3 set. The only player they should even consider spending money on is Terrell Suggs, somwhere between 60-70 million over 7.
This team still needs a top tier WR and running back along with everything else on the agenda. Just getting stout on the lines will not make this an elite team it will just keep us from being embarrassed and give us a shot to back into wild card spots. I'm starting to think they should have moved Chad, DRob, Coles and Vilma last off season and really stockpilled picks or young talent. Coles and Chad have very little real value now and Vilma is going to have to get a very clean bill of health to be worth a second next year. DRob is probably untradeable because of his cap hit. He is worth resigning if we can get him for the right price but I doubt we can. Someone with a good interior line playing the 4/3 may bid more than he is worth to us?
Halfway through Belichik's second season the Pats were headed for a super bowl. By the middle of Dungy's second season the Colts were headed for the AFC championship game. Mentioning either of those scenarios alongside this mess is completely ridiculous.
Both of them took over teams in very good shape although in the Pats case it took an injury to their QB for everyone to understand that.
I was just pointing out that using those two examples as fodder in the "Mangini has time" argument is ridiculous. We differ on what's going to happen at the end of the season, however I think nobody (myself included) is really looking at the possibility of 1-15 and what that would mean. No owner likes to be made a laughingstock.
Yes, I agree. If Mangini was dealt the cards in 2000 that Herm inherited; I think we would have been infinitely better off now than we are.
