when was the last time the jets drafted two defensive ends back to back.I remember mark gastineau.who was the other?
Klecko was drafted in 1977. Marty Lyons (1st round) and Gastineau (2nd round) were drafted together in 1979. Abraham attended South Carolina.
JAbe was drafted as a 3-4 ROLB. Ellis was drafted as a 3-4 LDE. A year later Herm tried to turn JAbe into a 4-3 RDE (successful) and Ellis into a 4-3 LDT (not). If Parcells had stuck around the Jets would have had JAbe at ROLB, Farrier at LOLB, Lewis at RILB and Jones at LILB. They'd have had Ellis at LDE, Ferguson at NT and a likely draft at RDE intead of the tradeup for D-Rob. They'd have been a very good 3-4 in their prime. All the changing around from 4-3 to 3-4 to 4-3 to 3-4 has been devastating in terms of the Jet's ability to mature into a great defense. We keep seeing flashes and then a year later a new coach has a new scheme and we're starting over from scratch and letting pro bowlers go because they do not fit the new scheme. Hugh Douglas (not good in 3-4), James Farrier (not good in 4-3), John Abraham, Jonathan Vilma (not good in 3-4), etc. That's a huge amount of 1st round talent that we just let go because we were dithering about what we wanted to do on defense and not taking care of just getting the most out of our players. Abraham should have been a fixture at ROLB OR RDE for a decade with us and we flipped and flopped so much that his value became less. Yes, the injuries were a huge part of the reason the Jets would not gamble on a big contract with him but the fact we were going to a 3-4 figured in heavily also. It's hard to move a 28 year old pro bowl caliber defensive end to outside linebacker again even if that's why he was drafted TWO administrations before.
i'm not as mad as how much we tinkered with abe's development/role on the team since it's netted us mangold in the process. but i pretty much agree with all the points you've brought up here.
Mo Lewis was a SS OLB-- both in 4-3 and later in Parcel's 3-4, I agree with most of the above assessment except I think you've got Mo Lewis and Farrior mixed up. Farrior played ILB and I think some WS OLB and at Pittsburg has remained on the inside. This brings up one of the biggest frustrations of our organization and outlines the downside of frequent coaching changes. Its not 3-4 versus 4-3, its having a good system that's lasting enough to develop and maintain the continuity and talent needed, along with the coaching required. A good job of outlining the talent waste of our system changes. JABE was indeed drafted as a pass rushing OLB and at the point he was traded, represented a huge risk, as he had never really played any LB (in college in limited time listed as an OLB he was a stand-up DE, and in his rookie season only saw action in 6 games?, and only in pure pass-rush situations) A search of NYJ draft history shows 1998 drafting of Dorian Boose (2/56)and Eric Ogbogu (6/163) as the last time 2 were drafted in the same draft.
John Abraham only played in 6 games because he got injured. He played a major role his rookie year, yes they did not play him on 1st on 2nd downs as his run support was suspect. Abraham and Ellis were drafted to rush the passer- whether there hand is on the ground or not it is the last time we used two picks to take pass rushers. Is this post to suggest other teams draft defensive ends in the same draft all the time? What team?
I just went with where I thought Farrier and Lewis would wind up, given Lewis age and Farrier's potential. The Steelers moved Farrier inside but I don't think the Jets would have. Farrier was drafted to be the ROLB but he was just not quite explosive enough to pull that off. The logical move after drafting JAbe would have been to try him strongside and put the two vets in the middle. Of course you could be right.
I go back and forth on whether or not being a Jet's fan is a positive thing overall. We're always close enough to competitive to make dissecting the reasons that we're not a compelling process. On the other hand we're never really competitive. In some ways I pity the Steelers fans who never have to look at the dark side. They're missing something in their football education that likely leaves them less able to understand the overall game of football and how it works. On the other hand they never experience their team's abject failure either. It's a trade off I guess.
^well I can tell you, because I also happen to root for the Yankees, that rooting for the Jets is a much more rich and interesting pasttime. Not as much fun, always, but very rewarding nonetheless. Although I often throw things at my TV. And some really old Steeler fans would tell you something about abject failure. The history of the Steelers should actually demonstrate the possibility that the Jets may someday kick that door in. I mean, its possible.
i have always felt bad for the fans of teams who always win. i feel even worse for fans that arent fans unless they are winning. you know those bandwagoneers. a man who has never tasted bitter has no understanding of what sweet is.
