The First Picks in the 2006 Draft were perfect The importance of this draft cannot be emphasized. The fact that this draft marks the new era of Jets football makes these few selections pivotal. The first selection was one that took guts and was the best football decision on the board. D?Brickashaw Ferguson immediately fills a void at the LT position. The first aspect of Ferguson that jumped out to me was his completeness. He is very polished with surprisingly quick reads of stunts and blitzes. He also has very strong hands. He uses his 7 foot long wing span to his advantage in pass blocking by latching on to the pass rusher in passing situations. He also delivers a very good punch moving his man away from the ball in running situations. Perhaps the strongest aspect of Ferguson?s game, however, is his foot quickness. He easily slides to the outside with speed rushers and flicking them off with ease. He also is a very good pulling blocker and gets to the second level very quickly. His knee bend is some what inconsistent from what professionals say but in the brief moments I have watched him (I honestly find watching Offensive Lineman dull) but he is very quick to get into his break down stance. The biggest knock on Ferguson other than his size, is his lack of a quick interior move. In fact, the few times he has got beaten were with the quick outside inside move used by undersized DE?s. This may be a problem but I gift this habit to the lack of proper competition due to the fact that a majority of outside pass rushers in collegiate football are just straight line speed rushers who have a weak interior move and Ferguson just considered it as probable that the rusher was not moving inside and his muscle memory twitched in that direction. Due to his frame which is very tall and lanky he can easily gain weight as proven by an additional 15 or so pounds between the senior bowl and the combine. Also Mike Mayock described him as a sneaky strong man and that he can hold his own against bigger players. Also his lack of ?bulk? is actually following a trend current with how much smaller the DE?s are these days. In fact, other than Mario Williams is any pure 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB above 280 pounds in this draft? Ferguson not only has a very high ceiling, as he has the ability to become a HOFer but he also has a very vast floor where we are getting a solid OT no matter what and he has a very low risk due to his amazing intangibles and smarts. The 2nd pick for the NY Jets (29th overall) fortified the offensive line for many years to come. Nick Man-GOLD was a golden pick for the Jets as he fills the limited depth at OG and C for the franchise. He is very similar to Ferguson with respect to his strengths and weaknesses. Though he only weighs a meager 299 pounds which will not cut it against top two-gapping DT?s in this league, he is quick to set up and moves very well in traffic. He has very good technique consistently staying low with good punch and arm extension. Some argue that his base is a bit small but I disagree as he seems to keep a fair distance between two legs as he breaks down. He is a very good seal blocker who can move his man out of the play but he lacks the physical strength to completely throw his man and pancake him. Like Ferguson, he can move outside for screens and understands stunts and blitzes extremely well. He also has the ability to play OG which will give us some interesting depth at the interior offensive line. Overall, Mangold was an excellent choice as he can come in and contribute right away. He has a very low bust potential and can play possibly at a higher level than Kevin Mawae (both are very similar) in due time. He was a team captain at Ohio State and should follow a similar leadership role on the Jets. The first round of the fortified our line for years and we will never need to look for an offensive lineman in round one for a good 10-12 years. The law firm of Mangini and Tannenbaum started on the right foot. (You Know These Bad Boys Look Good!!!) Thoughts?
Agreed, although at first I thought you were talking about Nugent and Miller. Ferguson definitely has room to add more weight, in muscle too. I don't think he's ever going to be a mauler, that's not his game. But he has the potential to really solidify the left side of the line. It was really the only choice to make at 4. Mangold looks if he works out, he'll be another Mawae. Slighty undersized, but very athletic. I really liked this pick.
two things that are bothering me about this thread. a) it was the 2006 draft b) D'Brick is #60 not #66 (in the pic) but besides that good job
since we are on it Mangold will wear #74 for the jets, not 55. D'Brick was also #60 in High School...not that really means anything
I have some trouble with this: He also delivers a very good punch moving his man away from the ball in running situations. From what I've seen, he is fast, and fast enough to seal off a defender, but not strong enough to move his man away from the ball. He like Jones, lack power in their leg drive when run blocking. They more get in the way than move the man. That can work next to a really good run blocking guard, which Kendall is, Moore isn't. In fact, besides Kendall, this O line is pretty bad at run blocking. This group is not going to move the pile. Teague is also not known for his drive when run blocking. Expect more fade passes inside the five. The Jets will continue to struggle running between the tackles in short yardage situations. The flip side is that the outside running game might be pretty good, especially if Mangold beats out Moore at RG in 2006. I hope to see screens and outside mis-direction plays in the the O game plan. All of these guys can pull. But moving their man? That will not be either Ferguson's or the units' strength. Otherwise, nice write up. :beer:
PIcking Olineman with the first two picks might not always be the sexiest picks, but in the long run could pay the biggest dividends, as they could be foundation that makes Jets a very good team for a Long time.(see KC chiefs) IN the NFL you can have all the weapons but the games are still won in the trenches(both lines) . How can you go wrong when mangini and Tannebaum were following AL Davis blueprint of two years ago. Best LT(RB gallery) and BestCenter J Grove with his first two picks. Jets probably won't see results early with these picks . There going to be a learning curve for both of these talented players, but once they get up to speed of NFL game , than Jets front office going to look like Genius taking care of cornerstones of Oline for next decade. You have foundation of LT < C and Rt you pretty much have it all on Oline. I don't know if A Jones is longterm answer at RT, as you probably like someone a little bigger. I just hope Jet fans have the patience because drafting both of these players isn't going to help offense next year. But is should down the road.
I wonder if they also dumped a load of Bosco in their diapers and then wheeled their walkers out to the press conference to talk 30 minutes of nonsense, pretending there was no old-man-stink in the room, much like he did. That picture never gets old for me.
The guy in his mid seventies for crying out. AL Davis probably forgot more football, than Mangini and Tannbaum combined know.
TEague can play guard but whose going to sit. B moore or P Kendall. Jets are not going to be a very good offense team next season . Brickshaw Ferguson going to start but it in Jets long term best intrest to get Mangold in there, as soon as possible. Let him take his lumps now.
JEAUX!!! Where ya been, buddy?! It's Sunday. Shouldn't you be sleeping until noon, and then waking to the soft tones of, "Jeauxy, wakey wakey. I made you waffles with that special syrup you like." Aren't moms the best.
Off topic and will post it in football forum. Darn can't wait to see the Raiders Defense next year. Incredible young and unbelievable depth. See you there In NFL Forum Sunday Jack and will debate you on Raiders defense versus jets defense in 2006. You lost your two out of three best players on defense.(Abraham and Ty Law) and really didn't address that area as much as thought you would.
