Because people hear the name "Westbrook" and dream of his prime. The idea is to fight the shit out of being a fan and understand that when they come here they don't magically transition into what we want them to be, we have to look at them for what they are. Its not as easy as it sounds... for most people at least.
WestBrook isnt going to be playing anywhere next year. He is 1 injury away from serious handicap. If we can't get TJ to take a pay-cut I don't know what we should do. We need some Depth at our dline, and oline.. before we get some RB's
Chester Taylor has been making close to 4 million a year and would be impossible to get due to final 8 restrictions (unless someone offers Feely, Janikowski money) The best young free agent backs out there we could possibly get is Snelling/Nordwood from Atlanta or Lendale White from the Titans. But theyre all RFA so the only way wed get a get a shot at them (outside of trading for them) is hoping they dont get tendered at all and eventually become UFA. Salary wise all 3 of those guys are cheap enough (for us to acquire), so the only question now is availability.
And yeah I know its rotoworld but take it for what its worth. NFL Network's Jason LaCanfora reports the Jets do not anticipate picking up Thomas Jones' $3.3 million roster bonus. This backs up beat writer Dave Hutchinson's previous report. The Jets are reportedly holding out hope that Jones will restructure his deal, though it remains an unlikely scenario. Jones will become a free agent on March 9, when his roster bonus is declined. Even after back-to-back career years, he won't get a lucrative deal on the open market going on age 32. Expect a short-term contract with incentives instead. Sounds like well know in < 2 weeks if Jones is staying or going
Could this mean anything?? Free agent Darren Sproles will not be off limits to the "final eight" teams that cannot sign unrestricted free agents unless they lose one of their own. "If an RFA is not tendered, he's a free agent, but not a UFA," said NFL director of corporate communications Dan Masonson. "So Final Eight teams can sign him." It's a confusing situation, but it basically boils down to the fact that a restricted free agent is never considered unrestricted even if his team cuts him loose. Source: Profootballtalk on NBCSports.com from Rotoworld.com
My problems with guys like LT and Westbrook are not really about their age as much as it that they dont fit our style of play. Neither one is a smash mouth RB. We have Leon to do what they do. Greene and whoever else we have with him next season should be guys who play more physical then LT and Westbrook do.
Westbrook isn't an option. He is one hit away from a coma. For the love of god I hope no one signs him. Sproles, no thank you we have Leon and do not need 2 on the roster, especially a softer version. If the Jets release TJ book it that they will draft another back. Most likely via a trade to get into the 3rd or 4th for another RB.
Jones HAS to be replaced if he goes. He wasn't the best back we had last year as far as yards/carry, but he was the one reliable back we had that was on the field consistently and handled the load. Who's out there that fits that mold? Maybe not a great back, but a reliable, solid, sure-handed back.
I wouldn't be so sure they don't feel that way. Until, anything is set in stone there are alot of angles being played out. If they are willing to let him walk not to pay him the 3.3Mil in roster bonus, the agent may be willing to take a pay cut. say 3.3mill for the year? (instead of 6 million). That way he stays, if they don't take a pay cut he is gone. quite simple really. Also, they are going to tender Leon, so if we do we may lose him and Jones. Don't read to much into what is being said. They are just negotiating through the media.
TJ, though he's older, still has more left in the tank than Westbrook. If Leon gets a lot of FA buzz, we might end up having to let him go, so there's a chance we'll be weaker at RB than most people think. I like the idea of making a move, but Westbrook isn't where I'd look.
I cant see Sproles not getting a tender. San Diego would be absolutely stupid not to put some kind of tender on this guy. It would effectively be like buying a draft pick. Throw a tender out there dont match any offers and someone would absolutely swoop this guy up. Doesnt make sense to me
What's good about Jones is that he can get carries at the goal line and on 3rd down. The bad thing is that if we let him walk we're going to have Greene who can't really catch the ball and Washington who's way too small to get those tough yards between the tackles. Most backs can do one or the other and eventually we're going to need a backup that can probably do both.
I agree with you. Unless you are so sure you are going to get your guy in the draft, which i can't see how they could be, who out there on the market thats available to us given the final 4 or 8 or whatever rule, who is a better option then bringing TJ back at 5mil in an uncapped year?
He was reliable when it didnt count. Come playoffs the only thing he was reliable and consistent at was being useless. Outside of that 4th down run @ the chargers this guy was complete dead weight in the playoffs. He was so bad @ Indy that Rex decided to have a rookie QB on the best running team in the NFL throw almost every single play in the second half (even thought it was a close game). I have no doubt that TJ can be useful during the regular season, but the only games that really matter are the ones where he cant perform.
Thomas Jones was worn down at the end of the season. That's why he was less productive in the playoffs. It had nothing to do with how much the games mattered. People around here try to use the "limited carries throughout his career" excuse, but it still doesn't change the fact that he's 32 years old. He's hit a wall, and he won't be able to break through it.
