We really need him to be here for a long time. he's a young, premier Inside Linebacker that makes plays. He's a MAIN reason why we are so good at stopping the run and he has improved his coverage skills.
Harris has earned his payday......while the other 3 were getting their paydays last season....he waited patiently, kept his mouth shut and played at a high level. I hope the Hitman is a Jet for life.
Did you watch any of the playoffs are just read the cliff notes from Fatcessa's show? Vs Indy, 9 tackles Vs Ne, 12 tackles and a INT Vs Pitt 9 more tackles, (even on a bad day)
This is where I think head and heart are in conflict. I agree 100% with you in that Harris was basically the "model citizen" for how you want producers to handle their contracts. No holdouts, didn't rip the franchise through his agent, never heard of any "inside sources" saying Harris was upset, etc. He manned up and produced this year, getting paid peanuts. Just for that he deserves his payday. But my head agrees with others that say paying him what he is worth would tie up way to much in the ILB position. Harris would have to essentially take a big hometown discount to make it palatable, which unfortunately would invalidate the way he approached this situation. Loudmouths and holdouts get their payday, and good guys get pushed to the side (potentially). The whole thing stinks and it feels like there is no "right" solution.
We shouldn't overpay for a one-dimensional linebacker, no matter how much we like the guy. You can't just disregard his lack of coverage skills because of his run-stopping ability (not to mention his poor tackling in the AFCCG contributed to Mendenhall's success.)
I don't want to tie up a bunch of money at our ILB position either.....but having said that....Rex loves this guy. I will be shocked if he let's Harris go to FA....
I love Harris too, and honestly, I've been able to live with the lack of coverage skills because let's face it - you can't have an all-around star at every position. Unfortunately, the salary cap demands we make sacrifices. I agree that Rex might sign him at all costs - but we all need to fully understand the potential consequences of that move.
It reads to me like he got an off the record comment from Tanny or someone saying Harris was the top priority.
Here are the ones I can think of: 1. Top 5 run defense every year. 2. Top 5 3-and-outs every year. 3. One less receiver or cornerback. I can live with having one less alpha receiver. We're a ground-and-pound team anyways. He's the heart of the defense. And for any Rex Ryan system, stopping the run comes first. This is also why Bryan Thomas is so valued. You can't get defenses to third down if you can't stop them on 1st and 2nd downs. That's what this guy is, a stopper on first and second downs.
Yea we need better coverage from the LB's this year. Not to say Harris isn't worth resigning, just a thought.
+1 to this.. I was very close to getting one earlier before the playoffs started, but I want him officially a done deal..
Let's not forget that the rules last year made it impossible to resign him to a decent contract. I believe a team could only give a new contract worth 35% more than the old contract. That worked for Revis, Brick and Mangold because they were making good money but not for Harris who wan't making a big salary. Both Harris and his agent knew that and knew they had to bide their time since the Jets' hands were tied by the rules. He had no choice but to play out the year and hope for 2011.
While the Jets have given players a chance, I still think the Jets want to keep a base of GREAT Character guys like Harris over a Cromartie. Maybe both... But, I'm fine with locking up Harris and hopefully adding another big 3-4 NT to help shed bodies. Harris is a JET.
I think David Harris is a better-than-average LB but I don't know if he's worth $10 MM/year. We have 4 LB's who grade out to average or a bit above average, IMO. Nobody's terrible, nobody's great.
