You are a joke. Deal with it. Thomas could turn out to be an excellent OLB and he could turn out to be ineffective. No one knows for sure but I am far more inclined to trust the knowledgable insights of Mangini & co. than your half baked ramblings. In the meantime, the criteria (or lack thereof) you apply in drawing your specious conclusions leave you aptly characterized.
Does anyone remember how ordinary Farrior was as a Jet? OLB in a 3-4 just might work out very well for Thomas. Guys like Siggs and Ware aren't good comparisons (not talking talent wise here, but scheme-wise) in that both of those players WILL be the pass rusher in passing downs. I beleive this year the Jets pass rush can come fron ANY of the LB's, not just from the outside. Much more similar to the way Saban ran his defense, often sending Zach Thomas from the inside LB spot, the Jets pass rush will be designed to be unpredictable... harder to scheme against. Aside from Vilma, I also think it won't matter what LB's start at all. That will be a rotation, with all of these guys in the mix. Who starts against a team like Pittsburgh could be very different than who starts against Miami, for instance. Of the whole group, Vilma is the only one I see playing every down. Mangini will change things up often, which is the beauty of the 3-4 when it's done right. The opposing O line and QB won't know which LB might drop into coverage, won't know which one will pass rush. That is exactly what NE always did to Pennington. An LB would pop up just where Chad didn't expect it.... INT. That is what Mangini will try to do here. In terms of playing time, from most to least, I see it like this: Vilma Barton Hobson Kassel-Thomas-Chatham Schlegel-McGlover
I would hope you would trust the coaches more then me. But does that make me a joke? Can you please show me where any of our coaches was quoted on Thomas being moved to linebacker? I hope that whatever role they have planned for Bryan Thomas that he becomes a good player. But at this point none of us have any idea what the coaching staff has planned for him. Instead of calling me a joke, why don't you explain why you think Bryan Thomas would be a good fit at OLB in a 3-4? Those are some very big words your using, I'm really impressed.
Thunderbird I agree with you. From week to week they will be playing a 3-4 or a 4-3 depending on the opposition. I do not expect a set 3 or 4 linebackers. I think they will rotate much with the new coaching staff. Currently they do not have an OLB who can get pressure off the edge like Mcginest or Porter. They will have to use the scheme to create pressure similar to the redskins in that they really don't have any great pass rushers but they are able to get consistent pressure. They'll run zone blitzes, safety blitzes and try to confuse the opposition.
I didn't mention the 4-3, but I agree, Mangini will run some. As far as a link to Thomas at OLB.... I'm too freakin lazy to go look! But, I am sure he'll be used some that way. In fact, Thomas could turn out to be a key part of this mix and match of schemes. How much, I'm sure not even Mangini knows yet, but if he CAN play some OLB, (and I believe he can, on a part time basis), when he's in, he can stand up from a 4-3 look, or can go down from a 3-4. Thomas may not be great at any one thing, but the way he might fit into the defense could help it be better than the sum of it's parts. Until proven otherwise, I think Mangini will use the pieces he has to develop unpredictabilty..... making it more difficult to game plan against the new Jets' D.
