SB Nation User Blog: John B

Report: Mangini Picked Gholston

John B — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:29:12 -0000

More photos » by Kevin Rivoli - AP

Rich Cimini says Eric Mangini was a driving force behind the team selecting Vernon Gholston.

So it has come to this for Gholston, the sixth pick of the 2008 draft: He's extra baggage. But he continues to play because sitting him would be a self-indictment for a team paying him $21million in guarantees. It's a cover-your-backside move, not uncommon in the NFL.

Here's the troubling part: Gholston's lack of progress isn't surprising to some in the organization. Now we're hearing he wasn't a popular choice to begin with. Opinions in the draft room were mixed on Gholston, but the Jets picked him because then-coach Eric Mangini lobbied hard, according to multiple sources.

"That one's on Eric," one source said.

Now they have a potential bust on their hands. Asked if Mangini was the driving force behind the Gholston choice, GM Mike Tannenbaum said, "On all draft decisions, I have the final say. But, organizationally, we felt good about Vernon. Although his rate of improvement isn't where we want it to be, we're still happy he's here and we feel good about his future."

It's not on Mangini. If Tannenbaum has the final say, it's on him. It's ultimately his responsibility to decide which advice to take and which to ignore. There were warning signs on Gholston.

With that said, you can't jump on Tannenbaum too hard. He's been right on too many major moves. Plus the Jets weren't the only team fooled by Gholston. He was a consensus top ten pick for a reason, a ton of scouts thought he was going to be a dominant force.

The Game That Crushed Me

John B — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:52:00 -0000

More photos » by Ron Schwane - AP

Justin Miller had a critical fumble four years ago against the Jaguars in a painful defeat.

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When you ask most Jets fans about painful losses, they'll be able to rattle off plenty. The Doug Brien Game in 2004 comes to mind. So does the 1998 AFC Championship meltdown in Denver. Older fans will cringe remembering the Gastineau Game in Cleveland. There's also the Marino fake spike game. A few will point back to Christmas Eve in 2000 in Baltimore or the Cary Blanchard Game in Buffalo followed by the Sunday night rout at Houston to end 1993. This Sunday's matchup with the Jaguars takes me back to a loss I've never recovered from, the Week 3 game in 2005 the last time the Jets hosted Jacksonville.

Remember how exciting things were at the start of the 2005 season? The Jets had come a field goal away from upsetting Pittsburgh in the Divisional Playoffs the year before. The team was supposed to be even better and challenge New England for the East. There were new toys like Ty Law. The team was supposed to have an edge and was a trendy Super Bowl pick. Chad Pennington was in theory supposed to be fully recovered from his rotator cuff tear and finally ready to step into the area of championship franchise quarterbacks.

Things started off really, really badly that year. The Jets played one of the worst games you'll ever see in the opener, an embarrassing loss at Kansas City, spared a shutout only by a garbage time touchdown drive by Jay Fielder. A victory over Miami in the home opener seemed to right the ship. That set up a Week 3 contest against the up and coming Jaguars. Words cannot describe how painful the loss was.

The Jets fell 26-20 in overtime. The sure handed Wayne Chrebet couldn't hold onto a pass in the end zone near the end of regulation that would have won it. Rookie return man Justin Miller fumbled away a punt with the Jets leading in the fourth quarter on his own 16 that gave the Jags a really short field they converted into a touchdown. This alone, though, wasn't enough to crush a promising season before it started.

The Jets lost their top two quarterbacks for the year that day. Chad Pennington tore his rotator cuff for the second time after back to back sacks on New York's struggling offensive line. Jay Fielder suffered a season ending shoulder injury of his own a few plays later. Pennington actually returned and played the rest of his game with the torn rotator cuff, just as he did at the end of the previous year. When we found out the severity of the injury the next week, there was no doubt. What looked like a Super Bowl season was over before September. We had to watch the indignity of the rest of a painful 4-12 year that saw the Jets get so desperate they signed Vinny Testaverde off his couch.

The game had greater residual damage. It ended any doubt whether Chad Pennington could carry a team to a championship. Many of us still believed he could. He had looked like a budding franchise quarterback during his first three years as the starter. A second devastating shoulder injury left the area ravaged. There was no doubt Chad had the necessary leadership tools and every intangible in the book, but sapping his arm of what already was not great strength left him very limited. What he's accomplished in retrospect after the injury is remarkable, but he'll never be a guy who can lift a team to a championship on his own. There are too many things he can't do, too many throws he can't fit into traffic. He needs to be surrounded by a great team and be put into a game manager role.

I've never been the same. I know you tend to expect the worst as a Jets fan, but that game made me leery of even hoping things will go right. The Jets had everything going for them that year, a ton of talent, confidence from the year before, and a stud young quarterback. All hope was lost with 13 games left. Three quarters of the season was just playing out the string. Even the Playoff loss to New England in 2006 and last year's loss at home to Miami didn't sting as much as they used to. I saw them coming. I didn't get my hopes too high.

I hope one day Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez can lift my spirit again. Until then, I'll be left remembering the pain of a bitter September Sunday four years ago against the Jaguars.

Should the Jets Target Larry Johnson?

John B — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:52:30 -0000

More photos » by Andy King - AP

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Let's talk Larry Johnson. The Chiefs released the former Pro Bowl running back yesterday. Should the Jets at least put out some feelers?

Pros:

He'd be insurance for Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene. Most teams use two backs in today's NFL. The Jets are a team built on the run game. They already lost one key back to injury. It would be nice to add a little extra depth.
Johnson's been to two Pro Bowls and on two All Pro teams.
He would help the Jets pound defenses with a three back rotation.
This year has been a struggle, but he did average 4.5 yards per carry.
He would likely come relatively cheap after an ugly divorce from the Chiefs.

Cons:

There's that whole thing about struggling this year. He's only running for 2.7 yards per carry.
There are major character concerns. Anti-gay slurs earned him a suspension this year, and he's had run ins with the law. New York isn't the kind of place people avoid controversy and trouble. Even if he kept his nose clean, is the media circus worth a guy likely to play a relatively minor role?
Running backs grow on trees. Every year teams pick up guys off the scrap heap who immediately step in and produce. If anything happens to Jones or Greene, the Jets can do that. There might even be a guy on the roster, Danny Woodhead, capable.

I expect the Jets to conduct their due dilligence and come to the conclusion there's no need to sign a guy like Larry Johnson. What would you do?

Leon Washington Pays a Visit to Practice

John B — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:29:19 -0000

by Tony Avelar - AP

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Leon Washington was at Jets practice yesterday.

Three weeks after suffering his gruesome, season-ending compound leg fracture in Oakland, Jets running back Leon Washington returned to the practice field today _ an inspiring sight to his teammates.

The popular Washington, whose injury was so serious he had to have emergency surgery immediately following the game and stayed behind in the Bay Area for a couple of days, was using a motorized scooter type vehicle to get around.

We saw Kris Jenkins talk a few weeks back about how important it was for him to stay a part of this team. I have to say that I am very impressed with the chemistry in the locker room. Nobody could blame Jenkins or Washington if they wanted to stay away and rehab in private. It's a credit to the coaching staff these guys are still coming to Florham Park to pull for each other.

Lito Sheppard to Return Sunday

John B — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:14:54 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

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Lito Sheppard says he's playing against the Jaguars on Sunday.

Lito Sheppard was especially giddy when I spoke with him. That's because the starting right cornerback proclaimed this is the week he returns to action, which coincidentally comes against the Jacksonville native's hometown team.

"I’m back; I’ll be back this week," he told me before offering up an unsolicited shout out to his old stomping grounds, "Duval County!"

Sheppard has missed five of eight games this season, including the last two against the Raiders and Dolphins after re-aggravating a quad injury suffered in the Week Two win against the Patriots. So the training staff wanted to make sure Sheppard was fully healed before he attempted to returned again.

Not exactly earth shattering news. It seemed like an extra week off would cure an injury like this. Rest is the best balm.

It will be good to get Lito back in action. Dwight Lowery has played well in his place, but all hands need to be on deck next week to try and shut down New England's high flying attack. It's good that Sheppard will get a game under his belt before then and not have to make his return in Foxborough.

Week 9 Approval Rating

John B — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:06:40 -0000

Previous Weeks:

Week 1: 97% Approve; 2% Disapprove

Week 2: 96% Approve; 3% Disapprove

Week 3: 97% Approve; 2% Disapprove

Week 4: 91% Approve; 8% Disapprove

Week 5: 73% Approve; 26% Disapprove

Week 6: 46% Approve; 53% Disapprove

Week 7: 93% Approve; 6% Disapprove

Week 8: 56% Approve; 43% Disapprove

Poll

Do you aprove of the job Rex Ryan is doing as head coach of the New York Jets?

Looking Ahead

John B — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:57:59 -0000

by Ben Margot - AP

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The NY Post talks about must win games in the second half.

The Jets know they're going to need 10 wins to have a sniff at a playoff berth, and even that's no guarantee (remember the Patriots didn't qualify at 11-5 last season). That means they must go 6-2 in the second half.

They can do this by winning the games they should be favored to win, beginning with 3-4 Jacksonville next Sunday at home. From there, the Jets have to beat teams such as Carolina (3-4), Buffalo (3-5) and Tampa Bay (0-7). That's a start. They also will need to win some games that they will enter as underdogs, such as at New England (5-2), and at Indianapolis (7-0).

Their play the last five weeks has eliminated a lot of the margin for error. The first two weeks out of the second half will tell us a lot about whether the Jets are players within the division. The Pats have a date with the Colts, quite possibly a game that will end in a New England loss. If that happens, the Jets can get within a game of the lead with a win against the Jaguars. That will give them a chance to tie for the East lead with a trip to Foxborough and gain the head to head tiebreaker with a sweep. Two weeks from now, the Jets could be in first place or four games out. You really can't overemphasize how important these next two games are.

Midseason Jets Discussion

John B — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:44:36 -0000

David and I are here tonight to talk about the Jets at the halfway point. We're hoping some of you will join us below in the conversation. If you read this site but haven't made yourself heard, tonight's a great time to register for a free account and introduce yourself.

The discussion will take place below in the comments section.

First Half of the Season Shows Jets Have a Solid Foundation

John B — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:12:11 -0000

by Ben Margot - AP

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There's a lot of pessimism in Jets land right now. That's easy to understand. After a 3-0 start, 4-4 seems like a disappointment, especially considering how it has happened. There's only one loss where the Jets were simply outexecuted, the Monday night game at Miami. In the other three, New York registered a ton of self-inflicted wounds. The thing people need to remember, though, is the Jets aren't looking just for this year. They want to build something special over the long haul. They are well on their way.

It's really tough to win with a rookie quarterback in the NFL. Starting 4-4 is a great start for Mark Sanchez. He's played two bombs of games. He had a game against the Raiders where he was asked to do very little. The other five games have been somewhere between good and excellent. He's looked composed beyond his years for the most part. He was developed in a pro system at USC, which is a novelty in today's college game with everybody going to a spread offense. He played against pro caliber competition at practice every day. It shows. He looked special in a second half comeback against the Patriots after struggling in the first half and when he twice shredded Miami's secondary trailing in second halves. I think everybody would agree Sanchez has looked like he has belonged, which is pretty incredible for a rookie quarterback. The number don't look that great, but they don't tell the whole story. The two bad games killed the stat sheet. In those games, he did things with the ball that experience and coaching correct (locking onto receivers, leaving the ball exposed for pass rushers, forcing throws).

Quarterback is one of the two most important people on a football team. A team with a good young quarterback is in good shape over the long term. A team with a good quarterback and a good head coach is in great shape, and it looks like the Jets have found a good head coach. You have to be thrilled with the job Rex Ryan has done to this point. He's instilled a lot of confidence in the locker room. It would be one thing if he was just popping off to the press. He's not. When players make big comments to the press, it's an indication they believe in their head coach and want to help him back up the talk. These guys went into a Week 2 game against the Pats expecting to win and broke New England's long domination of the Jets at the Meadowlands. Winning over a locker room is only part of the job, though. The hard part is coaching a team to reach its potential. Ryan has improved the Jets to the second ranked defense in the league. Their pass rush is one of the fiercest in football. They hit Tom Brady around half the time he dropped back in Week 2. They totally confused Matt Schaub, who has played great football the rest of the season. When the Dolphins ran all over them in Week 5, Ryan adjusted his scheme to get bigger and run blitzed his secondary more to shut down their rushing attack. He's shown great acumen for X's and O's. When a coach wins a locker room and shows he knows how to game plan and adjust, he's a good one.

Let's not forget about Mike Tannenbaum. He's shown himself to have a bright football mind since he took over running the team. Look at all of the successful moves he's made through the Draft. He's hit on D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Nick Mangold, Leon Washington, Darrelle Revis, and David Harris, all of whom look like Pro Bowl caliber players in the Draft in his four years. He's also added Dwight Lowery, who appears on the verge of developing into a quality starter. Mark Sanchez and Shonn Greene look like hits also. He's made bold moves for Alan Faneca, Kris Jenkins, Calvin Pace, and Bart Scott, all guys who fit a need in the system. There's a big difference between doing what the Redskins do, accumulating names without regard for age or how they fit, with what the Jets do, wisely shop for guys in their prime to fill needs in the system. He signed Tony Richardson. Even the ill-fated Brett Favre trade showed something good about Tannenbaum. He's not afraid to make a bold move if he sees a weakness and isn't afraid of having something blow up in his face. He's shown himself to have a firm grasp of the salary cap from the job he did getting the Jets out of cap hell in '05 while fielding a Playoff team in '06 to making moves like giving Kerry Rhodes and Calvin Pace roster bonuses in their contracts to make the cap situation better in '08 which could be converted into signing bonuses a year later for cap flexibility then. He knows how to work the cap.

What does this mean? The Jets have a good young quarterback, a good head coach, a good nucleus, and a general manager making good moves to suppliment the talent. I wouldn't write off this year. There's a decent chance the defense just lifts this team on its back and carries it to the Playoffs. Even if that doesn't happen, don't get too upset. This club is building a foundation for long term success.

Join Us Sunday

John B — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:56:22 -0000

We'll be leaving an open thread up around 7:00 Eastern Sunday night. David and I will be there to talk about the first half of the season and what's coming up in November and December. Please feel free to drop in and join us, especially those of you lurking out there.