New York Jets- a model for success?

[Bar-bq]

The New York Jets have gone from duds to studs almost overnight. How did it happen? The answer is obvious. Their offensive line is bandied with talent, and has meshed together over the course of the season. They have a veteran quarterback and Thomas Jones at tailback. It also helps that their defense makes a play of three every so often.

So, what I propose, is that for the Rams to return to form, we should follow the Jets recipe for success.

It looks like this.

2006 NFL Draft

2 Marquee Offensive Linemen taken early from schools with a history of NFL Success. OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson from Virginia, and Nick Mangold of Ohio St. What's more important, they've learnt on the fly, starting every game since being drafted.

2007/08 Offseason, Free Agency

Alan Faneca, OG.
Damien Woody, RT.

That's two more marquee Offensive Linemen pulled from free agency. They've not missed a beat. And in case you weren't doing a mental check up above, we have the other pieces in place... almost.

We have the veteran QB.
We have a star Runningback.
Our defense *might* get better- certainly with a further injection of talent.

Like it or not, we're in rebuilding mode. Who the coach will be... who knows? I'd like to think it's a coach who has a defense/run the ball mentality.. The draft this year looks to be riddled with elite OT prospects. As unimpressive as he's been, maybe Jacob Bell pulls it together with some talent around him. Free Agency could well be a goldmine. But if we at least follow the Jets measure in terms of personnel, we could find ourselves right back in the mix, maybe sooner than we think.
,

[CaliGirlRamsFan]

The Jets were flawless in tonights game. As much as I love my Rammies, It was a awsome game. Kudo's to the Jet's.

Flawless is all I can say about the Jet's tonight.

[ramhard]

Not to be a basher - but they also had a vet QB who seemed to have lost his place in their system and went out and got one that gave them some spark. Pennington is doing great in Miami, but there is no way the Jets win the game last night with him at QB.

Also, the Jets have a dominating inside DL with Jenkins (who the Rams could have signed). As good as Carriker and Ryan might be, they will never be dominating in there.
The Rams need people on defense that offenses have to gameplan for - and other than maybe Little (and that's a maybe) there is no one.

[laram0]

As we all know and have experienced. A team can be turned around in one season. The Jets are just another case in point.

Dang, I wish it was us though!

[HUbison]

Also, the Jets have a dominating inside DL with Jenkins (who the Rams could have signed). As good as Carriker and Ryan might be, they will never be dominating in there.

The Rams could have signed him ASSUMING the Panthers would have traded him to a team in the NFC. And even then, it would have cost us Greco, Schoening, & Chamberlain (the products of the equivalent picks the Jets gave up)....again assuming the Panthers would trade him to the Rams without the premium of an intra-conference trade.

However, all that aside, I don't know that I'm ready to write off Ryan and Carriker just yet. Maybe they will never be Kris Jenkins (as is the case for 95% of all DTs). But then again, maybe they will.

[jkramsfan]

The Rams could have signed him ASSUMING the Panthers would have traded him to a team in the NFC. And even then, it would have cost us Greco, Schoening, & Chamberlain (the products of the equivalent picks the Jets gave up)....again assuming the Panthers would trade him to the Rams without the premium of an intra-conference trade.

However, all that aside, I don't know that I'm ready to write off Ryan and Carriker just yet. Maybe they will never be Kris Jenkins (as is the case for 95% of all DTs). But then again, maybe they will.

at least Jenkins would have been playing,we need to get Greco and Schoening off the sidelines and on the field,if they are just going to sit each week then maybe we would have been better off giving up the pick to get Jenkins.

[RockinRam]

at least Jenkins would have been playing,we need to get Greco and Schoening off the sidelines and on the field,if they are just going to sit each week then maybe we would have been better off giving up the pick to get Jenkins.

Yep, our two rookie o-linemen are not activated every single week. If we aren't going to use them, might as well have given those picks for Jenkins.

Jenkins would have made our d-line a wrecking ball. Long-Jenkins-Carriker-Little. That sounds pretty great to me.

[HUbison]

at least Jenkins would have been playing,we need to get Greco and Schoening off the sidelines and on the field,if they are just going to sit each week then maybe we would have been better off giving up the pick to get Jenkins.

Yep, our two rookie o-linemen are not activated every single week. If we aren't going to use them, might as well have given those picks for Jenkins.

Jenkins would have made our d-line a wrecking ball. Long-Jenkins-Carriker-Little. That sounds pretty great to me.

This year......you betcha! The 2008 Jenkins is worth far more than the 2008 Greco, 2008 Schoening, & 2008 Chamberlain.

But what about the 2009 versions? 2010? 2011?

Likewise, maybe Jenkins would remove points from the bad side of the scoreboard.......but unless he flips over and starts blocking I don't see that he puts a lot of points on the good side. At least not enough to overcome our margin of loss to turn around a 2-7 season.

[Azul e Oro]

I think the Jets are a good model to look at but it hasn't happened "overnight".This was a playoff team two years ago & had key injuries last year.

But the braintrust & plan were in place. Mangini learned his craft under Belichick and Parcells. Their GM rose through the organization's ranks, ie a genuine "football man". Their draft evaluation has been excellent over the last 4 years-there are starters in their first to fourth year all over the field. And they made key acquisitions in FA that are well-documented.

I'm not so sure that I agree with the OP that we have similarities.
Certain that they were not flawless last night.One fewer great plays by their free agents, K. jenkins and favre, and they would have lost. Cassel had 400 yds passing....

But back to the comparison.too early to say whether Devaney's first crop is really that good or whether we just suck so badly that mere competence looks great against a background of mediocrity.And when you go back to the second,third, & fourth year guys , there is no comparison at all.

The only piece we have in place that compares favorably-and even that is debateable in light of his injury problems- is SJ. I think he would blow Thomas Jones off the field with an O-line like that.

I like Bulger & think that we can win with him if the team builds around his strengths but to compare him to Favre is unreasonable.

Btw, for those of us who'd like to see the rookie OLers on the field, I just read that Greco hurt his knee in practice. Described as a "minor knee injury" which probably means he'll be scheduled for amputation by Monday.

[Mooselini]

We do need to add some top talent on our squad. But first we need the front office fixed. Without that, we don't get the talent we need.

We need to get a top center (Matt Birk) and a Strong Safety in the free agency. We can look for a SS in the draft, but I would rather sign a proven one.

We need to draft an OT and MLB.

We may not be able to complete rebuilding this year...but the year after.

[Revelstoke]

The Jets were flawless in tonights game. As much as I love my Rammies, It was a awsome game. Kudo's to the Jet's.

Flawless is all I can say about the Jet's tonight.

Flawless? Really?
Maybe in the first half, but in the second they gave up an 18 point lead and had they not won the coin toss in overtime they would have lost that game.

Better than our Rams, yes. Flawless, not even close.

[shower beers]

Well, we took a step in the right direction by signing bell and drafting two o-lineman to compliment him, but I think we could all agree that at the time, Chris Long was the more pressing need than Jake Long, for our first round pick.

[Bar-bq]

Flawless? Really?

Better than our Rams, yes. Flawless, not even close.

Says a lot about us, then, when we get pounded 47-3.

Hello, Eugene Monroe.

[39thebeast]

Come one guys this thing wasn't built over night. Where this building process started was 2006. I have said this before they had and excellent draft and offseason adapting to new coach Eric mangini. They were 8-8, 6-10, and now they are 7-3. Honestly we have not drafted as well as them to warrant that kind of turn around, but if we build of this years draft class we definately can succeed.

[shower beers]

I think it was pretty clear in this year's draft that a lot of teams seem to think that this model of success is the way to go, with seemingly every team and their mother taking an o-lineman in the first round. They're not all 7-3, either. The point being that, as someone else already stated, this stuff takes time, and the Jets are the exception to the rule. They're building off the team they started working with before last year, so this isn't an "overnight" transition.