New York Jets Cap Situation and Possible Outcomes

Well my first blog is out of the way, and I think it turned out fairly well. Had to make a few changes here and there from small errors, but overall I made it out alive and I think it turned out well. So this is blog number 2 and I will be doing a very similar format.

Now when somebody mentions the New York Jets, what is the first thing to come into your mind? Mark Sanchez and his infamous “butt fumble”? Former head coach Rex Ryan and his interesting antics? Tim Tebow just in general? Or who could forget 2008, when the team brought in 39 year old Brett Favre to try and give them a spark, which eventually ended in a 9-7 season with Favre throwing 22 interceptions and the Jets missing the playoffs. I guess that is a spark, but not necessarily one that you want for your team, giving the ball away that many times. The Jets have seemingly been more of a media circus than an NFL franchise in recent memory.

But hey, it’s a new year and a new team, Mark Sanchez is out of New York, Rex Ryan is now trying to turn the Bills around in Buffalo, Tebow is an analyst for the SEC Network, and Brett Favre was recently endorsing Wrangler jeans, seemingly finished with his NFL career. Oh, and John Idzik is no longer the general manager. So perk up Jets fans, because things are looking up! Now without further adieu, let’s take a closer look at this team, starting with their own free agents.

Resigning Period

Now the New York Jets have the 4th most cap room in the NFL this offseason with about $45.5 million to spend on players. This should give them some flexibility with what they want to do in free agency, but first they have to decide which players they want to re-sign. Starting off this list is inside linebacker, David Harris. Harris is 31, but he still is playing at a very respectable and solid level. This past year, Harris racked up 124 combined tackles and 6 sacks, which was a career high. He also had 2 forced fumbles and a pass deflection. In my opionion, that is a solid year. Harris made about $5 million dollars last season, and if the Jets could get him for about the same amount or a little less, then I think it would be a good investment to keep this guy in Jets colors.

Kyle Wilson is next up on my list of free agents for the Jets to try and re-sign. While cornerback isn’t a glaring need for the Jets, with Dee Milliner coming off of injury, Marcus Williams starting on the opposite side, and Darrin Wells playing one of the nickel spots, Wilson is a solid player. He has played all 16 games in all 5 seasons of his career with the Jets. He was able to get 26 combined tackles, 1 sack, and a pass deflection this year, but playing at the nickel there isn’t a lot of pressure to get killer stats. He made about $1.2 million dollars last year, which may be a tad high, but if the Jets could get him for at most $1 million per year, I would bring him back. He would demand more if he would’ve gotten more production, but if he continues with his lack of forced turnovers, I think that is a fair value.

Another player slotted to become a free agent is offensive guard Willie Colon. Now I’ll be honest, I don’t know the exact effectiveness of Colon, but I do know that he started all 16 games for the Jets the past 2 years and Geno Smith was one of the least sacked quarterbacks in the NFL this last year. Given those stats and the fact that he has had a pretty consistent and solid career, I would vote for him to stay with New York. He made $2 million last year with the Jets, and if that is what it takes for your quarterback to stay upright, then I would be in favor of paying around that same amount.

The last free agent I wanted to look at for this team is safety Dawan Landry. Now the man has been in the league for 9 years, and has only not played all 16 games in the season once in his career. That demonstrates the durability of this guy, and that is nothing short of awesome. Last year he had the 2nd most combined tackles for a single season in his career with 106, and that went along with 1.5 sacks and one pass deflection. That is a solid season and with his effectiveness throughout his career, I think he will be solid again next year. Last year he made $1.5 million, and if they can get him for around that same number, then again I would say get this man signed and back on the Jets sideline.

Offense

Starting off with this offense, you have to start with the quarterback. Now Michael Vick got some playing time last year, but being 34 years old and a free agent, I don’t really see him being a Jet. That leaves Geno Smith. Now in college, he was a stud at West Virginia. He had an amazing senior year, completing just over 71% of his passes, throwing for 5 yards over 4,200, and 42 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions. His transition to the NFL however, hasn’t been the smoothest. In 2 seasons, he has started 30 games, thrown for 5,571 yards, with 25 touchdowns to 34 interceptions. He did have the same number of touchdowns to interceptions last year, but having 13 of each isn’t that good either. That’s without mentioning that the most yards he has thrown for in a single season is just over 3,000, and that isn’t impressive in NFL standards. I could see a new starter here next season, as a way of a fresh start for their new head coach Todd Bowles. As mentioned earlier, Geno Smith was one of the least sacked quarterbacks in the NFL, so I think offensive line is pretty well set, unless Colon doesn’t re-sign or the team just wants a security blanket if one of the starters goes down to injury at some point in the season. As my high school’s head coach would always say, “When in doubt, draft linemen.” Can’t really argue there.

Now at running back, this team has a few a solid player in Chris Ivory. Chris Johnson’s option was declined by the team, which to me was a little surprising since they proved to be a solid one, two punch, with both rushing for over 600 yards (Johnson had 663, Ivory had 821). They also both averaged over 4 yards per carry, and the duo scored 7 touchdowns on the ground combined (Johnson had 1, Ivory had 6). You would like to see the top running backs to get in the end zone a little more, but the team was 3rd in the NFL in rushing, so I wouldn’t nitpick that so much. With the release of Johnson, they need another running back (Bilal Powell was also released). Now I could see them going after another running back to compliment Ivory in the offseason.

Receivers were a little inconsistent this year, with nobody breaking the 1,000 yard receiving mark, but they do have solid pieces in this group. That group starts with wide receiver, Eric Decker. Decker signed a 5 year deal, worth up to $36.25 million just a year ago, after 2 straight 1,000 plus yard seasons with the Denver Broncos. He did solid for the Jets, just not astonishing. He had 962 yards and 5 touchdowns on 74 catches. He’ll definitely start next year, but I would think the team would like to see his stats go up. Percy Harvin starts on the opposite side of Decker, and after being traded from the Seattle Seahawks for a draft pick, he had 29 catches for 350 yards and a touchdown. 5 of those 29 catches went for 20 yards, so his big play ability is still there. The big issue with Harvin is that he gets injured quite a bit, and he hasn’t played in more then 9 games in a season since 2011. In 7 years, Harvin has only played all 16 games in a season once, which can scare some teams. Their number 3 receiver is Jeremy Kerley, and he had one touchdown last year, off of 38 catches for 409 yards. That is a solid season, just not for a starting receiver. With Kerley’s lack of big production, and Harvin’s lack of durability, many see them going after a starting caliber receiver in the offseason, and I would have to agree. That would make Kerley the 4th receiver, and put Harvin in the slot, where he can be very dangerous. Jace Amaro and Jeff Cumberland are the 2 main tight ends for the Jets, and I think they are going to be okay in that area. Amaro is coming off of his rookie year, having caught 38 passes for 345 yards and 2 touchdowns. Not bad for a rookie tight end, and with time he’ll only get better in my opinion. Jeff Cumberland had 23 catches for 247 yards and 3 touchdowns as the number 2 tight end, also not bad. While these numbers may not jump out, the Jets did have the worst ranked passing offense in the league, and with new pieces and a new offensive coordinator, I see things improving

Defense

This is where the Jets have been solid for a while now. Last year they finished 14th ranked against the pass, and 5th ranked against the run, so this defense is pretty good. It all starts up front with their defensive line. Lets start with Sheldon Richardson, who will be going into his 3rd NFL season. Last year, he had 66 combined tackles, 8 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pass deflection. That is a good year, and an improved year, compared to his rookie season. Next up is Muhammad Wilkerson. He will be in his 5th NFL season with the team this next year. This last year he had 55 combined tackles, to go with 5 sacks, a forced fumble, and 5 deflected passes. A little down from 2013, when he had 10.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles, but this guy is very good and we know he is capable of playing great football. At nose tackle in their 3-4 defense, they have Damon Harrison, who is also going into his 3rd NFL season. He has started all 32 games for them the last 2 years, and last year he had 55 combined tackles, but other than that was held in check. Maybe I’m wrong, but I would think that the Jets would want a nose tackle that could be a little more disruptive, so I could maybe see them going after one in the offseason. Overall, this group up front is pretty solid.

Onto the linebackers. This group consists of Quinton Coples, Demario Davis, Calvin Pace, and David Harris (if he re-signs). I covered Harris’ impact and my thoughts on him earlier, so I’ll cover Quinton Coples first. He plays the right outside linebacker position, and he had a solid season, gathering 35 combined tackles, a forced fumble, and a career high in sacks with 6.5. That is a pretty solid season for Coples, and I think the team will be quite pleased if he can repeat that output, or even raise it a bit. Now to Demario Davis, who played the right inside linebacker spot. He had a good year, holding the most individual tackles on the team with 79, and had the 2nd most combined tackles on the team, which was also a career high for him with 116. He also had 3.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and 5 pass deflections. Those are some solid numbers for the 3 year pro, and I think he also did well enough to hold down that spot next season. The last linebacker to cover is Calvin Pace, the left outside linebacker, who will be entering his 13th NFL season. In 2014, he had 39 combined tackles, to go along with 5 sacks and 3 deflected passes. That is also a solid year, and just last year he was able to get 10 sacks, so there is some fuel left in the tank for the veteran. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jets started looking for a young player to sit behind him and learn, then when Pace was done with the team, the younger player can step in and give the team some solid contributions.

Last up, the secondary. This group starts with Dee Milliner. He only saw action in 3 games this year, before an injury took him out for the year, but he showed the league what he could do in his rookie campaign, when he finished with 45 solo and 56 combined tackles, to go with 3 interceptions. He was the 9th overall pick in the 2013 draft out of Alabama, so the Jets have high hopes for him. Starting opposite of him is Marcus Williams, an undrafted corner out of North Dakota state. He will be going into his 2nd year, and as a rookie he played 8 games, finishing the year with 37 combined tackles, an interception, and 7 pass deflections. A solid year for starting halfway through his rookie season, and going undrafted. Even if the Jets do re-sign Kyle Wilson however (see above), I could see them going after another corner that may be a better option, but I could see it going either way. At free safety, the team started rookie Calvin Pryor out of Louisville. The guy did solid, getting in on 60 combined tackles for the season, as well as a pass deflection. I think with time those numbers will increase and he can be a safety in the league. Starting next to Pryor was Jaiquawn Jarrett, a pro going into his 4th year in the NFL. He had his best year as a pro, starting 14 games, Jarrett had 41 combined tackles, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, 2 interceptions, and 2 deflected passes. Those are some good numbers for the guy, and I only look for him to improve, being only 25 years of age. I really like this defensive unit as a whole.

Draft/Free Agency

Let’s go back to the offensive side of the ball to start, and the first position I think the team will be looking to change is quarterback. I see Geno Smith being more of a backup in the NFL, and with that being said, in the first round, if either of them are there, I see the Jets taking one of the two Heisman Trophy winners from the past 2 years in Jameis Winston from Florida Stata or Marcus Mariota for Oregon. Personally, I like Mariota better, but the Jets just need a fresh start at quarterback. If neither of them are there, they could look at players like Brett Hundley from UCLA in the 2nd round. I don’t think any free agent quarterbacks are the answer for the future for the Jets. At running back, I could see them looking at a few players. In free agency, I could see them looking at Justin Forsett, Stevan Ridley, or Jacquizz Rodgers. All of them would provide some flash in the backfield. If they choose to look in the draft, I think a player like Cameron Artis-Payne from Auburn could help or earlier they could look at Ameer Abdullah from Nebraska or Duke Johnson from Miami. They have more pressing needs, but who knows what they’ll do. Receiver is also an area of need for the Jets, and they could very well go after Amari Cooper from Alabama with their 6th pick. This years free agent class is full of receivers as well, so if they choose they could go after Dez Bryant, Randall Cobb, Michael Crabtree, Jeremy Maclin, Torrey Smith, or Demaryius Thomas, unless of course they re-sign with their current teams before free agency beings. Any of those receivers could help the Jets. Also in the offseason, offensive as I said may be targeted, in case Colon leaves or somebody gets hurt. I could see them taking somebody like Cedric Ogbuehl from Texas A&M or Donovan Smith from Penn State, closer to the middle rounds. I would stick to the draft with this position for New York, unless they want to spend more on players like Bryan Bulaga, Michael Oher, or somebody like that.

On defense, they may try to go after a defensive tackle/nose tackle. They could go after somebody like Ellis McCarthy from UCLA or Xavier Williams from Northern Iowa. Both of those players are big bodies to play that nose tackle spot. I could also see them going after free agents like Nick Fairley or Ndamukong Suh. There were rumors that Suh wanted to play in New York, so it may work out that way. They may need help at linebacker, so in the draft they may target somebody like Tony Washington from Oregon later in the draft, or someone like Taiwan Jones from Michigan state in the later rounds. In free agency they may try to get somebody like Bruce Carter  or Malcolm Smith. Both good players already, and also pretty young, so they could immediately compete for a linebacker spot. They may also go after Akeem Ayers if David Harris doesn’t re-sign. Finally, at corner in the draft, they may try to get somebody like P.J. Williams from FSU or Quinten Rollins from Miami of Ohio early in the draft, or go a player like Josh Shaw from USC later on in the draft. In free agency, they may go after somebody like Brandon Flowers, Antonio Cromartie, Tramon Williams, or Walter Thurmond. All of these players could start right away for the Jets, and help in the secondary. They could also help Dee Milliner and other young players learn and progress.

Outlook

My prediction is that this team with be much improved and win about 8 games this year, if they make changes to most of the changes that I mentioned. I see them being more competitive than last year too. They have some challenging games but I think they will do well. It happens to be a bonus as well that Rex Ryan is coaching within the division. I’m interested to see the reaction he gets from the Jets home fans.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far, and I hope you found this to be a good read.

Jacksonville Jaguars Cap Situation and Possible Outcomes

Now that the 2014-2015 NFL season has officially came to an end, with the New England Patriots hoisting the Lombardi trophy, it is officially time to start looking towards the part of the season where every single fan of losing teams have hope that their team will finally stop the losing trend, and every fan of winning teams hope that their team can keep their main core of players in tact in an effort to make a push towards the big game.

Now for the most part, many of the winning teams will keep winning games next year, while quite a few of the losing teams will keep disappointing their fans, and have them thinking about the next year and the one after that (Don’t worry, having followed the Lions since the Joey Harrington days I just wait for the team to implode and get yet another top 10 pick, even when they have many talented players).

So we’ll see where I go with it in the future, but for my first blog post I thought that I might look at one of most sad franchises in the NFL from the past couple years, and take a look at what they could do to possibly “right their ship” to an extent, in order to try to make it back to the playoffs. A feat that the franchise hasn’t been able to accomplish since 2007. Ladies and gentleman, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Since their 11-5 season in 2007, where they lost in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs to the undefeated 16-0 New England Patriots, the Jaguars have struggled to say the least. Ever since that last playoff game, the Jaguars have went 34-79 in 7 seasons. That is saying a lot considering the team had a 4 year span, from 2004-2007 where they had a combined record of 40-24. Just think about that for a second. In a 4 season span, the franchise had 6 more wins than they have been able to pile up in the last 7 seasons combined. That’s just unfortunate.

Resigning Period

Fortunately for them however, they have the most cap space in the NFL with just under $61 million dollars to spend. In my eyes they only have 4 fairly large decisions to make regarding their own free agents, starting with defensive end Tyson Alualu. He made about $3 million dollars last year and in 5 years of starting, he has only had 13 sacks combined and only 2 last year and only 30 tackles, which was his lowest output of his career. So I wouldn’t be surprised if they cut bait with him. 

Another player they may resign is linebacker Geno Hayes. He didn’t have a very good year last year, but it wasn’t terrible either. Stats wise he had 51 tackles and 2 sacks. Not too much output, but he did only account for about $1 million against the cap, so if I was the Jaguars, I may be inclined to sign him, but it could go either way. 

Another player that may be resigned is Alan Ball at cornerback. He only started and played in 7 games last year, but he was able to rack up 22 tackles, 3 pass deflections and an interception as well. Not too bad for only getting 7 games of playing time. He played last year for about $1.3 million, and if the Jags could get him for around the same number I say sign him. Dwayne Gratz seems to be the only solid, young corner on that team, so they could use some help when it comes to depth. 

Finally, I would say they should resign Cecil Shorts at wide receiver. Shorts had 557 receiving yards last year with only 1 touchdown, but he is only 2 years removed from having 979 yards with 7 touchdowns, so some potential is there. He accounted for $1.5 million last year, and if they could also get him for around the same price I would also say sign the man.

Offense

If they were able to sign Ball, Hayes, and Shorts for roughly the same number as last year, then they would be looking at about $58 million dollars in spending money. Focusing on Jacksonville’s offense, I like the direction that this team is headed. Assuming Shorts stays, they have a solid, young receiving core with Allen Hurns, Allen Robinson, and Marqise Lee all finishing their rookie campaigns with over 400 yards each. Also not to mention Justin Blackmon may be coming back after missing the entire season due to suspension. He was the 5th overall pick by the Jaguars in 2013 and he brought in 29 catches for 415 yards and a touchdown his rookie year. If he can stay out of trouble, that is just another weapon that they could use in their arsenal. When it comes to their tight ends, Mercedes Lewis leads the way. Having been in Jacksonville for 9 seasons, last year was his least productive since his rookie season in 2006, gathering only 18 catches for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns in 8 games played. Clay Harbor is their second tight end, who finished the year with 26 catches and 289 yards and 1 touchdown. Neither of these guys seem to be the answer at tight end, since Lewis is past his prime and Harbor just isn't that standout starter. This position also may be a need in this offseason.

Former Michigan quarterback, Denard Robinson, lead them in rushing after being made into a running back in the NFL. He had 582 yards with 4 touchdowns and 4.3 yards per carry last year, showing some potential. Being under 200 pounds at the running back position could cause some concerns, so they may try to draft one or bring one in through free agency to split the load with Robinson. 

Blake Bortles finished his rookie year with just under 59% completions and just over 2900 yards passing with 11 touchdowns, compared to 17 interceptions. Not very productive, but being his rookie year I’ll give him a pass, especially with the atrocious play of the offensive line. The Jaguars gave up 71 sacks last year as a team, finishing last in the NFL and Bortles was on the receiving end of 55 of them. You can’t expect your QB to be effective with that lack of protection and time in the pocket, so I see offensive line being the #1 focus in the draft or offseason. 

Defense

Now onto the defensive side of things, starting with the defensive line. As a unit with their starting front 4 in Chris Clemons, Sen’Derrick Marks, Red Bryant, and Roy Miller, they were able to compile 18.5 sacks. But that can be skewed considering 16.5 of them were between 2 players (Clemons with 8 and Marks with 8.5). Marks’ 8.5 sacks was a career high for him. By the looks of it, Clemons and Marks look like the only 2 players along that front that are safe from any change. 

Paul Posluszny leads the linebacker group, even thought he only played 7 games last year due to injury, but he still managed to compile 69 combined tackles, and 2 sacks. When starting at least 12 games in a season, he’s been able to get over 100 tackles each year, which is pretty impressive. Telvin Smith was a rookie this past year, drafted in the 5th round out of Florida State. He was able to play all 16 games, getting 104 combined tackles, along with 2 sacks, a forced fumble, and 4 pass deflections. I wasn’t able to see him play this year, but by those numbers I think he did enough to get another shot next year. Geno Hayes, if resigned, could be a candidate for being replaced (see stats above). His stats weren’t staggering, and that could result in him being placed as a back up. They could draft his replacement, or maybe go after somebody in free agency.

Now onto the secondary. Demetrius McCray and Dwayne Gratz were the starting corners, with Johnathan Cyprien and Josh Evans being the duo of safeties. Cyprien and Evans were 2 of the top 3 tacklers on the team this past year. Let’s start with Evans, who will be going into his 3rd year. He had 90 combined tackles to go along with 2 fumble recoveries. You may want to see more stats rather than just tackles, but being only his 2nd year and showing improvement, I think he’ll be safe. Cyprien is also going into his 3rd year, after getting 114 combined tackles this past year, following his 104 combined tackles in his rookie campaign. He also had 4 pass deflections, but other than that he didn’t have any takeaways or sacks, but he is in the same boat as Evans, so I think he also gets a pass. Now lets check out these corners. Lets start with Demetrius McCray. Though he raised his stats from his rookie year, he still didn’t have a great year. He had 49 combined tackles and 3 deflected passes. Of course he wasn’t exactly expected to be great after being selected in the 7th round from Appalachian State in 2013. Dwayne Gratz was also drafted in 2013 in the 3rd round out of Connecticut. Gratz had 55 combined tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 interception for a touchdown, and 9 pass deflections. He was definitely the more improved of the 2 and I think he proved himself to get a starting spot next year. They could also be looking for a corner in this upcoming draft or in free agency with the lack of production from McCray.

Draft Free Agency

Looking towards the draft/free agency they have a lot of flexibility with their cap space. I would guess that they would look for a RB at some point. In free agency, I could see them sign somebody like Jonathon Dwyer, since he could add some power running to compliment Denard Robinson’s speed, or in the draft I could see them going after a player like T.J. Yeldon from Alabama in the 2nd or 3rd round. He could add some power running and possibly be the "thunder" to Robinson's "lightening". Tight end is also a need, and free agents like Jordan Cameron, Charles Clay, Jermaine Gresham, and Julius Thomas all could be big upgrades if they don't choose to resign with their respective teams. In the draft they could look at big body players like Nick Boyle from Delaware or Blake Bell from Oklahoma in the later rounds of the draft, both standing 6'6". Offensive line has to be the top need for this team, and if they look for that in free agency, they may target players like Bryan Bulaga or Michael Oher to help protect Bortles. They may also draft one as soon as the first round, in a player like offensive tackle Brandon Scheriff from Iowa. 

On the defensive side, at defensive end they may look at players like B.J. Raji or Jason Pierre Paul in free agency, and maybe Randy Gregory early in the draft or someone like Mario Edwards Jr a little later in the draft. Raji could also help and play defensive tackle as well with his size. At defensive tackle they will almost certainly take a look at Ndamukong Suh and Terrance Knighton is also scheduled to be a free agent, and in the draft they may target somebody like Leonard Williams from USC in the 1st round or maybe somebody like Christian Covington from Rice, whom they could get in the middle rounds of the NFL draft. When it comes to the linebackers in free agency, Justin Houston is a huge name and would make an immediate impact on that defense. Other options could include Jason Worilds if he doesn't resign with the Steelers, and in the draft they could look at somebody like Jordan Hicks from Texas in the middle rounds or draft one higher like Nate Orchard from Utah or Lorenzo Mauldin from Louisville. Looking at the last glaring need at cornerback, they could take somebody like Nick Marshall from Auburn or Doran Grant from Ohio State in the middle rounds of the draft. In free agency they could look at players like Antonio Cromartie or Brandon Flowers.

Outlook

The Jaguars do still have a tougher schedule next year, and by my best guess I think they will win about 4 games. When facing teams like the Colts twice, Dolphins, Falcons, Panthers, Chargers, Patriots twice, Saints, and the Ravens, they may have some trouble. They will definitely show improvement however from this past year, in my own opinion.

If you made it this far, thank you for taking time to read my first blog and hopefully there will be many more in the future.