top dawg

Personally, I appreciate smart fans' perspectives more than the pro analysts'. As such, I'm more skeptical about Darnold than I was, but there's still hope. I just hope Justin Fields falls to 8.

Do you think that Darnold can be fixed? Point blank! Do you think there's a legit chance? Greeny thinks that Darnold is going to do well here. Why do you think that he's so sure? IMO, Judy Batistta was sounding like she wasn't so sure that the Jets made the right decision to skip the haul the team would've gotten by staying put as opposed to presumably drafting Zach Wilson, and she isn't the only one. I've heard other Jets fans say that Darnold is going to do better than Wilson in the short term, and maybe even the long term. What do you think of all of this?

The jury is still out! At least we know he's reticent to spend a king's ransom when the price gets too high (Rams and Frisco paid top dolla). He also appreciates a value and is not scared to take a chance on damaged goods for a relatively low risk-high reward type of situation. Some people may see that as bad, but I see it as smart.

Well, you're probably right. But, it's a cost-value analysis. Cognizant of the fact that there's still a high bust rate, regardless of best intentions, maybe they just didn't feel the need to risk those extra picks. A third and two extra firsts is a lot if you're wrong. You essentially kill your tank your next three seasons, so there's really no room for error.

I agree, but I don't see why "dropping to 8" would kill your dream of rebuilding. We are rebuilding no matter where we fall in the draft order. We made some fairly promising acquisitions on defense during the second part of free agency which will hopefully turn into longer term deals. Reddick, Fox and Perryman (with the IF-he-can-stay-healthy qualifier) were nice values and prospects for a rebuild. I'd say that--on paper and in a vacuum--they may even look better than the Darnold acquisition. I don't think that we're necessarily done in free agency either. Malik Hooker might be a nice get. There are others. And of course, the draft is the main tool to rebuild (and not just with a top 5 pick or even a first round pick). There are plenty enough of franchise players that were always going to be available at 8, and we're going to get one!

I doubt that, especially pertaining to Justin Fields. Rhule tried to recruit Fields at Baylor. I don't think Fields did anything during his college career to change Rhule's mind towards the negative. If anything, he would probably draft Fields if he somehow falls to us. Fields is presumably more ready than Lance who will need some more refinement. Maybe it's not that Rhule doesn't like Lance (or Fields), maybe he's on a little bit of a different timetable. Rhule obviously wasn't enamored with Teddy, but that doesn't mean he wants to throw away the season. He got a vet, albeit one with questions, that he perceives fits his vision better, bit I really don't think that will preclude him from taking his guy if he falls. And, honestly, I want to see that happen. I especially want Fields to fall. I don't believe we will pass on him.

We're not going to pass up on a QB that falls to us if we like him as a franchise QB. That's not going to happen. Darnold doesn't change that.

I suspect that he had his guy last year, and couldn't quite make it work. Now he has Rhule's guy, and what he does with Sam will go a long way towards determining if any one of them is really worth a damn.

He didn't say that. What he essentially said is that he doesn't know what the problem is or where it begins and ends, but that Gase and company have issues and that Darnold has issues independent of Gase and his administration.

So, you believe we're screwed?

Different perspectives.

Hard to say, but I'll play. It's a guess, but I'll be optimistic and say that Darnold's failures were mostly due to his environment. I can't state enough how much where they land plays a huge part in whether a QB succeeds or fails. Darnold is still oh so young. He has the physical tools necessary to succeed, and I'm gonna bet that he has the mental toughness to overcome all the foolishness of Adam Gase.

Damn skippy!

They'd have sucked! The situation these young guys get in is about as important as the traits they have, it's just that no one wants to talk about it. It's like a dirty little secret. We've already learned this lesson way back when with Jim Plunkett. We learned it more recently with Ryan Tannehill. We may learn it with Carson Wentz, and hopefully we'll learn it in first row seats with Sam Darnold.

LOL

Fitterer says that he wanted to go into the draft with options. You might not agree with his reasoning that Darnold gives us options, but in some respects, he does. I think it takes the pressure off to do something that we may have really regreted later. Now we're in a better position to let the draft come to us. And, with a little work, development and luck, Darnold turns out to be the answer, which will ultimately free us up more.

Question. For all you people talking sh¡t about Darnold, or sh¡t about Rhule and Fitterer--or even if you aren't a Negative Nancy--how do you feel about the 2021 Darnold deal versus the 2020 Bridgewater transaction? And don't be a copout and say, "They both suck!" Answer the question! I can say unequivocally that I can live with this deal intellectually, notwithstanding the 2022 2nd), but I absolutely hated the money and structure of the Bridgewater deal. At least now, we don't have that much invested in Darnold, even after picking up his option. His salary should be a small issue next offseason, even if he bombs this year. Moreover, you really don't know what his ceiling really is because of being in such a horrible situation, from coaching to development to weapons. With Teddy--as some keep reiterating--we knew exactly what he was (well almost, but for the ball {no}security)! Now, we know we have a big, strong, young QB that can make all the throws (with definite ball security issues), but also one that has been "broken" to a certain extent, but a coaching staff that may legitimately be able to "fix" him by putting him into situations that play to his strengths, and not forcing him to do things that play into his weaknesses, and can ultimately turn those weaknesses into strengths. For all the pontificating on Bridgewater, I think that it's fair to say that he wasn't some newb at his first rodeo show. He was in an offense that he was very much knowledgeable about, and he had enough weapons--and was in situations--where he really should have succeeded...at least beyond the appearance of failure. So, from where I'm sitting, things aren't perfect (and they wouldn't have been even with a rookie QB), but at least we haven't done anything jaw dropping in the Darnold deal--just maybe a little eyebrow-raising with the second--haven't compromised the future by selling the farm, and have a QB with a much higher ceiling this season than we did the last. On an off note, I wonder how/if Fitterer tempered Rhule (& possibly Tepper) on the compensation.

Well...the Jets have been hot garbage during Darnold's entire time there, so...when you're playing for an awful HC after playing for other bad HCs...and OCs and RBs and suspect WRs, the best of which they essentially sent shipping (where he had his best year), you're probably going to look like the garbage around you, especially when you're young and drafted into the garbage.

He's still on that Darnold fanwagon. We might as well hop on.

Well, they obviously feel that there are players in this year's draft at positions that may make more of an impact upon the team than next year's draft. They know what they're doing. Now me, looking on the outside in and considering the bigger picture, I kinda feel that a second is a second! There will be someone in next year's draft that we may like but won't get, unless we keep robbing Peter to pay Paul (so to speak) from year to year.

Sounds nice enough. I'm going to keep an open mind about Rhule (and obviously Darnold). His honeymoon period will likely end some time in 2022--2023 latest!

The one Fitterer is smoking?

I thought we'd have to give up a third at the most. If it was this year's, I wouldn't have had an issue with it. For them to give this much up for Sam Darnold and picking up his 5th year option, that means they must like him. And, they are basically saying that this is our starter for the next two seasons. From a fan's perspective, all I have to say is that they had better damn well be right. We can't have something akin to a Teddy rerun.