The Jets Are Winning Free Agency, But Will It Even Matter in 2019?

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

Just now, ScottLaw said:

He reminds me a bit of Edmunds to be honest. 

 

Yep - which is not good.  Edmunds did seem to get a bit less reactionary as the season went on.  The stinker's were very apparent.  Games like NE, Jax, and LAC were ones that stuck out.  They attacked and exploited him with motion in the run game, and crossers in the red zone.  

[SCBills]

22 minutes ago, K-9 said:

If they draft Q Williams, their defense will be one of the strongest in the middle of the field at every level, with All Pro talent at several positions. So yeah, they are going to be a tough out for sure. 

 

That said, bringing together high priced talent in FAgency doesn’t guarantee anything, either. Chemistry cannot be forced, especially in football. 

 

Agreed.  Their defense will be LEGIT, but so can ours (especially if we address DT & DE) and we didn’t have to put ourselves in cap hell to do it.  

[BuffAlone]

9 minutes ago, dneveu said:

 

He's still slow to hit gaps.  WLB's still have to tackle and shoot gaps.  If anything they have to cover more ground.

WLB first responsibility should be coverage. Which is something I think he can be decent at. He Definately doesn't need to play the Mike. 

[jahnyc]

The Jets have acquired a bunch of players that were quality starters for their former teams.  How they will perform together in NJ with a new coaching staff, new systems and new team is unknown, but pretty impressive haul in terms of overall talent so far.  I would have loved this group of players for the Bills.

Edited March 12, 2019 by jahnyc

[mjt328]

When it comes to building a team, free agency is something that needs to be used sparingly.  The majority of work needs to be done through the draft.

 

Sure.  It's OK to hand-out a few big contracts (especially when you are in the midst of a major rebuild) to fill holes.  In many cases, it's absolutely necessary.

But if you aren't consistently drafting well, those moves won't equate to long-term success.

 

There are only so many big-money players a team can afford.  The Jets do have some extra space due to Sam Darnold being on a rookie contract (compared to a team paying $20-25 million for their QB).  But each huge contract takes away from their ability to fill holes somewhere else, and hurts their depth across the board.  Going out and signing CJ Mosley, Anthony Barr and Le'Veon Bell is great.  But how long before those contracts force them to dump Trumaine Johnson (their big signing last year)?  They just go from a big hole at linebacker to a big hole in the secondary.

So far, I love Brandon Beane's approach to free agency.  He can be aggressive in pursuit, but does have a limit on a player's value and knows when to call it quits.

[FeelingOnYouboty]

I'm not worried about them at all

[apuszczalowski]

40 minutes ago, Joe in Winslow said:

 

Again, why is this assumption being made? Most of their pickups have been on defense.

 

WE are the team on the rise.

 

Because the Bill's picked up the leagues oldest RB, an injured TE, made an offer for AB, and overpaid for a Centre? They still have one of the leagues worst WR groups and a questionmark at QB.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

11 minutes ago, BuffAlone said:

WLB first responsibility should be coverage. Which is something I think he can be decent at. He Definately doesn't need to play the Mike. 

 

Greggo likes to play a 4-3 - but where does that put Barr?  DE?  They likely add williams or bosa at the draft as well - so that helps their D-line out a ton.  

[Mat68]

Like his first year in Miami?  

[BuffAlone]

2 minutes ago, dneveu said:

 

Greggo likes to play a 4-3 - but where does that put Barr?  DE?  They likely add williams or bosa at the draft as well - so that helps their D-line out a ton.  

If we are to believe all that's been said, they plan on sticking to a base 3-4

[Kirby Jackson]

29 minutes ago, Joe in Winslow said:

I guess i should be conditioned to the fact that people around here automatically think the other teams' moves are better, even the Jets.

 

 

If you look at it objectively at the moment they are probably the team that has improved the most since the start of FA. They added, Mosley, Barr, Osemele, Bellamy and Crowder. They are a much better team today than they were 2 days ago. The Bills are a better team than they were 2 days ago too. The Jets, at this point, have improved more than the Bills. That can certainly change but it is perfectly reasonable for both teams to improve.

[SCBills]

4 minutes ago, apuszczalowski said:

Because the Bill's picked up the leagues oldest RB, an injured TE, made an offer for AB, and overpaid for a Centre? They still have one of the leagues worst WR groups and a questionmark at QB.

 

Paid nothing for Gore.

 

Paid going rate for a legit #2 TE

 

Overpaid for a Center, but got one of the top 5 in the NFL, at a position we knew was critical to addressing this offseason.  Last I checked, the Jets, for all their spending, still don't have one and the one they did have, is now on our team competing for a G position.

 

Aaaaand FA is far from over and we still have a ton of $$$

[apuszczalowski]

48 minutes ago, BeginnersMind said:

 

Spending big on FAs does not often equate to anything (Hi Kirk Cousins!). Guys sometimes become FAs for a reason and team chemistry matters a lot. 

 

What the Pats and Steelers have done is the right model. No more than 3-4 big contracts, and spread the rest evenly. Resist the big FA payday and only pay out the big money if it's a homegrown star (FU Dareus). 

 

 

It's so much easier when you have your QB and Coach who are both considered the 'GOAT', and players are willing to come to you below market value for a chance to be on your team and win.

 

Steelers and Packers typically build through the draft and arent as active in FA, and they are usually very good regular season teams but only have 1 SB win each......

[Juice_32]

Gase does not scare me at all. They overpaid for Barr and REALLY overpaid for Mosley. It’s got a Redskins-ish feel to it. We’ll see how it plays out but I am not much more worried about them than I normally am, even with all the splashes.

[row_33]

21 minutes ago, FeelingOnYouboty said:

I'm not worried about them at all

 

yay, the Bills/Jets/Fish all aiming for a comfortable little battle to not make the playoffs again, yay

 

 

 

 

[oldmanfan]

I'll assess this when free agency is actually over.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

3 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

If you look at it objectively at the moment they are probably the team that has improved the most since the start of FA. They added, Mosley, Barr, Osemele, Bellamy and Crowder. They are a much better team today than they were 2 days ago. The Bills are a better team than they were 2 days ago too. The Jets, at this point, have improved more than the Bills. That can certainly change but it is perfectly reasonable for both teams to improve.

 

adding names =/= improvement.

 

it means adding names. whether or not it means an ACTUAL improvement on the field very much remains to be seen.

 

10 minutes ago, apuszczalowski said:

Because the Bill's picked up the leagues oldest RB, an injured TE, made an offer for AB, and overpaid for a Centre? They still have one of the leagues worst WR groups and a questionmark at QB.

 

That's the spirit.

 

Wallow in that.

 

[Kirby Jackson]

19 minutes ago, Joe in Winslow said:

 

adding names =/= improvement.

 

it means adding names. whether or not it means an ACTUAL improvement on the field very much remains to be seen.

 

 

That's the spirit.

 

Wallow in that.

 

It does mean improvement if they are better than the guys previously occupying those spots. It is inarguable that Osemele, Mosley and Crowder do not upgrade their respective spots. I’m lower on Barr than some others but he has had succcess. 

Edited March 12, 2019 by Kirby Jackson

[SouthNYfan]

I'm waiting for their coach to declare they won the off-season.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

34 minutes ago, FeelingOnYouboty said:

I'm not worried about them at all

 

I'm with you.

 

[NoHuddleKelly12]

6 minutes ago, SouthNYfan said:

I'm waiting for their coach to declare they won the off-season.

60% of the time, it works every time! 

[Jasovon]

They are spending alot, but still haven't improved the tools around Darnold outside of Crowder. 

[Augie]

12 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

It does mean improvement if they are better than the guys previously occupying those spots. It is inarguable that Osemele, Mosley and Crowder do not upgrade their respective spots. I’m lower on Barr than some others but he has had succcess. 

 

Just my gut reaction, but how much have they spent, and how will they afford to fill the other 20+/- holes they have? I know they had a lot of space, but.... I ask that to make self feel better, because it does seem like they are bringing in a lot of talent, and they are one of the teams in on L. Bell??? I don’t want them getting Bell, and I hope that’s too rich for them after the $$$ $pent already. 

[BuffaloRebound]

11 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

It does mean improvement if they are better than the guys previously occupying those spots. It is inarguable that Osemele, Mosley and Crowder do not upgrade their respective spots. I’m lower on Barr than some others but he has had succcess. 

 

I suppose it could work out, but just seems like they don’t have a plan other than spending a lot of money.  It was the same thing trading up last year when they did.  They didn’t care which QB they got. They just needed to get one of the top 3 QB’s.  That’s a more dangerous game with free agency because you’re just attracting guys who are 100% coming there for the money and nothing else.  It’s the Redskins for the last 20 years and the Dolphins under Gase.  

[HOUSE]

The Raiders and Jets are over paying as usual and it won't end well. When a big star player goes down both will be shopping at Dollar General.

[Golden Goat]

Doesn't change the fact that Darnold went to USC. The Jets don't scare me in the slightest.

[ddaryl]

I've yet to see a rebuilding team spend a ton on top FA's suddenly become a good team.

 

SO let them win

[BuffaloRebound]

1 minute ago, ScottLaw said:

How do you figure they don't have a plan? 

 

Spending available cap space on solid FAs= not having a plan?

 

They have almost the exact same needs as the Bills and by all accounts overpaid for 2 non-rush LB’s who they gave mega-deals to.  And they have been linked to almost every high profile Free Agent.    

[Rc2catch]

I’m still not too worried, their offensive line is pathetic looking. They better get to signing some of those guys and I might worry. 

And per usual with ol Gregg he’s gonna blitz non stop, even when you adjust and beat it he’s still coming at ya lol. Just gotta figure out how to beat his blitz scheme for the week and you can drop 40 anytime. 

[eball]

Make a list for me of all of the teams who have spent wildly in free agency and gone on to sustained (or even immediate) success.

[Chuck Wagon]

4 minutes ago, eball said:

Make a list for me of all of the teams who have spent wildly in free agency and gone on to sustained (or even immediate) success.

 

 

The Rams went from picking 1st (yes, it was a trade up) to the Super Bowl in 2 years after 2 incredibly flashy offseasons.

 

The Eagles were extremely aggressive in FA after getting Wentz and won the SB shortly thereafter.

 

Two recent examples have rendered the cautionary Eagles Vick "Dream Team" a thing of a different era.

[eball]

20 minutes ago, Chuck Wagon said:

 

 

The Rams went from picking 1st (yes, it was a trade up) to the Super Bowl in 2 years after 2 incredibly flashy offseasons.

 

The Eagles were extremely aggressive in FA after getting Wentz and won the SB shortly thereafter.

 

Two recent examples have rendered the cautionary Eagles Vick "Dream Team" a thing of a different era.

 

I don't know, I don't recall thinking either of those teams "spent wildly" but I may be wrong...as noted in another thread, only Denver's spending spree the year they brought in Peyton really comes to mind...

 

Edited March 12, 2019 by eball

[billsfan_34]

They overpaid for a LB- 5 years at 85 mil- hardly winning in my opinion.

[purple haze]

2 hours ago, SCBills said:

Osemele was their best move so far.... everything else has been overspending for the sake of covering up bad drafting. 

True on covering up for draft mistakes, but the money doesn't play the game.  The players they signed are proven talent.  Doesn't mean their team will mesh, but it is very possible they take a big step forward.

[Reed83HOF]

46 minutes ago, eball said:

Make a list for me of all of the teams who have spent wildly in free agency and gone on to sustained (or even immediate) success.

This will be the Jets issue:

https://www.thephinsider.com/2018/12/31/18163202/interesting-burner-account-twitter-launches-grenades-at-adam-gase-fire-current-player-miami-dolphins

 

Also I hope Greggo blows up on him at some point

[ctk232]

3 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

They have a good QB, so yes, Bills fans should be worried when a team like that loads up on bona fide talent. Gase, who I don’t like overall, calls good offensive games (unfortunately). Williams, who I despise, has had some occasional success over the years coaching good defenses. 

It would seem that way, but the more active you are in FA is not directly proportional to how many games you win the subsequent season. It all still has to come together, and I think there will be plenty of growing pains in that first season altogether. There also seems to be politics at play among the coaching staff.

 

Honestly, the Jets can sign all of these guys because they are absolutely deplorable at drafting. Just look back at their history and see how many first and second round guys are still on the team - since 2009, 4 of a total 18 first and second round picks are still on the team. Shiny FA signings are shiny, but they aren't sustainable in terms of building team success; you need a strong cohort and profile of talent through the draft to build anything remotely stable and affordable. It essentially looks like MacCagan is both feeling the hot seat and cashing in on Sammy's five-year rookie deal to get it done for the new regime; a lot of these massive contracts will be up by the time they need to extend Sammy. It also seems like this is the only year they're looking to fill FA holes and have cashed out on the next two years at least.

 

But the piece to the puzzle that would concern me is how well will they draft in the interim? Until they are able to build an development pipeline through the draft, I will not be afraid of the Jets becoming perennial contenders in the Division.

Edited March 12, 2019 by ctk232

[ddaryl]

14 minutes ago, purple haze said:

True on covering up for draft mistakes, but the money doesn't play the game.  The players they signed are proven talent.  Doesn't mean their team will mesh, but it is very possible they take a big step forward.

 

also very possible the linger in mediocrity and never pull it to together but have the cap hell to show for it

[ctk232]

53 minutes ago, eball said:

Make a list for me of all of the teams who have spent wildly in free agency and gone on to sustained (or even immediate) success.

Thank you. Lawd we go through this every year it's like watching goldfish.

 

The more active you are in FA is not directly proportional to number of W's - ever, at all. 

[formerlyofCtown]

3 hours ago, BillyWhiteShows said:

Maccagan must be feeing the hot seat.  He’s gone all out in Doug Whaley-like desperation to sign big names in Free Agency to phat contracts including:

 

Anthony “The” Barr

CJ Mosely

Jamison Crowder

Josh Bellamy

 

The retaining of Robby Anderson and Big Quince Enunwa.

 

And they may not be done as rumors are flying they are interested in Matt Paradis and possibly L’evion Bell.

 

Its easy to say that so far the Jets have “won the offseason” like Rex Ryan would say.  

 

But will it matter?  It’s not hard to throw around guaranteed cash and sign players to big contracts.  We saw Buddy Nix and Whaley do this as Bills fans.  Loading a team doesn’t work unless they are properly utilized.  For that to happen you need good coaching in place, which comes down to Adam Gase and Greggggggg Williams.   Gase has been accused by Miami fans of squandering talent on several different rosters, and didn’t do very much to reclaim Ryan Tannehil.  

 

Do you worry about the Jets next season after these splashy FA moves?

Until they have to cut some players because they are in cap hell.

55 minutes ago, Chuck Wagon said:

 

 

The Rams went from picking 1st (yes, it was a trade up) to the Super Bowl in 2 years after 2 incredibly flashy offseasons.

 

The Eagles were extremely aggressive in FA after getting Wentz and won the SB shortly thereafter.

 

Two recent examples have rendered the cautionary Eagles Vick "Dream Team" a thing of a different era.

I think they are making these moves a year too early.  They are further behind in the rebuild process than we are.  But I guess if you cant draft well then this is the route you have to go.

[formerlyofCtown]

McBeane seems to be very deliberate in his targeting and signing.  

The Jets seem to be grabbing as many as they can.