43 Comments

Both of those moves with Cine and Bates look tremendous. JD has done a remarkable job of building this roster over the last few years. Now it is up to Saleh to deliver the goods. Color me nervous.

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Cine is a major reclamation project, but he is a legitimate first round talent with 4.37 speed (prior to injury). DB coaches Marquand Manual & Tony Oden have done an excellent job in DB development. Low risk high reward, an injection of talent into the Safety room. Like Brenden Bates at TE, another UNDFA, with Chicago, strong blocker, ST contributor, compliments , the skills of Firkser on the PS. Signals the Jets will run the ball. Jets are a little light at WR. Consider that Williams will be on a pitch count, possibly 20 snaps, for the first four games.

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WR could use a bit more depth unless some back of the roster fellows pick up the pace. I have some concerns regarding IOL depth as well. Overall we are in a good place!

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Keep an eye on Brandon Smith. He had a great summer. Had a great year in the UFL. He makes the tough catches Brownlee didn’t.

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The problem with Smith is twofold. One, is his obvious lack of speed; and two, the 6th or 7th WR needs to play STs, and if the Jets keep 7, ideally both should play STs. Does B. Smith play STs, or does his lack of speed disqualify him from playing STs?

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Don’t know if Brandon can play ST, but allegedly he is a physical blocker, so maybe he can play ST. This is what I believe is crucial, he runs a substandard 40, of 4.63 ( not bad for 220 pounds ) but has an elite 9.14 RAS, further he runs an ELITE 10 yard 1.56 yard split. Zack Kuntz you say, well maybe. But this is Brandon’s Smith’s fourth year. Two years on Dallas’s Practice Squad to learn his craft. Last year was cut after Training camp with Arizona, and then had a full season in the UFL More experience than Brownlee, Shawn Jefferson could unlock his potential

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Not a big Irv Charles fan, when there is a need for a pass catcher. Schweitzer is solid at IOL, believe in Newmans evolution. PS guys, Kohl’s Leveo has some upside, Jake Hanson not so much, but he is in his fourth year

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I'm not a fan of Charles at all. Surely the Jets can find someone else to take his place on STs and play at the same level or close to it. They need another viable WR. I can't believe that with all the WRs waived/released, the Jets couldn't find even one they thought worthy of adding to the roster.

Similarly, I find it hard to believe that they couldn't find an IOL among the cutdowns who has more upside than Hanson. He has had plenty of time and just doesn't have what it takes.

This is being nit-picky, because every team has some holes/weak links. Overall, I am thrilled with the roster and to a slightly lesser extent, the PS.

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I agree that the roster looks excellent now. However I think It's been feast or famine for JD, nowhere near a straight line progression in my opinion.

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I don’t believe that building a team and roster is a linear function. It requires patience and skill in player identification and development. Not withstanding 50% of first round picks are busts. Yet our 2022 first rounders will ultimately yield 3 all pros along with Hall as a second rounder. JD has found good players in the draft, FA, trades and the waiver wire. I believe he has done a good job. However his legacy will be determined by how the Jets do this year ! Possibly next if Rigers hangs around.

Much like Sisyphus who cheated death and was punished by the Hades to push a massive boulder uphill for eternity, perhaps JD will be able to push that boulder into the playoffs and to a superbowl! We shall see.

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So much of a GM & HC’s success depends on their QB

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Amen to that!

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I think expecting roster building to be linear is unrealistic. It's not done in a vacuum. If it was, then expecting a linear progression is more feasible and even possible, but since it's not done in a vacuum, it isn't possible.

Very few, if any, things in life work in a smooth, orderly, linear progression. There are always fits and starts. Life is messy.

GMs can't draft players (with the skills/ability that the Jets want) that aren't there. Especially when a team has had as many holes as the Jets have, and only have one 1st-round pick in most drafts (2022 was a glaring exception), it's going to take time. A GM can make an orderly timeline for positions he prioritizes in the draft, but that doesn't mean it's going to work out.

For instance, in his 1st draft, he prioritized getting an LT, which imo was the correct move. As we know, Becton didn't work out, and they had to give him at least 2-3 years.

In his 2nd draft he prioritized getting their future Franchise QB. Some thought JD should have traded down in that draft, but he probably looked at who the QB prospects were going to be the following year and saw that they weren't nearly as highly-rated as the QBs that year were, and Zach was the consensus #2 QB, so he knew that he needed to take a QB that year and that even if he had gotten a Kings' ransom to trade down, it wouldn't equal having a great, true franchise QB, and capwise, he wouldn't be able to extend that many players in one year. Some even had Zach rated above Lawrence. Neither of those two key players worked out.

I'm certain that there have been players in the drafts that the Jets coveted and had targeted, but they were unable to get them. Two examples, I know of are Alvin Kamara, and Nabers or Odunze in this year's draft. IMO the plan to prioritize adding a 2nd #1 WR over getting a stud LT prospect was extremely foolish on JD's part. We got lucky that the Giants wouldn't trade with the Jets, and so the Jets wound up getting the stud LT prospect they desperately needed. IMO it was foolish to prioritize WR over LT with both Smith and Moses being older and Smith having injury issues, and Moses coming off of a major injury. It was also foolish because the Jets already have a great #1 WR in Wilson, and there's no way the Jets would have been able to pay and keep both Wilson and Nabers/Odunze. They would have either had to let Wilson walk in FA or trade him or let Nabers/Odunze walk in FA. IMO that's not good roster building. So GMs make mistakes in their prioritizations as well.

Lots of teams run the WCO or some version of it, so that means that a lot of teams are looking at the same players who possess the skill sets that the WCO demands. That makes it much harder to get the players a team wants and needs.

A team isn't always able to trade up or trade down in the draft, either. Some want to stay put or they want a King's ransom for the Jets to move up or they want to get a bargain when they're willing to trade up with the Jets. JD has to be fiscally responsible with his draft pick assets and he has to keep the cap in mind, as draft round and position make some players have much higher contracts than others.

All those things make building a roster very challenging.

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Like this roster and Practice squad. Composed of 4 UNDFA’ s, three of which are Defensive Lineman ( Watts , McGregor & Taylor ) along with Safety Jarius Monroe on the PS. In further UNDFA news, we obtained draft value in a a trade for Brandon Codrington, , Shemar Bartholomew was poached, promising Offensive Lineman Brady Latham somehow missed the cut, and two WR’s Hames El. Zayrat & Marcus Riley are currently residing on IR.

This was the best UNDFA Class in memory. Jets PS has two former UFL PLAYERS, in Offensive Line man Kohl Leveo and QB, Adrian Martinez. Yesterday, the Jets obtained TE Brenden Bates through the waiver wire, who may surprise. Jets had a very successful draft obtaining a premier LT, a promising WR, two dominant RB’s, a redshirt QB, a future Pro Bowl CB, and a developmental Safety.

The point of all of this is that Douglas has used every avenue to build this Roster skillfully. Great job.

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FROM CIMINI. BAD NEWS

Change of heart: Former Vikings S Lewis Cine is expected to sign with the Bills P squad, per source (as the NFL Network said). #Jets were expecting him to fly in for a physical and signing (P squad). Bills are rebuilding at safety and he apparently saw a better opportunity. Nothing is done until the deal is signed.

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I don't understand that. Cine had only been in the NFL for two years. I think a player has to be in the NFL for 4 years before he becomes vested. Vested players don't go through waivers. They are released and can immediately sign with whatever team they want. The rest of the players (vets under 3 years experience, and rookies) are waived and must go through the waiver process. If a team puts in a claim for a player who has been waived, he must be signed to the team's roster, not PS. So I don't understand how Cine is going to a PS. Evidently, they've lowered the requirement for players to become vested from 4 years to 2 years.

While it's disappointing the Jets didn't get the opportunity to work with Cine and see if they could develop him, I definitely think that should have been on the PS and not on the roster. I read that he hasn't been the same player since he severely injured his leg his rookie season, so he may not have the speed that he had, may have pain, and may have lost a lot of confidence. He plays violently, like he was bigger than he is, and that probably will lead to more injuries if he doesn't put on more muscle, so this may wind up being a blessing. Especially, if he had been added to the roster, then didn't play well or was hurt all the time. That would make JD look foolish for signing him.

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Damn, back to the drawing board

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In David’s second paragraph, he ends it with this “ This week we’re going to quickly run through the news and then it’s over to you!“

David has sort of in-trusted his column this week to the Torch and Pitchfork Brigade posters while he is in Germany wearing his Lederhosen, eating Sauerbraten, spaetzle and Apple strudel. I’m sure a stein is nearby.

The Brigade has been outstanding this week with their contributions to cutdown week. Posts were intelligent and well thought out by everyone.

Jet Orange definitely deserves a Jets Way tv remote for targeting Lewis Cine as a future Jet safety. Hopefully Cine has over come his disastrous injury and he becomes a valued member of the Jets defense.

We are saddened to see Brownlee waived off the roster to accommodate a tight end but unfortunately how the initial 53 was formulated, the tight end room needed an addition. Hopefully he is added on to the PS if he isn’t claimed.

Unfortunately, JD’s roster building will need a magical solution for when Where’s Waldo #7 decides that his holdout was a futile attempt of insanity. I’m Sure his fines are reaching NFL record numbers.

ESPN has announced that they are doing a 30-30 on the Sack Exchange. My thoughts on this are, what took you so goddamn long.

I have always said that Klecko would have been inducted in the Hall of Fame years ago if he had played for the Cowboys, Steelers, Redskins or 49ers.

Well I’m doubling down on that statement if the Sack Exchange had played for those teams back then, this 30-30 would have been done 15-20 years ago.

In regard to the Sack Exchange, I have a trick trivia question.

I was approached a few years back by someone I know who makes matted football memorabilia using football cards.

He asked me why he couldn’t find an Abdul Salaam rookie card.

When I gave him the answer, he was dumbfounded.

Any takers on the answer.

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As a rookie, his name was not A.S. I don't remember what his pervious name was. If you do please let me know.

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You are 100% correct on half the answer, he changed his name for religious purposes. Abdul Salaam means “ Soldier of Peace”, his words not mine.

Let’s see if any of our esteem members know the whole answer

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that easy, Larry Faulk.

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We have a winner here🎈🎈🎈🎈🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🥳🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊

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Very nice

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Never knew that! Way to go!

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Ron Alexander got it, Larry Faulk

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Larry Faulk

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glad to see Martinez

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Martinez over Tim Boyle in Miami for third string Qb

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ANYBODY over Boyle for 3rd string QB, lol.

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Jeremy Fowler

@JFowlerESPN

After planning to sign with the #Jets, Lewis Cine has now pivoted and is signing with the #Bills practice squad. Source said Cine changed his mind after sorting through everything Wednesday. His college coach, Jahmile Addae, is the DB coach in Buffalo.

Was heavily recruited by teams throughout the day.

8:20 AM · Aug 29, 2024

If you have earned three or more credited seasons since 1993, you are vested, meaning you are entitled to benefits negotiated under the CBA. Your benefits may vary depending on when you played and how many credited seasons you earned. For active players, these vested benefits include: Pension.

What is a Credited Season and what does it mean to be vested?

NFL Players Association

https://nflpa.com › active-players › faq › what-is-a-cred...

So Cine wasn't vested. Evidently, no team put in a claim for him, so he became a free agent and could sign with any team either on their PS or roster.

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Is it possible that the Jets waited for him to go thru waivers, so they wouldn’t have to pay him off of his rookie first round contract. This time of year every penny counts

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Yup

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Actually, signing with his previous college coach makes me feel better, but he passed up a golden opportunity to work with Marquand Manual & Tony Oden.

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David, I hope that you or someone here can explain something to me that doesn't make sense. With regards to Cine. They said he doesn't have much range. How can a player with 4.37 speed not have much range? He should be able to go sideline to sideline and as deep as any WR. Is it because his hips are somewhat stiff in terms of changing direction? If so, that still doesn't make sense to me. Yes, that would slow him down some, and make him less effective in coverage, but he should have the recovery speed to make up for that stiffness. If his hips are stiff, I don't understand how he could run a 4.37 40. It seems to me that it would affect his speed as well. Also, with yoga, water aerobics, and Pilates which is based on building strength and flexibility through stretching, why can't his "stiff hips" be eliminated or greatly reduced?

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We could be talking pre versus post injury. When he was at Georgia he was all over the place

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In know what you are saying, and it makes sense, but who really knows how his leg is after that severe of an injury. A compound leg fracture is no joke, both physically and mentally. But he wanted to go where he wanted to go. Good luck to him.

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Who is Cine’s agent, Anthony Barr

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David, I second your comments regarding Köln and its cathedral. I visited there in 1998 on a trip visiting a number of German cities and loved it. I specifically went to Köln because there was a song cycle by Robert Schumann entitled, "Dichterliebe", and in that cycle it mention the cathedral in Köln and a picture of the madonna hanging there. It was quite the surprise. I was expecting a big portrait. I walked around inside the cathedral twice and couldn't find it. I found a tour guide that worked at the cathedral, but he didn't speak English, and even though I was able to ask him in German, he didn't know about the portrait. Fortunately, I had a map of Köln around the cathedral, and there was a music store nearby. I went there told them what I wanted to see, and one of the store employees walked back to the cathedral and helped me find it. When we did, it was very disappointing. The portrait was tiny, and for the life of me, I couldn't imagine why Schumann had made specific mention of this portrait in his song cycle. But anyway, mission was accomplished, so when I performed that cycle on a couple of recitals in NYC I was able to envision the cathedral and that tiny portrait.

Enjoy your stay and have an awesome, safe trip. I hope you have better luck when you head home!!!!

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I'm saddened by Brownlee's departure. I saw something which I guess just wasn't there.

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He will be on the PS this afternoon. Jets are light at WR, Brandon Smith & Brownlee will compete for promotion to the varsity Jet could certainly use another dependable WR.

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Honestly I like Smith better. He made a lot of the catches Brownlee failed to come down with. I recall the scouting reports on Brownlee that said his speed and quickness were average at best. He really never seemed to get separation so it was always a 50-50 ball for him. Tough way to make a living unless your name is Megatron or D.K. Smith on the hand made a bunch of big time catches this training camp. He’s got great size at 6’2 1/2 222 and he caught everything thrown his way.

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Totally agree. Jets have given Brownlee every opportunity, Smith not so much, partially because of his late arrival. Brandon is not the fastest guy , at 4.63 in the forty, but he does get separation, he gets deep and makes contested catches.

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David, u don't believe Harbaugh has ruled him out? :). Maybe one too many beers :)

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