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New Jersey – We get into a couple of issues today, including a look at defensive lineman Kevin Vickerson, and Jets GM Mike Maccagnan’s most revealing statement from yesterday.
Vickerson agreed to terms with the Jets today.
Todd Bowles wants to get a little bigger on the defensive line out of his 3-4 front.
Think about what went on early in free agency.
The Jets had visits with Chris Canty (6-7, 317) and Kendall Langford (6-6, 313).
And now they sign Vickerson, who is 6-5, 328.
Not all 3-4 systems are the same.
Rex Ryan’s approach is different than Todd Bowles’.
Ryan let’s some of his defensive lineman shoot up field more, as opposed to standing their ground, taking up two blockers, acting as body guards for the linebackers.
Bowles is a Bill Parcells’ disciple. Parcells liked tall, thickly-built men, with long arms who can take up space, and occupy blockers.
So Bowles is trying to get some more big bodies up front. Vickerson fills the bill.
Not only is he massive, but he’s tough as nails – inner-city Detroit tough. This guy is going to help the Jets. He’s just what you are looking for in a pure 3-4 end . . .
Mike Maccagnan usually doesn’t say much in his press conference. He’s very close to the vest.
I’m not saying this as a criticism. I don’t care what guys say to the press. I judge them by their records. It’s all about the games to me.
But he said something in a long-winded answer in his presser yesterday, that showed a little ankle.
He was asked about the team’s lavish spending in free agency.
“When you go out and try to get players through free agency, it’s going to be expensive and that’s why, as I said from the beginning, I want to build this team through the draft, but given the opportunity to make investments and improve the talent of the team in free agency, that’s kind of where we focused our efforts,” Maccagnan said.
This was in the middle of a long answer.
He was saying two things in this part of the quote I pulled out.
First of all, going out and spending like this, isn’t part of Maccagnan’s blueprint.
Think about the Houston Texans, the organization he worked for from 2000-2014. When did they ever go on off-season spending sprees? Not very often. They looked to draft well, and re-sign their own. What we just witnessed the first few weeks of free agency isn’t Mike’s Modus Operandi.
Mike wants to build through the draft, and compliment good drafting with a few free agent signings here and there.
But Mike’s been given the task of not just building a championship team, but trying to win now as well.
The Jets have missed the playoffs four years in a row.
They can’t rebuild this year. They have to try to make a playoff run this year. Their fans are getting fed up.
So coming out of the gate, Mike had to stray from his blueprint a little.
But he made it clear in his quote, in the future, it needs to be mainly about the draft.
The spending spree this year was a bit of an aberration.
March 20, 2015
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