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You can’t do this on there . . .
You gotta be careful on Twitter, and I try to be.
So I parse my words on there to a degree.
I tweeted, “The Quinnen Williams contract could be challenging to do.”
One Jets fan said it shouldn’t be if they just give him “market value.”
On paper, that makes sense to many. I will get to that in a second.
Another Jets fan responded – “Do you care to expound?”
I made the mistake of responding – “Not on Twitter.”
That was misinterpreted as me implying that I hold back on Twitter because I want people to buy the magazine.
I can understand that misunderstanding. I should have been clearer.
But “Not on Twitter” had nothing to do with holding back so people buy the magazine or the premium content on the website.
It’s because I don’t want to critique a Jets player in perhaps a negative way on Twitter. Why? Because then what often happens is it’s tweeted to the player, and it turns into a thing.
Twitter can be so toxic, it can even contribute to a player being traded. Just look at Elijah Moore. He responded to a writer pointing out that he had no catches in Green Bay, and that was the beginning of the end for the player with the Jets. This was followed by him cursing out the OC and requesting a trade. Now he’s a Cleveland Brown.
Anybody who has read JC knows why I think the Williams contract isn’t that simple.
While he’s a tremendous interior pass rusher, it’s the run defense. Due to his size (not his toughness), he too often gets engulfed by massive interior offensive linemen, leading to some big runs up the middle.
On the 60-yard run to start the Seattle game, Williams was pushed to the right by left tackle Charles Cross and Walker went to the hole on the left where Williams was. Carl Lawson got pushed toward the right sideline, and the runner went between Williams and Lawson.
There are myriad other examples over the last couple of years.
Some people say Williams should just give Williams more than Washington’s Darron Payne ($22.5 million per) and Tennessee’s Jeffrey Simmons ($23.5 per) two top defensive tackles who just got new deals.
But what about the fact that Payne and Simmons are both better against the run? That isn’t a shot at Williams, it’s just a fact. Williams gets an edge on each as an interior pass rusher.
And when you are talking about defensive tackles, while the pass rush skills are important, the run defense is also huge at that position.
In football, coaches and GMs will often cut great edge-rushers a little slack, like Von Miller, for being so-so vs. the run. That’s been the case for many years. Some said that about Mark Gastineau. You put up with average run defense from edge guys who consistently get to the QB, but on the inside, DTs really need to be stout vs the run or you are going to have a problem.
The last couple of years, the Jets have given up too many big runs up the middle. A guy who was part of the issue is now with the New Orleans Saints. It’s not all on Williams obviously, but he’s a part of it.
So that is what I meant by this is not an easy contract to negotiate, unless the Jets ignore the run defense, and just give Williams the market value that Payne-Simmons set.
Look Williams should get a really, really nice deal, but perhaps not the top DT deal in the league.
Nothing personal, just about run defense.
April 18, 2023
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