Content available exclusively for subscribers
I can’t predict the future, but I do have a strong feeling about this . . .
These Jets fans who want Mo Wilkerson dumped should be careful what they wish for.
My gut tells me he will go somewhere else and play on a Pro Bowl-level.
Why do I feel this way?
Because he’s a 28-year-old talented defensive lineman in his prime with freakish athletic ability for his size.
Also, I’m not clueless when it comes to his role in the Jets’ defense like some other people.
3-4 ends generally do a lot of dirty work (taking up two blocks) and usually aren’t big sack guys. But other people, who don’t understand the Jets’ scheme, keep pushing his low sack total.
The lion’s share of the sacks in this defense should come the outside linebackers. And it hasn’t happened because the Jets keep neglecting the position, but that is another story.
But remember last year, Wilkerson struggled during the first half of the season, in part due to shoulder and toe injuries.
The second half of the season, when he finally got healthy, he played much better, until they sat him the last three games of the season for salary reasons.
Before his three-week deactivation at the end of the season, and after his toe and shoulder improved, he put together a nice stretch of football, and was a key cog in a Jets run defense that improved significantly from earlier in the season. Look at the five-game stretch before the Jets put Wilkerson on ice:
November 2 – Jets-Bills – LeSean McCoy, 12 carries for 25 yards.
November 12 – Jets-Buccaneers – Doug Martin, 20 carries for 51 yards.
November 26 – Jets-Panthers – Jonathan Stewart, 15 carries for 26 yards.
December 3 – Jets-Chiefs – Kareem Hunt, 9 carries for 40 yards.
December 10 – Jets-Broncos – C.J. Anderson, 22 carries for 48 yards, Devantae Booker, 9 carries, 22 yards.
Here are the three games that followed the Jets shutting down Wilkerson:
December 17 – Jets-Saints – Mark Ingram, 12 carries for 72 yards and Alvin Kamara 12 carries for 44 yards.
December 24 – Jets-Chargers – Melvin Gordon, 19 carries for 81 yards.
December 31 – Jets-Patriots – Dion Lewis, 26 carries for 93 yards and Brandon Boldin, 9 carries for 46 yards.
You get the idea. The Jets’ run defense was much better for the five games prior to Wilkerson being shut down.
And you know something else, during that five-game stretch when Wilkerson did a good job playing the 3-4 end position, linebacker Darron Lee played some of his best football as a Jet.
Why?
Wilkerson was taking up double teams freeing up Lee, allowing the linebacker, with his great speed, to flow to the football and make a lot of big plays. That is huge part of the 3-4 end position. Some don’t realize this and are focused on sacks, but a lot of the job of 3-4 ends is doing the dirty work, taking up blocks, so other cats can make plays.
And you want to know something else, Lee was average in the last three games with Wilkerson out of the mix.
I could see Wilkerson, if the Jets dump him in March, going to a place like New England, and making the Pro Bowl.
Look, the Jets don’t have that many difference-makers. They might think they do because they tend to overrate their core, but they really don’t.
Wilkerson is a difference-maker and he’s in his prime.
And you know what, when you look at what he did (late for meetings), he’s the Dalai Lama compared to Robby Anderson and Rashard Robinson.
Personally, I’d keep him if he agrees to a restructured contract with behavioral provisions.
Jets fans, be careful what you wish for.
And don’t listen to dingbats who don’t understand his role in the Jets, and think he should be Von Miller out there at 6-4, 315 pounds.
February 14, 2018
Premium will return by 9:30 pm on Thursday.