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The Jets have something now they were lacking for the first three years of the Bowles/Maccagnan regime.
They have a pair of high-level starting cornerbacks – Trumaine Johnson and Morris Claiborne.
Bowles, who made his bones as a secondary coach, has been coaching defense with one hand tied behind his back for three years.
Yes, Darrelle Revis was here Bowles first two years, but he was a shell of his former self. He was a tremendous player his first time around with the Jets, but his second go-around with the club, they wasted $39 million over two years. He played like a CB making the league minimum.
But Bowles was partly to blame for the Jets’ wasteful spending on defensive backs in 2015. He checked off on signing three corners for big money and none of them worked out. He was part of the evaluation process. Since evaluating defensive backs is something he should be great at, since he coached them for many years, and played safety in the NFL, some of this lies with him.
And then when certain defensive backs struggled, hurting the team, he was hesitant to pull the players, perhaps not wanting to hurt their feelings.
Buster Skrine is an example of this. He rolled with this guy no matter how many penalties he committed or how many big plays he gave up. In fact, Skrine, who is a good guy (this isn’t personal), is still with the team. When it comes to Skrine, Bowles and Maccagnan seem to wear rose-colored glasses.
But it looks like time around, they finally got the cornerback situation right, perhaps learning from their past mistakes.
Trumaine Johnson was the best cornerback available in free agency. Here is what I wrote in the last issue of JC, the free agency preview edition . . .
Trumaine Johnson, Rams, 6-2. 213, 28
A jumbo CB with great ball skills; over six years in the league has 67 PD’s and 18 picks. In 2015, he had 7 picks and 17 PD’s, and actually missed two games. With his length and physicality, he’s great match-up against big receivers. He’s also a physical tackler. Had two legal issues – disorderly conduct (2011) and reckless driving (2013) which need to be looked into before doling out big money.
Aside from being a great matchup for the myriad big, tall NFL wide receivers, he’s got great ball skills. The last few years, the Jets cornerbacks have been substandard in the PD (passes defensed) department. That will change with this guy. If Jets security chief Bobby Mastroddi checked off on his character, then this signing was a no-brainer. They had to cap space, and they needed a number one cornerback. This is a perfect marriage.
As for Claiborne, the Jets handled the contract perfectly – a one-year deal for $7 million. He’s a good player, but with his injury history, you can’t go long-term with him. And while he was drafted as a #1 CB by Dallas, he’s now best suited in the #2 role. Here is what I wrote about Claiborne in the last issue . . .
Morris Claiborne, Jets, 5-11, 192, 28
Was the Jets’ best CB’s last year, but once again the injury-bug hit this player who missed 35 starts in his five seasons in Dallas. He battled a foot injury late last season, while he only missed one game, it impacted his performance in other contests. The sixth pick overall in the 2013 draft, he has plenty of talent, with speed, quickness, loose hips and ball skills, but it might be best to give him a short-term contract due to durability concerns. $$
Jets deserve a lot of credit for these two moves. They finally have a pair of starting cornerbacks they can feel secure about, for the first time in the Bowles/Maccagnan era.
March 16, 2018
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