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When Johnny Patrick came out of Louisville a couple of years ago, he was pretty highly-regarded. Did the Jets truly add a valuable commodity?
The Jets were awarded Patrick off waivers Wednesday from the San Diego Chargers.
When Patrick came out of Louisville, he was considered one of the better cornerbacks in the 2011 draft, after a big season for the Cardinals in 2010, with five picks.
Patrick had nine picks during his time at Louisville, including two that he returned for touchdowns, so he left school with the reputation as a ball hawk.
But one red flag on him coming out of Louisville, aside from an arrest, was that he only ran a 4.59 forty, which is pedestrian speed for a corner.
The Jets really liked him, and he had a high grade on their draft board. They wanted to pick him, but the cards didn’t turn out that way.
He was selected in the third round of the 2011 draft by the New Orleans Saints.
That pick didn’t work out that well for the Saints, and they cut him after just two years.
And then he lasted just one year in San Diego, before he was released.
The Chargers are pretty thin at corner, so that fact that they released him so quickly, speaks volumes about how they feel about him.
And considering Patrick makes the fourth-year minimum salary (with a small signing bonus) in 2014, the Chargers could have kept him for a pittance (by NFL standards), and they didn’t.
The Jets had a mindset under Mike Tannenbaum, that if they liked somebody in the draft, they would bring them in after they were cut by other teams, even more than once.
It looks like that philosophy is continuing under John Idzik.
I understand it on some level, but sometimes I don’t.
Do the Jets think the Saints and Chargers were wrong? There is plenty of film.
I understand that sometimes a change of scenery is good for some players, but why did this guy flame out twice, in a short period of time, with two teams that need corners?
Hey, maybe Tim McDonald and Dennis Thurman can get through to Patrick, who can play the nickel.
I get the sense, talking to a source close to the Jets, that they want to upgrade the nickel situation.
One name I heard being floated as a potential free agent target is Tracy Porter (Oakland Raiders). He’s a pretty solid nickel back.
The Jets also re-signed Darrin Walls and Ellis Lankster yesterday.
So in the last few days, they have made three cornerback transactions.
While Kyle Wilson is a terrific guy, who works very hard, and is very active in the community, he’s too inconsistent. The Jets might be ready to move on.
As we all know, Rex Ryan is “loyal to the point of defiance.”
But he’s got to win this year.
Regardless of how Rex’s new contract is spun, it’s basically the same deal he entered last year with – only two years.
So I think Ryan realizes, he can’t overplay the loyalty card this year.
And he clearly realizes he needs to get better nickel back play.
March 6, 2014
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