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This is a bad loss for the Jets
Talking about Foley Fatukasi being put on the COVID-19 list.
Some people will just skip over this, and act like it’s no a big deal, because they view him as a rotational lineman.
No, this is more than that. Following the Steve McLendon trade to Tampa Bay, which allowed Fatukasi to get increased playing time, Fatukasi has emerged as one of the Jets’ better defensive players. Last week, one play that stood out, was when Fatukasi got to Russell Wilson, and while he was draped on his leg, the Pro Bowl QB threw to a wide open David Moore in the end zone. The coverage was atrocious on this play, but Fatukasi did a great job getting to Wilson on this play.
Fatukasi’s backup struggles getting off blocks, and too often big runs go into holes where he has issues stacking and shedding. It’s not a lack of effort by his backup. He has a great motor, but too often gets velcro’d to blocks. It is what it is.
So this injury could be a big problem facing a Rams teams that loves to run the football, and has a very talented rookie runner in Cam Akers. And Sean McVay knows he has to run the ball to help sell play-action and bootleg plays for his QB Jared Goff, a system QB, who needs these kind of play-fakes.
The Jets don’t have a lot of core players. Joe Douglas has a lot of work to do this off-season, to add more core players. Obviously, guys like Mekhi Becton, Denzel Mims and Quinnen Williams are core players/building blocks, but they need more. Fatukasi is starting to look like a core player.
He’s a massive, athletic defensive tackle, with a great motor, who works his tail off daily to improve. He’s got tremendous personal and football character, and does everything he can to improve his game, and he’s taken a quantum leap this year. He was attached at the hip with McLendon before the trade, soaking up everything the giving veteran DT taught him.
While you might read or hear this anywhere else, this is a big loss . . .
We debate a lot of what the best set-up for a front office, to have a separation of power like the Jets have, where the coach coaches the team and the GM picks the players, or to have the coach rule over everything.
Watching what Jon Gruden is doing in Las Vegas is fuel for the fire, for those who don’t think the head coach should pick the players.
Gruden is a pretty good coach, but he is a poor personnel guy, and that is why his Raiders have struggled.
Yes, Mike Mayock is the GM, but Gruden has final say on player personnel, and has done an underwhelming job in that area, just like he did in Tampa Bay.
Like in the last draft, Gruden, who is obsessed with offense, picked receivers with three of the first four picks, Henry Ruggs, Bryan Edwards and Lynn Bowden (who isn’t even on the team anymore).
Don’t you think they could have used a pass rusher? Don’t you think they could have used a run-stuffing defensive tackle? Don’t you think they could have used another linebacker.
So while we continue to have this debate about the best organizational set-up, Gruden is the poster-child for having a GM pick the players and the HC just coach the team.
December 18, 2020
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