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New Jersey – I’m going to give you my brutally honest take on the Jets signing of WR Eric Decker. Here goes . . .
I like the player.
He’s a rock solid receiver – he runs great routes, has outstanding hands and is a very hard worker.
He will absolutely help the Jets.
But he’s not a #1 receiver.
He’s a #2 or a #3.
That is okay. You need good players at those spots as well as the #1.
But in my opinion, he signed with the Jets because it was by-far the best money he was going to get.
Can you blame him?
The second contract is a player’s best chance to cash in as an NFL player. For most players, it’s the most important contract.
Remember, Decker played his first four years in the league under a third round contract, averaging around $600,000 a season, not a lot by NFL standards.
So he jumped at the five-year deal for $36.25 million over five years with $15 million in guaranteed money?
If you heard what Mike Martz said, and you buy into it, you would think Decker won the lottery, getting a contract somewhat beyond his worth.
“I don’t believe he’s a #1 one,” Martz said. “I see him as a third receiver, to be honest with you. You match him up one-on-one, you match him up with a good solid corner, he can disappear from a game. When you take him to another team and highlight him and they start rolling coverages, can he be successful, I don’t think so. He’s a good player. I think he’s a #2 or #3. May the buyer beware here.”
Remember, Denver offensive coordinator Adam Gase, is a protege of Martz. They are very close. They talk. Don’t think for a second Martzy was saying this stuff from the seat of his pants.
Decker is a really, really smart guy. Honestly, he’s one of the smartest guys in the league.
He knows darn well what he’s getting into.
Let’s put it this way, last year, Decker caught 12 touchdown passes. Geno Smith threw a total of 12 touchdown passes the entire season to all his targets.
You can believe the “weapons lobby,” and blame Geno’s targets last year. As you all know by now, I don’t buy that.
Can the Jets improve their cadre of weapons? No question. Decker’s a nice start, and maybe they add somebody like Marqise Lee in the first round.
But a lot of the Jets passing game issues last year weren’t the fault of the targets. When a QB has a tendency to lock on his first read, struggles reading defenses, has accuracy issues and often holds the ball too long, how is that the fault to the wide receivers and tight ends?
A lot of it wasn’t the fault of the targets.
Quarterbacks make receivers, receivers don’t make quarterbacks.
“I did research; I didn’t go into our meeting today blind,” Decker told the Denver Post about his visit to the Jets before signing the contract.
“Talking to the offensive coordinator Marty (Mornhinweg), who has had a good track record in San Francisco and Philadelphia, he really believes in this kid,” said Decker.
What do you expect Marty to say in the meeting?
“You know what Eric, our quarterback is a major work-in-progress, so don’t expect to put up big numbers here.”
Once again, what do you expect Marty to tell a wide receiver visiting the Jets and thinking of signing with them?
Decker is going from one of the best QB situations in the league, to a very questionable one.
But I don’t think he’s coming to Florham Park thinking he’s going to a great team with an excellent chance of going to the Super Bowl.
Hey, Geno might take a quantum leap, and the Jets end up in Arizona at the end of the year. You never know.
My point here is simple, the Jets made Decker an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Honestly, the Jets probably had to overpay a little to convince him to sign on the dotted line.
This was Decker’s big chance to grab a contract and be set for life.
He reached for the financial brass ring.
Good for him.
And he can help the Jets, but he’s not a messiah.
March 13, 2014
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