Posted on by Stephanie's Corner

Football For Dummies ( AKA The Jets Fans)

If there is one group of football fans that surely know how to make me want to vomit, it’s the NY Jets Fans. They head over to social media, mostly Twitter and Facebook, where they boast about their own team losing in hopes of the number pick. I read the guys tweets. I read the guys posts. And then I either want to throw up or bang my head against the wall; it’s a toss up, really.

This fan base is one of the most fickle fan bases I have ever seen. They get all excited when they draft guys they “think” are going to muster up to the expectations and boo the draft picks that actually become great NFL players for other teams, since they dump them quickly. This organization has looked like it has no idea what it has been doing since the last time they won a Superbowl which was 1969. We have seen this organization embarrass itself in more ways than one. There were moments like, Jets legend Joe Namath made a fool of himself (and the franchise) on Dec. 20, 2003 when he drunkenly told ESPN’s Suzy Kolber, “I want to kiss you, I could care less about the team struggling” during a sideline interview. There was Bill Belichick announcing he was resigning as head coach of the New York Jets by writing a note on a napkin. During a game in December 2010, then-Jets strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi intentionally tripped Dolphins punt returner Nolan Carroll along the sideline. Not a great look, really. The Jets suffered a brutal loss to the Dolphins on November 27, 1994, thanks to Dan Marino’s “Clock Play.” In 2015, former Jets quarterback and first-round pick Geno Smith was punched in the face by teammate IK Enemkpali over $600. I mean, I seriously can go on…. and on. But nothing can top those things than seeing the fan base root AGAINST their OWN team and giving up so soon on players developing.

For all the fans that seem to think they know everything here is a little football lesson between college football and the NFL.

First of all the preparation and dedication to the game must be absolute in order to sustain success for a long period of time in the NFL. This is probably the most crucial difference between college and the pros.

The best professional football players learn how to dissect the game and their opponents long before they take the field. College athletes never have the luxury of going so in-depth. So, essentially everyone in college is on a relatively even playing field in terms of preparation.

College football is equalized in preparation opportunity, while the NFL is generally more equalized in physical ability. Guys in the league quickly realize they can no longer rely solely on their physical gifts to be dominant.

The width of the fields are not the same thing. This is the granddaddy issue, and one people never think about. Yes, in a literal sense, pro and college fields are the same width (53 1/3 yards). But in a strategic sense, they’re wildly different. Hashmarks dictate where the ball is spotted. In the NFL, they’re 18 feet, 6 inches apart. In college, they’re 40 feet apart. This means the pro game always begins near the middle of the field, with relatively equal spacing on both sides. That makes for a crisp, tight game, with (initially) balanced formations and coverages.

It’s difficult to compare coaches in college to coaches in the NFL. They are similar yet completely different at the same time. There are a lot of things to take into account when comparing the two – they might be coaching the same sport, but each is an entirely separate world with unique challenges-

Remember, Trevor Lawrence isn’t coming to the NFL with his QB coach, his head coach, his OL, or his WRs. He also needs to learn a completely new offense and gain chemistry with an entire new OL and with his WRs.

Let me remind of you of the TOP QB prospects that NEVER made it in the NFL:

1) Jason White
2) Graham Harrell
3) Johnny Manziel
4) Ryan Leaf
5) Kellen Moore
6) Colt McCoy ( he’s the back up for the Giants- but he never made it as a franchise QB)
7) Case Keenum
8) Eric Crouch

The point being, just because all the “experts” say that Trevor Lawrence is amazing, doesn’t mean that it will translate to the NFL. Remember they have been wrong MANY times before.

Also, Andrew Luck was deemed, the most elite QB since Peyton Manning. He NEVER won a Super Bowl.

You are hoping that “maybe” Trevor will live up to all the hype, while giving up on Sam who definitely has what it takes to be a Franchise QB. Jets fans gave up on Leonard Williams, look at him with the Giants this year – he has 39 tackles and 8.5 sacks so far.
Look at Quentin Williams , you all thought he was trash last year – my point is that fans give up too soon on players and expect that they are going to be perfect the minute they step on the NFL field. Sam Darnold has never had a complete team BUILT around him. Now is the time to do this and build around the small core of players that the team has! He also needs a QB coach that is not going to let him make the same mistakes, and also a coach that is going to highlight his strengths.


Investing in your franchise QB is a business move and if they decide they don’t want to pay him just for that reason alone, then they are not investing in winning. They are in the business of winning and you can’t win if you keep dumping your draft picks 2/3 years later and “start over”, or as Jets fans like to constantly say, “Start Fresh”

You all will look FOOLISH if by chance Joe Douglas does trade Sam and he succeeds somewhere else and Trevor Lawrence doesn’t look so perfect anymore out of that Clemson jersey.

So be careful what you wish for.

Putting your eggs into one basket never works out in your favor.

Ever.

Posted on by Stephanie's Corner · 2 Comments

Trevor Lawrence Is NOT The Answer

April 26, 2018 on Twitter: ( FYI I retweeted some of these on my Twitter feed)

You know what the best part of Sam Darnold is? He’s not Josh Allen. #Jets

The #Jets traded up to 3 and were mocked. They have arguably the best QB fall into their lap and take him. Well done Maccagnan #NFLDraft

Uncle Sam gonna take us to the promise land

I have been saying it for 2 years now. Suck for Sam!!! And it came true. Spoke it to existence.. Welcome to the New York Jets Sam Darnold!!!!! #jets #nfl
#myqb #winner

The #Jets ended up with Sam Darnold. The @nyjets
I’m still in shock and filled with joy. Special shout out to the #Browns
and #Giants too for making this happen. Love it! #NFLDraft

Still hyped about the #SAMDARNOLD pick by the #Jets. Getting the best QB in the draft at 3 is a steal. #NFLDraft

There were MANY happy Jets fans gushing that they indeed did get the BEST QB in the draft in 2018, yet they all want to FORGET this and forget that it’s a process, DROP him and go with the new Shiny New Toy …. again. Yes, I know that Trevor was the talk of town yesterday against Georgia Tech. Yes, I know that beat writers and everyone who talks about football is gushing over him. And yes, I know Trevor Lawrence beat Alabama in last year’s championship and I am NOT taking that away from him BUT here is why Clemson won, and it was NOT because of Lawrence.

First off, the defense on Alabama only rush only four and drop seven into coverage.

Four didn’t get it done against Clemson. Note that Trevor Lawrence isn’t the most mobile quarterback in college football, but he didn’t need to be against Alabama because he was allowed to stand as long as he pleased in the pocket and pick out his receivers. With Alabama neutralized up front, that left the defensive backs vulnerable to Lawrence and his talented receivers. Lawrence completed 20 of 32 passes for 347 yards, and while he’s good, he needed star receiver Justyn Ross to bail him out on bad throws twice! ( Oh my God … he had bad throws … just like Sam makes at times!)

Last year it as “Tank for Tua.” Now, Tua Tagovailoa is a talented player, no question but he seems to have only have one gear. He did it twice against Clemson, with one pass returned for a touchdown and the second pick setting up another score. So the defense of Alabama scored not because of Trevor Lawrence. Alabama turned over the ball on downs three times, including once on that fake field goal. The problem is that Alabama’s offense can never waste opportunities, because its defense rarely creates turnovers. That has nothing do with Trevor Lawrence and everything to do with Alabama. FYI: when Nick Saban faked the field goal rather than having Joseph Bulovas try a medium-range kick, was he doing so because he didn’t like Bulovas’ odds of making it?

Right now Trevor Lawrence is the shiny new toy that everyone wants. The Jets haven’t done enough to surround Darnold with actual, talented football players, and chances are, if Trevor Lawrence is put in a similar situation, he might not be better off. The Jets need a blueprint on how to properly nurture and develop a QB, they had Josh McCown here during Sam’s rookie year, but they stupidly let him go after that. Remember, draft picks mean nothing unless you can develop young players; the Jets are the epitome of that notion.

Now I know passing on a “once in a lifetime talent ” at quarterback might be a mistake, but drafting one and setting him up to fail — like his predecessor — might be a bigger one. You can’t just always go for the SHINY NEW TOY. It’s like relationships, people give up on those these days way too easily. They don’t want to put in the work, they just want the perfection and the trophy. To have a relationship you need to start with a foundation before you can have the roof. To have a winning team you need to have the core and build around it. To have success you can’t keep dumping and building. Go ask those who given up if they succeeded, they will have to tell you that they failed. You can’t look back at where you’ve been, but where you are going. Yes, the past shapes us in every aspect, but if we ever want to be in the promise land we can’t keep making the same mistakes.

Dropping Sam Darnold for Trevor Lawrence is making the same mistake. Especially if you look at Tanehill’s numbers post-coach Gase: With Gase 65.9% COMP PCT Without Gase: 69.9% COMP PCT With Gase: 93.2 Passer Rating Without Gase: 115.4 Passer Rating.

So may be the answer for Sam Darnold is simple: Once Gase goes, Sam’s stats go in a better direction: UP.

But giving up on him, should not be the option. Surrounding him with talent and a coach that showcases his strengths not highlights his weaknesses should be the first thing Joe Douglas does. If the Jets ever want to be successful, then they need to stop the madness and save the Quarterback who has the skills and the talent needed to be their franchise for the next ten years. Or they risk giving another team that opportunity when they trade him for the shiny new toy. Maybe one day the Jets can thank themselves for not giving up on Darnold but for believing in him and building a team around him. Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.

“Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better.”