having JT back would certainely take some pressure off having a homerun draft. we'll be able to get by without him, but his experience could certainely help. we could potentially be starting 2 rookie OLBs without him if Wake doesn't become a starter.
No doubt having JT back would easy the pressure as well as open our options and if for some reason he gets beat out in camp then so bet it.
We still need OLB help in the draft, but having the option of JT in addition really helps. If resigned, he should go back to the right side where he belongs. I say we'd be ok in this draft if we hit on an SOLB starter and a FS starter and add significant NT and LB depth in addition to resigning Taylor. (Obviously I'm just talking about the defense here). Now, concerning another JJ draft pick: I hope Parcells does the classy thing and signs Zach Thomas to a one-year tender so he can retire as a Miami Dolphin.
I like the move, while he's not as dominant as he once was, he is a nice stop gap player for another year that lets us be a bit more flexible with our picks. You know he wants to play here, so sign him up. I see no problems with this.
anyone would love to have JT be a situational pass rusher and mentor in the locker room. especially considering i expect a few new rookie olb's from the draft......who better to learn from then one of the best ever?!?!
Well, the dolphins "need" JT in the sense that losing JP means we have no one to line up as the nickel DE who has more than..5 sacks..in their career. He ranked #8 in PFF's outside linebacker rankings and played a new position at that, if we resign JT he can fill 3 roles and is not exactly ready for a rocking chair just yet as he tied for #2 in sacks on the Dolphins last season. And I'd argue that he played his best football in the last 4 games of the season, in the Pitt game he literally was all over the field, including covering a Rb 40 yds downfield and causing an INT. All in All, there really is no downside to bringing him back for 2010 though some will say "he will take plays away from a young Lb" which is true, but he will fill those plays with high quality play, that will create a benchmark for the Rook OLB to try and surpass, such competition is a good thing as a Rook should not be just handed things, if they want playing time, beat out Jason Taylor for it.
I don't see a problem with signing him back, but I doubt it will change our draft strategy. He is at the point in his career that he could break down or just simply lose his athletic edge at any time. I certainly wouldn't want to sign him in the view that he'd be starting for us. I don't think his 'Dolphins' resume' gives him any edge with this regime either. I guess you could say that even tho he's meant a great deal to Phins fans, I'm rather indifferent on re-signing him...
It takes no pressure off, he is old and becoming a part time player. He is not the JT of old. We still need OLB help.
Out of curiosity NJ, what do you base that on? He played the most snaps at OLB last season, and he produced well, and he had his normal late season push, at worst he could play Nickel DE on the pass rush, or he could fillin if Wake fails to step up at WLB..no? Agree, but more along the lines of role playing help, especially on the Strongside, as even if JT is resigned he really shouldn't play 800 plays, too much of a work load to maintain high production which is my concession to his age. He could do it, but we'd be fortunate to have 09 production level out of JT. But if not JT, I like Derrick Burgess and Travis LaBoy to fillin on the nickel rush line.
still believe JT is plan B - just like last year .... the silver lining here is that he could go back to the WOLB position, where he should have been last year -- but Roth changed all that. i give him props for last year - old, playing out of position, and still turned in a respectable, productive year. i don't share the lovefest that many here have for JT, but certainly respect what he has done. he is not what we need at WOLB, but he just might be better than anything we can draft this year - less Hughes ... and he has the 'prototype' size. what we can't do is count on him as an everydown player for a full season .... oh, and i still maintain that Wake will remain a pass rusher from the SOLB position. we can choose from the plethura of SOLB candidates to play 1st and 2nd down and continue to bring in Wake on 3d and obvious passing downs. we just don't need to spend a 1st round pick on whichever SOLB this regime chooses.
Which is a large part of his value, he can play SOLB OR WOLB and DE so even if Jerry Hughes beats him out for playing time JT still can contribute. DC Nolan had a similar situation in Denver last yr, Mario Haggans was the two down SOLB, rookie Robert Ayers would rotate in on passing downs, we could easily see Q Moses/C Anderson/Rookie play the two down role with JT coming in on third downs. Cameron Wake is one of the unanswered questions heading into 2010, does he play the Will? the Sam? Remain the nickel passrusher and Special Teamer? It would solve a ton of headaches if Wake makes a jump upwards playing OLB in his second yr in Miami. But all in all, they really should resign JT because no Rook or Free Agent would offer the positional flexibility that he does, to me that is the real reason to resign him as a mid priced insurance policy as a starter and as a deluxe role player.
IF Hughes comes here and then beats out JT ... we would be in a good position. Question then becomes ... IF we get Hughes, does JT even sign with us -- getting beyond the 'family' card and being home in MIA ... i ask, because - i believe it a done deal that we will draft a SOLB in rds 3-4 (worst case 5, if we pick up a pick), we've just looked at so many. If the regime was going to play it safe, then they would already have signed JT - regardless of the draft -- albeit, that would go against any disinformation campaign they might be employing ....
He's viable and useful for us, and proved to get the job done last year. And honestly, the Jets are so frighteningly close to having that Defense become lockdown, I would be REALLY worried if they got him
