Ryan Alfieri.com

This week, we have looked at two potential first round options at QB, Georgia’s Justin Houston and UCLA’s Akeem Ayers. Both  are vastly different players, as Houston is more of a rusher that can be exposed in coverage, while Ayers is a good cover ‘backer who lacks elite rushing skills. However, Ryan Kerrigan from Purdue is a combination of these two players. While he played DE at Purdue, he has the potential to play either OLB or DE at 267 lbs.

First, I’ll get to what most of you are interested in: his pass-rushing ability. He has a good blend of speed and power. I have seen him use several moves, not just a bull rush; he can do the Dwight Freeney spin, swim inside, and has the ability to win the battle with pure speed against lesser tackles. He also has a terrific motor that plays with intensity and passion – two of the most underrated attributes in my opinion.

Against the run, he is instinctive and does not get blown off the ball. Ryan tackles solidly and can chase down runners. He has just as much of a motor and is just as relentless against the run as he does rushing the passer.

With all of these great attributes, what are the negatives to Kerrigan? There are not many, but durability is somewhat of a concern; he had a broken foot in 2009. Other that that, there is not much to not like about this kid. However, it is always difficult to project what a kid will look like once you stand him up after having his hand in the dirt all the time; he does not have a lot of experience in coverage.

To get Kerrigan, the Jets will have to trade up, which, as many of you know, is not something Mike Tannenbuam is afraid of. What do you think, would you draft Ryan Kerrigan?

Most of the top prospects have been throughly discussed, so we turn our attention to what the Jets will do with their third round pick. One player who may be there is Sam Acho of Texas, who visited with the Jets recently, so there is certainly some interest.

In terms of pass rush, Acho is a somewhat raw player. He has some good explosiveness, but he needs to work on using his hands. He has a great change of direction, which makes him a candidate to stand up in a 3-4. He plays a bit high and can get flushed out from time to time.However, he has a very good motor and and quick enough to be a consistent threat on the edge.

Against the run, Acho is stout at the point of attack and frees up linebackers behind him. He has enough strength to stack the tackle and make the tackle. He is good with keeping his assingment and not losing his contain. Solid tackler in the open field as well.

It’s worth mentioning that Acho is a really high-character guy. He was a high school honors student. He should be around in the third, but I would not be surprised if he was taken before the Jets pick in the third round. Acho looks like a developmental guy that could contribute on special teams, and would become more of a contributor as the current Jets linebackers continue to age.

We all know the Jets have a ton of guys to keep under contract this off-season. Tannenbuam said he would like to keep as many guys as possible, but there’s a good chance the Jets will have a couple of casualties in free agency.

Something (or someone) has to give. Why not Sanchez?

According to nyjetscap.com, Sanchez’s contract has about a $17 million cap value next year, the highest on the team. If you watched our little Sanchito play football over the past two seasons, he is not a $17 million-a-year player. For comparison, that’s only a few million off Tom Brady‘s new contract.

Let’s say we renegotiate Sanchez’s contract down to $13 million, whether that is through giving him more guaranteed money or spreading it around his future salaries. That savings alone could almost pay for Braylon Edwards or Antonio Cromartie, or sign an Eric Weddle. Or buy Tanny and Rex lunch for all of training camp. Use your imagination.

Now, why would Sanchez go for this? Sanzhez’s situation is not like a player like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning - the team’s success is not generated solely on his performance. He has not yet proven that he can win with an average supporting cast like the Bradys and Mannings. It may cost him a couple million up front, but if he can help the Jets get better players to surround him, as long as he continues to win, Sanchez will have no problem making money in the future.

On top of that, he makes a ton of money off the field, now that he has become more established. Losing a couple million isn’t going to kill his bottom line with all of his Taco Bell endorsements he has lined up.

What could keep him from wanting to take this cut? Well, simply put, he doesn’t have to. He still has three years left on his contract. He is becoming the face of the franchise, and the Jets have a PR risk on hand if these talks somehow get nasty. I don’t expect Sanchez to pull a Revis and hold out and have secret meetings at shady diners, but re-negotiating the contract of your franchise quarterback with a only two years under his belt is not something to be considered lightly.

I originally wrote this for my other site, but I wanted to get this out to as many people as I can.

At the time of this writing, the NFL and NFLPA are potentially hours away from signing the piece of paper that will trigger the start of the 2011 season. Perhaps by the time you read this, the deal may already be done, no thanks to the NFLPA’s legal representation, Jeffrey Kessler.

It is Kessler’s agenda to do anything he can to put an agreement on hold. Why? Because he is a lawyer and lawyers are paid for how long they work. The longer the lockout looms, the more money Kessler pockets for himself.

Kessler has been whining that it will take a long time for the union to recertify. The NFL lawyers responded with a step-by-step outline of the not-so-complicated process. Kessler will stop at almost nothing to stop a deal from getting done, no matter how much of a fool he looks like.

This deal he is preventing will put people back to work. It will give the assistant coaches their salaries back. The sales clerk will go back to his or her full work schedule. The undrafted free agent will find out what part of the country he has to move his life to. These are real people who make a small fraction of what Kessler makes, real people whose lives have been in limbo through this whole mess. Yes, this whole process has been frustrating for NFL fans, but these people have suffered financial and emotional stress because of greed of others outside their control.

Kessler simply does not care. This is not just about being able to watching football on Sundays, this is about caring for your fellow man.

Think about it: Kessler is willing to keep people out of jobs and lose salary so he can pocket some more he doesn’t need. He is taking money out of kid’s college funds. He is forcing undrafted free agents to look for other ways to support their families.

Kessler’s actions are nothing less than heartless, exposing his greed to be on another level entirely. This is no longer just about football, this is about human decency, realizing when it time to sit down and shut up and allow the inevitable completion of this CBA to commence.

A day of nostalgia continues, as I will try to explain the state of every position on the Jets, at least in my opinion. John asked the three of us to flll in for taday, and I am happy to oblige. Things are going well at BR, but I just don’t get a chance to write a fan very often.

By the way, if you like reading my stuff, check the NFL page on Sunday morning and afternoons. A lot of my stuff just doesn’t make it off the cutting room floor, but if you search my name you can see everything I have written.

Anyway, let’s get to it. As most of you know, these observations are based off strictly what I see, not what some talking head tells me.

Quarterback: El Sanchito is playing much better than people realize. Personally, I throw out the Baltimore game – he had no chance. When things are going right around him, Sanchez is pretty good. When the protection breaks down or the running game falls off, Mark starts to suck.

Running Back: Shonn Greene is a man’s man. He really calmed down and played well against San Diego. I remember one play when he hit Eric Weddle so hard that Weddle almost came out of the game. He’s never going to be a good lateral runner, but when he is calmed down a bit, he can be a load. Tomlinson is perfect in his role, don’t change a thing.

As for everyone who wants to get Joe McKnight more involved: There simply aren’t enough snaps to get all these guys the ball. Greene is the kind of back that feeds off more and more carries as he wears down a defense. Look at last year when he split time with LT – he never got into a rhythm. If you also want to get the ball to Holmes, Keller, Plax – there are only so many snaps in a game. Not everyone is going to have huge stats in a ball-control offense.

Receivers: We know who Holmes is. Plax is a completely different receiver than Sanchez has ever thrown to. He’s not going to get wide open too often, but he will come down with the ball more often than not if you give him a chance. That kind of chemistry takes a lot of time.

I said in preseason that Kerley was better than Mason. Now, Kerley is better than Cotchery and Mason.

O-Line: We know who Mangold, Moore, and Brick are, but Brick had some bad plays here and there so far. Not worried about it.

Slauson, quietly, has become a very solid player. He is MUCH better in pass pro. I am very impressed with Wayne Hunter’s improvements. I am astounded that Rex foresaw such a drastic improvement.

Continued after the jump:

D-Line: DeVito is a stud. He is our third best defensive player.  If you don’t believe me, watch what he did to Logan Mankins.

Pohoua has been solid as well. Why MTV keeps going back to the practice squad without anyone claiming him baffles me. Dixon has done some good things as well.

Wilkerson is headed for stardom. If he can get a little bigger in terms of weight, he is going to be tough to block. His wingspan is too tough to handle.

ILBs: Harris has been solid; not quite as good as 2009, but its noticeable when he is not in the game. His pass coverage has really improved. I feel like Scott is declining a bit in terms of speed, although his performance against Dallas was spectacular.

OLBs: The big news here is Westerman, who has played well enough for me to really wonder why he never saw playing time until this season. It’s the worst part of Rex Ryan, if you ask me, how he rarely trusts younger, more talented players. Sometimes, while it may make you feel more comfortable, it hurts your team’s potential. I probably should mention how Pace is an absolute monster in the run game, and has been rushing the passer much better this season as well.

Maybin has been a nice surprise, but let’s take a step back before you order your authentic jerseys. I am not thrilled with the idea of him getting more playing time: He is in a perfect role for him right now. Even when he does get a sack, its always a hustle play; he never really beats a tackle, especially the good ones, outright and gets home quickly. He is flushed out on a lot of plays. However, his speed is very welcome in an otherwise slow front-seven.

CB: I guess Revis is okay. He should probably see a lo of playing time. Just a suggestion.

Cromartie is playing better than most think. You want to know why Revis is seeing al this attention al of a sudden? Part of it is because Cro is having some decent games, its just all you see are his bad plays. I like his competitiveness.

Wilson is playing much better. I don’t know if he ordered a smaller jersey size or something, but he just looks like a completely different guy. He is actually very good in the ru game, a good blitzer, and a good tackler. Strickland has proven to be a solid signing so far.

Safeties: Jimmy L has been okay, but nothing to jump out.

Eric Smith needs to be benched. I love his aggressiveness against the run, but how many times is he the guy trailing when the opponent completes a pass. Teams consistently go after him, and he rarely responds. He is best suited to be a “big nickel” player. It’s time to get Pool more involved, because it seems like every time is in he makes a nice play.