Here's my plan. Not realistic? You be the judge. This is how it should go, IMO:
Get rid of Tanny AND Rex. Start fresh with a brand new coaching staff. Bring in someone who can devote some time to the offense, and someone who can bring in the 4-3 and attempt to build a defense similar to the Giants' championship teams. Pass-rush heavy.
TRADE: Antonio Cromartie for a 1st Round Pick. With Revis coming back next year, CRO's value being sky high off a career year, and so many other holes to fill, IMO exploring this option seems like a no-brainer. Especially with a decent FA market for #2 CBs, we could deal Cro to a team in need of a #1 who is contending for a SB(late 1st, 20-32 range).
TRADE: Sione Pouha for a 2nd Round Pick. When we switch to the 4-3, Pouha will become expendable. Being one of the top NT's in the league, I could easily see a team in need of a rock on their 3-4 DLine offering up a 2nd. Especially if they are in their compete window and need to cash in some chips for 2013-14.
CUT: Santonio Holmes/Bart Scott/Tim Tebow. We need to get rid of the dead weight/bad fits. Holmes can not be on this team next year. The locker room needs a new core, and Holmes can not be a part of it. He's a great player(when he wants to be), but the good isn't worth the bad. Scott and Tebow are obvious cuts. One for lack of ability, the other for just not being a fit.
DRAFT
For sh*ts and giggles, let's assume we end with the 8th pick. Here's my scenario...)
*Trade down from 8th to the 15th pick range. Picking up an extra 2nd in 2013 and maybe a 3rd or 4th in 2014 in the process*
1A: Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State
1B: Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor
2A: Dallas Thomas, OG/T, Tennessee
2B: Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford
2C: Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma
3: Arthur Brown, OLB, Kansas State
5-7: BPA OL, CB, DT
Re-Sign: Laron Landry, Mike DeVito, Nick Folk, Brandon Moore, Austin Howard, Dustin Keller, Jeff Cumberland, Lex Hilliard, Braylon Edwards.
LET WALK: Shonn Greene, Jason Hill, Chaz Schilens, Jason Smith, Matt Slauson, Bryan Thomas, Yeremiah Bell.
SIGN: David Carr, QB
Sebastian Vollmer, RT
Daryl Smith, OLB
Mike Jenkins, CB
I am not 100% sure if this would all fit under the cap, since Smith and Vollmer are pretty big signings, but with all the players leaving I'm assuming it would. Our roster would then look something like this:
QB: Mark Sanchez/David Carr/McElroy
RB: Taylor/Powell/McKnight
WR: Williams/Kerley/Hill/Edwards/cheap FA or late DP
TE: Keller/Cumberland
LT: Ferguson/Draft Pick
LG: Thomas
C: Mangold
RG: Moore/Ducasse
RT: Vollmer/Howard
DE: Coples
DT: Wilkerson/Draft Pick
DT: DeVito/Ellis
DE: Werner/Pace combo
OLB: Smith
MLB: Harris/Davis
OLB: McIntyre/Brown
CB: Revis/Lankster
S: Landry/Smith
S: Jefferson/Bush
CB: Jenkins/Wilson
K: Folk
P: Malone/Free Agent
KR: McKnight
PR: Kerley
Yes, Sanchez is still the starter, but IMO it makes the most sense to go this route. Have our new coach give him one year to see if he fits his team. To see if this past season was caused by the circus/lack of confidence, weapons, protection. If he works out, we should have a playoff team. If not, write it off as a re-building year for our young talent to develop, get your top draft pick in 2014 and move on from Sanchez after that season when you won't be killed by the cap-hit.
Personally I like the offense. The potential is there, with a new top-notch receiver in Williams, to go along with the developing Kerley and Hill. Edwards will be Sanchez's one-year security blanket. I am a big fan of Stepfan Taylor, but if you aren't you could easily sub in a guy like Giovani Bernard, who should go in that pick range. Either way, I think the O-Line is improved, the running game is improved, and the receivers are improved. Sanchez will have a better unit to work with.
Defensively, I want to build a truly dominant unit. I love Wilkerson up the middle, and am a big fan of DeVito and think he could be an even better player in the 4-3. On the ends, I like what I've seen from Coples. He's a pretty decent pass rusher but has the size and strength to be effective against the run. I think he could be an elite 4-3 DE once he fully develops. We can roll a 3-headed monster of Coples/Werner/Pace as we rotate each of them, keeping them as fresh as possible. The LB are strong across the board, especially if McIntyre turns into the player I think he can. Brown is a bit of an insurance pick. The corners could be weaker without Cromartie, but I really like Jenkins' potential, and with Revis back and healthy we should still have a very strong unit. Landry should absolutely be retained.
Whether or not this team could be a playoff team in year one will depend on Sanchez and the coaching staff, but worst case I think it's a team with a lot of potential for the future; and a team that finally has direction. I know people will hate the fact that Sanchez is still here, but I think it's the right move considering it is only one year and this is clearly a rebuilding team. Why cripple ourselves in the future for a year where we probably won't be a true contender anyway? Just doesn't make sense.
Sorry for the novel-sized post. Wanted to be as detailed as possible. Thanks.