5 Reasons for Jets Fans to be Optimistic: Number 2

June 12, 2012; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets defensive end Quinton Coples (98) during New York Jets Minicamp at the Atlantic Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-US PRESSWIRE

Thursday morning, and back to the countdown we go. Our week long countdown of five reasons for Jets fans to be optimistic for the upcoming season. Here are the previous ones (click on to read)

Number 5

Number 4

Number 3

And now, number 2.  No, it is not Quinton Coples (pictured right), but it’s close.  The number 2 choice is a guy that will be spending a lot of time working with Coples, as well as the other defensive linemen.  Turn the page to find out who it is………..

Aug 27, 2011; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive line coach Karl Dunbar watches from the sidelines in the game against the Dallas Cowboys at the Metrodome. The Cowboys win 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-US PRESSWIRE

Karl Dunbar, defensive line coach. I was thinking about Coples, or Wilkerson, but I decided, you know what? The new coach is the reason for Jets fans to be excited, similarly to Dave DeGuglielmo. Let’s talk about why.

Previous line coach Mark Carrier is, and was, a great football coach. The players will not tell you any differently. He has a great mind for football, and can relate that to athletes. But, he wasn’t the right guy for this young group of defensive linemen.

Why? Because he is not a defensive linemen. He was a defensive back as a player, and other than with the Jets, coached defensive backs. It’s like a trumpet player trying to teach a flute player. Yes, they understand music, but they can’t really teach techniques of their individual instrument. Same thing here. Carrier has a great mind for football, but isn’t an expert on defensive line technique.

Enter, Karl Dunbar. Like DeGuglielmo on the other side of the ball, Dunbar is a lifer. A lifer at defensive line, that is. He was a defensive lineman as a player, and other than a short stint as a strength and conditioning coach, a defensive line coach for his career.

He will be able to teach technique to the Jets young defensive front. They have a lot of depth, and a lot of talent at the position. They need someone as the position coach to hone that talent, and Dunbar is that guy.

Look at his past success on the next page..

As line coach with the Vikings, the defense led the league in rushing defense from 2006-2008, allowing a mere 70.8 yards rushing per game.  He also had his hand in the development of Pat Williams and Kevin Williams.  We all know those guys are pretty good.  Imagine if Sione Pouha and Kenrick Ellis became as good as those two…just saying.

Earlier in his career, in 2004 with the Bears, tutored a young Tommie Harris and Tank Johnson, two more guys that turned out to be quite good, wouldn’t you say?

The Jets have a young, fast defensive line. Rushing the passer has been a problem for this team in the past, but they have a chance to rectify this in 2012. They need a guy to teach the linemen correctly.

Karl Dunbar is the guy, and a reason to be optimistic about 2012.