Perhaps a world exists where Kevin Costner could pull off the role of New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey.

Granted, Costner’s 6-foot-1 stature hardly compares to Mougey’s 6-foot-5, quarterback-esque frame, but he generally towers over his theatrical colleagues. In that regard, the director has plenty of room to operate.

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They both have an executive-ish look. Each sports short hair with a CEO-like feel, graying just enough to polish the front-office vibe.

Plus, Vontae Mack, the apple of Costner’s character’s eye in the not-close-to-stellar yet often-revered-for-other-reasons film “Draft Day,” plays linebacker. Hey, this at least loosely fits the Jets’ current No. 2 overall predicament in the 2026 NFL draft.

(And no, sorry, Sonny Styles fans, but this one isn’t for you, despite Mack’s MIKE position lining up more suitably.)

The Costner-Mougey side-by-side instead pertains to the yellow post-it note that should drive the Jets’ actions on the night of Thursday, April 23, 2026.

It should read, “edge defender, no matter what.”

That note is what ensures the New York Jets select Arvell Reese over David Bailey.

The difference between David Bailey and Arvell Reese is found in the details and the all-around game. There’s only one EDGE choice for the New York #Jets at No. 2. pic.twitter.com/7DeGcrfaj7

— Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) March 11, 2026

The position is edge defender

Every time a media member or so-called NFL draft pundit uses “edge rusher” to define a class of prospect, those of yesteryear either roll their eyes silently or make some warranted noise six feet under.

To label this position as “edge rusher” is to spit in the face of football. Yet, using “edge rusher” to describe the 4-3 defensive ends and 3-4 outside linebackers is as common as film junkies calling actual football plays “reps.”

Oh, why have we ventured down such a shortsighted and silly road?

Imagine if the NBA norm decided to start calling the 2-guard position the “3-point shooter.” Hey, basketball’s evolution at least makes this hypothetical coherent. After all, the 3-point-hoops explosion has never been so transparent (and appalling).

Yet, calling the shooting guard spot the 3-point shooter ignores fundamental aspects of the game.

What about the 2-guard’s defensive prowess, or his passing ability? How logical is it to label this modern position as the 3-point shooter when his handles are the best on the squad?

Or, what about the point guard’s beyond-the-arc shooting prowess? How exactly does any of this make sense?

Using the label “edge rusher” in football is just as nonsensical.

More David Bailey run D for which a defensive coach needs more. On the play-side this time as a 5/4T player against Fano and Utah (first play of the game).

Not a zone concept, so no flow up front; can’t lose this much ground 1v1. #Jets pic.twitter.com/danpUVGD9D

— Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) March 7, 2026

How we got here

Why are defensive tackles not called “interior rushers?” I submit to you, ladies and gentlemen of the pro football court, that it could only boil down to big-heavy discrimination.

“Rumbling, bumbling, stumbling,” is how ESPN’s Chris Berman would describe a big, heavy suddenly running in open space with a suddenly tinner-looking pigskin in his gigantic hand.

“The big fellas are taken for granted, and thus, they’re only around for the boring stuff,” is how far too many involved in this game think. Meanwhile, the more electric guys on the edge —the position born from a newer statistic, which began in the early 1980s and was helped along by the likes of Joe Klecko, Mark Gastineau, and Lawrence Taylor—bring genuine excitement to the table.

Ah, yes, “edge rusher” just has that ring to it, doesn’t it?

It fits better and sounds much smoother. It matches the news pieces done by ESPN and the like, particularly done in the mid-1990s when Kevin Greene was allowing his blonde hair to flow so freely outside of his hat, and when Reggie White’s famed hump move dropped jaws from coast to coast.

These guys hunted the quarterback, the most important position in all of sports. Therefore, to hell with everything else that matters in football.

David Bailey goes rogue in team defense on this one. Just can’t have him so easily give up on the down-the-line/flow on an outside concept. Can’t allow reach/seal so easily either.

It’s not like I’m searching for these; they’re just incredibly easy to stumble upon. pic.twitter.com/240Lhij16d

— Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) March 7, 2026

One sets up the other

Asking your edge defender to pin his ears back in the midst of a horrid run defense stretch for your unit is silly. It’s sillier than Patrick Ewing shooting a three against double coverage, when John Starks is wide open on the elbow extended — that is, unless it’s Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals.

Rushing the passer, no matter the position (yes, defensive tackles do it as well, as do off-ball linebackers and even defensive backs), holds little value if other defensive areas are ignored and/or deficient.

Ask Jets fans how often their defense had the opportunity to efficiently rush the passer last season. How often was Will McDonald afforded the right to pin his ears back in a clear third-and-long situation?

The answer is “rarely,” and it boiled down to Aaron Glenn’s defense waking up with blown-out backs against the run.

To increase pass-rushing situations, a defense must first possess the all-around ability to play football. This means many things, including stopping the run, which encompasses a myriad of subsets within that skill (keying in and remaining loyal to reads, carrying out post-snap responsibilities, and, most importantly, abiding by those responsibilities in a way that best maximizes the 10 other defenders on the field).

Nobody’s claiming that pass-rushing is nonsense; of course, it’s a monstrous trait in this game. But the one thing far too many “media football people” fail to recognize is that it’s just one small piece to the puzzle.

Arvell Reese, the 20-year-old kid who not only comes to the NFL with tremendous pass-rushing promise but also does all the little, gritty things extraordinarily well, is Vontae Mack this offseason. Hopefully, the New York Jets decision-makers write the right thing on the post-it note.