Janis is a lock because he's a great gunner, plays on 4 other ST groups, has WR potential, has played through his injuries with no perceived drop in performance, and he's cheap.
Being just a gunner will not get him a 2nd and 3rd contract, like Bush; he'll need to do more. How much more he does will determine if he gets a min. 2nd contract or a Bush deal [about 2x the min deal]. To get a min. 2nd contract, he will need to remain a top gunner, return kicks well, play well in his other 3 ST groups and probably only need to contribute in a handful of offensive packages [as opposed to being a full fledged WR on depth chart].
We also must consider maybe that he's not such great gunner. Janis' splash plays are outstanding; but the key to STs coverage is all 11 guys CONSISTENTLY keeping the timing on their lane assignments and CONSISTENTLY properly reacting when a lane is opened because the other team made an exceptional block. Does Janis knuckleheadedly blow assignments on STs like he does on offense? I don't know, but I'd be surprised if he didn't. There could be a play on where Janis is supposed to control his blocker and hold the edge, like an OLB in the run game; but instead he blows his assignment and attacks making a shoe string tackle on the punt returner. We, the fans, jump up and pump our fists and scream, "way to go Janis;" Zook chews him out on the sideline and grades this purported great play an "F."
We also dont know how good he is on those other ST groups. One way to tell if a guy is a fringe player on a ST group is when a guy previously inactive [like Goodson, Perillo or Crockett] gets a chance to play and they bump someone off a STs group. I never noticed Janis getting bumped, which indicates he's at least not a fringe player on those other ST groups.
Originally Posted by: Barfarn