Debate the Jets’ offseason needs in The Football Fan Forum
2010 Projection:
In terms of non quarterback talent, I can’t think of a better team in the NFL. Their receivers, stacked, with Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, Jerricho Cotchery, Dustin Keller. Their offensive line, one of the best in the league for what they want to do, which is run the football in your face. 2nd round rookie Vlad Duccaase should take over the overrated Alan Faneca’s spot with ease. Their running backs, three strong, with Shonn Greene, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Joe McKnight, as well as two talented fullbacks, John Conner, and Tony Richardson. Their defense, the best in the league last year, looking at the numbers.
Now they add Jason Taylor to give them some pass rush, as well as Antonio Cromartie, who, when right, gives them a 2nd shutdown cornerback, and Kyle Wilson, a rookie cornerback with a ton of promise. Hell, maybe even Vernon Gholston will step up and live up to his promise. What’s the problem, quarterback play.
Mark Sanchez didn’t play as well last year as people give him credit for, but that’s okay. He was a rookie. He threw 20 picks last year, but that’s okay, so did Peyton Manning as a rookie. The key for him will be to limit those turnovers and start leading drives with his arm. He’ll have to bounce back from a bad rookie year the way Manning did. If he can play the way he did down the stretch last year, this team is going to be tough to beat all the way to the Jerry Dome for Super Bowl 45. If he throws 20 picks, again, the Patriots are too talented offensively for the Jets to overtake them. You can’t win the 11, 12, 13, 14 games needed to win this division without at least above average quarterback play, no matter how good the rest of your team is.
Projection: 11-5 2nd in AFC East
Power Ranking: 8
Last season: 9-7
Draft:
#29 CB Kyle Wilson (Boise State)
I would have prefered that they took a pass rusher like Jerry Hughes because of the positional value, but this is fine. I know they have Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, but Cromartie is a bit of a boom or bust type trade and in this league, which is becoming progressively pass heavy, you almost need 3 strong cornerbacks to make it deep into the playoffs. They couldn’t stop the Colts’ last year because, while Revis shut down Reggie Wayne, Peyton just had too many other options. If Wilson is half as good as ESPN hypes him to be and Cromartie pans out, this is a scary secondary that I’m sure even New Orleans and Indianapolis would have trouble with, especially if they get a better pass rush.
Grade: A-
#61 G Vladimir Ducaase (Massachusetts)
I liked this pick even before they cut Faneca, but with Faneca gone this makes a lot of sense. Ducaase is a punishing run blocker who fits their run heavy offense well and he’s much cheaper and younger than Faneca, who is a bit overrated in my opinion. I still don’t like that they haven’t improved their pass rush, but this was the next best thing.
Grade: A-
#112 RB Joe McKnight (USC)
I liked this pick before they traded Leon Washington, but with Washington gone this makes perfect sense and McKnight is a steal at this point. He’s not a feature back, but he’ll compliment Shonn Greene well longterm and be a nice shorterm 3rd down back.
Grade: A
#139 FB John Conner (Kentucky)
I happen to think Tony Richardson is one of the best fullbacks in the league, but he is getting up there in age. I’m not in love with the whole fullback of the future idea, but Conner is a decent value and a good addition to a run heavy team. He can also be a short yardage back and make some catches.
Grade: B
Overall:
The Jets didn’t have a lot of picks, but they made them count. They took 3 guys who will have immediate impacts on their team and another who will in the near future. Also, the reason they didn’t have a ton of picks is because they traded them for veterans like Cromartie and Santonio Holmes, who will add a lot to the team. They didn’t upgrade the pass rush, but with their corners, that might not matter, especially since they got a veteran rusher in Jason Taylor in free agency. Who knows, maybe Vernon Gholston will pan out this year? I don’t think I know a more stacked team at every position. 3-4 defensive end and rush linebacker are really their biggest holes, but they’re aren’t huge holes. However, what seperates this team from being a true Super Bowl contender is Mark Sanchez. He did alright late last year, but he did throw 20 picks last season. This, of course, is nothing to be worried about as guys like Peyton Manning threw 28 picks as rookies, but there are some guys who throw that many and never improve. Sanchy needs to make that sophomore leap into a big time franchise quarterback. He has an excellent supporting cast and I truly believe in him, but he’ll still have to do it, and that’s, at the moment, a bit of a question mark. Still, great draft doing a lot with a little. As a Patriots fan, this is not a team I look forward to having to face next year.
Grade: A
Offseason needs:
3-4 Defensive End
The Mark Sanchez deal was brilliant, at least for the Jets, but they did lose Kenyon Coleman in the process and have yet to replace him. Adding another big time defensive line pass rusher to their 3-4 defense would make it so much better because they really struggled getting pressure on the quarterback, both from their 3 man line and from their linebackers. They only managed 32 sacks last year and couldn’t get any pressure on Peyton Manning in their playoff loss.
Wide Receiver:
This one probably won’t get addressed as much as it should for two reasons. One, Rex Ryan is a conservative coach who I can’t see spending a lot of resources on a wide receiver. Two, the Jets seem to like Braylon Edwards even though he only caught 50% of his targets last season. They are reportedly going to slap the 1st/3rd tag on him, which means he’s not going anywhere unless some GM is really stupid. However, Edwards is not as good as they think and Mark Sanchez needs a more dependable #1. More likely, they’ll, at most, look for a slot guy in the 3rd round range or in free agency if they really like one.
Traded for Santonio Holmes
Cornerback:
Darrelle Revis is an amazing cornerback, but he can’t cover everyone. Imagine how much more effective their pass defense would be if they got a better cornerback opposite Revis. Their release of Lito Sheppard shows they probably view this as a need too and they could address this in the first 2 rounds if the draft with a guy like Kyle Wilson or Brandon Ghee in the 1st or a guy like Kareem Jackson or Jerome Murphy in the 2nd.
Traded for Antonio Cromartie, Drafted Kyle Wilson (#29)
Rush Linebacker:
The Jets had one of the best pass defenses in the league last year in almost every category. However, imagine how much better they could get if they had both an upgrade across from Revis and a better elite #1 rush linebacker. They only managed 32 sacks last year. I still have some faith in Vernon Gholston, despite his 0 career sacks in 2 years, but even if they keep him, they’ll have to look at rush linebackers early in the NFL Draft. Jerry Hughes, Ricky Sapp, and Jason Worilds could be options in the 1st through 3rd rounds respectively.
Signed Jason Taylor
Running Back:
The Jets like to work with many running backs. Rex Ryan saw how effective that was when he was a coordinator in Baltimore and used that strategy last year with Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, and Shonn Greene. After releasing Jones, they may want to add one more guy to the mix, especially if Washington can’t bounce back from his leg injury well.
Signed LaDainian Tomlinson, Drafted Joe McKnight (#112)
Nose Tackle:
Kris Jenkins will turn 31 before next season and he’s also coming off of a major injury. The Jets proved, when Jenkins was down, that they don’t have a reliable nose tackle behind him so they may want to target one this offseason.
Offensive Guard:
Their guards are among the best in the league, but they are also getting up there in age and there is very little depth behind them. Interior line depth is a need this offseason.
Drafted Vladimir Ducasse (#61)
Free agents:
QB Kellen Clemens (restricted)- 1 year 1.1 million
RB Leon Washington (restricted)- 1 year 1.7 million
RB Thomas Jones- signed with Chiefs 2 years 5 million
FB Tony Richardson- resigned
G Alan Faneca- signed with Cardinals 1 year 2.5 million
WR Braylon Edwards (restricted)- resigned 1 year 5 million
WR Brad Smith (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.7 million
WR David Clowney (restricted)- resigned
TE Ben Hartsock- resigned
OT Wayne Hunter (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.2 million
OT Robert Turner (restricted)
3-4 DE Marques Douglas- signed with Dolphins
NT Howard Green (restricted)- resigned 1 year
RLB Marquis Murrell (restricted)- signed with Patriots
OLB Larry Izzo
CB Lito Sheppard- signed with Vikings 1 year 2 million
CB Drew Coleman (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.6 million
CB Donald Strickland- signed with Chargers 2 years
S Eric Smith (restricted) resigned 1 year 1.1 million
S James Ihedigbo (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1 million
K Jay Feely- signed with Cardinals 2 years
Offseason moves:
Jets re-sign WR Laveranues Coles
Jets sign QB Mark Brunell
Jets trade RB Leon Washington to Seahawks for 5th- and 7th-round picks
Jets cut G Alan Faneca
Jets re-sign RB Leon Washington
Jets re-sign CB Drew Coleman
Jets re-sign QB Kellen Clemens
Jets acquire WR Santonio Holmes from Steelers for 2010 5th-round pick
Jets re-sign OT Wayne Hunter
Jets re-sign WR Braylon Edwards
Jets re-sign WR Brad Smith
Jets re-sign S James Ihedigbo
Jets re-sign WR David Clowney
Jets re-sign S Eric Smith
Jets re-sign FB Tony Richardson
Jets sign RB LaDainian Tomlinson
Jets sign S Brodney Pool
Jets re-sign TE Ben Hartsock
Jets trade S Kerry Rhodes to Cardinals for 2010 4th-rounder and 2011 7th-rounder
Jets acquire CB Antonio Cromartie from Chargers for conditional 2011 third-round pick
Jets cut CB Donald Strickland
Jets cut CB Lito Sheppard
Jets tender QB Kellen Clemens
Jets tender CB Drew Coleman
Jets tender S James Ihedigbo
Jets tender OT Wayne Hunter
Jets tender S Eric Smith
Jets tender WR Braylon Edwards
Jets tender WR/KR Brad Smith
Jets tender RB Leon Washington
Jets cut RB Thomas Jones
Jets sign K Nick Folk
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