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Last Year
So much for the skeptics who said Curtis Martin would tail off in 2004 as all he did was lead the NFL in rushing yards and guide the New York Jets to the second round of the playoffs. An excellent season was cut short as kicker Doug Brien missed 47- and 43-yard field goals, which likely would have propelled the Jets into the AFC Championship game. But that spilled milk was yesterday. Today, we'll see if the Jets can build on their stellar accomplishments and see if they can contend with the big boys in the AFC.
What We Learned From Last Year
In the offseason, Curtis Martin asked for more work in training camp and more work in the preseason. Typically, most 31-year-old running backs prefer to lessen their workload in the offseason in order to prolong their crispness deep into the regular season.
Not Martin.
His concerted effort to prepare for the regular season was to ensure that he wouldn't start off slowly in 2004 like he did '03 and '02.
He came out flying with 196 yards in the season-opener and racked up 613 rushing yards in the first five games of the season. It was no coincidence that the Jets were 5-0 at that time.
With a strong offensive line and Chad Pennington in the backfield, the Jets had no weaknesses in those areas of their offense.
Pennington continued to be an accurate and smart quarterback, coughing up only nine interceptions all year long. Only Donovan McNabb and Drew Brees had less.
In 2003, the Jets found out first-hand what the cons of not having an adequate backup quarterback. After Pennington was injured in the preseason, the Jets started 2-6 and never recovered. Last year, the pickup of Quincy Carter provided a viable short-term solution for the team while Pennington missed three games in the middle of the season.
While the Jets entailed the third-ranked rushing offense, their passing game left much to be desired.
Offensive coordinator Paul Hackett was notoriously conservative with his scheming. Tight ends were nonexistent in the offense and wide receivers did not meet their potential.
Justin McCareins was acquired from Tennessee and provided the Jets with their best go-to option in the passing game. Santana Moss has been a career underachiever and a soft receiver in general.
The Jets defense was built around a premiere line that featured Shaun Ellis, Dewayne Robertson, Jason Ferguson, and Pro Bowler John Abraham.
New defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson tried to be aggressive with a range of blitzes, but most of the sacks came from the front four. They accounted for 27 of the team's 37 sacks (they applied more pressure than the mediocre total of sacks indicates).
Robertson had a breakout year in his sophomore season and will be a Pro Bowler for years to come. The combination of him and Ferguson made it very difficult for teams to run the ball (rushing defense ranked fifth in NFL).
Rookie linebacker Jonathan Vilma was labeled as "too small" by critics on draft day, but he played a major role in his rookie season, starting 14 games and finishing as the team's leading tackler.
The secondary was burned badly in the offseason when Antoine Winfield picked the Minnesota Vikings instead of the Jets in the 11th hour and the team's rebound option, cornerback David Barrett, turned out to be a second-rate starter.
Another rookie that blossomed very quickly for the Jets was fifth-round draft pick Erik Coleman. At safety, he led the team in interceptions and finished third in tackles. The Jets secondary was not bad, but was picked apart with no trouble if the front four didn't apply pressure. Donnie Abraham and Terrell Buckley were both decent starters, at best.
The Jets were a very good team last year, but the adjective "good" seems to fit them too well. They were good on offense, but not dominating. They were good on defense, but not overpowering.
The Jets are a smart team who will beat any weaker opponent or better opponents that make mistakes, but they still have to take another step forward before they can compete with the likes of the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts.
This Year
It's safe to say the Jets have high expectations heading into this season. Not only because they are in the city of New York, a well-known pressure-cooker, but because they came within a makeable field goal of the AFC Championship game.
In typical New York fashion, they weren't exactly forgiving of their off-target kicker. Doug Brien was promptly waived after the Jets spent a second-round draft pick on All-American kicker Mike Nugent.
The roster changes may seem minor, but when a team is close to success, vast transformations are not necessary.
On offense, the Jets somehow convinced the Washington Redskins to trade Laveranues Coles for Santana Moss straight up.
Aside from Moss's top speed, and his ability to reach it quickly, Coles does everything better as a receiver. He makes tough catches and plays through pain — two critical flaws in Moss' game.
Coles isn't much bigger than Moss, but Justin McCareins will provide the big target (6-2, 215 lbs). The Jets also acquired tight end Doug Jolley on draft day from the Oakland Raiders. He is an above average receiver and blocker, something the Jets have lacked for years at tight end. The last Jets tight end to have more than 500 receiving yards was Johnny Mitchell in 1994.
New offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger should get some good use out of Jolley. He loves to be creative and should give this offense a jolt. In his last year as Tennessee's offensive coordinator, Titans tight ends accounted for 83 receptions.
Pennington will be seen in shotgun formations and now has permission to audible at the line of scrimmage. Although the passing game should be more fluid, the running game will still be the emphasis.
Martin will try to become the first running back in NFL history to post at least 1,000 yards rushing in his first 11 seasons. LaMont Jordan was groomed to be the heir to Martin, but he departed as a free agent to Oakland.
The loss of Jordan means a couple of things: the team does not have a stellar power running back for short-yardage situations and should anything happen to Martin, injury-wise, the Jets will feel a significant drop-off to backup Derrick Blaylock.
Right tackle Kareem McKenzie moved on to the Giants, which raises a few minor reservations at one position for one of the better offensive lines. 2004 fourth-round draft pick Adrian Jones is expected to start, but he is a project.
The defense will once again be built around a commanding line, but that grouping will not be as strong as last year with Jason Ferguson signing with the Dallas Cowboys. Ferguson was a vital component in the Jets' first-rate rush defense and James Reed/Lance Legree come nowhere close to his skill level.
With Robertson, Abraham, and Ellis, the Jets are still dominant up front. Keep an eye on Robertson, who has been complaining about a lingering knee pains. The team cannot afford to lose him. Abraham has held out through training camp, but has a one-year $6.7 million deal (franchise tag) on the table so he should report just before the season starts.
Jonathan Vilma enters his second season as a pro and will only get better. He has an innate ability to make plays, but he'll see more blockers without Ferguson around. He is teamed with Eric Barton, a very underrated, sound starter. All he's done in the past three seasons is play in 48 games and surpass 100 tackles each year. Third-year linebacker Victor Hobson will man the strong side — he's better in run defense than pass defense.
The secondary got a boost of vigor with the signing of cornerback Ty Law. He is still a true shutdown defensive back and will shift everyone down the depth chart. David Barrett is a good second starter and second-round draft pick Justin Miller is a quality nickel back until he matures into a starter.
Erik Coleman will be the starter at free safety while strong safety Oliver Celestin has had a very strong training camp.
Although the Jets came oh so close to beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs last year, it is still evident that there is a sizeable disparity between the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, and the New York Jets.
Overall, the Jets are very good, but they are still just good, not great.
Over/Under: 9.5
The Jets schedule looks to stiffen a little bit this coming year and they won't have any freebies like Miami, San Francisco, and Cleveland this year. This is where they are hoping that Mike Nugent can be a difference maker. They play: @KC, JAX, @BAL, TB, @ATL, SD, @CAR, @DEN, NO, and OAK.
Fantasy Sleeper
Chad Pennington has yet to play a full season as a quarterback, but he is welcome on my fantasy team any time. He's smart, he's efficient, and he doesn't throw many interceptions. With a new, creative, offensive coordinator, Pennington could post an excellent season as long as he stays healthy. More importantly, he can be had in the mid- to late-rounds of most pools.
Stay tuned as Dave Golokhov brings you previews for all 32 NFL teams! Sponsored by CyberSportsbook.com, a great casino for horse racing and sportsbook action.
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