Last Year
If there were any hopes that the Jets could possibly stay afloat without quarterback Chad Pennington, a four-win season following him tearing his rotator cuff again dashed any optimism. The Jets were forced to turn over their offense to Vinny Testaverde and Brooks Bollinger, and it didn't help that veteran runner Curtis Martin hit a wall after a career-season. The ship sunk under former captain Herman Edwards and the new skipper, Eric Mangini, will need CPR to make Gang Green a winner this year.
What We Learned From Last Year
After suffering through a season without their star quarterback, the Jets front office made it a priority to sign a capable backup in case the scenario would recur.
The idea was good and the contingency plan was forcibly put into action, but Jay Fiedler was also lost for the season in Week 3.
That meeting with Jacksonville on September 25th proved to be quite costly on the injury front as the Jets lost their top two quarterbacks.
From there on, the offense was crippled.
Third-year quarterback Brooks Bollinger took over after Vinny Testaverde compiled a few uninspiring outings. Neither hurler was overly accurate, particularly down the field, and opponents stacked the front lines.
Curtis Martin had a tough time navigating his way through all the traffic and set personal lows for carries and yards only one season after setting new personal bests for in those categories.
He didn't look fresh right from the start of the season and just seemed more and more worn down as it progressed.
Needless to say, without a functional quarterback and a fluid running back, the offense was anemic.
Equipped with the league's second-worst rushing attack, they averaged a measly 15 points per game.
The Jets offensive line was a very stout unit at one point, but after right tackle Kareem McKenzie signed with the cross-town rival Giants in the offseason, the remaining starters aged very quickly.
Without the offensive weapons to compete, the burden fell on the shoulder of the Jets defense. To their credit, although they spent more time on the field than any other defense, they were still competitive.
One player who didn't give his all was defensive end John Abraham. He had been expecting to leave since the middle of the season — possibly even earlier — and was in a hibernation mode to preserve himself for his future team. Even so, he was still the sack leader on an inconsistent defensive line.
Many people were waiting on Dewayne Robertson and Shaun Ellis to full establish themselves as unquestioned starters, but both proved to still be up-and-down youngsters. 2002 first-round pick Bryan Thomas came along slowly, but his strengths lied in run-stopping, not pass rushing.
The second level was led by sophomore standout Jonathan Vilma. In two seasons, he has already accumulated 276 tackles, not bad for a guy who was considered to be too small for the pro level. Starting partner Eric Barton, who is a tackling machine in his own right, was limited to only four games with an injury and replacing him proved to be an impossible task last season.
In the secondary, Pro Bowl cornerback Ty Law received a lot of attention for his league-leading 10 interceptions, but it was two young safeties who anchored the defensive backs.
Sophomore Erik Coleman and precocious rookie Kerry Rhodes were very good for the Jets, covering quite a bit of ground in the passing game. Coleman slipped a little bit in his second season, but Rhodes started every game in his first year and looks to be developing into a ball hawk.
At corner, after losing out on Antoine Winfield two seasons ago, the Jets settled on David Barrett, but he has underwhelmed in consecutive seasons. Rookie Justin Miller had a quiet season at cornerback, but proved his versatility as a return man on kickoffs.
Eric Mangini is from the Bill Belichick tree of coaching, which inherently means that he wants to implement the 3-4 defense. He inherits a talent-deficient roster on both sides of the ball and this year will be telling as who fits the big picture and who is on their way out.
This Year
The 3-4 defense is going through a growth spurt in the NFL right, but most teams who have switched to it have had minimal success in their first season.
The Jets will be no different as they look to find the proper parts for the new scheme.
At first, stud linebacker Jonathan Vilma was not welcome to the change, but he has altered his opinion and is now on the same page as the coaching staff.
He will be counted on as one of the starting inside linebackers, where he will have to butt heads with more blockers, and you have to wonder if he will thrive there. He is a bit undersized and asking him to deal with guards and centers is not his strength. His tackle numbers probably won't drop too much, but he may not be the same playmaker in this type of defense.
Eric Barton's tricep has recovered from a serious tear last season and he will be back beside Vilma, on the inside.
On the outside, the Jets will be armed with Victor Hobson and end-turned-linebacker, Bryan Thomas. Combined, the two only have 9.5 sacks and both have been in the NFL at least four seasons. Matt Chatham, who worked with Mangini in New England, will be in the rotation and he might be a sleeper since Mangini was so adamant to bring him over.
The secondary is under construction as the Jets no longer have a top-tier cornerback. Sophomore Justin Miller steps into a starting role and David Barrett will partner with him. Andre Dyson was brought over in free agency after a disappointing season in Seattle. The Jets have a solid, but no one who can handle the elite wide receivers in the AFC.
The front lines also figure to be a work in progress, even more so than the secondary. There is really no nose tackle present and that position is always critical to the 3-4.
Dewayne Robertson will get a crack at the starting job, but he is too small to demand a couple of blockers. Kimo Von Oelhoffen is familiar with the nuances of the end position in this scheme, but with so little depth behind Robertson, he too has been working as a nose tackle. Oelhoffen is 35-years-old and his skills are deteriorating as an end, never mind as a space-eater in the middle of the line.
Shaun Ellis will start at the other end position, but throughout his career, he has been extremely dependent on John Abraham. In the past, his production has diminished when Abraham was not around— or not playing well enough to keep extra blocking off of Ellis.
On offense, the Jets have finally stockpiled a stable of quarterbacks in the case the Chad Pennington is not healthy enough to play.
Coming off two rotator cuff surgeries and not having the strongest arm to begin with, the Jets will once again be a very compact offense this season if Pennington has the reins.
This team looks like it is going to struggle offensively and in all likelihood, they will end up replacing Pennington for rookie Kellen Clemens or Patrick Ramsey midseason.
Pennington is still very accurate and gives this team their best chance to win, but it looks like the best situation here would be a mutual split between the team and him. He can thrive somewhere else in a West Coast offense, but it just hasn't worked for him in New York and the team needs to start heading in a different direction.
That being said, Clemens is likely the future starter. Had he not broken his ankle during his senior season, he would have easily been a first-round pick.
The Jets allowed quite a bit of their offensive line to walk in free agency the past two offseasons (McKenzie, Kevin Mawae, and Jason Fabini), so it was vital for them to replenish their stock with draft picks. Tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and center Nick Mangold will start off the bat and will be Clemens' protection for years to come.
With speculation mounting in regards to the retirement of Curtis Martin, the Jets acquired former 1,000-yard back Kevan Barlow from San Francisco. Barlow is a good running back, but was lost in the shuffle as the 49ers turned from a potent offense to a limp offense after 2003. When the Jets offensive line comes together, he could return into the starter that he used to be.
Whoever the quarterback is on this team, one thing is for sure: he won't have many weapons to throw to. Laveranues Coles still has the speed, but he's going to be getting a lot of attention from opposing secondaries. The Jets traded a second-round pick for Justin McCareins a couple of seasons ago, but he has regressed since coming over. Now he might even lose his starter's spot to Jericho Cotchery. Throw in Doug Jolley, who is a mediocre tight end, and not only is this year's crop of targets thin, but the future holds little optimism since the Jets are not developing any top-notch prospects.
Coach Mangini inherits a roster that is a mess right now. They need to clear Pennington off the books, find more pieces for their 3-4, and determine whether Kevan Barlow and Kellen Clemens are in fact the future. Outside of that, there isn't much to look forward to this season.
Over/Under: 6
While some peg the Buffalo Bills to be on par with the Jets this season, the truth is that the Jets are by far the worse team and will sit in the very basement of the AFC East on their own. Their win-percentage with Chad Pennington is much better than without him, but you have to figure that he is not part of the future plan. They play: @TEN, NE, @BUF, IND, @JAC, MIA, DET, @CLE, @NE, CHI, HOU, @GB, BUF, @MIN, @MIA, and OAK.
Fantasy Sleeper
As poor as the Jets were last season, Laveranues Coles was still good for 845 yards and five touchdowns. That's not so bad considering who his quarterbacks were. Chad Pennington may not have the arm for the deep ball, but he is accurate enough to find Coles several times per game. As long as Pennington is the starter, Coles should have some value.
This is the fourth consecutive season of comprehensive NFL previews by Dave Golokhov. Stay tuned as he brings you previews for all 32 NFL teams! He can be reached at [email protected].
Leave a Comment