As free agency begins and the 2012 NFL Draft is right around the corner, I wanted to give Jets fans a little perspective of the “State of the Union”….New York Jets Edition.\u00a0 For those who are not aware, currently the Jets are $587,000 under the salary cap.\u00a0 That will make it difficult for them to sign any major free agents without trading or releasing players (i.e. Bart Scott).\u00a0 However, while reading this article imagine a world where the Jets have an infinite amount of money and can pick whatever player they want at the current draft positions they have.\u00a0 Some points while reading this you may feel that it is a wish list…and you’re probably right.\u00a0 Before that, we need to look at the NY Jets current roster and the strengths and weaknesses.<\/p>\n
Coaches<\/strong><\/p>\n Head Coach<\/em>– Most Jets fans can say that they like Rex as a personality, when he doesn’t write checks his team cant cash, but his coaching is a cause for concern.\u00a0 He needs to be a HEAD COACH, not a defensive coordinator.\u00a0 He needs to be actively involved in the offense, as well as, special teams while still keeping his defensive tactics in mind.\u00a0 We need him to be well rounded.\u00a0 Give Mike Pettine more responsibility with the defense and focus on winning.\u00a0 The separation of the locker room is his fault.\u00a0 He cannot be a friend to the players, but rather a coach that they respect for his down-to-earth hard working personality.<\/p>\n Offensive Coordinator<\/em>– Other than Marty Schottenheimer I don’t think there’s any one in the NFL thats sad about Brian Schottenheimer being fired.\u00a0 Jet fans will enjoy the offense Sparano is going to bring in.\u00a0 Yes, it may take time.\u00a0 Yes, it’s going to look boring because of his run-first mentality.\u00a0 In the long run Jet fans will be satisfied with the job Sparano is going to do.\u00a0 He will work to the offensive players’ strengths, and he demands a lot out of his players.\u00a0 He’s a great motivator and guys will want to play hard for him.\u00a0 I would’ve liked to see Todd Haley or someone with a little more passing knowledge come in to help, but we’ll have to deal with what we’ve got as far as offensive coaches.<\/p>\n Defensive Coordinator<\/em>– If I had to give Mike Pettine a grade as a defensive coordinator with more responsibilities this year than last, I’d give him a B.\u00a0 The defense took a hit this year and some of the players seemed to get old and slow very quickly.\u00a0 As Rex takes more responsibility as the Head Coach, Pettine will be asked to take on an even bigger role and he has to come through strong.\u00a0 After all Jet fans, who wants to see Bart Scott and Eric “Two Steps Behind” Smith starting for us again this year?<\/p>\n Offense<\/strong><\/p>\n Offensive Line<\/em>– Let’s face it…we need a MAJOR overhaul on the offensive Line.\u00a0 Coach DeGuglielmo has had very good offensive tackles like Jake Long down in Miami, but when he sees this line, he’s going to want changes.\u00a0 Matt Slausson had an okay year, but theres more consistent guards out there that we should sign.\u00a0 Wayne Hunter…do I even need to say?\u00a0 He’s currently ranked the 31st out of 32 right tackles in the league.\u00a0 There are a bunch of free agent tackles out there and I think it’s in the best interest of Mark Sanchez to have a good right tackle.\u00a0 Mangold and Brick are solid most of the time and Brandon Moore is aging.\u00a0 Last year, the Jets made a trade right before the season to acquire Caleb Schlauderoff who saw some time with the Packers the year they won the Super Bowl.\u00a0 Can we at least give him a shot?\u00a0 Major reconstruction needs to happen to protect Sanchez and with a run happy offense under Sparano, it needs to be a solid blocking unit overall.<\/p>\n Tight End<\/em>– Dustin Keller is a good third passing option for Sanchez.\u00a0 He likes throwing to him to.\u00a0 However, he isn’t big enough to cross the middle and create mismatches.\u00a0 They need a tall, athletic tight end to compliment Keller.\u00a0 In a year where we saw the emergence of Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski, who the Jets saw first hand twice this year, the need for a large tight end is imperative to the success of the offense.\u00a0 They recently brought in a Australian rugby player who is 6’7″ and 240lbs.\u00a0 He was a former college basketball player.\u00a0 They tried him out for tight end, but we never heard anything about him again.\u00a0 The middle round draft tight ends are ok, but not great…but who knows? Gronkowski got drafted in 2nd round and Jimmy Graham got drafted #99 overall.\u00a0 A solid blocker, and physical tight end in passing game will make a huge difference next season.<\/p>\n Running Back<\/em>– Shonn Greene got stronger as the season went on.\u00a0 He is a good change of pace back that will give you physical tough running, but he’s not an every down back in my opinion.\u00a0 His receiving numbers left something to be desired this year as he dropped a ton of passes this season.\u00a0 If there’s one free agent the Jets should strongly consider it would be Maurice Jones-Drew.\u00a0 He’s a proven every down back and would fit Sparano’s system well.\u00a0 Joe McKnight can be a third down back or Wildcat back sitting behind Jones-Drew and Greene.<\/p>\n Wide Receiver<\/em>– We know what we’re going to deal with in Santonio Holmes.\u00a0 He’s not going anywhere though.\u00a0 He needs to change his attitude and become the role playing wide receiver he’s always been.\u00a0 The Plaxico experiment, although it worked out well in the red zone (#1 Red Zone offense in NFL, depending on your thoughts about Tom Moore’s consulting) was a shipwreck.\u00a0 They need a YOUNG tall fast receiver.\u00a0 This guy needs to be athletic and a good route runner.\u00a0 A guy like Michael Floyd from Notre Dame is a physical specimen.\u00a0 With a good combine however, there’s no guarantee he’ll be around for the Jets to pick.\u00a0 Alshon Jeffery from South Carolina is another interesting pick.\u00a0 He could slip to the 2nd round in which the Jets may try to trade up in that round to get him.\u00a0 Sanchez needs that deep tall threat to back corners and safeties off so that he can hit guys like Jeremy Kerley underneath for big gains.<\/p>\n Quarterback-<\/em> I recently wrote an article all about Sanchez’s third year in the league and how similar his numbers were to some of the better quarterbacks in the league right now.\u00a0 Did he have a disasterous year? Yes, but he also threw for 26 touchdowns.\u00a0 There’s no doubt in my mind he got complacent last season because he knew Brunell wouldn’t replace him in games.\u00a0 They need to bring in a solid backup who will force Sanchez to work harder and push himself to be great.\u00a0 A guy like Chad Henne would really put pressure on Sanchez especially with his history playing under Tony Sparano.\u00a0 Sparano will not put Sanchez in a position to fail, but if he does it on his own, Chad Henne would be a more than adequate backup.<\/p>\n Defense<\/strong><\/p>\n Defensive End<\/em>–\u00a0 This is a MUST for the Jets this offseason.\u00a0 Aaron Maybin had a few decent games but his like of physical build makes it difficult for him to power through the better linemen in the league.\u00a0 Mario Williams would be a dream, but with his injury past and the amount of money he’ll be asking for it seems unlikely the Jets will pursue him.\u00a0 A guy that could be all that and then some is Melvin Ingram out of South Carolina.\u00a0 At 275 lbs. he’s a large outside linebacker that can be used in a sprinter’s stance to rush the quarterback in Rex Ryan’s 3-4 defensive system.\u00a0 He’s speed and toughness can create an infinite amount of blitz schemes to confuse offensive lines next year.\u00a0 This position is a need we’ve had since John Abraham (when he wasn’t hurt or had a tummy ache).<\/p>\n Defensive Line\/Tackles<\/em>–\u00a0 Resigning Pouha is a great sign.\u00a0 He clogs the middle in run support and I think he and Mohammed Wilkerson can be a solid interior defensive run stopping line.\u00a0 I think at times the Jets rotated too many guys in the game.\u00a0 I think a rotation of Pouha, Wilkerson, and Devito can breed success for both the run game defense and help pass rushers on the outside.\u00a0 These guys should demand double teams leaving a defensive end one-on-one with an offensive tackle.\u00a0 Laws of physics would say that the defensive end will win that battle more times than not.\u00a0 I like the way the interior linemen played and hope that they continue to plug the middle, and add a bonus of a better pass rush.<\/p>\n Linebacker<\/em>–\u00a0 Bart Scott got old very quickly.\u00a0 He went from the “Madbacker” to “Can’t wait” to now probably being cut.\u00a0 David Harris is an excellent linebacker.\u00a0 He lacks the lateral speed that one would like a middle linebacker to have but he makes plays and that’s all you can ask of him.\u00a0 He’s a Pro Bowler every year in my eyes.\u00a0 However, Bryan Thomas (coming off injury) and Calvin Pace are aging.\u00a0 A dose of youth via the draft or free agency would be the Jets best bet to fix this average at best defense they had last year.\u00a0 This years crop of draft linebackers are big, fast and athletic.\u00a0 The Jets need to take a hard look at Ingram as the draft nears.\u00a0 He can cover passes, rush the passer, and most importantly has tremendous closing speed.\u00a0 A well rounded linebacker is a must for the Jets this offseason.\u00a0 There has been talks of Jarret Johnson from the Ravens who would help immensely, but that all around great linebacker will have to be found via the draft.<\/p>\n Cornerbacks<\/em>– Darelle Revis….enough said.\u00a0 When his career is finished he’ll go down as one of the top 3 corners to ever play the game.\u00a0 The Jets cannot just lean on Revis though.\u00a0 Cromartie, coming into a major contract extension, had a subpar year and Kyle Wilson continued to struggle although better than his rookie campaign.\u00a0 With more work with Revis this offseason I hope he comes back even better.\u00a0 Cromartie was lost a bit this year.\u00a0 He’s got to get familiar with his role again and that’s defending the other team’s big physical receiver and make plays on the football.<\/p>\n Safety<\/em>– The Jets safeties this year were a disappointment,\u00a0 With the rise of large receivers and tight ends, Leonhard and Eric Smith and their lack of size, were exploited.\u00a0 Jim Leonhard is a great safety.\u00a0 He controls the defense in a way no other Jet could after he got hurt.\u00a0 His lack of size hurt him this year.\u00a0 Eric Smith is a bad safety.\u00a0 He’ll occasionally make a big hit, like he did on Boldin a few years back, but he is a very slow safety.\u00a0 When I watched the Eagles tight end beat him to the sideline and to the endzone it was evident that he needs to go.\u00a0 A guy that excites me is LaRon Landry.\u00a0 He’s a big physical safety who can cover when he is healthy.\u00a0 Due to his health concerns he can probably be signed for less money.\u00a0 Another guy that intrigues me is Mark Barron from Alabama. He is a big hitter and is extremely fast and physical.\u00a0 I think resigning Leonhard to help run the defense and signing Landry or drafting Barron would be a huge upgrade over Smith.\u00a0 Both of those guys can do what the Jets safeties couldn’t; cover the flats and cover tight ends over the middle.<\/p>\n Special Teams<\/strong><\/p>\n Punter<\/em>– T.J. Conley underperformed this year.\u00a0 I was amazed to see that he had an average of 42 yards per kick.\u00a0 It killed me to see Steve Weatherford continually pinning teams deep throughout the playoffs this year.\u00a0 Mike Westhoff has been on the record saying that this is the deepest draft crop of kickers he’s ever seen.\u00a0 So how about in the 7th round the Jets take a solid punter.\u00a0 Free agent punters are out there also.\u00a0 Proven guys that can help their defense lengthen the field.\u00a0 How many times this year did the Jets punt from their endzone and have the opponent start at the 50 yard line or deeper.\u00a0 It’s awfully hard for a defense to stop a team on a 50 yard field.\u00a0 They need a kicker with good hang time on his kicks and has the ability to pin teams inside the 20 at least 15 times next season.<\/p>\n Place Kicker<\/em>– Nick Folk always scares me.\u00a0 He is shaky but he has hit a great deal of field goals for the Jets.\u00a0 His kickoffs leave something to be desired.\u00a0 They moved the kickoff line up 5 yards and he still couldn’t consistently kick for touchbacks.\u00a0 I know high school kids who kick from the 40 yard line and kick it through the uprights!\u00a0 His inconsistency is a concern and there are a huge amount of free agent kickers out there, as well as “The Kid with the Golden Toe” from Florida State.<\/p>\n Again, remember this seems like a wishlist with plenty of cap space, but this is the reality of the State of the New York Jets.\u00a0 Changes have to be made to make this team a viable Super Bowl contender…or maybe just a playoff team at least!<\/p>\n Stay tuned for more on draft needs and free agent wishlists…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As free agency begins and the 2012 NFL Draft is right around the corner, I wanted to give Jets fans a little perspective of the “State of the Union”….New York Jets Edition.\u00a0 For those who are not aware, currently the Jets are $587,000 under the salary cap.\u00a0 That will make it difficult for them to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-11380","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-featured-editorials"},"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peLffi-2Xy","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11380"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11390,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11380\/revisions\/11390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}