On the offensive side of the ball, I no longer beleive that we will be just that, “OFFENSIVE”!

Even with the uncertainty at the QB position, I expect a much better rushing attack with the aformentioned off season pickups, continued development of Brick and Mangold, along with All Pro “true” fullback Tony Richardson leading the way for our tailbacks.  How many times were TJ and Leon stonewalled at the point of attack last year?  How many times were they met 3 yards in the backfield?  Our passing game will be improved as well, with either Kellen or (yes) Chad.  Remember, you need time and a running game to be a successful QB in this league. (Marino was an exception).

It begins with the offensive line.

How many times last season did we see our QB’S on their backs, or forced to throw before the receivers could even make their breaks?  BOTH our weak links are gone in Clarke and Clement!  I personally love the pick of Keller.  If he can run the seam pattern as advertised, then we just may have our first TE/H-Back threat in 20 years (since Mickey Shuler), whom hopefully can cause those all important mismatches that will take alot of pressure off of not only the QB, but Coles and Cotchery. Smith, Stuckey(who awed me at TC and in preseason) and Marcus Henry should be an interesting battle this upcoming camp for the #3 AND #4 receivers.

It all starts with the offensive line.

On the defensive side of the ball, Jenkins is the key!  If he can tie up 2 “fat guys” on a consistant basis, then I really can see  this unit having the makeup of a feared one.  The importance of him being the player that Mangini brought him here to be is critical! Not only in stopping the run game( by tieing up blockers), but also by being the “cog” in the middle that can open up lanes on passing downs allowing David Harris and Kerry Rhodes to “shoot” through the middle on blitz packages, as well as occupying blockers (along with Kenyon Coleman and Shaun Ellis), allowing our pass rushing “hybrids” Vernon Gholston, Calvin Pace, (and the 2006 version of Bryan Thomas) to get to the QB not only from the outside, but the inside as well with stunts and various schemes, that will be developed by Mangini for “his” hand picked players.  I envision our pass rush being incredibly improved, which always leads to a much better secondary play.  We already know what we have in Revis and Rhodes. As our #2 CB , will an injury free Miller step up? will the change of scenery for former 1st round pick Andre Woolfolk get his career going?  Is Drew Coleman a possibility? 4th round pick Lowery? Hank Poteat if re-signed? Should be very interesting, as well as FS—Elam, Smith, Hawkins, maybe even Bing.

It All Starts with the defensive line!

However; all of this looks good on paper!  But as a 30+ year Jet fan, I have a reason for hope and excitement for the upcoming season! 

And it all starts with the offensive and defensive lines!

Agent Chris Gittings said he and Woodhead thought the Jets were a good fit after teams passed on the 5-foot-7½ running back during the draft, mostly because of his size. Woodhead ran for 7,962 yards in four seasons for the Division II school in western Nebraska.

Terms of the deal for the two-time Harlon Hill Trophy winner were not immediately disclosed, and the Jets would not confirm the signing. (more…)

Robertson, the fourth overall pick in the 2003 draft from Kentucky, spent five inconsistent seasons with the Jets. He often seemed out of position in New York’s 3-4 alignment.

The 26-year-old Robertson also has been bothered by knee problems.

“It’s a great opportunity,” said agent Hadley Engelhard, who’s hoping to finalize a new deal for Robertson with the Broncos on Friday. “He’s got the chance to showcase his abilities.”

In 77 regular-season games (75 starts), Robertson has 319 tackles, 188 solo, and 14 1/2 sacks. He’s forced four fumbles, recovered two, and had two pass breakups.

“He’s a guy that, if you do take, there’s going to be some question marks because if you take a look at his knees, he hasn’t passed a physical, but he’s still played 80 percent of his games,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said of Robertson last month at the NFL owners meetings. “So how big of a risk are you going to take?” (more…)

You’ve got teams that own Top 10 picks and are absolutely terrified with what they’re going to have pay these players who don’t even have a locker yet. In the last week, I’ve read reports about Miami’s negotiations with 2008’s #1 overall pick, Michigan OT, Jake Long, who’s going to want 2007’s #1 overall pick, LSU QB, Jamarcus Russell type money. Neither has played a significant down in the NFL yet, and they’re being awarded contracts with more than $20 million in guarantees! That’s ridiculous! (more…)

Playing GM for a minute or two, I’d make the following moves with a trade thrown in the mix…

As much as McFadden could be the next Adrian Peterson, I don’t think it’s a position of need with Jones and Washington currently in the backfield and depth with Chatman. You can’t go by last year’s numbers. We had no offensive line to run behind. This year will be a different story. With that being said… I for one would like to trade back a few spots and pick up a 3rd rounder.

I’m not going to go into a detailed scouting profile for each player. If you’re a true fan, you’ve already read these from various scouting sites. So here’s the condensed version…

13th Pick. - LB Keith Rivers. (After trading down with Carolina who moved up to get ahead of Baltimore to grab Matt Ryan) Can you imagine having Rivers next to Harris? The best pair of ILB’s in the game. I know he may not have the ideal size to play inside, but his motor never quits and with Jenkins clogging up the middle and Harris demanding attention Rivers is free to wreak havoc all over the field.
	36th Pick. - QB Joe Flacco. Big Kid, Big Arm. No way will Clemens and Chad still be on this team in 2009. That’s where Flacco comes in. It’s about time we had that prototypical big QB with a gunslinger’s arm.
67th Pick. - CB Tracy Porter. (The Jets original 3rd rounder, traded back from Carolina in the trade up to the 1st round.) Gotta love how this kid plays. Loads of speed, great eye for the ball, special teams ace. A steal in the 3rd round.
	102nd Pick. - WR Jordy Nelson. This kid has the heart of Wayne Chrebet but with size and good speed. Excellent hands and appears to be fearless.

The Free Agent period got our green blood pumping harder than it has in years. The concrete-cracking steps we made in early March made this draft even tougher to predict as a Jets’ fan. We solidified our offensive line and added quality depth to our pass rush. Problems solved? Our quarterback should have more time to pass the ball, and our running back should have larger holes to gallop through. Our defense should actually be able to stop plays and no longer make guys like Kyle Boller look like John Elway. If we play as well as we look on paper, then drafting at number 6 is simply a luxury pick. (more…)

Peter King of SI.com reports that negotiations won’t drag out until the draft. According to King, Long is the only player the Dolphins are actively negotiating with and the Dolphins have imposed a deadline for Long to accept the deal. If Long doesn’t accept by the deadline, the Dolphins will try to find a player such as Ohio State’s Vernon Gholston to accept a contract favorable to the team. If we learned one thing from Parcells over the years, it’s that he is a major ego-maniac. Striking this deal for less will go down in history as a major achievement the likes of which has not been seen to date.

What stands in the way of this happening are the money hungry agents brokering these deals. On one hand, these agents do not want to take less and on the other they will be forever known as the agent that gave in paving the way for the entire rookie class to make less money throughout. As a Jets fan you gotta love this move. As a Football fan, you gotta love this move, as an Owner you gotta LOVE this move.

First off it forces the #1 pick to sign right away and not hold out throughout training camp and ultimately wasting their rookie season while at the same time hurting the team. Once the 1st pick signs, a possible cascade effect could take place where the #2 & #3 picks might also agree to a pre-draft deal. This draft Parcells has some leverage in selecting other players not like the mess we had with Meshawn when he refused to sign early and we still ended up selecting him. These rookies have too much leverage as it stands and make too much money on pure potential.

Hopefully one day the NFL will get it right and impose some hard numbers based on the spot you were selected in. If Parcells can somehow pull this off, other teams might no longer have to endure holdouts while they wait for the #1 pick to sign. But as a fan of the game, we all know that once the #1 pick signs early, the #2 will hold out for what last year’s #2 made and the vicious cycle will continue.