Last Year:
It?s no secret that NFL fans adore beer drinking, tailgating and NFL preseason games, but while the first two are seemingly harmless, the New York Jets can make a genuine argument for exhibition games as risky business. After punishing the Indianapolis Colts in the 2002 AFC Wild card game 41-0 Herman Edwards & Co. were looking to carry momentum into the following season. A mid-August wrist fracture to starting Quarterback Chad Pennington slowed the team pulse and playoff hopes perished. Now that health is restored are the Jets a playoff contender once again?
What we Learned from Last Year:
While the theft of ?The Scream?, Norwegian painter Edvard Munch?s painting, remains a mystery, it?s no secret why the Jets got off to an appalling 0-4 start last year. After losing starting quarterback Chad Pennington for the first 7 games of the season, the shortage of depth at the main offensive position surfaced very quickly.
Pennington came to rise in the 2002 season. A young Jets squad rallied around their new franchise quarterback who carried them into the second round of the playoffs. When the deep-rooted Vinny Testaverde was forced to step in when injury plagued, the Jets looked paralyzed on offense. Laverneus Coles moving on in the off-season factored as well.
Fantasy poolies and NFL gurus talk about Curtis Martin graying each year, and even another 1000-yard season last year won?t quell those confabs. The one concern that can be voiced is his measly 2 touchdowns total, the lowest in his 9 year career. Part of the blame can lay with the Vinny?s inadequacies in the first part of the season, but a rushing game that usually has a decorated ranking fell all the way to 28th.
Defensively, the Jets fell off their high horse in 2002 dropping from 9th to 22nd. Shaun Ellis finally emerged as a second threat on the defensive line, something the team has been patiently waiting for since his 8.5 sacks during his rookie season. John Abraham was his consistent self ? when in the lineup - but after these two linemen, that?s about where it ended. Just like the rest of the defense, the line was a byte above average.
The linebackers were ok with Mo Lewis, Marvin Jones and Sam Cowart in the crew. Nothing Pro Bowl caliber, and nothing to be ashamed of as well.
The secondary caused anxiety. Not to other teams, but rather to their own coaches. The high man in the squad had 3 picks, while both safeties combined for 4.
Just like in 2002 this team was young, with potential. It appeared as the fire inside flickered throughout the season, particularly at the start without their main man. This was one of those teams where potential was sacrificed due to injury.
A clean slate with a clean bill of health may return this team to the playoffs.
What Has Changed?:
A pessimist may call the New York Jets off-season as disastrous as some of the movie that have opened this summer, but that may not necessarily be accurate.
Unless you?ve been following closely, you may not know that Mo Lewis, Marvin Jones, Aaron Beasley, and Sam Garnes disappeared off the Jets roster like Around the World in 80 days or Raising Helen. Unlike those 2 Disney flops, the 4 ex-members actually contributed to their line of work.
With 2 departures in the secondary, it was natural for Gang Green to go after a replacement in Antoine Winfield. The pending free-agent signing was hyped badly like Troy, but turned out to bust, like Troy, when Winfield jilted in favor of Minnesota. Nonethless, David Barrett (signing from Arizona) should be a credible contributor. Reggie Tongue has been invited from Seattle to replace Sam Garnes at strong safety, and along with Donnie Abraham and Jon McGraw, a decent defensive back band is rounded out.
The linebacking corps has been remade with Sam Cowart returning from last year, and the additions of Jonathan Vilma and Eric Barton which are definite upgrades. The defense plans to use a 3-4 scheme which should put the Jets? first-round pick Jonathan Vilma on the field more often. New defensive co-ordinator Donnie Henderson plans on confuse opposing offenses by throwing different set ups or fake blitzes, but as long as John Abraham is healthy sacks can be achieved the conventional way. With the help of Shaun Ellis and if last year?s touted draft selection Dewayne Robertson takes strides in his development they will be the strong point of a young defense.
The Jets were passed over when talks of Keyshawn Johnson and Terrell Owens floated around the league and the team settled on Tennessee Titan standout Justin McCareins. The logic was that JC is more polished than a rookie, and should be able to contribute immediately opposed to a rawer talent.
The key to the offense is Chad Pennington. Now that he has a second weapon to keep 1000-yard speedster Santana Moss single covered scoring points will not be a problem.
The main problem is that the New York Jets doesn?t exactly outclass many teams in a specific category. They have a fashionable offense, and a legitimate defense, but as witnessed in the playoffs by the Oakland Raiders two seasons ago this team can be handled. The attack does not draw comparison to the Kansas City Chiefs, or Minnesota Vikings, meanwhile the defense does not entice comparisons to the Baltimore Ravens or the Dallas Cowboys.
This is a playoff team, but a weaker one at that. A young squad led by an excellent Head Coach in Herman Edwards leaves the door open for potential, but excellence needs to emerge somewhere else aside from Chad Pennington.
O/U 8.5:
With the Patriots coming off a Super Bowl season once again the Jets will hope for champagne celebrations to carry over, and the Pats to fall off like they did a couple of years ago. Miami is an afterthought, but Buffalo has once again floated to the top as a possible contender. Not an easy division for ambitious teams. They play: CIN, @SD, SF, BAL, @CLE, @ARZ, HOU, @PIT, SEA, NE, and @STL.
Fantasy Sleeper:
A year-long absence, and reshaped receiving targets may allow Chad Pennington to slip in some drafts. If that?s the case then you should have no questions about picking him up. He?s one of the most accurate passers in the league, and offensive co-ordinator Paul Hackett will make sure he throws the ball a pleasurable amount of times. Enjoy.
It?s no secret that NFL fans adore beer drinking, tailgating and NFL preseason games, but while the first two are seemingly harmless, the New York Jets can make a genuine argument for exhibition games as risky business. After punishing the Indianapolis Colts in the 2002 AFC Wild card game 41-0 Herman Edwards & Co. were looking to carry momentum into the following season. A mid-August wrist fracture to starting Quarterback Chad Pennington slowed the team pulse and playoff hopes perished. Now that health is restored are the Jets a playoff contender once again?
What we Learned from Last Year:
While the theft of ?The Scream?, Norwegian painter Edvard Munch?s painting, remains a mystery, it?s no secret why the Jets got off to an appalling 0-4 start last year. After losing starting quarterback Chad Pennington for the first 7 games of the season, the shortage of depth at the main offensive position surfaced very quickly.
Pennington came to rise in the 2002 season. A young Jets squad rallied around their new franchise quarterback who carried them into the second round of the playoffs. When the deep-rooted Vinny Testaverde was forced to step in when injury plagued, the Jets looked paralyzed on offense. Laverneus Coles moving on in the off-season factored as well.
Fantasy poolies and NFL gurus talk about Curtis Martin graying each year, and even another 1000-yard season last year won?t quell those confabs. The one concern that can be voiced is his measly 2 touchdowns total, the lowest in his 9 year career. Part of the blame can lay with the Vinny?s inadequacies in the first part of the season, but a rushing game that usually has a decorated ranking fell all the way to 28th.
Defensively, the Jets fell off their high horse in 2002 dropping from 9th to 22nd. Shaun Ellis finally emerged as a second threat on the defensive line, something the team has been patiently waiting for since his 8.5 sacks during his rookie season. John Abraham was his consistent self ? when in the lineup - but after these two linemen, that?s about where it ended. Just like the rest of the defense, the line was a byte above average.
The linebackers were ok with Mo Lewis, Marvin Jones and Sam Cowart in the crew. Nothing Pro Bowl caliber, and nothing to be ashamed of as well.
The secondary caused anxiety. Not to other teams, but rather to their own coaches. The high man in the squad had 3 picks, while both safeties combined for 4.
Just like in 2002 this team was young, with potential. It appeared as the fire inside flickered throughout the season, particularly at the start without their main man. This was one of those teams where potential was sacrificed due to injury.
A clean slate with a clean bill of health may return this team to the playoffs.
What Has Changed?:
A pessimist may call the New York Jets off-season as disastrous as some of the movie that have opened this summer, but that may not necessarily be accurate.
Unless you?ve been following closely, you may not know that Mo Lewis, Marvin Jones, Aaron Beasley, and Sam Garnes disappeared off the Jets roster like Around the World in 80 days or Raising Helen. Unlike those 2 Disney flops, the 4 ex-members actually contributed to their line of work.
With 2 departures in the secondary, it was natural for Gang Green to go after a replacement in Antoine Winfield. The pending free-agent signing was hyped badly like Troy, but turned out to bust, like Troy, when Winfield jilted in favor of Minnesota. Nonethless, David Barrett (signing from Arizona) should be a credible contributor. Reggie Tongue has been invited from Seattle to replace Sam Garnes at strong safety, and along with Donnie Abraham and Jon McGraw, a decent defensive back band is rounded out.
The linebacking corps has been remade with Sam Cowart returning from last year, and the additions of Jonathan Vilma and Eric Barton which are definite upgrades. The defense plans to use a 3-4 scheme which should put the Jets? first-round pick Jonathan Vilma on the field more often. New defensive co-ordinator Donnie Henderson plans on confuse opposing offenses by throwing different set ups or fake blitzes, but as long as John Abraham is healthy sacks can be achieved the conventional way. With the help of Shaun Ellis and if last year?s touted draft selection Dewayne Robertson takes strides in his development they will be the strong point of a young defense.
The Jets were passed over when talks of Keyshawn Johnson and Terrell Owens floated around the league and the team settled on Tennessee Titan standout Justin McCareins. The logic was that JC is more polished than a rookie, and should be able to contribute immediately opposed to a rawer talent.
The key to the offense is Chad Pennington. Now that he has a second weapon to keep 1000-yard speedster Santana Moss single covered scoring points will not be a problem.
The main problem is that the New York Jets doesn?t exactly outclass many teams in a specific category. They have a fashionable offense, and a legitimate defense, but as witnessed in the playoffs by the Oakland Raiders two seasons ago this team can be handled. The attack does not draw comparison to the Kansas City Chiefs, or Minnesota Vikings, meanwhile the defense does not entice comparisons to the Baltimore Ravens or the Dallas Cowboys.
This is a playoff team, but a weaker one at that. A young squad led by an excellent Head Coach in Herman Edwards leaves the door open for potential, but excellence needs to emerge somewhere else aside from Chad Pennington.
O/U 8.5:
With the Patriots coming off a Super Bowl season once again the Jets will hope for champagne celebrations to carry over, and the Pats to fall off like they did a couple of years ago. Miami is an afterthought, but Buffalo has once again floated to the top as a possible contender. Not an easy division for ambitious teams. They play: CIN, @SD, SF, BAL, @CLE, @ARZ, HOU, @PIT, SEA, NE, and @STL.
Fantasy Sleeper:
A year-long absence, and reshaped receiving targets may allow Chad Pennington to slip in some drafts. If that?s the case then you should have no questions about picking him up. He?s one of the most accurate passers in the league, and offensive co-ordinator Paul Hackett will make sure he throws the ball a pleasurable amount of times. Enjoy.
