Check out all of our 2009 NFL team previews.
Offseason Additions: Lito Sheppard (CB); Bart Scott (LB); Jim Leonhard (S); Jay Feely (K).
Offseason Losses: Chris Baker (TE); Laveranues Coles (WR); Eric Barton (LB); Mike Nugent (K); David Barrett (LB); Abram Elam (S); Kenyon Coleman (DE); Brett Ratliff (QB); Tony Richardson (RB).
Player to Watch: Mark Sanchez, QB.
The Jets paid a hefty price to acquire the fifth overall pick in April’s draft, trading their first and second round picks to the Browns, along with defensive end Kenyon Coleman, quarterback Brett Ratliff and underrated safety Abram Elam. After batting Kellen Clemens throughout the summer, Sanchez earned the starting quarterback job in preseason and hopes to follow in the footsteps of Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco and led his team to the playoffs as a rookie. While he’s been a tad inconsistent numbers-wise (which is common for a rookie QB), Sanchez has been impressive so far. He looks comfortable in the pocket, has showed good technique on his throws and has been able to make plays under pressure. If his performance in preseason is any indication of whether or not he’ll succeed in the NFL, then the Jets finally have a quarterback they can build around for the first time since Joe Namath.
Team Strength: There’s no doubt that the Jets will be able to run the football this year. They have a trio of capable backs in Thomas Jones, Leon Washington and rookie Shonn Greene, assuming of course that Jones doesn’t get traded at some point. The offensive line is outstanding, especially on the left side with athletic pass-blocker D’Brickashaw Ferguson at left tackle and outstanding run-blocker Alan Faneca at left guard. Nick Mangold anchors the line from his center position and Brandon Moore doesn’t get enough credit for being a powerful run-blocker. Veteran right tackle Damien Woody is a mauler and his skills fit nicely on a line that will once again open plenty of holes for its running backs this season.
Potential Weakness: After releasing veteran Laveranues Coles in the offseason, the Jets failed to address their wide receiver position and the unit is now seriously devoid of playmakers. Jerricho Cotchery is a productive player and a fine No. 2, but he’s not a legitimate deep threat and won’t stretch the defense with his speed. Chansi Stuckey will start opposite Cotchery and while he’s a good fit for the Z based on his size and physical play, he doesn’t have much starting experience. Considering the Jets are going to be starting a rookie at quarterback, one would think that they would have gotten him more weapons to throw to in the passing game. But unless they pull off a trade (Brandon Marshall anyone?) before the season starts, chances are that the Jets will be stuck with the receivers they currently have on the roster.
Outlook: With the hiring of former Ravens’ defensive coordinator Rex Ryan and the drafting and subsequently starting of Sanchez, many pundits are high on the Jets this year. Considering Sanchez has flashed some promise early on, it’s hard not to like the Jets as a sleeper pick this season. Their offensive line is solid and should open up lanes in the running game for Jones, Washington and Greene, which in turn will help take some of the pressure off Sanchez. That said, the rookie QB doesn’t have any playmakers in the passing game and that could come back to haunt the Jets throughout the year unless they wind up acquiring Marshall. Defensively, Ryan needs to work his magic and get through to former first round pick Vernon Gholston, who is an athletic specimen, but couldn’t get on the field last year as a rookie because he couldn’t learn the playbook. New York desperately needs a pass-rusher and Gholston excelled in that department while at Ohio State, so maybe Ryan can turn him into a poor man’s Terrell Suggs (which would be quite a feat given how good Suggs has been throughout his career in Baltimore). Ryan will get the most of out his defensive players and adding former Ravens Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard in the offseason was a plus. David Harris joins Scott in the middle to form an outstanding inside linebacker tandem and the secondary should get a boost from Lito Sheppard, who has something to prove after getting traded by Philadelphia. He’ll certainly get a lot of looks his way given that shutdown corner Darrelle Revis is on the other side.
Nobody expected Matt Ryan and Mike Smith to succeed right away in Atlanta, but that’s exactly what they did last year. So it isn’t inconceivable that Sanchez and Rex Ryan will succeed in New York this season. But while it’s easy to fall in love with the new-look Jets as a potential dark horse, they play in one of the toughest divisions in football and Sanchez is going to suffer some growing pains. This is a team on the rise, but it’ll probably take a year or two before the Jets are playoff-ready.
2009 Prediction: Third, AFC East.
