New York Jets: Ranking the 6 Most Overrated Players Currently on the Roster

To dissect the most overrated players on the Jets roster is a dangerous venture. The New York Jets stand at this moment as a team more deeply fractured than perhaps any other in football, and could not possibly benefit from yet another session of the Blame Game aimed at any one player or group of players.

The fact that the 2012 Jets will in some way, shape or form look significantly different from the most recent incarnation is an undeniable reality. Significant damage has been done to the progress that was accomplished since 2009, and in order for the Jets to resume their ascent to the NFL elite, they must begin to consider who on the roster is truly expendable.

This list may be a great place to start.

6. Kyle Wilson

Those who have followed my columns on Bleacher Report are familiar with my love affair with Boise State football. I believe in the little blueberry engine that could in Idaho and I believe that incoming freshman NFL’er Kellen Moore is going to be this draft classes diamond in the rough.

That being said, some of the pro talent that has come out of Boise reminds us why the Broncos have had, and will continue to have, such a difficult time convincing people that it belongs among the NCAA elite. A prime example of a not-ready-for-primetime talent to come from the small school can be found in the Jets defensive secondary.

Following two consecutive season-ending injuries for mainstay safety Jim Leonhard, the responsibility of the Jets cornerback corps to pick up the slack has been relentless.

The moment Leonhard, the quarterback of the entire defensive coverage team, hits the ground and fails to get back up, the Jets ability to maintain strong pass coverages against divisional opponents like the Patriots and cross-conference rivals like the Giants lies squarely on the shoulders of their cornerbacks and their individual performances.

For all the opportunities that have been afforded cornerback Kyle Wilson, he has simply failed to grab the brass ring. In his second season with the Jets, Wilson looks as if he has no better grasp of defensive concepts and alignments than he did on the first day of training camp and is consistently out of position.

His lack of on-field awareness dictates that he provides opposing receivers at least a 10-yard cushion in slot formations, allowing receivers like Wes Welker monster games and allowing tight ends to run wild down the field.

Wilson qualifies for this list not because of a lack of effort, as some others named here are guilty of, but because he just might be too small of a defensive fish in a gigantic pond.

5. Santonio Holmes

Ah, yes...America’s Most Wanted. I would feel safe in betting that when you opened this article, you assumed it would once again be ‘Tone Time at the top of the charts. It is probably even more preposterous to Jets fans that Holmes only sits at No. 7.

As the days and weeks go by, I believe the argument against the Jets keeping Santonio Holmes becomes more absurd by the moment. I would further argue, especially in the vein of this particular column, that Santonio Holmes might just be the one player on this list who is not, in reality, the least bit underrated. How can I make such an absurd, abominable claim following the rampant Holmes infection in 2011?

I say this because Santonio Holmes has turned out to be every bit the (player) everyone thought he would be. I say this because he has reverted into every bit the hemorrhaging locker room cancer everyone knew he was in Pittsburgh, and could very well be in New York.

His behavior, or lack thereof, last season was as transparent as a freshly squeegeed window; a momentary capturing of thoughts and minds within the New York Jets front office that would earn him the huge ATM deposit Holmes received before this season.

As soon as the ink dried on the check drawn by owner Woody Johnson, like a newly sealed deal with the devil himself, Holmes simply became the team-destroying monster he always has been, again. Overrated? Perhaps his game may be, but to say two years ago no one could have seen this coming? Santonio Holmes in 2011 is everything he was supposed to be, and more.

4. Plaxico Burress

To explain why I rank Plaxico Burress among the most overrated is a tricky task. I would tend to believe that not all too much was expected of him this year following his three-year hiatus from the game. I would suggest though that Burress' unplanned vacation might have cost him the skill set needed to remain an every down receiver for any team.

It was difficult to watch at times this season. As fresh young cornerbacks often appeared to have to wait for Burress to get off the line of scrimmage before engaging in coverage, it was blatantly obvious that in the realm of lost steps, Plaxico has lost several.

Still a viable red-zone target if for no other reason than his physical size and strength, Burress’ viability as a vertical weapon has nearly vanished due to his decreased speed and agility.  His 612 receiving yards in 2011 stand as the lowest season total he has posted in over a decade with the exception of a 2008 season shortened by suspension.

His eight touchdown receptions would be a welcomed addition to any team's passing statistics, but fail to give any expectation that he would be a threat anywhere on the football field outside the 20-yard line.

There are clearly more games behind Plaxico Burress than lay ahead, and it would be difficult to imagine Burress’ character relegated to a role as a bit player only used in short yardage situations, but beyond a conditional job like that I would hasten to say that Plaxico is put in a role he is not deserving of.

3. Dustin Keller

Dustin Keller in 2011 was a prototype for what not to do when given a golden opportunity. In the blink of an eye, the tight end position has quickly transformed from a bland run supporting, occasional short-yardage resource to a game-changing, premier position on the field because of the performances of ends like Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham and Jason Witten.

Add in the factor of an inconsistent quarterback that leaps at the first opportunity to make easy intermediate check-down passes, and you have perhaps the most advantageous scenario for a player to become a superstar on offense.

Yet Dustin Keller, in spite of the most ideal of all conditions for success, continues to spend the vast majority of his career hovering right above mediocre.  

I will give him major credit for his style, as there may be no more blooper-reel quality gaffs than those provided by him.

It seemed on a daily basis that Keller was smacked upside the helmet by errant Mark Sanchez passes while crossing the middle of the field at times when it was clear he should have understood the distinct possibility that a pass could be coming his way.

Like Sanchez, Keller shows the occasional glimpse of greatness that causes Jets fans and coaches alike to stand in their belief that there is true potential in him. In the two seasons together before 2011, the Keller-Sanchez connection served as a security blanket the young quarterback needed in order to gain confidence throwing the football downfield. Not so coincidentally, as Sanchez regressed in 2011, so did his connection with Keller.

If the Jets intend to stay the course with their current quarterback situation, it is imperative that Dustin Keller does everything in his power to fight his way off of this list, immediately.

2. Antonio Cromartie

Some could argue that listing Antonio Cromartie among the most overrated Jets is only justifiable because of his cross-field counterpart. It is easy for onlookers to notice your deficiencies as a football player when the teammate filling the same position on the other hash mark is one of the best the game has ever seen.

My motivation for listing Cromartie here is similar to many others on this list, all in severe debt to the proverbial checks his mouth wrote in the weeks leading up to the 2011 season.

As a quick lesson in contemporary Jets history, Cromartie was brought back into the Jets fold from free-agent purgatory simply as the best second option available after prized free agent Nnamdi Asomugha opted to fly east to Philadelphia.

Almost immediately after signing his second contract as a New York Jet, Cromartie vowed to play this season with a renewed attitude and a chip on his shoulder that would return him to elite status among cornerbacks in the league.

What Cromartie, the 2011 Jets, and many other media-starved professional athletes never seem to understand, is that the bar for expectation raises drastically when an athlete goes out of their way to guarantee greatness. Cromartie’s play following that declaration of dominance failed miserably to live up to these expectations.

Although he managed to swipe four interceptions away from opposing quarterbacks this season, second-best to his amazing 10-interception tally in 2007, Cromartie was regularly targeted and was often badly out of position.

When he did use proper technique, leverage and body control, Cromartie still failed to capitalize on several potential game-changing interceptions throughout the year, dropping many more than he caught.

If his play in 2011 is an example of how he performs with a chip on his shoulder, I shudder to think what it will look like when he takes a play off.

1. Bart Scott

The once feared, self-decorated “Madbacker” earns top honors on this list solely based on his rise to infamy as undisputed captain of the Jets all-bluster team. A figment of a Baltimore Ravens generation long passed, Scott was able to pawn his limited role in the legendary Ravens defense of the previous decade for a sizable six-year deal with the Jets.

Scott has been deeply fortunate insofar that the head coach during his stint in Metropolis has been obsessed with hiring any player who has ever, at any point in their career, took to an NFL football field with a giant B anywhere on their helmet.

Even the quickest glance at Scott’s productivity since donning the hunter and white proves that Scott has fallen well short of earning his New York cash grab, posting his worst statistical season since 2004, a season in which Scott failed to earn a starting spot on the Baltimore depth chart.

Any Jets fan who had the odd timing of seeing one of Scott’s 4.5 sacks this season knows that these rare achievements fell well short of the highlight reel, unimpressive at best. His 53 tackles this past season “helped” Scott earn an inauspicious 104th ranking league-wide in tackling.

All arithmetic aside, Scott rises above the other players among this list because of his inherent ability to promote himself and his talent well above his actual performances. Well beyond his woeful 2011 campaign, Scott seems to exhibit double the energy flying to the lifted hand of reporters after games, than he ever does flying to the football during the game.

Bart Scott has become the walking and definitely talking embodiment of everything that has steered the Rex Ryan led Jets wayward. If this organization intends on truly making amends for their recent meltdown, one could easily start with the departure of No. 57.