New York Jets Will Be a Rumblin' and a Tumblin'...but Will it Be Enough?

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

I would like to start off by saying how much I love the Jets roster.  Line play, a run game, and defense can take a team quite far in the season. 

If you want an example, look at the Tennessee Titans last year.  They weren't flashy but they smashed and dashed their way to a league-best 13-3 record, including a stomping of the eventual Super Bowl champion Steelers.

The Jets have at least two of those qualities and quite possibly all three.  Their OL, one of the worst in football in 2007, has quickly become one of the strongest units in the NFL.  Signing future hall of famer Alan Faneca and steady vet Damien Woody gave some leadership to a line that was young and talented. 

This helped D'Brickishaw Ferguson to blossom in year three and Brandon Moore to become a legitimate starting guard.  The interior of Moore/Mangold/Faneca should be one of the best interiors in football, if not THE best, and a rock in Ferguson protecting the blindside makes for one damn good line.

With good line play, a powerful and balanced rushing attack will follow, as it did last year for the J-E-T-S.  Thomas Jones had the best season of his career, with 1,312 rush yards and a career high 13 touchdowns on a 4.5 yards per carry average. 

Unfortunately, Jones is starting to hit the age where he could fall off at any minute (and Jets fans know about that, considering the Curtis Martin story), so it was necessary to find some depth for Jones. 

The Jets did exactly that in getting the powerful Shonn Greene, winner of the Doak Walker award in 08 at Iowa and a third round pick for the Jets.  I like Greene to be a short yardage/injury insurance guy for Thomas Jones, but it's imperative the Jets find touches on offense for the EXPLOSIVE Leon Washington.

I personally would lighten his load on return duty to guarantee more touches offensively.  You cannot keep explosive talent like Leon Washington on the bench, getting only 76 carries in the year.  Either way, the Jets have three backs they can hit the defense with.

The defense looks promising as well.  Kris Jenkins transformed that Jets run defense at the nose, and Shaun Ellis is a rare 3-4 end capable of compiling sacks.  David Harris and free agent signing Bart Scott make up a strong set of inside linebackers.  Calvin Pace is a solid pass rusher on the outside, notching seven sacks in his first year as a Jet. 

Cornerback Darelle Revis played at an elite level last year, and Kerry Rhodes is one of the league's best at safety.  Jim Leonhard was brought over to man the SS spot, which allowed the Jets to move Abram Elam.

So the Jets have the roster to compete in the division... for second place, that is.  There are some flaws on this team, and they won't be covered up in one offseason. 

The quarterback position has some promising young talents in rookie top pick Mark Sanchez and Kellen Clemens, but expecting a rookie to hold the fort is a tough task and Clemens thus far has been underwhelming in action.

The Jets failed to acquire a receiver in the offseason, a crying need.  After Jerricho Cotchery (who's a No. 2 receiver on a team with weapons at the spot), there is a bunch of guys with little to no NFL resume. 

Who is going to man the No. 2 corner spot?  The Jets went out and traded for Lito Sheppard, but the former "Pro Bowler" (words used loosely) is an awful cover corner who made the Pro Bowl based on his playmaking.  The problem there is Sheppard gambles to make those plays, and outside of two years those gambles led to bad play.

The Jets simply are not powerful enough to top the New England Patriots, if Tom Brady can stay under center and pick up where he left off in 2007.  Brady is the league's best quarterback for my money, and the Brady to Moss and Brady to Welker connection was nearly unstoppable, especially when paired with a veteran offensive line.

I like the Jets defense and running backs better than the Patriots, but if you cannot score with the Patriots you cannot beat them.  I don't expect a repeat of 2007's 16-0 by the Pats, but I expect them to rise to the cream of the crop once again after a "down" 11-5 season.

However, Jets are in the mix with Miami and Buffalo.  Miami won the division last year, but they were sparked by a Wildcat scheme that hasn't been seen as an NFL offense since the old single-wing formation in the early stages of football. 

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