The 2009 Season Preview For The New York Jets - Who Needs A Big Year?

Last year’s first-round draft pick had a season to forget. The outside linebacker barely saw the field amid questions regarding his commitment and desire to playing in the NFL.

Ryan must not only find a desire within Gholston but must also find a useful role for him within his defense. With fellow linebacker Calvin Pace suspended for the first four games, Gholston needs to find his feet and fast.

Ryan’s defense is going to be in your face and it’s going to be aggressive. That means that in the absence of Pace, a fierce pass rusher must be found. If Gholston can perform, he is the logical choice, but there have been no signs of this being the case.

The Jets ranked 29th in pass yards conceded last year and although the secondary has been upgraded, they also need to pressure the QB.

With the quarterback battle as yet unresolved, it is unclear who will be under center come the first game of the regular season against Houston.

The Jets gave up a lot to get Sanchez, and he will undoubtedly be the quarterback of tomorrow, but there is no guarantee he will be the quarterback of today.

Kellen Clemen’s first foray into the league was a disaster. But he will now be behind a far better offensive line and have two Pro-Bowl running backs for company.

The role of the rookie quarterback has been made all that more difficult this year by the explosive first seasons of Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan. If Sanchez gets anywhere near emulating their achievements, he will be considered an instant success.

The weapons are available for the chosen man, but with both players pushing each other very hard, there will be instant pressure to perform on whoever gets the nod.

There is a belief that Cotchery has been the number one receiver in all but name over the past two seasons. The statistics show that in ‘07 and ’08, he did have more receptions than Laveranues Coles.

With Coles swapping New York for Cincinnati, Cotchery is the now definitely the number one receiver. He racked up 858 yards last year from 71 receptions, accumulating 5 touchdowns. If this year is to be his breakout year, he will want an increase on all of those statistics.

It is clear he will be the go-to-guy for Sanchez or Clemens, and in a run-heavy offense he will be expected to provide a constant threat to stretch the field.

He does have a 1000-yard year to his name and a lot hinges on Cotchery posting similar numbers this term.

Last season was a brilliant one for Jones. He led the AFC in rushing yards and produced his most productive numbers with 15 touchdowns.

He will be encouraged by the return of the offensive line but the slingshot arm of Brett Favre is gone. This year the field will not be as stretched when faced with either Clemens or Sanchez, and Jones will find it more difficult without the deep threat of Favre.

However, the Jets will be running the football a lot and Jones must post some big numbers, particularly with Leon Washington desperate for more playing time. Iowa’s Shonne Greene was also drafted in the off-season to heap even more pressure on Jones.

Jones has now hit 32 and will be keen to show that he is not now in decline. The Jets have not offered him a new contract and obviously remain unconvinced.

Jones enters the new season on the back of four consecutive 1,000 yard seasons so there are encouraging signs that he can still produce even without the threat of Favre.

There are many strings to Leon Washington’s bow and the multi-talented running back is possibly the Jets’ most exciting offensive player.

Whether catching the ball out of the backfield, running back kick-off returns or just running it up the gut, there is a buzz about Washington.

Sadly his off-season has been overshadowed with contract issues. Undoubtedly underpaid, Washington deserves more than he wants but probably less than he’s asking for. Washington believes he’s on a par with Darren Sproles and Maurice Jones-Drew who have collected big pay cheques recently.

This year provides him with a stage to prove he does warrant such a hefty wage packet. Hopefully he will see more of the ball and continue to enthrall the fans.

Just behind Cotchery are a host of wide receivers just ready to breakout.

Throughout the draft and the off-season, the Jets were linked with a host of wide receivers including Anquan Boldin, Plexico Burress and Braylon Edwards. However no marquee signing came and the belief is that the deep threat that the Jets have been lacking for so long will come from within.

Clowney impressed last pre-season before injury reduced him to only one reception last season. The challenge for Clowney is to carry his pre-season form into September and beyond.

Brad Smith is something of an enigma. A scrambling quarterback in college, he has now converted into a wide receiver. Smith is a phenomenal athlete but can Ryan and the Jets nurture his physical attributes and turn him into a reliable receiver?

Stuckey is likely to be the second receiver behind Cotchery but he will need to produce the numbers to match the title. He had a solid season last year with 359 yards from 32 receptions and 3 touchdowns.

Allison is a recent addition to the team and not quite the renowned wide receiver that many Jets fans will have hoped for but he does offer more depth. Allison brings some experience to a youthful wide receiver core.

Rhodes has always remained on the periphery of greatness. He still remains behind the elite pool of safeties which includes Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed but the potential is there for him to join them.

The Jets have a strong secondary with additions Lito Sheppard and Jim Leonhard joining the magnificent Darrelle Revis and Rhodes will be expected to make big performances alongside them.

Rhodes has the confidence and the swagger which will epitomize Coach Ryan’s new defense. Every defense has a recognizable figure and Rhodes must stamp his authority on this one.

Ryan will give him the freedom to make big plays and Rhodes must reward him by executing them.

In a Raven’s defense which included Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs, Bart Scott may have faded into the background. In New York however, Scott will be the main man.

Scott is possibly Rex Ryan’s biggest off-season acquisition and he will be expected to be the lynch pin in the new aggressive defense. When Ryan came in, he signed Scott because he knows his style and his playbook. It will be up to Scott to replicate the plays and help the rest of the team adapt quickly.

Ryan will expect Scott to be a leader both on and off the field. On NFL’s Total Access, Rod Woodson recently named Bart Scott in his top five middle linebackers currently in the league, and he certainly knows a thing or two about what being a good defensive player entails.

Rex Ryan is no shrinking violet. He has lofty ambitions and believes this team can go all the way and he’s not afraid to tell anyone who will listen.

He will be working with most of the players who came so close to the post-season last season and he will be expected to build on this rather than tearing it up and starting from scratch.

Ryan’s defensive nous is unquestionable but how will he cope with the transition to head coach?

Ryan follows in the footsteps of his dad Buddy by coming to the Jets and if he emulates his achievements, he will enjoy god-like status at Meadowlands. Buddy was on the Jets' coaching staff that enjoyed Super Bowl success. Ironically, that was exactly 40 years ago.

He is inheriting a better team than most head coaches this year, so you can see where he gets his confidence from.

Once again the Patriots will be the team to beat in the AFC East and the Dolphins and Bills will also be pushing hard for a play-off berth.

Rex Ryan’s first season will be both interesting and exciting and the defense will be far more aggressive. It may take time for Mark Sanchez to settle into life in the NFL and for this reason alone, the Jets may just fall short of taking the conference title.

However, there is enough talent on both sides of the ball for the Jets to contend for a wild-card place and this explains the optimistic picture painted by Ryan and his team.