Alan Faneca, Moving the crowd

The NY Jets had a successful 2006 season that resulted in them being a playoff participant. The team didn’t build upon that success which resulted in a 2007 collapse. A huge part of the debacle can be traced back to NY Jets' management and their mistake of strong arming OLG Pete Kendall.

Kendall, the longtime veteran and locker room leader was after a very reasonable $1 million raise from his $1.7 million salary. Jets' management gave him a collective scowl, which was followed by his release.

He fit in nicely with the Washington Redskins and had a productive season. The  Jets had to settle for Adrian Clarke and Will Montgomery. What kept their running game a float was the emergence of undrafted free agent Brandon Moore who helped the team average 106.3 yards rushing per game.

Brandon Moore is a solid player who flies under the radar and seems to always go unnoticed. He is an underrated player that played defensive tackle in college. He went undrafted and worked hard to change positions and become a NFL starter at guard. Moore just seems to get better year after year.

The Jets appear to have learned their lesson and acquired one of the leagues' best in seven-time Pro Bowl OLG Alan Faneca to team with Brandon Moore.

The acquisition of Alan Faneca gives them a huge upgrade and solidifies the left side of their offensive line. It also places the Pittsburgh Steelers in the same position the Jets were in last year, scrambling to fill the hole at OLG.

Unlike the Jets, the Steelers have quality depth on the roster in fourth year veteran Chris Kemoeatu, a big man who can hopefully offset the loss and fill some big shoes.  

The Jets will now have the services of one of the leagues' best to help them move the crowd. They have also added RT Damian Woody to a now solid veteran offensive line.

The Jets will use training camp to develop team chemistry. These moves are significant, but as great as they are, don’t solve all of the offensive problems for the team.

The first order of business for the team is to decide on who will be the starting quarterback. It is a proven fact that a quarterback’s best friend is a good running game. The Jets' running game has now dramatically improved due to the offensive line additions. 

Thomas Jones has rushed for 1,000 + yards for two seasons in a row. In 2006 the year of the Bears' improbable Super Bowl run, Jones rushed for 1,210 on 296 attempts and six touchdowns in tandem with Cedric Benson.

Jones will be the starter in tandem with former Dolphin Jesse Chatman and Leon Washington primarily on third down. Having Alan Faneca on board and helping to move the crowd for the Jets doesn’t guarantee them a division title or a playoff run but what it does is point the team in the right direction.

Being able to run the ball will improve the Jets' offense and should place the offense in better down and distance situations. It should also help the Jets move the chains, and more importantly make more plays. The Jets lost seven games by seven points or fewer last season.

Upgrading the offensive line will dramatically improve the run game and is a sure way to receive immediate returns on the investments into several expensive free agents. The improved offensive line will help the Jets improve after ranking 19th rushing in the NFL.