New York Jets: 5 Offseason Moves the Jets Need to Make Going into 2012

The New York Jet's ended the 2011 season with an ugly collapse, both on the field and in the locker room.

On the field, the Jets lost their final three games by a combined 93-50 point total.  In those three games quarterback Mark Sanchez has played below average, throwing five touchdowns and seven interceptions with an atrocious quarterback rating of 62.5. 

Off the field, the Jet's locker room has imploded, based on a complete lack of leadership and discipline from their head coach Rex Ryan, trickling all the way down to captain Santonio Holmes. 

It goes without saying that the Jets' 2011 season was a huge disappointment, and their 2012 season will be just as disappointing if they don't make some necessary moves this offseason. 

Here are five moves that the Jets must make if they want to contend for a playoff spot in 2012.  

Release Running Back LaDainian Tomlinson

LaDainian Tomlinson is a future Hall of Fame running back, holding NFL records for most single-season rushing touchdowns (28), most games in a season with 200-plus yards per scrimmage (five) and most three-plus rushing touchdown games in a career (12).  

That LaDainian Tomlinson though is the Chargers' version, not the version that the New York Jets have, and that's why they need to let him go. 

Tomlinson's career is on the decline, which is evidenced by the fact that he hasn't recorded a 1,000-yard rushing year since he left the West coast.  In 2011, Tomlinson recorded 280 yards and one touchdown on 75 carries, for a weak average of 3.7 yards per carry.  

Tomlinson's production in the receiving game hasn't declined nearly as much, with 42 receptions for 449 yards and two touchdowns, but that isn't the kind of running back the Jets need.

The Jets need to focus the majority of the workload at the running back position to third-year running back Shonn Green, who rushed for 1,054 yards and six touchdowns on 253 carries.

Every carry Tomlinson gets, takes a carry away from Green, which is movement in the wrong direction.  It's time for the Jets to release Tomlinson; it's a move the Jets undoubtedly have to make.       

Trade Wide Receiver Santonio Holmes

I don't care how successful Santonio Holmes is on the field, the fact that he "quit" on the team in their regular-season finale is reason enough to cut ties with him immediately.  

In addition to the fact that it appeared he "quit" on his team, other players on the Jet's roster are calling Holmes a "cancer," and comparing his behavior to that of a 10-year-old child.  It's clear that no one in the locker room respects Holmes, who was a coaches-picked captain this year, and that's a perfect reason to get rid of him.

In 16 games played in 2011, four more than last year, Holmes' production declined, accounting for 654 yards and eight touchdowns on 51 receptions.  That production isn't terrible, but it's undoubtedly replaceable, especially with the 16th overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.  

What Holmes lacks in maturity is more important than what he brings to the Jets on the field, and now would be the time for the Jets to cut ties with him because they could potentially trade him for a fifth or sixth-round draft pick this year.   

Release Inside Linebacker Bart Scott

Bart Scott signed a six-year, $48 million contract in 2009 that reunited him with Rex Ryan, who was his defensive coordinator in Baltimore, and ever since he signed that contract, his production has declined.  

In 2011, Scott accounted for 66 tackles, 4.5 sacks and one forced fumble.  Bart Scott's tackle production in 2011 is his worst production in the past seven years.  

I know Jets fans think Scott is valuable on the roster because of his leadership and experience, but with the young talent that the Jets have at the linebacker position with Nick Bellore and Josh Mauga, it's undoubtedly time to let Scott go.

Bart Scott will find his way onto another NFL roster, but all that matters for the Jets is that they get rid of him as soon as they can, because his abrupt personality is only holding the Jets' defensive unit back.  

NBCsports.com reports that the Jets are all but ready to release Bart Scott as soon as they can, and that's a very smart move for the Jets.   

Trade Quarterback Mark Sanchez

What would you do if you had a quarterback that had the 11th-lowest total quarterback rating (78.2) in the NFL, threw the fifth-most interceptions (18) and had the seventh-lowest completion percentage in the NFL (56.7 percent)?  

If the decision was mine to make, I would trade him away, especially with the talent in the upcoming NFL draft, and if I couldn't do that, I would bury him on the depth chart.

The Jets need to do one of those two things with quarterback Mark Sanchez because he has proven nothing more than the fact that he's a subpar quarterback who can't win games as the foundational piece of an offensive unit.  

Sanchez, time and time again, falters under pressure, as evidenced by his atrocious 47.7 percent completion percentage when the Jets are within seven points in the fourth quarter.

The Jets need a veteran quarterback who can command leadership in the huddle, something that Mark Sanchez has yet to prove he can do.  Until the Jets are able to have a leader at the quarterback position in the huddle, they won't be able to take their talent to the next level.  

The Jets would benefit from signing a quarterback like Kyle Orton and trading Sanchez before the NFL draft, in hopes of moving up in the draft to grab an elite talent.

Mark Sanchez was overhyped and overrated coming out of college, and I fear that the Jets have already seen the best Sanchez has to offer, which will never be enough to get them to that "next level."  

Fire Head Coach Rex Ryan

Above all, the New York Jets need to get rid of head coach Rex Ryan.  

Ryan proved this year that his best days are behind him, and he lacks control and leadership with the players on his roster, as evidenced by the falling out between Santonio Holmes, Mark Sanchez and every other player on the Jets roster.

It's safe to say that Rex Ryan has lost control of the New York Jets.  He couldn't rally his team to win one of their final three games with a playoff appearance on the line.   He couldn't figure out why Santonio Holmes wasn't on the field against the Dolphins in the final minutes of their regular-season finale, and most importantly, he promised a Super Bowl appearance and didn't even come close.

Rex Ryan isn't a bad coach, but he isn't a good fit for a New York Jets team that lacks any sense of maturity and leadership and desperately needs structure and discipline from the head coach and the coaching staff.  

It appears that the Jet's front office believes offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is the problem, not Rex Ryan.  

If the Jets fire Brian Schottenheimer, it won't matter who they replace him with because Rex Ryan will still be the same immature and undisciplined head coach he is today.

Start fresh New York, get rid of your real problem—head coach Rex Ryan.