6 Players Besides Tim Tebow Who Deserve Spotlight in New York Jets' Offseason

One of the main problems with the New York Jets organization is that all the wrong people are in the spotlight.  

The players talked about the most this offseason have been Santonio Holmes, Antonio Cromartie, Mark Sanchez, Wayne Hunter and now Tim Tebow.

If you judged by the tabloid headlines, you'd think those were the only players on the team.

What makes that even more incredulous is that despite what the media wants you to think, the Jets have their fair share of Pro Bowl-level players who are also class acts off the field and leaders in the locker room.

Those kind of players don't sell newspapers, though.

While the spotlight has been focused directly on Tebow this past week (and will be for the foreseeable future), there are a number of Jets who deserve the spotlight much more because of either their performances on the field or because the Jets are relying on their development.

Darrelle Revis

If there's one player on the Jets who deserves a perpetual spotlight, it's Darrelle Revis.

Not only is Revis a sublime talent who is on the fast track to Canton, but he is also a class act.

The only time Revis has been mentioned this offseason was when he was named as the Jets' representative in the contest to determine who will be on the cover of Madden 2013.

The amazing thing about Revis is that he could go down as one of the top three players to ever wear a Jets uniform, but from February through July, you never hear a word about him—contract situations notwithstanding.

He isn't very active in social media and generally refuses to comment about anything regarding the team.

It actually is incredible that the best player on the roster has never been thrust into the offseason controversy surrounding Santonio Holmes and the circus that is Tim Tebow.

Revis just keeps to himself in the offseason, training on his own or with younger teammates.

Nick Mangold

Like Darrelle Revis, Nick Mangold is one of the best players in the game and generally stays out of the limelight. While Mangold's anonymity has a lot to do with the fact that he plays center, when a player is as good as Mangold, that shouldn't be the case.

Mangold has been a Pro Bowl player in each of the past four seasons and has received multiple All-Pro honors during his six-year career.

Unlike Revis ,who hasn't surfaced during any of the Jets' offseason commotion, Mangold at least spoke up when stories about locker room discord arose.  Mangold, like some other Jets, came to the defense of Sanchez in radio interviews and through social media.

The main difference between Mangold and the other Jets who defended Sanchez is that Mangold's words carry more weight than anyone's on the team.

After that, though, Mangold has been invisible this offseason.  

The Jets are painted as a circus of a franchise who will do anything for attention or to make a buck.  Part of that perception is that the two players on the team who are elite talents are never in the spotlight.

Mangold should be one of those players being talked about for his performance on the field and for his leadership in the organization.

David Harris

If Darrelle Revis, Nick Mangold and David Harris were the Jets in the spotlight instead of Santonio Holmes and Rex Ryan, the perception about the Jets franchise might be completely different.

Like Revis and Mangold, Harris performs at a high level and is a class act off the field.

Harris is entering his sixth season and again enjoyed a borderline Pro Bowl year in 2011.  While his tackling numbers were down, Harris was more active in all phases of the game.  He registered five sacks, deflected eight passes and had four interceptions and a touchdown.

As the Jets move forward in 2012, it would behoove the franchise if Harris, along with Revis and Mangold, became more visible in the spotlight.  

Ryan has already said he will tone down his act and his predictions, but if the Jets really wanted to revamp their image, getting Harris in the spotlight would go a long way in accomplishing that.

Brandon Moore

Brandon Moore might be the most underrated player on the Jets and his time has come to step into the spotlight.

During a year when Mark Sanchez was seemingly running for his life every time he dropped back to pass, Moore incredibly did not allow a sack all year.  In fact, profootballfocus.com reported Moore didn't even allow Sanchez to be hit during the entire season.

Moore was the only guard NFL to have started every game who can claim that perfect record.

While he is not great as a run-blocker, his record protecting Sanchez deserves to be talked about.

Moore just completed his ninth season in the NFL and was named to his first Pro Bowl, but even that was something that flew under the radar.  Moore was only named to the squad once Patriots guard Brian Waters had to back out because he was in the Super Bowl.

Moore had hip surgery before last season but maintained his streak of 121 consecutive games started, an NFL-high among guards.

The talk of the Jets line this offseason has centered around Wayne Hunter and his unfortunate retention on the roster and Matt Slauson's extensive shoulder surgery.

It's about time Moore got some of that spotlight for the fine career he has had in the green and white.

Kyle Wilson

While the first four slides feature players who deserve to be in the spotlight because of their performance on the field, the next two players should be talked about because their development is key to the Jets success.

First up is Kyle Wilson.

While it is fashionable to give the spotlight to Mark Sanchez/Santonio Holmes relationship, the offensive line and of course Tim Tebow, the Jets success does not depend just on those factors.

Wilson showed improvement last season at times, but still did not resemble the player people were saying the Jets "stole" in the 201 NFL draft.

There have already been whispers about Antonio Cromartie making a shift to safety and inserting Wilson as a starting cornerback.  However, if Wilson hasn't improved, that move would be impossible to make.

Some of that talk has been allayed by the signing of Laron Landry, but Landry is not necessarily known for his durability.  If Landry goes down and the Jets don't have any viable options at safety, Cromartie may just have to make that move, and Wilson better be ready.

Patrick Turner

It's tough to say someone with 10 career catches deserves any kind of spotlight, but in Patrick Turner's case, people should be paying more attention to him.

Turner's development isn't key to the Jets' success on the field, but if he is able to become a competent NFL wide receiver, he will add much-needed depth to a receiving corps desperate for production.

Turner is a big target at 6'5", 220 pounds and was a teammate of Sanchez's at USC.  

If Turner develops into any kind of threat, the potential is there for him to team with Chaz Schilens (6'4", 225) to give Sanchez two big red-zone targets to replace the departed Plaxico Burress.

If the Jets draft a receiver high, Turner's development isn't essential to the Jets' success.  However, if Turner improves and the Jets hit on a productive receiver in the draft, their receiving corps may become a strength of the team.