Jets Set to Rely on Youngsters in Passing Game

Last year the Jets failed to make the playoffs after starting the season 8-3. Head coach Eric Mangini was axed, and Rex Ryan, former defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, was brought in to turn things around.

Ryan’s Jets made major changes during the offseason. They added a number of talented defensive players through free agency and used their draft picks to bring in some big-name offensive talent.  

Yet as training camp begins, the Jets still have some major questions to answer about who will start on the offensive side of the ball. 

Wide Receiver

The Jets' most glaring hole is at the wideout position. During the offseason the Jets and Laveranues Coles parted ways, leaving the team with no proven threat to line up opposite Jerricho Cotchery.

The top candidates to take Coles’ spot are the highly inexperienced Chansi Stuckey, David Clowney, and former Missouri quarterback turned wideout Brad Smith.

Stuckey caught a reasonable 32 balls for 359 yards with three touchdowns last season but did the bulk of his damage in the beginning of the season.

Clowney had a great start in preseason, displaying his speed and athleticism in a 163-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Cleveland Browns, but due to injury missed the majority of the season and was limited to one reception.

Smith has seen a fair share of action since being drafted by the Jets in the fourth round in 2006 and has even been able to show flashes of his big play potential, but he has yet to solidify himself a permanent spot in the Jets lineup.

As for their go-to guy Cotchery, he will simply need step his game up in 2009. He is no longer the team’s second threat. He will consistently draw the opposing team’s top corner, and it will be his job to draw coverage away from the team’s less experienced players. He must improve on his numbers—71 receptions, 858 yards, and five touchdowns will not cut it in 2009 if the Jets want to make a serious run at the playoffs. 

All in all, the Jets' receiving corps is shaky, to say the least. They lack a legitimate No. 1 receiver and have players who would not cut it as a No. 3 wideout on other teams competing for the team’s No. 2 spot. This could spell trouble for the Jets as they try to make a young QB comfortable and compete in a division where almost all the teams are designed to stop the run.

There have been rumors of the Jets trying to make a trade for Anquan Boldin or Braylon Edwards, but these scenarios seem unlikely. The same goes for outlaws Plaxico Burress and Matt Jones. For now the Jets need a number of players to step up and help out whomever earns the QB spot.

Quarterback

The Jets were left with a gaping hole at quarterback when “The Ol’ Gunslinger” Brett Favre ran out of town after one season. The Jets believe they filled it when they drafted Mark Sanchez as their QB of the future. He has quickly become the new face of the franchise, impressing coaches and teammates with both his skills and his work ethic.

As we all know, that does not mean he will be productive in his first season or that he will even be the team’s starter come opening day. As of now, my guess would be that Sanchez will be the starter, but the job might actually end up going to the former Jets QB of the future, Kellen Clemens.

Clemens has had a disappointing and uneventful career since being drafted in the second round of the 2006 draft and has yet to win the starting gig in three years with the team. When he got the chance to start, the team went 3-5, and the offense looked mediocre at best.

In his defense, he started on an awful 2007 Jets team that went 4-12. It will be interesting to see how he fares with a much-improved offensive line and running game.

The AFC East is filled from top to bottom with defenses that are designed to stop the run. This will put a heavy burden on the shoulders of a young QB to get the job done when tested. He must force defenses to drop back in coverage and fear their aerial attack.

Head coach Rex Ryan has yet to name his starter, but either way the Jets will be starting an inexperienced QB on a team with playoff aspirations. While the combination worked for Ryan, the Ravens, and Joe Flacco last year, it may not be as successful in New York.

Early on in the season, teams will not respect the Jets' passing game in the same way that they did when the team had Favre and Coles. The Jets must make teams pay for leaving players in single coverage.

Still, expect the Jets QB to hand off the ball, attempt to minimize turnovers, and throw the deep ball when necessary. The task should be made easier because the team has an extremely formidable offensive line, a dominant group of running backs, and a dynamic pass-catching tight end.

Tight End

TE Dustin Keller proved he was worth the draft pick in his rookie campaign. The former Purdue Boilermaker notched 48 receptions for 535 yards with three touchdowns while becoming one of the Jets' top receiving options.

So what’s the problem? There may not be any, but critics have knocked Keller for his inability to block and the Jets for their lack of depth at the position. As it stands now, Bubba Franks is the No. 2 tight end, and Ryan has publicly stated he is excited to have Franks as a “blocking tight end,” although that has never truly been his role.

If Keller doesn’t evolve as a blocker and Franks is not what Ryan hopes, the Jets could be in trouble protecting Sanchez or Clemens and creating space for their talented trio of running backs. The Jets recently signed TE Martez Milner off waivers, signaling the need for more depth at the position.

This is a position that Jet fans should not get too worried about. Keller should be able to improve his blocking this offseason and Ryan believes he has his No. 2 man in Franks. While there is a lack of depth at the position, the team made the right decision in addressing other needs first.

Defense

On defense the Jets should be solid, with great starters all around. There may be small worries about depth at a few positions, as they traded away safety Abram Elam and defensive end Kenyon Coleman in the Mark Sanchez deal. 

The only position that lacks a clear-cut starter is cornerback.

Cornerback

For the past two years the starting spot across from second year Pro Bowl corner Darrelle Revis has been a black hole. The Jets have tried a number of players but have yet to find success with any.

Jets former 2005 second round draft pick Justin Miller never lived up to expectations before injuring himself. Last year’s fourth round selection Dwight Lowery showed promise in the beginning of the season, but he may have been rushed into the starting role too quickly.

Other notables such as Ty Law and Hank Poteat also failed to solidify themselves as a viable option week in and week out.

This year the Jets traded for disgruntled cornerback Lito Sheppard, who was benched by the Eagles last season. If he can avoid injury and return to his 2006 form, when he had six interceptions and 30 tackles, this could quickly turn from a weakness into one of the team’s best strengths. If he can’t make the turnaround, the Jets may be back to their usual carousel of cornerbacks, waiting to find one that fits.

This should not be a worry for the Jets. Their secondary, which consists of Revis and safeties Kerry Rhodes and the newly acquired Jim Leonhard, should do well enough to cover for any small inadequacy at the other corner spot.

Pass Rushing

The only other real apparent hole in the starting lineup is not necessarily at a position, but in a need. With Rex Ryan at the helm, Jets fans can expect a fast defense that will blitz a lot, but who will be the man totaling up the sacks?

Can Ryan find a way to get last year’s sixth overall pick, Vernon Gholston, to put consistent pressure on the opposing team’s QB? More importantly, how does he plan to get him on the field for enough snaps to be effective?

DE Shaun Ellis, who has been with the Jets since 2000, led the team with eight sacks last year, and the team actually finished seventh in the league with 41 sacks. The problem: The team only had 14 sacks in the second half of the season.

While there is no one dominant pass rusher on the team, expect the Jets to bring anyone and everyone at the opposing team’s quarterback. The team is blessed with tons of speed, and Ryan should be able to find a way to have the Jets defense looking as good, if not better than the team in the first half of last season.

Overall, Jets fans should be very excited to see this defense work. There are a few small position holes, but the team's starters look extremely solid.

The offense may not have the same type of elite talent all around, but it should not need to be as spectacular and won’t need Sanchez, Clemens, or any of the other young guys to take on the persona of savior that was thrust upon the Ol’ Gunslinger last season.