New York Jets: How Plaxico Burress Will Fix the Red Zone Problems Right Away

Last night's 20-16 loss to the Houston Texans showed once again how bad the New York Jets' red zone offense really is.

The first-team offense didn't play much, but Mark Sanchez and company did manage to move the ball down field on the first drive. However, a missed blocking assignment by tight end Matthew Mulligan led to a sack, and the drive ended with a field goal. The Jets only managed to record negative-one net yards on three plays, causing more concern for the team's poor red zone offense.

According to Teamrankings.com, the Jets held a 44.26 scoring percentage in the red zone last season, which ranked them last in the AFC and 28th in the NFL. In the AFC Championship game last season, New York failed to score from the Steelers three-yard line, which was one of the many faults in their loss to Pittsburgh.

In an attempt to fix the problem, Rex Ryan brought in former Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore to be a consultant, but Moore can't perform on the field. The answer is Plaxico Burress, and he's more then just a big receiver.

Granted, at 6'5" and 232 pounds, Burress is one of the biggest receivers in the game today. He is taller then every corner back in the league by two inches, which gives him an advantage over most teams. He also towers over the team's other leading receivers, with Derrick Mason (5'10), Santonio Holmes (5'11") and Dustin Keller (6'2") being significantly shorter then Burress. However, height doesn't solve everything.

The key here is his talent in the red zone. Burress has caught 55 touchdown passes in his 10-year career, and 29 of them have been within the 20-yard line. Most importantly, Burress has caught five touchdown passes in the red zone in the playoffs—including a game-winning, 13-yard touchdown reception against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

Percentage wise, Burress has made teams better in the red zone as well. For example, the New York Giants had a red zone scoring percentage of 46 percent in 2005 with Burress, according to Teamrankings.com. That number increased to 53 percent in 2006 and 55 percent in 2007—the year the Giants won the Super Bowl and the final full season Burress played for Big Blue.

Granted, the Jets offense depends a lot on the play-calling of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and the performance of quarterback Mark Sanchez. But the addition of Plaxico Burress will at least improve, if not completely repair, the Jets awful red zone offense.

Burress is expected to return to practice Wednesday and play against the Bengals this weekend in the team's second preseason game. If the ankle heals properly, expect Burress to make an impact right away.

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