good writeup on the jets for 09 madden

http://maddenlist.com/2008/07/15/3232-new-york-jets/


The New York Jets are next up in our 32 teams in 32 days. The Jets fell off last year from their 2006 playoff appearance, finishing a lowly 4-12. However, the Jets have been very busy this offseason and while it will still be some time before we know if the acquisitions will pay off on the real gridiron, the Jets will be one of the most improved teams in Madden.

OFFENSE: The Jets are yet another team in which users will need to make a choice on which signal caller to use. Chad Pennington (81 OVR) and Kellen Clemens (77 OVR) provide players with two different styles of play. Pennington is the more accurate (94), more aware (72) choice. However, he has an extremely weak arm coming in at just an 82 throwing power which will make it really difficult to throw the ball deep down the field. If you plan on using Pennington, you?re going to want to stick to the short to medium range passing game and avoiding forcing throws in tight spaces as Chad doesn?t have the arm strength to squeeze it in there. The likely more popular choice among most Madden ballers will be Kellen Clemens. Clemens has the arm strength (93 THP) that most users look for and also offers a little bit more mobility than the dirt slow Pennington. Clemens is a little low on the accuracy side (82), so it will certainly help if the user has some manual catching skills to go after inaccurate passes.

The most improved area of the Jets offense will come in the offensive line. The additions of Alan Faneca (95 OVR) and Damien Woody (88 OVR) provide the Jets with some nice upgrades up front and give them a very solid offensive line that should help out the Jets major addition from last year, RB Thomas Jones. The lowest rated starting OL is last years first round pick D?Brickashaw Ferguson coming in at 84 overall. If he can improve in his second year, the Jets could end up with one of the best left sides in the game.

Running back depth will also be a strength of the Jets offense this year. They have 3 running backs above 80 overall in Thomas Jones (88), Leon Washington (82), and Jesse Chatman (80). Jones is more of a power back with 90?s in both trucking and stiff arm. Washington is the fastest of the bunch with 94 speed and a 93 elusiveness. Chatman is the best receiver with a 76 catch rating and also has good speed (92) and trucking (86) ratings. All 3 have the ability to be solid players and really give you a chance to have fresh legs at RB at all times for those with run heavy offenses.

In the passing game, the Jets have some good options to throw too. Laveranues Coles (89 OVR) and Jerricho Cotchery (88 OVR) will be your primary targets. Coles is a burner with 97 speed and gives you the ability to beat the defense with the deep ball. Both wide outs have 90+ ratings in both catching and catch in traffic, so you shouldn?t see too many dropped balls, even after a big hit. Courtesy of this years draft, the Jets now have one of the better weapons at TE in Madden. Dustin Keller is a big, speedy TE that can also get up and grab the jump balls. He?ll provide the Jets with a legitimate third option that can be a real mismatch for most linebackers and safeties he?ll get matched up with.

While the Jets don?t have any real ?stars? on the offensive side of the ball, they have solid players at every position and definitely have enough to put some points on the board. The biggest variable will no doubt be the QB position. Which QB you decide to go with will likely play a big part in deciding how to run your offense.

DEFENSE: While the offense certainly was able to get better through the Jets off-season additions, the defense is where they will see the biggest upgrades. The front 7 will see 3 new starters with DT Kris Jenkins (92 OVR), OLB Calvin Pace (87 OVR), and rookie OLB Vernon Gholston (82 OVR). Jenkins really solidifies the Jets defensive line and should pay dividends against the run and the new OLB pair of Pace and Gholston should help Jets users put the opposing QB on his back. At 82 overall, Gholston will be the lowest rated starter in the Jets front 7, but his high marks in speed, acceleration, and strength should help him to play well above his overall rating. In the middle, second year player David Harris comes in with a 90 overall rating after a very good rookie campaign. Next to him will line-up Eric Barton (85 OVR). Barton is the slowest of the Jets starting linebackers, but has solid ratings in awareness (86), block shedding (89), and play recognition (86) which should help him be good against the run. You will certainly want to run the 3-4 when using this team in order to keep your best players on the field.

You will need to use the Jets good front 7 in order to protect what is a fairly weak secondary. The Jets do have one of the best safeties in the game in Kerry Rhodes (96 OVR) and a very good corner in Darrelle Revis (88 OVR), but after that it gets pretty shaky. The next highest rated defensive back is only a 79 overall and there really aren?t any diamonds in the rough that should play significantly above their overall rating. Those who like to manually control the FS won?t have a lot to work with as start Abram Elam doesn?t have great ratings in any of the major areas. A player will good manual skills can really help out in pass coverage and somewhat combat the poor ratings.

MOST OVERRATED PLAYER: DT Kris Jenkins (92 OVR)

After missing the majority of the ?04 and ?05 seasons due to injury, his past two seasons haven?t been up to par with his performance prior to the injuries. While he hasn?t necessarily been bad the past 2 years, its hard to say he?s still among the games elite at his position and should be rated below a 90 overall.

BIGGEST OVERACHIEVER: OLB Vernon Gholston (82 OVR)

While he?s the highest rated rookie at his position, he should be able to perform well above his 82 overall rating. As mentioned in the defensive section, he has very good ratings in speed (85), acceleration (92), and strength (87). He also has solid marks in power and finesse moves, as well as block shedding. Gholston should have no problem getting to the QB.

 

We should be formidable vs. the run. The secondary is just nasty right now. In franchise I'm not sure what I will do....maybe trade for some help.

 

I was thinking more in terms of Safety. I actually realize that Lowery will get burnt (alot) but looking at his stats he should get some ints over the course of the season, which will help his progression immensely.

There isn't a safety on the team I really want over the long haul (excluding Rhodes of course)....so either ride out the season or trade for one...hmm.