Didn't see this posted. Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=yasinskas_pat&id=3286102 The New York Giants won the Super Bowl. The New York Jets are trying to buy one. The Jets must have brought in consultants because it appears they believe Lombardi Trophies cost about $140 million in new contract money. That number's going to keep growing because the Jets are still going to sign role players and their draft picks. Oh, and if they bring in a proven quarterback with a big arm (which they currently lack), the number could get a lot closer to $200 million in new contracts. So far, the Jets have signed offensive lineman Alan Faneca (to what was at first a team record in free agency). Then they traded a couple of draft picks to Carolina for disgruntled defensive tackle Kris Jenkins and handed him a big new contract. Then they quickly turned around and signed offensive tackle Damien Woody and linebacker Calvin Pace (who got a bigger deal than Faneca). [+] EnlargeChris Gardner/US Presswire Determined to improve their run game, the Jets threw a lot of cash at Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca. So what do the Jets have that they didn't during last year's 4-12 season? They have a much bigger (and that's a point to keep an eye on) nose tackle in their 3-4 defense in Jenkins, whose weight has ballooned from 330 to close to 400 through much of his career. The Jets thought Dewayne Robertson, the undersized tackle Jenkins will replace, would be gone by now. But a potential trade to Cincinnati fell apart. The Jets will continue to shop Robertson, but they'll be lucky to get a late-round pick for him. It's now looking possible that Robertson could stick around. But that would be awkward because he'll clearly be a backup. Releasing Robertson is another option. Trading for Jenkins and giving him a new contract that includes $11 million in guaranteed money is a bit of a gamble. But it looks as though the Jets have the odds in their favor. Early in his career, Jenkins was talked about as the best defensive tackle in the league, a new breed who could stuff the running game and rush the passer. But Jenkins had injury problems that kept him out for most of 2004 and 2005. During his comeback, Jenkins admitted to problems with alcohol and his weight, and said he may have suffered from depression. Jenkins cut way back on his alcohol consumption, tried to take better care of himself and was at least somewhat happy part of the time. But Jenkins, who can be a little moody, wasn't happy that Carolina wasn't stepping up to give him a new contract. He tried to force his way out with a trade last year because he had grown disillusioned with certain members of the coaching staff for using politics to decide who got playing time. Jenkins, as bright and candid a player as there is in the league, stood out like a sore thumb in a Carolina system where coach John Fox demands that all his players (except for receiver Steve Smith) be robotic choirboys. Jenkins, who has some tastes that weren't popular in the Bible belt, was so anxious for a change of scenery that he put his suburban mansion on the market a year ago and moved into an apartment downtown so he could feel like he was in a city. When Jenkins learned he was going to New York, he was jubilant. That's a good start because a happy and focused Jenkins can be a dominant force and a Pro Bowler. Jenkins has even said he plans to take part in voluntary workouts, something he avoided in Carolina, which on doubt added to his weight problem. If Jenkins can keep his weight in the 350-360 range, he can be the player he once was and this move could be brilliant. But that's not the only move the Jets made to try to spice up their defense. They spent another fortune on Pace. Drafted in the first round by Arizona (2003) as a defensive end, Pace eventually moved to linebacker and it wasn't until last season that he really blossomed, recording 6? sacks. While the Jets are hoping they can get Jenkins back to his previous form, they're betting Pace can take a step forward and become a big producer well into the future. Those two moves alone could make the defensive side of the ball respectable. But the offense might have had even more problems last season than the defense. The Jets thought they would have a decent running game last year when they brought in running back Thomas Jones. Problem was Jones was running behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. [+] EnlargeAP Photo/Al Behrman Unless the Jets make a move, Chad Pennington is probably their best option at quarterback. That's why owner Woody Johnson, not usually known for being a big spender, paid huge money to get Faneca and Woody. The Jets have made it no secret they want to be able to run the ball, and the move in that direction wasn't limited to Woody and Faneca. The Jets also brought in new offensive line coach Bill Callahan, who has a reputation as a running game guru, and veteran fullback Tony Richardson, who was the lead blocker for Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, last season's offensive rookie of the year. We'd love to say all these moves will turn the Jets into an instant Super Bowl contender. But there are a few potential problems: First, there has been some griping by veteran players about the team giving big contracts to newcomers, while not taking care of incumbents who are coming up on new contracts. Sure, that brings the potential for dissension. But general manager Mike Tannenbaum might want to remind the malcontents that their contributions helped the Jets go 4-12 last season. Second, at least on paper, the Jets have fixed things to the point where they should be able to stop the run on defense and run the ball on offense. If Arkansas running back Darren McFadden somehow slips to No. 6 in the draft, they might be able to run it better than expected. All that's wonderful. But the Jets haven't done anything to fix a weak spot last year. At the most important position, they still have Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens. Unless the Jets have a trade up their sleeves or pull a stunner in the draft, either Pennington or Clemens will be their quarterback next season. Pennington's arm strength and durability have been questions throughout his career. Clemens didn't show much while getting an extended audition last season. With a better offensive line and running game, the more experienced Pennington might be functional. That might make the Jets respectable and could even get them to the playoffs. But they seemed to leave quarterback out of that big cart they pushed through their free-agency shopping spree. They spent a fortune on everything else, but didn't come up with even a bargain-basement quarterback to add to the mix. It might have been a fun shopping trip, but it's not enough to buy a Super Bowl. Pretty fair article. I for one loved the Jenkins move, especially with the weight clauses in the contract. At least he was pretty balanced, unlike those morons from Around the Horn. Blackistone and Marioitti in particular that just dismissed the Pace signing without giving any reasoning other then, "what are the Jets thinking."
I thought about posting this before, but decided against it. I've read this guys stuff a couple times before- I think hes basically ignorant and lazy. His article is ridiculous- His main points is that even if these "questionable" (He loves stressing the negatives with each player) moves that the Jets have made work out, they havent addressed their qb situation and will lose because of it. I guess he thinks its fair to already decide that Clemens is terrible- Even though Im sure hes never watched Clemens play- Also, what the hell is he talking about- Was Tom Brady available as a free agent and did the Jets pass him over in favor of Kellen Clemens? The whole article was a complete waste of time.
Let the arguments begin. Good article though. The Jenkins comments are pretty dead on. Don't worry about what they say on Around the Horn, they are all retards... Just look at the host.
It's not a pretty fair article, its a moronic article. His big point of contention appears to be that the Jets didn't address the quarterback position? What? Let's say that its true the quarterback was a dire need (which I disagree with but let's assume I agreed with it), who the hell was out there in free agency to land at the QB position? It says something when Rex Grossman, who wound up re-signing with the Bears, was considered by many to be the best available free agent quarterback heading into free agency. I mean, this article just doesn't make sense....
Ya "stink" as does make a point! As much as I'm bothered that writers keep trashing on the Jets for dropping a lot of money the reality is that they needed too and as Yasinkas clearly states it was a gamble. The questions is... was the gamble worth it? I think it was. When you look @ the free agents that were out there, I think we (the Jets) did the best we could. Yes, Yasinkas, it was a gamble. But if you want to win big you have to roll the dice!
Ummm, by improving the running game and the offensive line we are indirectly improving the quarterback position by giving them more thinks to work with and more time to throw.
Well, we are now waiting to see what the NYJ's moves are in the draft. Then we will be able to take a full view of the NYJ's personnel strategy. Personally, I think that the NYJ have a helluva lot more to work with from FA. I hope they do just as well in the draft.
This is the only article that I've seen that at least has some understanding that Jenkins and Faneca really address the Jets two biggest needs. All I've read is how the Jets overpayed on Faneca, without writers understanding how big his effect could potentially be on this team. Imho Prisco is a prick but its not just him.
I read every article with the intent to separate the meaningful stuff from the fluff and bullshit. This guy makes some good points but also seems to belabor the fact that we've spent so much money that we're trying "to buy" a SB. And as JetFighter says, just exactly which QB were we supposed to include in our F/A "shopping cart?" I think Tanny did a pretty good job of addressing needs to the point where we can now afford the luxury of going after BPA in the draft. It also wouldn't surprise me to see us take Joe Flacco to address our future QB need. I also think he's way off when he states, "Unless the Jets make a move, Chad Pennington is probably their best option at quarterback." I don't see Mangini starting Chad unless Clemens REALLY stinks up the field in TC and most of his preseason games. I'm not saying it's impossible for Chad to start, but it's going to be Clemens' job to lose IMO. DRAFT FLACCO!
THe idea that we're trying to buy a Super Bowl is ridiculous- Our core group of players- (The Majority of them anyway) Revis, Rhodes, Harris, Clemens, Mangold, Washington, Cotchery are all young and have all been acquired via the draft.
Don't forget Miller, Ferguson, Nugent and Chansi Stuckey. God, I hope Stuckey is healthy and ready to come back. That kid had great chemistry with Clemens before he went down.
The guy has a point though. I don't think he's trying to make the point that the Jets didn't get better with all of the moves that they made, he makes it clear he feels like they addressed their needs. I think his point is that without a good quarterback, you can't expect to make a run at the super bowl Now, granted, there wasn't a QB on the market that would drastically make the team better. However, I can't say I disagree with his skepticism regarding this team next year. Despite all these moves that *should* make this team better, you can't be confident in the quarterback position with Pennington and Clemens. At this point you know what you're going to get with Chad and while Clemens, if you feel like he has a lot more to show us (and you should), may have a higher ceiling, but he's a huge question mark. There's no evidence that the Jets are trying to buy a super bowl, but with Tannenbaum's cap knowledge and the players available, I think they did an excellent job in free agency. You can't say that they haven't done a good job in the draft either, so you have to believe they will bring in at least 2 solid players after April. Though I agree with most of you in the fact that there was no player that the Jets could have brought in through free agency that would fix he QB situation as the author suggests, however I have to agree with him in thinking that we're not going anywhere until we get some more solid answers at QB (be they currently on the roster or not).
The FA QB list was/is less then stellar. I'd rather roll the dice in the draft then bring in an unproven guy who's played so well that his team decided to let him to the highest bidder. QB is at best a question mark and at worst the biggest problem this team has heading into next season. Solidifying the OL gives whoever is behind it the best chance to succeed but it doesn't guarantee that they will.
I like ALL of the moves we've made so far - and (with these moves) I feel good about our QB situation. Again- Who Else was out there in free agency? I think Chad or Kellen will do well behind this line and we have a great shot now at the wild card slot. Given all of this , No we aren't Super Bowl ready and because of that we SHOULD NOT draft Mcfadden - stay the course - draft DEFENSE - and maybe 2009 we'll be ready!
What QB would have had a good season behind last year's Jets OL? We all saw how arguably the greatest QB of all time played in the SB when he didn't have time to find the open receiver. Plus, you cannot underestimate how much a poor running game hurts the passing game. I rather have a good OL with an average QB than the other way around.
Although a tad negative, I found the article pretty accurate. I don't agree with the "buying a Super Bowl" thing though. The Jets were 10-6 two seasons ago, due to the fact that they had arguably the easiest schedule in the NFL and the team overachieving. After the season, they acquired TJ and that was it. I am guessing they thought that the team did not need much more to play at that same level. I think after going 4-12 this past season, they realized that they were wrong. It was time to spend. Personally, I am glad to see the Jets being active in the free agent market. Don't get me wrong, some of the signings eerily remind me of some of the Yankees signings over the past 8 years or so. All I can do is hope that they didn't overpay for aging players with declining skills. As for rebuilding through the draft, we've been doing that all of my life and where has that left us? With the exception of the Tuna years, it has left us in a constant rebuilding stage. Yes, we did have some success in the late 90's-early 2000's. We never had enough talent though to take it to the next level (in one case, we just lacked a goddamn kicker who could make a field goal). Honestly, even though the FO changes, our talent evaluation needs some work. And yes, QB is a weak spot for us. There really wasn't anyone out there, with the exception of Derek Anderson, this year anyway. That is almost a moot point because he re-signed immediately with the Browns. I am not completely sold on Anderson anyway. I think Chad could actually be decent this year if we have a good ground game. Last year, in addition to the injuries, he had no help and was trying to do too much. I was high on Clemens, but he really looked lost last year. I know he had a bad line and no running game, but he looked awful. Maybe that experience will help him. Then again, maybe he's just not that good. Time will tell.
Why do people always blow the QB like he's the only significant player on the team? You're not going to find a very good QB if they're playing behind the O-line we had in '07.
Who says you can't draft a rookie QB that will take you where you want to go? Its been done, and by fixing the line a year later, that a big start. It all starts with the line. You just can't neglect the line, ever. The Coach learned this the hard way.
