Don't know if this was posted yet didn't see it anywhere. I don't expect anyone to say anything good about the Jets I am used to it. I always just hold out hope that one day these people will be wrong. The life of a Jet fan. NFL 2009 Preseason Power Rankings -- The Dreadful Dozen By Lee Russakoff Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:24:53 GMT Every year I set out to do my preseason power rankings, I'm reminded of one over-arching theme: Preseason rankings are 100 percent subjective. That's the beauty of the NFL. You never know what's going to happen from one year to the next. Last year's cellar dweller very well could be making a run at the Super Bowl this year. It's virtually impossible to predict when some team is going to put it all together and have a diamond-ring LeVander Williams-inspired season. In fact, at this point it's not even surprising when it happens anymore. So if you find your squad in the Dreadful Dozen, fret not. At least one of these teams is guaranteed to jump up and make the playoffs. That's how this all works. Now that I've braced myself for your ire, I'm ready. Without further adieu: here's your Bottom 12. Stay tuned for the Tenable 10 on Wednesday and the Exemplary X on Thursday. Shuffle up and deal. The Dreadful Dozen 23. Cincinnati Bengals: Why there?s hope: Child please. Because it?s time to kiss the baby. Plus, Chris Henry is the next Randy Moss.? ?Hard Knocks? hype aside, the reason for hope is simple for Ocho, Marvin and Co.: These guys need to win now to save their jobs. It?s time for the defense to step up and stop people. Marvin Lewis was brought here as a defensive guru. It?s been six years. Time to defense or defect. Why there?s doubt: Offensively, this team has no shot without Carson Palmer. And No. 9 is already dinged up. Even if he is healthy ? there are so many question marks: Will Cedric Benson regress? Will Chris Henry stay out of trouble? Will Ochocinco maintain some semblance of sanity? Cincy is another hot pick this year, but team chemistry has held it back the past few years and I don?t see how that?s improved over the offseason. 24. New York Jets: Why there?s hope: It?s a new day for New York?s other team. Rex Ryan, Mark Sanchez and Bart Scott are in. Eric Mangini, Brett Favre and Mike Nugent are out. The key offensively will be the O-line. Will Thomas Jones, Leon Washington and rookie Shonn Greene be able to find holes this year? Last year?s early run was built on the back of the ground game, and if this team has any shot at a playoff run, it?s going to be based on pounding the ball inside yet again. A rookie QB and a dearth at WR depth puts a ton of pressure on Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller to perform. Why there?s doubt: Is Mark Sanchez the golden boy Rex Ryan wants him to be? We know the arm-strength is average ? we know running a ?pro style? offense at USC is a lot different than running one in the NFL and we know he played just one full year of college ball. Throwing him into the fire Week 1 seems desperate and is probably as much about Kellen Clemens? lack of talent as it is about Ryan?s belief in Sanchez. It would be easier if he had two veteran WRs on the outside. But Lavernues is gone ? and I don?t see David Clowney or Chansi Stuckey picking up the slack. 25. Buffalo Bills: Why there?s hope: I love me some T.O. Buffalo has amassed some real offensive fire power: Owens, Lee Evans, Marshawn Lynch, Fred Jackson ? and Trent Edwards is finally showing signs that he?s ready to make the jump. The defense is full of youth and excitement, which will likely lead to huge game-changing plays ? both good and bad. Why there?s doubt: All the offensive talent in the world doesn?t matter if you can?t block. And the Bills may have the worst O-line in the league. I don?t know much, but I know that's a recipe for disaster. 26. St. Louis Rams: Why there?s hope: For starters, the Rams are the hot sleeper pick among experts. The reason is simple, this offseason, St. Louis focused on the O-line, adding two Jasons, Brown and Smith. In a league that?s won in the trenches, that?s good strategy. Especially considering you have the NFL?s best double-threat RB in Steven Jackson. Why there?s doubt: Adding pieces to the O-line doesn?t necessarily make it better. Will the line live up to its Madden ratings? Plus, Jackson is like Rose and Bernard on Lost ? he's great once he gets on screen, but week-to-week you can?t count on him making it onto the field. 27. Kansas City Chiefs: Why there?s hope: They?re in the right division. The AFC West is as bad as it gets this year. Oakland is a mess, Denver is purposely going backwards and San Diego can?t seem to put it all together. If the Chargers wind up folding, seven or eight wins could take this division. And I like what Todd Haley is doing. Pair him with Scott Pioli, and you got a heckuva brain trust. Arrowhead remains the toughest place to play in the league ? you never know, this could be a team that jumps up and surprises some people. Why there?s doubt: In this league, if you can?t get to the QB, you?re toast. K.C. had a league-worst 10 sacks last year. 10! I think Derrick Thomas had 10 in one game back in his heyday. It?s time for Glenn Dorsey to take control and pressure some QBs. 28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Why there?s hope: Year after year experts discount Tampa?s aging defense. But the guys seem to keep getting it done. Derrick Brooks is gone, but Barrett Ruud is ready to take his place. On the offensive side, Derrick Ward gives them three good RBs and you?d be hard-pressed to find a WR who has done more with less than Antonio Bryant. Why there?s doubt: The Bucs still don?t have a No. 1 QB. I know Byron Leftwich looked good in spot starts for Pittsburgh last year, but the guy has had more leg injuries than Lieutenant Dan. I?d bet on Mons Venus going out of business before putting money on Leftwich lasting 16 games. (Fun Fact: There are more strip clubs in Tampa (43) than city hospitals (12), high schools (41), fire stations (21) or synagogues (13). 29. Cleveland Browns: Why there?s hope: This team has talent everywhere, it?s just thin. Joe Thomas, Shaun Rodgers, Josh Cribbs, Braylon Edwards. These guys are stars no matter what uniform they put on. Why there?s doubt: Want to know what Eric Mangini?s real QB secret is? Both of his guys stink. And losing Kellen Winslow is not going to make them look any better. Maybe Mangenius will bring this team a defensive identity, but he wore out his welcome in New York after failing to implement a defense that came to play every week. 30. Oakland Raiders Why there?s hope: There was some visible improvement last year. And hey, if Tom Cable doesn?t like how JaMarcus is practicing, we know he can always punch him in the jaw. Why there?s doubt: Um ? these are still the Raiders. Who trades a 30-year-old Randy Moss for a fourth-round pick and then turns around and trades a first-round pick to the same team for a 30-year-old Richard Seymour? How?s that make sense? Oakland has become ?that guy? in your fantasy football league. You know the guy who ?ruins? the league every year by trading Adrian Peterson for Earnest Graham, Warrick Dunn, Kevin Curtis and Stephen Gostowski (?What? I got the best kicker in the league.?) 31. Detroit Lions: Why there?s hope: Are you kidding? This is the highest the Lions have been ranked in 13 months. Detroit is movin? on up, kids. Stafford looks like he may just have the goods, Calvin Johnson is arguably the most skilled WR in the league, and it?s highly possible that adding 24 new players over the offseason (not including the draft) will infuse new blood into a team that won as many games as I did last season. Why there?s doubt: Sure, Matt Millen is gone. But the Lions promoted two within the organization to take on his duties. Tom Lewland, the new CEO has been part of the front office for a decade full of disappointment. And Martin Mayhew was Millen?s right-hand man within the organization. ?Failing up? may be a corporate mainstay, but NFL teams have no business partaking in the philosophy. 32. Denver Broncos: Why there?s hope: Maybe Josh McDaniels is an evil genius (like his mentor). Maybe the rookie head coach and his new GM Brian Xanders are making all these bizarre offseason moves as a part of a secret, divine and awe-inspiring master plan. Maybe Kyle Orton was bogged down in Chi-Town because of his receivers, maybe Brian Dawkins hasn?t lost a step, maybe Brandon Marshall will be extra-motivated to prove his worth, maybe Jamie Winborn was the leading tackler by default, maybe a 3-4 defense will make them better against the run? Why there?s doubt: Then again, maybe not?
I just read the Jets part, didn't bother with the rest. I have to say, this is an even bigger uninformed joke of an "analysis" than most of these rectal communications.
we were 9-7 last year, 8-3 at one point, were an injured QB away from undoubtedly winning the division, and have only lost 1 player of significance (Favre), while adding a couple of players that do make us better. I'm not saying we will be better, but we won't be significantly worse than last year, despite the tougher schedule. but to say we are at the bottom of the league, comparable to stiffs like the Bills and Bengals, is asinine.
I truly hope more and more writers pile it on. Hopefully it will give the players a little extra motivation even though I would hope they wouldn't need it. On another note, who goes to comcast.net for their sports news? And why pay attention to someone who is one step above bleacherreport.com?
I'm really not sure why any analyst would go out on a limb predicting any success for us this season with a new QB, new coach, and questionable receiving corps. They have no motivation to consider us anything but a bottom dweller. Having said that, JetBlue is absolutely right with his post. We didn't lose that much, and we're about to see what we've gained. We could be a minor surprise, and I'd much rather be a surprise than a disappointment.
good lord....i'm tired of all the speculation, rankings, and other bullshit the media has been spewing this offseason. I just want to watch some Jets football....this weekend couldn't get here fast enough.
I would say that Coles was a significant loss because we have very little experience replacing him. The kids may be able to pull it off but as of right now he is a significant loss.
Read all of these, and it's really just subjective drivel. I can't wait for the season to start so we can get some real stuff to be reported on.
"24. New York Jets: Why there’s hope: It’s a new day for New York’s other team. Rex Ryan, Mark Sanchez and Bart Scott are in. Eric Mangini, Brett Favre and Mike Nugent are out." Mike Nugent is out? WTF cares... Zero analysis.
Did you watch this team play in December last year? We were putrid and that's what everyone remembers. Add in a rookie QB, a new D a new O since we ran Favre's O last year and there are reasons to speculate we may not be very good. I suspect our O will be better than people expect and our D a lot worse. Pace is a huge loss for the first 4 games. He was arguably the 2nd most effective defender on our team last year. This team has a lot to prove before anyone should consider them anything other than a mid to lower tier NFL team.
Dude, I could care less how the perform this yr. Infact, I hope they get the worse record in the NFL this yr to they get the first overall pick. But next yr, I hope they kick ass (except ours) cuz NE will have their first rounder from that yr, I definately don't want the Shitriots to pick anywhere near the top half.
Yep. Regarding JB's post, the Jets have arguably upgraded only two positions, those being with the addition of Scott and Leonhard. Meanwhile two have been downgraded, at least in the short run. I would also argue the DL is minimally worse, and #2 CB is at best even. The team was Ellis's pickup away from losing its last five last year. The only big picture possible plus is replacing Mangini with Ryan which, I hope and even expect, will prove to be a real upgrade, but that's an unknown right now. It seems no move will be made at wideout. 6-10 is likely, which probably puts the Jets in the bottom ten. Having said that, I am also tired of these prediction threads. Just Start the Season. Hopefully Just End The Season is not going to happen this year, but reality will likely intrude.
Dearth at QB? I think Ainge looks pretty good, Sanchez looks very good, and clemens still is a homo. But I think we're okay at the position. NO vets but so what? Go Jets.
