My official guesses for the 2007 offseason

Just wanna get this down for the record while the 06 season is still fresh in my mind so I have it to look back at come next september.

1. Brandon Moore gets traded to the Saints. I think its safe to say that he doesnt fit what this staff wants at guard. Yet in 2005, Doug Marrone, our former OL coach who molded him, heaped praise on him like he was one of the countrys best linemen. Marrone is the OC down in New Orleans now, and his starting guards, as listed on their website, are Jamar Nesbit and Jahri Evans. Not sure who they are. The Saints have run the ball relatively well, but I dont think the Jets want Moore anymore, and Id bet Marrone would be thrilled to get him back. Wont be for anything huge, maybe a mid round pick.

2. Asante Samuel doesnt come here. I say this mostly because I think some idiot franchise is going to throw a TON of money at Samuel based on his stat sheet, and I think Mangini, knowing Samuels abilities better than anybody out there, wont think hes worth it. Hes a good player and all else being equal Id like to see him here, but in terms of what he can bring to your football team, hes not in the same class as guys like Champ Bailey and Chris McAllister, and thats the way hes going to want to get paid.

On the other hand, I do think the Jets will make a major play for Nate Clements. My understanding is the Bills dont have the cash to keep him, so hell hit the market. Athletically, this guy is the complete package, and every time Ive watched him play, hes looked pretty polished; Id say without a doubt a better player than his ex teammate Winfield, who the Jets were willing to put up big bucks for. Hell want top dollar too, but Clements is worth top dollar, Samuel's not. Therell be other teams in the running, but the Jets have the cap room to make a serious offer, and the Jets seem to have enough positive buzz that they may manage to convince a player or two that coming to long island might not be such a bad thing.

3. Jets sign a guard. Im praying to see Eric Steinbach from the Bengals brought in. Everything ive read has indicated that the Bengals dont have the cash to bring him back. As I said, Moore is almost certainly on the outs here, and I think the Jets will look to get a sure thing to solidify the offensive line rather than look to the draft, where you can never be sure what youre gonna get; bringing Steinbach here gives us a good shot to be a decent running team in 2007. Hes a good player, not quite in the class of guys like Bentley or Hutchinson, but that means theyll only have to pay him like a guard, not a celebrity. Hes the best available as of this writing, so hes the guy theyll go after. Whether or not hes the guy, there definetely will be a quality guard signed.

4. I wish I knew enough about players in the draft this year to make some real good picks here, but at this point I dont really... plenty of time to figure that out though. My early pick at the 26 spot is Ray McDonald, big defensive end from Florida. At 280 pounds hes got the size to play end in a 3-4, and thats a spot where the Jets clearly need more production. Ellis is a solid player, but Von Oelhoffen didnt seem to ever get it going this year. Honestly, Id bet on the Jets taking the best defensive lineman available at this spot, be it at end or tackle (not an undersized guy though, gotta be big enough to play the line in 3-4), because Robertson could play at either end or tackle, depending on who else we bring in. Id love to see a big 340 pound nose brought in, but the only quality one I know of (Alan Branch) will be long gone by 26.

With the second rounder from the Redskins, I think theres a definete possibility of a quality halfback being available, as it seems theres always at least one quality halfback who slides out of the first round. This year maybe its Michael Bush or Marshawn Lynch. With our own second rounder, Id look for a big right tackle. Clements was hot and cold at best this year, and if the Jets get a chance to pick up a long term solution here, theyll do it.

Also, anybody know if Anthony Gonzalez from Ohio State is going to come out? For all that everybody loves Ginn, Gonzalez is the guy I always see making the big catches, and Ive heard hes an excellent route runner. Not that the Jets have a particularly big need at receiver, but this is a guy whos caught my eye and Id like to see as a Jet.

5. Cotchery gets an extension. Might not come til during training camp, but theyll give him 5 mil a year for 5 years or so, maybe more. Theres simply no way theyre going to let Cotchery walk, and hell be a heck of a lot more expensive a year from now if he keeps playing the way he did this year, which I anticipate he will. Theyll do what it takes to keep him, even if it means overpaying.

Thats all Ive got for now.

 

Well, theres more than one player on the offensive line. To clarify, its my guess that the Jets will sign a legitimate, proven guard (Im guessing Steinbach), bring Clements back for another year, and draft a big right tackle to take Clements job, either this year or next.

And yes, Duk Dogers, that is exactly my plan, I take great pride in my "I told you so"s. Of course, the flip side is that if im wrong on 3 of these 5, youre more than welcome to use it to discredit me in any future discussions on this board.

Honestly though, its mostly just a reference for myself, I like to guess what goes on and I like to have something to look back on six months from now and see how close I was.