| Dwayne Smith. 12th September, 2009 - 4:56 pm
 From Brett Favre to Mark Sanchez, Eric Mangini to Rex Ryan the New York Jets open the 2009 season with an entirely new look and an abundance of questions that can only be answered on the gridiron. With the team set to meet the Texas on Sunday, here are five things about the new look Jets that we learned during training camp.
1. Quarterback Mark Sanchez is a better player than most people believed.
There was a healthy combination of optimism and skepticism surrounding the Jets trade and pick of Sanchez on draft day. He only played one full season as starter, the arm strength wasn’t that great and his own college coach wasn’t so sure he was ready to move to the next level.
While Sanchez will probably not break any passing records in his rookie year, he has already shown toughness under pressure and has made throws that combine the accuracy of Chad Pennington, the improvisation skills of Ben Roethlisberger and a better than expected throwing arm. It is highly doubtful that any rookie QB has had a more difficult first preseason start than having to get leveled by LB Ray Lewis in Baltimore. That shot led to a poorly thrown interception which was run back for a touchdown by a defensive tackle of all players. Continuing to face pressure from Ryan’s former team, Sanchez was able to manage the offense and throw a perfect touchdown pass to Leon Washington. Facing similar pressure the following week against the New York Giants, Sanchez looked more comfortable and improved his accuracy and management of the offense. His touchdown pass was an example of improvisation and some toughness in eluding the pass rush and getting off a pass. This is not to get ahead of ourselves and say Sanchez will make the Pro Bowl but it is to put out any question that he is the best QB on the Jets right now by a lot and is starting for that reason.
2. The running game is just as strong as last year.
Even with a few new pieces in place, the Jets ground game is just as strong and steady as ever. In fact, it appears that the depth among the running backs and offensive line is even better than thought. It was good to see Thomas Jones and Leon Washington give strong performances against Baltimore and the Giants, but big gains by rookies Shonn Greene and Danny Woodhead showed that the scouts are finding diamonds in the rough, not just with the two backs but the second and third string lineman that effectively created lanes for them. An effective ground game is critical to the Jets winning games in taking pressure off Sanchez and giving their aggressive defense rest.
3. Whether successful or not, this defense will attack and live with the consequences.
From the day he spoke at his first press conference as head coach, Rex Ryan made it clear that he will not gameplan for any other team… Other teams need to gameplan for the Jets. Gone are the days of clandestine injury reports, playing things close to the vest and adjusting on a weekly basis. Ryan’s defense will attack and attack often. In preseason action, notably against the Giants, you saw the pros and cons. Aggressive takeaways on defense, but also defensive backs on an island and getting picked on. So one way or another, the 2010 New York Jets will be defined by their defense, no matter how popular their first round QB is.
4. Not all off-season moves are created equal.
As was noted earlier, Sanchez has already shown he is better than expected, that could also be said for MLB Bart Scott. The preseason highlight for Scott was ripping the ball out of the hands of Giants RB Brandon Jacobs, not exactly a small man. While strong safety Jim Leonhard has been OK, corner back Lito Sheppard may be cause for concern. With Pro Bowl corner back Derrelle Revis on one side, Sheppard has already found himself being picked on and even exposed a little. Call it an adjustment to a new defense or perhaps an erosion of skills that the Eagles saw before making the deal, Sheppard may be a cause for concern if the opposition quarterback is able to withstand the pressure from the Jets front. Keep on eye this one.
5. The circus has left town and the team does not want another one.
The lament around Jets Nation seems to be that the team needs to go all out for a pro bowl receiver like Brandon Marshall. While there is no doubt that someone with those talents would not be a major plus, how many times do players like this win Super Bowls? Sure receivers like Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin did, but not without an outstanding defense that got overlooked due to their talents. This is why the Jets were wise to pass on Marshall at the expense of MLB David Harris, whom Coach Ryan has huge plans for. Harris as a young cog in the front seven will be a major part in the new Jets attacking defense and this is where this team will win games. Plus, with the revelations of QB Brett Favre that he probably should not have played those last few games down the stretch and that his injury was hidden, do Jets fans really want someone to distract from the mission of winning… again? |
