The draft is over, mini-camps haven't started yet, and all we have is beautiful speculation and conjecture. So, let's make some bold-ass predictions. The Jets have built a very impressive 3 WR set with Edwards, Holmes and Cotchery, but the only problem is that the team can't put all three of them on the field until week 4 thanks to Santonio's second failed piss test. Add to that the possibility of a one game suspension for Braylon Edwards for knocking out one of Lebron James' best friends on the streets of Cleveland and violating the NFL conduct policy, and the Jets could be lloking at a WR corps on opening day that was actually less talented with what they started with in 2009 vs. the Texans. So, gentlemen Break out your crystal balls and tell me which one of these scrubs gets 4 weeks worth of life breathed into their career thanks to Holmes' dirty urine. The Candidates(as of 4/27/2010): Aundrae Allison - A fast WR with a lot of straight-line speed, Allison was plucked by the Jets off of waivers from the Vikings in training camp last season only to spend the entire season on the IR due to a knee injury. The harbinger of death for Mario Urritia's roster spot, Allison brought in 18 passes for 231 yards for the Vikings but was beset by questions regarding his health and devotion to the game. Allison would offer a deep threat to the team that would best be utilized from the slot, trying to draw a matchup with slower nickel backs and safeties. David Clowney - A speedster at WR who has dazzled the crowds in August for the past two seasons. Clowney's foot speed suggests an energy that could be only bestowed by a cocaine or crystal meth addiction; suspicions which are all but confirmed by his twitter account(for know reason at all!:breakdance. Sporting a career total of 15 Recs for 217 yards and one touchdown for three accrued seasons, his accomplishments during the preseason pale the achievements of what he has done when the games actually matter. Britt Davis - Standing at 6'3", 205lbs. it was widely believed that when Rex Ryan toward having a secret weapon at WR during training camp, the Northern Illinois product was believed to be that weapon. Davis pulled in 5 recs for 54 yards and 0 TDs for the Jets during the preseason and was dogged be drops later in training camp and the preseason. After reeling in 5 receptions for 54 yards, Davis was waived by the Jets but later placed on the practice squad after failing to be claimed by another team. S.J. Green - After going undrafted in the 2007 NFL draft, the former USF product spent three years in the CFL before being signed to a future contract by the Jets in 2010. A big target at 6'3", 220lbs., Green's size gives him a big of an edge if he can know how to move it. However, his production in the NFL's ugly sister was miniscule at best, catching 26 passes for 353 yards and 3 TDs, with career highs of 15/239/2 in his final year with the Montreal Alouettes. Still, The Toronot Globe and Mail listed Green as one of their "CFL Players of Interest to the NFL" prior to his signing with the Jets. Has three years up north given Green the development he needs to make it in the NFL? Can he step in for Edwards should the Michigan product be benched for a game? Will I stop asking questions about him? After this sentence. Marcus Henry - at 6'4", 212lbs., Henry is the tallest WR on the Jets' roster. A holdover from the 2008 Draft, the Jets took Henry out of Kansas in the 6th round as a developmental WR in hopes that he could become a big target in the receiving corps. While Henry offers elite height his disappointing speed has kept him from making the roster after two consecutive Jets training camps and kept him on the Jets' practice squad. Over two preseasons, Henry has caught 9 receptions for 125 yards, 2 recs for 31 yards coming in last season. Henry is a long shot to make the roster at that rate of regression , but fuck it. Why not? Larry Taylor - A former UConn Huskie and the second Montreal Alouettes player on this list, Larry Taylor has been a special teams specialist. Taylor's 5'6", 196lbs frame makes him quite the hard target to catch and let do multiple all-star nods from the CFL for his punt and kick returns. However, his most famous play on US soil doesn't really leave too many people excited about him in Green and White... [YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbRdZZ1kfag[/YOUTUBE] We all know the officiating sucks but, come on... Danny Woodhead - Finally, it's come to this. The former NCAA career leading rusher was switched from halfback to wide receiver last season while he was on the practice squad, after being cut for...someone better. The TC fan (sort of)favorite has reminded lots of Jets fans of Wayne Chrebet with all the whiteness while possessing none of the talent or on-field production. The 5'7" 195lbs. Woodhead doubled as Wes Welker for the Jets' scout team prior to their games with the Patriots. Such a designation would normally indicate an ability to shake defenders laterally but Woodhead, despite showing surprising power for his stature, has never displayed such agility with the ball in his hands. Woodhead rejoined the active roster for 10 games last season following Leon's horrific injury and managed to 64 yards rushing on 15 carries for a 4.3 yard/carry average and 8 receptions for 89 yards and a 10.9 yard/catch average. Woodhead was mentioned frequently by coach Rex Ryan during his press conferences last season, as the big gue seemed to have nothing but admiration for the scrappy(read: white) HB/WR. So, out of this cast of characters, which WR do you pick to barely hangs on long enough to make the final cut before getting booted when the pot-smoking glass thrower gets the OK to return from Herr Goodell?
Are we planning to draft A.J. Green next year? I doubt it, we'll have to have a top-5 pick to have a chance. Kid's the next Moss, sans attitude problems. With him and Jones, 2011 is easily the strongest WR class I can remember.
The chances of the Jets drafting Green outweighs the chances of any of those receivers not named Clowney, Aundrae, or Woodhead even making the practice squad. Have you heard of the phrase "TC fodder?"
All I know is that after Clowney being upset about the signing of Holmes, he better absolutely play his fricken heart out this preseason, and weeks 1-4 when he gets to see some time on the field. With all signs pointing to a #3 receiver position opening up in 2011 this guy has everything to play for, because if he cant show that he can play by week 4 the chances of him ever becoming a starter on this team are gone. So im expecting this guy to go all out, and at the very least should see significant play time week 1.
Here's my pick: We need one roster move from training camp that will completely piss off the fanbase and for some reason, keeping Woodhead seems like it would hurt the team the least.
hahaha this is too funny because its so irrelevant to everything.... You did a pretty good job of listing the guys in the order in which they are most likely to succeed... I picked Allison for our temporary solution because he does have the deep speed to be VERY dangerous out of the slot. I mean I only say this praying his route running is the slightest better than Clowney's
Also notice these two posts compared to each other: Jets fan? I just listed them alphabetically. Funny how that would work out. That's the position that I like for Allison, too, for the same reasons that I liked Holmes in the slot on 3 WR sets. The biggest difference is that Allison doesn't have the agility for the underneath routes. Clowney has always had better success on the outside, even in the regular season(Raiders TD). He is just lost in the middle.
He's not in the poll but I think Braylon Edwards benefits the most from the suspension. He's the guy who is likely to see his snaps reduced when Holmes comes back and so he has the chance to really claim a full share of the WR rotation during the suspension. Of course if he drops a key ball in there he'll hurt himself also. Of the other receivers I guess David Clowney benefits the most but I highly doubt he's going to get any kind of real playing time after Holmes comes back so it probably leads nowhere for him. The Jets WR hierarchy right now is Jerrico Cotchery, Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards and then everybody else in the "won't see the field much" pool.
I didn't put Edwards in the pool because I wanted to focus on the guys who were not guaranteed a job on the team. Edwards, Cotchery, Holmes and B. Smith all have their tickets punched. Everyone else is basically fighting over the last "permanent" spot on the roster and the 4 game spot that will be there while Holmes is on time out.
