I thought this was an intelligent article, no emotion, just nuts and bolts.. You can tell a NY writer was not involved. Three Burning Questions Have the Jets done enough to improve their running game? Last season the Jets gained 108.1 yards rushing per game and finished 20th in the NFL. This offseason, the Jets wasted no time in acquiring RB Thomas Jones from the Bears prior to the NFL draft. Jones led the Bears in rushing last season with 1,210 yards and six touchdowns. Prior to joining the Bears, Jones was somewhat of an underachiever with both the Buccaneers and Cardinals. However, he has put up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons over the past two seasons. Another under-the-radar signing was the addition of FB Darian Barnes from the Dolphins. Barnes is an effective straight-line blocker who can lower his shoulder on contact with an explosive force. He knows how to use his size and strength to create inside running lanes. With the cast of Jones, Leon Washington and Cedric Houston, along with Barnes, the Jets have really improved their running game this offseason. Camp battle to watch Right cornerbacks Darrelle Revis, Justin Miller and David Barrett The Jets may have found their future No. 1 corner in this year's draft with the selection of Revis in the first round. However, he will have to compete in camp for the starting right corner position opposite Andre Dyson. Revis is a tough, aggressive player with good size and athletic skills. He can be very productive versus both the run and pass. He is a perfect fit for the way Eric Mangini runs the Jets' coverage concepts and rotations. Barrett is a physical corner who is best suited from a Cover 2 alignment. He is a better player in zone than in man-to-man situations. He does have some versatility when aligning both on the outside or inside in sub-personnel groupings. Miller has the ability and skill set to be a starter in the NFL, but has been inconsistent when given the chance to play. Look for Revis to come out on top. Can Chad Pennington get this team back to the playoffs? For the first time in his career, Chad Pennington played in all 16 games in 2006. He finished the season with a quarterback rating of 82.6 and a completion percentage of 64.5. Can Pennington stay healthy and lead this team to an AFC East title? Pennington is a very smart, instinctive player who knows how to attack opposing defenses on the back end in coverage. He has suffered a lot of adversity over his career due to the multiple surgeries on his right arm, which has affected his downfield strength. However, he is still very effective in the short and intermediate areas of the passing game. He can move and avoid pressure in the pocket when finding passing windows. He is a tough, competitive player who knows how to win, but he will need a strong running game this season to be even more effective. If the Jets are to get back into the AFC playoffs and beyond, Pennington must continue to stay healthy and play within himself in the Jets' offensive system. Can the Jets' front seven stop the run? If the Jets are going to make a run at the AFC East title, they must improve their run defense. Last season, the Jets allowed 130.3 yards per game, ranking 24th in the NFL. After improving his technique, leverage and recognition skills, NT Dewayne Robertson improved his performance as the season wore on, adapting to the Jets' 3-4 system. Shaun Ellis is the Jets' best defensive lineman, while being productive in both regular and sub situations. Kimo von Oelhoffen is a great locker room guy who is on the downside of his career. Newly signed defensive end Kenyon Coleman should battle von Oelhoffen for the starting position. Coleman is a disciplined player who has experience in a 3-4 system. The linebacker corps improved with the addition of David Bowens, a high-motor player with pass-rushing skills. However, he must show good improvement when setting the edge versus the run. Bryan Thomas is a productive player that must improve his recognition skills and ability to get off blocks. Both inside linebackers -- Jonathan Vilma and Victor Hobson -- must make more of an impact against the run. Fantasy take The Jets hope to stabilize their running game with the addition of Thomas Jones, who is coming off consecutive 1,200-yard seasons in Chicago. The Jets will use Leon Washington to spell Jones at times, but Jones shouldn't lose carries on the goal line. Make sure that is the case. -- Nate Ravitz ? Complete ESPN.com fantasy coverage The player under the microscope Thomas Jones. While the Jets have a few players that fall under this category, it has to be Jones. He was acquired by the Jets to upgrade a running game that struggled to find a replacement last year for Curtis Martin. Jones is a dependable back who should be a solid fit in offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's balanced schemes. He is a tough, hard-nosed runner with very good skills and should be very effective as a one-cut runner. If the Jets are going to make a run at the AFC East title, they must generate yards on the ground. Breakout player Leon Washington. Washington is an explosive young player who will continue to fit the role as a change-of-pace back opposite Jones in both regular and sub situations. He is quick and agile and will consistently hit cutback lanes without losing speed. Washington protects his body well and doesn't take hard hits on the second level. He has the ability to be very productive in the passing game and is a dangerous player in space with the ball in his hands. Comeback player of the year Jonathan Vilma. Even though Vilma led the Jets in total tackles last season, he still struggled to adapt to the proper run fits in the Jets' complex 3-4 defense. Vilma is an undersized linebacker who needs to be protected by his defensive line. He is not a natural take-on player and will get engulfed at the point of attack versus big offensive guards. However, he is a smart, instinctive player who can make a lot of plays inside the box and outside due to his speed and range on the perimeter. Look for Vilma to really trust his reads in his second season in coach Eric Mangini's defensive system. Offensive philosophy Schottenheimer did an outstanding job last season of utilizing his personnel when incorporating his game plan to keep defenses off balance. Schottenheimer is known for his work in developing quarterbacks and did a great job of playing to the strengths of Pennington. However, the Jets must find a way to generate more points on offense and control the ball with Jones. Schottenheimer is a student of the physical, run-orientated offense his father Marty Schottenheimer established throughout his career as a head coach. The Jets will utilize a lot of standard personnel groupings on early downs, while spreading the field with multiple-receiver sets to create mismatches out on the perimeter. They will continue to incorporate a lot of play-action, no-huddle, and shotgun, along with using a quicker, rhythmic passing game that will include a West Coast attack. Defensive philosophy Mangini will continue to spend a lot of time working with defensive coordinator Bob Sutton. Mangini relies heavily on a multiple 3-4 defense that relies on three defensive linemen and four linebackers in the front seven. This complex system involves a lot of learning and discipline when understanding the proper gap control and fits when playing the run. Mangini's biggest challenge will be to identify the personnel on his team that best fit the situation. The Jets will install multiple fronts depending on the proper matchup against opposing teams. On the back end, the Jets will pressure with both zone fires and overload blitzes to create pressure. They will continue to incorporate a lot of different personnel groupings when matching up in sub packages versus spread offenses. Keith Kidd spent 14 years in NFL front offices, including key roles in the personnel departments of the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots.
Thanks, good read. Seems like he is right on, execpt for making the common mistake that Hobson is an inside LB, no mention of Harris, and no mention of the LG position.
i completely agree with his assessment of vilma. i think he will have a great year and bounce back from last year in his second year or the 3-4 and all those people who said they should trade him will eat crow
Im really interested to see how the ILB and OLB position turn out. Got barton and harris battling and hobson and bowens battling.
If the projected "comeback player of the year" led our team in tackles last year what does that say about the other defensive personnel?
Good read.....I agree with almost everything he said. It's good to finally read an ESPN article about the Jets that is actually intelligent and worth while.
we really need more out of shaun ellis this year...7.5 sacks over last two years does not cut it for a guy making good money and who is supposed to be our premier DE pass rusher. he really has to pick it up because this team NEEDS a pass rush from more than just the outside linebackers
Ellis had 5 sacks last year. Richard Seymor, who many will say is the best 3-4 DE in the NFL, only had 4. In the 3-4, DEs are not necessarily going to lead the team in sacks like they will in the 4-3.
yeah but come on, you've seen ellis play every week and you've seen seymour the numerous times the pats are on tv and one is a dispruptive presence and one is it...it's not like ellis was putting pressure on the qb and not getting sacks, there was NO pass rush usually.
The entire front 7 was essentially a non-factor in most games last year. However, that doesn't change the fact that I think people on this board are still in the process of adjusting their expetations to a level that is appropriate to the 3-4.
Ellis was a huge dissapointment last year, one of the few actually. THis is it for him, step up or its his last year. I see big things of Bryan Thomas, he is become a leader on Dee. I AM READY
3-4, 4-3 any way you look at it this team put no pressure on the qb last year. when bryan thomas becomes willie mcginest then i'll buy into the 3-4
Agreed, but the pressure and sacks will generally come from different places. In the 3-4 you have a guy a la Merriman rushing off the edge from the OLB spot. As opposed to a Bruce Smith coming off the edge from the DE spot in the 3-4.
I was thinking the same thing. It was a good article, I agree with alot of it. But I'm not sure how much weight I give to an article and writer that is discussing the overall state of the team and specifically the run game, but doesn't mention the Oline AT ALL, arguably the weakest unit on the team.
What the hell. Why don't they give us some worth-while information like what songs Mangini played over the loudspeakers. FU Insider.
It would help if he wasn't getting double and triple teamed because we have nobody else who can get out of their own way. When Abraham was here the offensive line had to play honest.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/trai.../trainingcamp07/insider/news/story?id=2930224 they put one up on the pats
Thanks for posting the article, dude. It's bullshit that you can see the Patriots' update for free and not anyone else in the AFC East. Until we win the big dance again, we'll never gain the coverage the JETS deserve.
