Gang has options with green Friday, March 10, 2006 By RANDY LANGE STAFF WRITER Unrestricted free agency is finally here, and the Jets on Saturday at 12:01 a.m. will resemble sailors with some cash in their pockets hitting midtown Manhattan during Fleet Week. Where to spend, where to spend ... With more than $10 million in salary-cap room after the Chad Pennington restructuring and the cap's increase to $102 million, the Jets are likely to target two positions on offense -- quarterback and left tackle -- and two on defense -- nose tackle and linebacker/end. The linebacker spot could be tricky, since an ideal exchange would be to make that long-developing trade of John Abraham and replace him with Willie McGinest, a Wednesday night cap-cut victim by New England. But that deal could still be two weeks off, according to NFL sources, as Abraham's agents search for the best landing spot and the Jets seek the highest return. One source thought Atlanta, rumored recently to be increasingly interested in signing the sackmaster defensive end, has shifted to exploring other options. And the Jets figure to get competition from Dallas, Cleveland, San Diego and even the Patriots in trying to bring McGinest in lower than the $7 million cap figure that prompted the Pats to release him. But Eric Mangini, the Jets' coach, was McGinest's coordinator last season. "Eric did a great job of putting us in positions to be successful," McGinest said then. So did the Browns' Romeo Crennel two years ago and, a while back, the Cowboys' Bill Parcells. But Mangini worked with McGinest most recently. And if the Jets are looking for a good fit at 3-4 outside linebacker, McGinest helped write the current playbook. He's heavier than Abraham by 10 to 15 pounds, as comfortable going forward to the quarterback as he is dropping into coverage, and has started at the position for three of the last five Super Bowl champions. Moving to defensive tackle, again assuming Mangini wants better personnel for when he wants to play a 3-4, the Jets need to get bigger in their interior line. And there isn't anyone bigger in the NFL than 365-pound Ted Washington. Mangini was the secondary coach during Washington's one season on the New England line in 2003 and knows he needs a two-gapping heft at nose. The Jets, said Angelo Wright, Washington's agent, "have had a couple of chats with me about Teddy." On the QB front, Jon Kitna's name has been mentioned for weeks as a possible addition, but Detroit also is expected to make a pitch, and Kitna has said he's not ruling out a return to Cincinnati as Carson Palmer's backup. The trick for Mangini and general manager Mike Tannenbaum is getting a veteran quarterback for a cap-friendly price -- the best chance for that may still be a sign-and-trade with the Redskins for Patrick Ramsey. That's because the Jets continue to give off vibes that they're planning to take a QB at or near the top of the draft, and that will require lots of cap room. League sources said the Jets have contacted the agents for Matt Leinart and Vince Young to set up private April workouts, with Jay Cutler also expected to get an invitation. At left tackle, Kevin Shaffer of Atlanta has been a hot name for Gang Green, but an NFL source said that while the Jets have inquired about Shaffer, they aren't likely to go in that direction. They need a reliable but less pricey blind-side bodyguard such as 13-year Tennessee tackle Brad Hopkins, who visited Wednesday, or Tom Ashworth, one of Tom Brady's "five levels of protection" expected to become unrestricted shortly after the stroke of midnight Saturday. E-mail: lange@northjersey.com
I can seriously see the Jets trading OUT of this 4 spot to gain more picks in 2nd and 3rd rounds. If he doesn't want DBrick or a QB with that first pick then he should trade out, and go for the players that will fit his system, like the Patriots do.
I wouldn't mind moving out of the 4 spot, but who would the jets be targeting? I doubt it is RB, considering we already have 3 at the position.
I don't think it is as much who they are targeting as it is gaining some extra picks. It would be nice to have a couple late firsts or early seconds to rebuild the o-line.
I've never seen a more inaccurate, faulted article from Lange.... ever. He has the cap all wrong , thinks the Jets are intersted in old has-beens,.... I think he was drinking when he wrote this one. Really.
I'd like to see an article to see how much cap space the Jets have including the Abraham tender of $8.3 mil...
I would not agree more. We have so many holes, and the draft is SUCH a crapshoot EVERY YEAR. The more picks you have, the more likely to hit on a few later round studs. I would rather have a later first, and an additional 2nd rounder, than take a shot on D-Brick or Cutler. Too many eggs. The reason why the Pats have been strong in the draft is they draft quality in the 2nd and third rounds. Those rounds WILL shape this franchise.
lets not go overboard,we don't want to go into cap hell again do we? just draft players , with maybe 1 or 2 f/a signings.
I really can't seem to believe the words written here. For starters his cap number is way off. We were under the cap before Chad restructured, MAwae was cut, Kendall restructured, and the new CBA was signed. So in all actuality, we are about 18-20 million under the cap. When Abe is traded we will be another 8 million under (go to the NFLPA and read the CBA, he does in fact count eventhough he has not signed the offer), however that will all go to rookies, so we have 18-20 million to work with. Next point, why the hell would we go after a 35 year old Linebacker, a 36 year old Left Tackle, a 38 year old Nosetackle, and a 33 year old stop gap QB, When we could draft Hawk or Carpenter at OLB, sign Ashworth(28) Shaffer(25) or draft McNeill Scott Winston or Whitworth in round 2 at Tackle, Ramsey(27) McCown(25) at QB, and Ma'ake Kemoeatu or a NT in round 3 or 4? It does not make sense to sign guys with a year or two left when we could sign and/or draft young players with similar ability for the same money.
