Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Jets Hype Misplaced in Tough AFC East
With their "Hard Knocks" debut just a week away, the New York Jets are the hype team of choice this pre-season. Led by the uber-confident Rex Ryan, the Jets are so loaded with star-quality names, it's like a Pro Bowl roster (after they replace half of the starters with second and third choices).
Mark Sanchez. Darrelle Revis. Nick Mangold. D'Brickashaw Ferguson. Kris Jenkins. Jason Taylor. Bart Scott. Antonio Cromartie. LaDainian Tomlinson. Braylon Edwards. Santonio Holmes.
Virginia may be for lovers, but New York is for headliners, and this team has them in spades.
The question of course is the danger in putting too many stars (or at least guys who think they're stars) under one roof.
Both Edwards and Holmes are looking for new deals. What happens when one of them feels like Sanchez is targeting the other more, or that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is calling plays that favors one guy over the other?
Can LaDainian Tomlinson really be just another backup? He couldn't in San Diego, so why think he can suddenly subjugate his ego now that he's in the biggest media market in the world?
And what happens if some of the high-priced guys get hurt?
The starting offensive line is stout (and well-paid) across the board, with the possible exception of second-round rookie Vladimir Ducasse, who looks like a good bet to take over for Alan Faneca. But behind them is a who's who of "who?"
It's the same situation along the front seven of the defense. In Sione Pouha, the Jets do have a very good backup NT if Kris Jenkins' cookie diet doesn't fix his knee and hamstring issues. But the right defensive end position opposite Shaun Ellis is up to Mike DeVito, a grinder type who, like most grinder types, is great in a situational role, but chances being exposed if pushed into starting role (see Mike Wright in New England last year at the same position).
Backups on the d-line include unheralded Matt Kroul and Ropati Pitoitua, not to mention the defensive answer to JaMarcus Russell in Vernon Gholston, who is being moved from linebacker to defensive end in hopes of getting some value for the tens of millions they've already dumped into his useless pockets.
And then, of course, there are the guys who have already been there and watched the new guys get paid while management gives them the "yeah, whatevers." You've heard all about Revis, but what about Mangold and linebacker David Harris? Is there really enough PCL money in Woody Johnson's coffers to take care of everybody?
No, there isn't.
Roster-wise, the Jets are going for broke. They ditched out on the "avoid having too many big egos on one team, especially with an un-established young quarterback" rule. They told the "you can't pay everybody max dollars and still have a decent back of the roster" rule to go take a flying leap. And then, of course, they invited HBO into camp because the "don't invite too many distractions when you have a team with a bunch of new guys" rule is clearly just a bunch of BS.
And one last thing: don't underestimate the danger of the Jets' schedule. They start off with three of the AFC's best teams in Baltimore, New England, and Miami. They play two of their final three on the road (Pittsburgh and Chicago in Weeks 15 and 16). They have three Monday night games, including Week 1 against the Ravens, a Sunday night game at Miami in Week 3, and the night game on Thanksgiving (against the Bengals, which should be a great way to end the best day of the year).
That kind of schedule puts a lot of strain on a team, and it's going to take a mentally tough locker room to overcome any adversity. Are the Jets that kind of team? What happens if they start off 0-3, with nothing but a vacation in Buffalo before hosting the Vikings in another Monday night game, then heading out to play the Broncos in Denver? Last year, Rex Ryan cried and gave up before his team turned it around. What's he going to do for an encore? Hold his breath until he turns blue?
The history of football is littered with teams who come into a season with hype thanks to a late run the previous year. Remember the 2007 Cleveland Browns? They were 10-6, barely missing the playoffs. They had their quarterback of the future in Derek Anderson, who went to the Pro Bowl, the next great star at receiver in Braylon Edwards (16 TD), and a monster at tight end in Kellen Winslow. They went into 2008 a media darling and pick by many to win the AFC North.
They started 0-3.
They imploded.
They finished 4-12.
Now, I'm not saying the Jets are heading for 4-12. This team has much better overall talent than that 2008 Browns team. But this team has all the warning signs of impending doom should they get off to a rough start. And in a division with Tom Brady and an extremely dangerous (and vastly underrated) Dolphins team, the Jets may very well have sold their souls for nothing more than third place in the AFC East.
Hard knocks, indeed.