Looking Ahead for the New York Jets

By Tyler Pager

As the New York Jets move forward after a disappointing exit in the AFC championship, the Jets have much to look forward to in the 2011- 2012 season. First and foremost, one more season of experience for quarterback Mark Sanchez. Each year, he will get better and his ‘rookie’ mistakes will soon fade away.

The Jets will also get back Jim Leonard and Kris Jenkins. These two invaluable defensive players will certainly improve a very inconsistent defense. Also, the Jets can look to really improve their roster with some quality rookies coming out of the draft. Two positions the Jets should really be looking for are a defensive lineman and a hard nose running back.

LaDainian Tomlinson is aging and it is starting to show in his play and Shonn Greene and Joe McKnight are not going to cut it. Therefore, if the Jets can either trade or draft a talented running back, then their offense will really be set.

Another position that the Jets are lacking is a nose tackle. After Kris Jenkins went down, the defensive line was really missing him and who knows if he will even play another year. Therefore, the Jets cannot afford to lose out this offseason and not pick up a nose tackle.

If the Jets are successful in getting a running back and nose tackle, there offense and defense will hopefully be ready to finally reach the Super Bowl. However, that leaves out the special teams, which was abysmal and really showed that it needs a lot of work in the playoffs.

Nick Folk and Steve Weatherford need to go. The Jets cannot afford to lose games because their kicker cannot make 20-yard field goals or their punter has an average of 30 yards each punt. Nick Folk only made 77 percent of his field goals and only averaged 62.0 yards on kickoffs in the regular season ranking him 28^th in both categories among NFL kickers and ranking him 28^th. Steve Weatherford is in the same boat as he averaged 42.6 yards per punt in the regular season ranking him 23^rd in the NFL.

If the New York Jets can make these changes in the offseason, they can hopefully move on to their goal, The Super Bowl.

A Jets Fans Dream Come True

I can’t speak for all of you Jet fans out there but I do know one thing. I absolutely cannot wait for the season premiere of Hard Knocks. The Jets are the most interesting team to look at from many different stand points. They have an incredible amount of talent, they are coming off a very successful (surprising to some) postseason, they have such an absurd mix of personalities, they have the swagger of a young Muhammad Ali and they have a coach who just won’t stop talking (some wish he would just keep his mouth shut but I hope he never stops talking). Before this season I had never really gotten that into Hard Knocks. The past two seasons I really only tuned into find out what kind of antics TO and Ochocinco were up too. However, this year due to the fact that it is the Jets I Just can’t wait. I have watched every preview I can get my hands on, and everything I’ve seen keeps shouting out loud to me that we are in for one hell of a season (with both the show and with the team itself). This season will be like a dream come true for Jets fans, giving us the inside look at what really goes on with our favorite team.

I would also like to tell you Jet fans about another potential dream come true. This upcoming Tuesday afternoon a Hard Knocks Season Kick-Off Rally is being held in Times Square. This event is an opportunity for Jets fans of all shapes and sizes to come out and celebrate what may be the best 5 hours of reality television ever, but also what may be the start of one of the Jets most exciting seasons ever. This is an extremely family friendly event and is something that if I had kids, I would 100% bring them to share in this experience with me. The Rally starts at 12 noon and takes place in Times Square, on Broadway between 42nd and 43rd. Below is the rest of the information about this incredible event. I hope to see all of you there; I’ll be the one in the #74 Nick Mangold Jersey having the time of my life

J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!

-HBO® and the New York Jets invite you to kickoff the 2010 season the HBO® Hard Knocks Kickoff Rally Tuesday, August 10th Times Square, Broadway Between 42nd & 43rd starts at 12 Noon

-Join Coach Ryan and Jets players live via satellite from training camp

-Former Jets players will be in attendance

-Cheer on the team with The Jets Flight Crew

-Children ages 8-16 can compete in the Hard Knocks skills challenge*

-10 Preseason Tickets for the Inaugural Game (8/16) at the New Meadowlands Stadium plus Transportation and Parking

*Four (4) winners (children) will win a Jets Assistant Team Captain experience for a Jets preseason football game. Pre-registration begins at 11AM. Must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to participate. First-come, first-served!!

By: InsideGangGreen.com

What Jet Fans Should Fear

As I said earlier this week I am not worried at all about the Jets signing Darrelle Revis to a contract extension. I am however worried about the Jets ability to sign the rest of their star free agents, starting with three in particular: David Harris and Nick Mangold who are free agents after next season and D’Brickashaw Ferguson who still has two years remaining on his contract. It was these three players who along with Darrelle Revis started the youthful turnaround of the Jets. Although these three players don’t receive nearly as much press as Revis does, all of them are equally important to the success of the Jets.

Mangold and D’Brickashaw are the cornerstones of our offensive line and they are the two players that have allowed the unit to become the dominant force that it is today. They have started every single Jets game since they both were drafted in the 1^st round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Mangold the 29^th overall pick is charged with being the leader of the Jets offensive line and he does so more than adequately. He came into the league having tough shoes to fill, as a rookie he was asked to step right into the position formally filled by Kevin Mawae who at the time was the best center in the NFL. Well in my eyes he definitely has filled those shoes becoming in my opinion the best center in the NFL today.

D’Brickashaw was drafted 4^th overall putting him in a position with equal if not more pressure on him the Mangold. When a team takes the risk of drafting an offensive lineman that early in the draft it puts an extraordinary amount of pressure on that player because the team is saying that they are confident he will become the cornerstone of the offensive line for years to come. In the first few years of his career it appeared as if he wouldn’t quite live up to his billing. However, in his third year he began to turn the corner towards becoming the star player the Jets drafted him to be and last year he proved that the Jets were correct in drafting him in the spot they did. He isn’t the best left tackle in the NFL, he plays in a position that is too deep in talent to say that already, but his performance last year definitely put him in the conversation.

In 2006 the Jets drafted for their offensive line, in 2007 it was all about defense. The Jets took Revis in the first round and then in the 2^nd round they traded up to draft stud Linebacker David Harris. In his rookie year he led the team in tackles with 117 and had 87 in his second season in which he missed 5 games due to injury. Last year he yet again led the Jets NFL best defense in tackles despite the fact that he was playing alongside all-star linebacker Bart Scott. Until he was traded to the Saints, Jonathon Vilma was my favorite Jet; however I was easily able to get over his departure because I knew that David Harris would quickly turn into one of the best inside backers in the game, and he has.

These are only three of the Jets key players who will become free agents in the upcoming two years, but they are all in my mind irreplaceable. If the Jets have any designs on turning themselves into a dynasty, the first thing they need to do is make sure that they will have enough money to lock these three up as Jets for years to come. It won’t be easy; they will have to do so after turning Revis into the highest paid cornerback in the league. That however does not mean a thing. So far the Jets have been both talking the talk and walking the walk since the start of the Rex Ryan regime, but if they hope to continue doing so, they must do so with these three stars going along for the ride. So Mike Tannenbaum and Woody Johnson, I beg you, please find a way to sign them!

BY: Paul Malamood