New York Jets: What Have You Done To Win Your Division?

There is an inevitable reality in the AFC East as long as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are active participants, the New England Patriots are the team to beat if you want to win the division. Until the New York Jets find a way to get past them in the standings, they will be forced to scrap for a wild-card spot and win three straight road games if they ever want to appear in a Super Bowl.

In Rex Ryan’s first two seasons as the Jets head coach, they were able to go 3-2 against the Patriots including a memorable playoff upset. In these games, the Jets were able to overcome Bill Belichick’s countermove to their talent at cornerback by building his offense through Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, thanks to terrific game planning and timely big plays from their offense.

They weren’t as fortunate last season as the Jets lost both games and never seriously threatened the Patriots for the division. On defense, the Jets couldn’t scheme around their deficiencies and they never got the needed big plays from their offense.

Why could the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots twice last year? They could hit the quarterback and they could make big plays in the passing game to take advantage of their weak secondary.

We have seen the Buffalo Bills sign Mario Williams and Mark Anderson to improve their ability to get after Tom Brady. Whether their passing game can generate big plays remains to be seen but at a minimum New England will have a difficult time protecting Brady and he shouldn’t have time in the pocket to distribute the ball to Gronkowski, Hernandez and recently signed Brandon Lloyd.

When you look at the Jets current roster, they are still yet to address their gaping hole at pass rusher. There is only so many blitzes you can throw at Brady until he beats you, hence the team’s need for a player who can simply beat his man one on one to the quarterback. There aren’t many players, if any who can adequately match up on the Patriots tight ends in single coverage. The Jets certainly aren’t equipped with them as they are still woefully undermanned at safety. They are going to need as many people in coverage as possible, meaning they don’t have the luxury to continually throw their extra defensive backs on blitzes.

The rumors have the Jets addressing their hole at pass rusher through the draft. How aggressive Mike Tannenbaum pursues the need remains to be seen but something needs to be done to enhance the speed and athleticism of the front seven.

On the other side of the football, you need to make plays in the passing game to beat New England. Think about the Jets victories over the Patriots in recent years. In 2009, Jerricho Cotchery gashed them for big plays down the middle of the field in the second half to lead a comeback victory. In 2010, Braylon Edwards and Dustin Keller ripped apart their secondary in the regular season victory and in the playoffs it was Cotchery and Edwards who again did the damage.

Last season the Jets didn’t have Cotchery ripping off a 58 yard reception in the 4th quarter or Edwards hauling in a 37 yard grab down the sideline to set up a touchdown. The big plays were nowhere to be found.

They must return this year, whether it comes from Dustin Keller being used properly, Braylon Edwards returning or the Jets finding another big play receiver.

It certainly could create a dilemma for the Jets on draft day. If you are sitting at number 16 with Melvin Ingram and Quinton Couples off the board, staring at either Courtney Upshaw or Michael Floyd, what do you do? Upshaw’s stock as a 3-4 player has fallen due to his size and potential issues with his knee while Floyd’s stock is climbing every day as a big play receiver. It seems at this point that Floyd would be much better value at that spot but is the need too big to ignore at outside linebacker or can you justify taking Floyd by saying you need to replace the big plays in the passing game that allowed you to beat New England in previous years?

TOJ 12 Pack: Under The Radar New York Jets

A quick hitting 12 pack for your Friday afternoon, focusing on twelve New York Jets who will be critical to the team’s success in 2012 but aren’t receiving the same media adoration of Tim Tebow or media scorn of Mark Sanchez and Santonio Holmes.

1. Muhammad Wilkerson – Last year’s first round pick, who had a good not great rookie season. Wilkerson is steady against the run and showed flashes of being able to get after the passer. If he takes advantage of his first full off-season, the Jets pass rush will receive a needed boost in 2012.

2. Joe McKnight – A player who could be a huge factor on offense if used properly. We saw Reggie Bush flourish last year in Miami under Tony Sparano and McKnight has a similar skill set. He could also take advantage of the Jets using the Wildcat with Tim Tebow by having the speed to make plays on the edge of the defense.

3. Jeremy Kerley – Should be given the opportunity to flourish as the team’s slot receiver. Kerley has excellent quickness and began to come on strong at the end of his rookie season.

4. Austin Howard – Who? A guy who could be given the opportunity to become the starting right tackle if Wayne Hunter and Vladimir Ducasse play like they did last season.

5. Bilal Powell – If the Jets are going to be as run heavy as they indicate, there should be a role for Powell. The Jets spent a 4th round pick on him last season, so they might as well give him a chance. He didn’t look impressive at all when given a chance last season but maybe with a full off-season under his belt he could improve.

6. Josh Mauga – Even if Bart Scott hangs on to the starting inside linebacker job, Mauga will likely see time on passing downs. The Jets need to find a long term answer opposite David Harris. Can Mauga give any indications this year that he could be that guy?

7. Kenrick Ellis – He basically had a red shirt rookie season, if he can’t become a part of the regular defensive line rotation in 2012, it is certainly going to look like he was a wasted third round pick.

8. John Conner – You don’t hear much about The Terminator these days. It would be nice to see him become a consistent short yardage threat and a more reliable receiver out of the backfield.

9. Ellis Lankster – Somebody has to fill Marquice Cole’s role on all the special teams.

10. Jeff Cumberland – Showed flashes of being a valuable weapon in the passing game last year. Problem is, how many pass catching tight ends does Tony Sparano have use for?

11. Caleb Schlauderaff – If Matt Slauson isn’t ready for the season because of off-season surgery, Schlauderaff would step in as the starter.

12. Kyle Wilson – His role should continue to grow on Rex Ryan’s defense. Could we see him line up at free safety in a few looks?

New York Jets Off-Season: Getting Inside Mike Tannenbaum’s Head

At this point in the New York Jets off-season, it is easy to be a little confused, angry and disappointed. Here is a review of what they have done so far -

• Signed a highly injury prone strong safety, LaRon Landry
• Signed a highly injury prone wide receiver, Chaz Schilens
• Traded for a backup quarterback/wildcat option, Tim Tebow
• Re-signed Sione Pouha and Bryan Thomas
• Guaranteed Wayne Hunter’s salary next year
• Held on to Santonio Holmes by guaranteeing his salary the next two years
• Signed Drew Stanton…then traded Drew Stanton after trading for Tebow
• Gave Mark Sanchez an overhyped extension that basically didn’t change much to his original contract but brought a wave of publicity with it

So, what the hell is Mike Tannenbaum thinking? Let’s try to figure it out -

Starting on offense, we told you throughout February the Jets would not be spending big money at the wide receiver position opposite of Santonio Holmes. The hiring of Tony Sparano confirmed a commitment to a run heavy offense and with so much already invested in Holmes, it doesn’t make philosophical sense to splurge financially for another receiver. Their approach is taking a low cost risk on a player like Schilens and then seeing how the draft shakes out before exploring the option of bringing Braylon Edwards back.

Do not look for the Jets to take a receiver early in the draft, unless somebody they fall in love with drops into their lap in round 2 or 3. I would expect them to take a receiver with one of their late round picks and then check out Edwards knee in May. If he passes the team’s physical, he can be brought back on a low cost deal and likely provide all the production they’d need from the number two receiver spot, with Schilens providing insurance.

The Tebow trade was clearly not something in the original off-season plans as demonstrated by the Stanton signing. There was speculation about the Jets signing or trading for another running back to compliment Shonn Greene but bringing in Tebow is going to prevent that from happening. He will be a weapon in the running game more than anything and outside of potentially a mid or late round pick, look for the Jets running back depth chart to stay the same.

Tebow’s trade was fueled by Rex Ryan and Tony Sparano’s desire to run and protect the football coupled with the business aspects of it endorsed by Woody Johnson. Tannenbaum saw Tebow become available, had his head coach, offensive coordinator and owner express interest and made it happen. Mark Sanchez was a peripheral thought in all of this, as I do think the organization still believes he could be the franchise quarterback but saw the Wildcat dimension/business aspects of Tebow too valuable to pass it up. Only time will tell, if it was worth it.

At tackle, Tannenbaum probably looked at Hunter’s contract and figured at a minimum he was a good depth player, which he is and something that the Jets badly lacked last year. The hope in the organization is that with a full off-season to learn the position, Vladimir Ducasse will be a viable option at right tackle. Teams don’t like giving up on second round picks after two years, regardless of how awful they looked throughout those two years. At this point, I fully expect the Jets to open camp with Hunter and Ducasse competing for the job, with Austin Howard maybe grabbing a few reps.

If they struggle, the Jets could hope that Vernon Carey is still on the market. He is a veteran who knows Sparano’s system that could immediately hop in or Tannenbaum could swing a trade in August to supplement the position. It is a risky strategy and not one I agree with, but it appears to be the planned approach at the moment.

Defensively, the Jets wanted to pair LaRon Landry and Reggie Nelson as their shiny, new safety duo. Unfortunately, they struck out with Nelson leaving a gaping hole at free safety. The Jets protected themselves from Landry’s injury with how the contract is structured but the defense will suffer if he misses extended periods of time in 2012. I would expect the Jets to seriously consider finding a way to add a free safety in one of the early rounds of the draft and then bring back Jim Leonhard in May or June as veteran insurance. Missing out on Nelson hurt and the Jets are now going to need to rely on a healthy Landry and likely a draft pick to improve the position’s play.

The team hasn’t been shy about their desire to improve the pass rush. It would be an upset at this point if they don’t find away to take a outside linebacker in the first round. The question is only how aggressive will they pursue one? Would they trade up for Melvin Ingram or Quinton Couples? Could they trade back for Andre Branch? Is Courtney Upshaw on the board for them at number 16? The Jets want a young pass rusher to take Bryan Thomas off the field on passing downs and eventually off the field all together. They likely envision a third down defense that prominently features this first round pick opposite of Aaron Maybin, who should only get better in Rex’s system in year two.

One other thing that should be noted, the locker room chaos last year clearly made a huge impression on the Jets front office. Re-signing Sione Pouha was a smart football move but became such a major priority because he was a respected captain last year. The quick re-signing of Bryan Thomas, a longtime good guy veteran of the organization was also a larger priority than it would have in years past. Bringing back Hunter, who despite his on field struggles, is a respected player in the locker room who stood up to Santonio Holmes slacking last year supports the notion of emphasizing the importance of improving the locker room. Finally, while the Tebow trade was primarily motivated by the Wildcat and business, it would be foolish to think his personality didn’t play a factor in it as well.

So what else should you expect the rest of the way from the Jets? I would look for an outside linebacker and safety early in the draft, along with an eventual signing of Braylon Edwards and Jim Leonhard. If the Jets make an addition at right tackle, it probably won’t happen until training camp. It isn’t the flashiest off-season but the Jets are clearly banking on Tony Sparano improving Mark Sanchez’s play and Tim Tebow adding an element to the Jets offense that will make it harder to defend. Rex Ryan is always going to be confident in his defense and I am sure he thinks with a new pass rusher, Landry, and a free safety the group will take major strides from last year.

Finally, what about that extra money the Jets still have? Remember they are going to have to pay Darrelle Revis next off-season to avoid another holdout, along with Dustin Keller and Shonn Greene’s contracts both being up. Those considerations have to be a factor in the Jets spending right now.

Doesn’t cheer you up? Well maybe this will…feels like a hundred years ago, right?

New York Jets Set For Big Draft

The New York Jets will head into April’s draft with 10 picks. They have a first round selection (16th overall), second round selection (47th overall), third round selection (77th overall) and then a fifth round selection, three six round selections and three seven round selections. It is worth noting that they cannot trade their compensatory picks, two of which are in the sixth round and two of which are in the seventh round.

So what can we expect from the Jets? Throughout Mike Tannenbaum’s history, he has aggressively pursued trades to acquire starting caliber players using the draft. Whether is was Thomas Jones, Kris Jenkins, Antonio Cromartie, or Santonio Holmes, he isn’t shy about parting with picks to fill needs with veteran players. Tannenbaum also has a history of trading up to acquire players the organization has targeted like Darrelle Revis, David Harris, Dustin Keller, Mark Sanchez, and Shonn Greene. Generally, it would be wise not to expect the Jets to stand pat with their ten selections.

The Jets still have holes on both sides of the football, most notably in three locations: right tackle, free safety, and outside linebacker. Outside of that, they could use help at wide receiver, running back and inside linebacker.

The early chatter about the draft has the Jets targeting a pass rusher with their first pick. Melvin Ingram and Quinton Coples will both likely be gone by number sixteen, so if the Jets want either badly they will need to trade up into the 7-10 range. Courtney Upshaw could fall to them and if he does, expect them to snap him up. I also wouldn’t be shocked if they moved up a few spots to grab him if he slides into the 12-14 range. Finally, they have taken time to individually work out Clemson’s Andre Branch. He is a player the Jets could trade back into the late 20s to grab and acquire another pick in the process.

Mark Barron, the top safety in the draft, is also likely to be picked somewhere in the 25-35 range and the Jets could consider coupling a trade back for Branch with a trade up from their second round pick to grab Barron. The team could also choose to stay put and target Notre Dame’s Harrison Smith, the second ranked safety in the draft on most boards, with their 44th pick.

Overall, with three picks in the top one hundred and ten picks overall, the Jets need to find 2-3 new starters, whether it is through the draft and, trading picks for veteran players, or going back over the free agent market. There are upgrades out there to Wayne Hunter, Jim Leonhard, Bryan Thomas, and Chaz Schilens, it is just a matter of Mike Tannenbaum pulling the trigger.

New York Jets: Safety Remains Major Concern

The New York Jets have had inconsistent play at the safety position since Rex Ryan took over as head coach. The problem is magnified because they play in the same division as the New England Patriots, who have the best tight end in the league, Rob Gronkowski, and another top ten tight end in the league in Aaron Hernandez. It isn’t just New England who attacks the middle of the field on the Jets, any team with an athletic tight end smartly stays away from the outside of the field, where the Jets have Darrelle Revis, Antontio Cromartie, and Kyle Wilson and instead attacks their safeties.

Currently the Jets have Eric Smith under contract and nobody else. (Sorry Tracy Wilson and Gerald Alexander, until you play a down for the team, I can’t count you). The free agent market is thin, as it is currently headlined by LaRon Landry, Dwight Lowery, and Reggie Nelson. Jim Leonhard and Brodney Pool were with the team last year but both are free agents now as well.

In the draft, Mark Barron is considered the top safety by a good margin. His recent double sports hernia has prevented him from working out thus far, keeping his positioning on most draft boards in somewhat of a flux. He will be available at #16 but might slide far enough where the Jets could consider trading up their second round pick to snag him in the back end of the first round, or just trading back in the first round to take him. Harrison Smith, Markelle Martin, Antonio Allen, and Brandon Taylor could all be 2nd or 3rd round options for the Jets at safety if they don’t end up with Barron.

So, how will the Jets proceed? Brodney Pool most likely isn’t coming back. He can’t stay healthy and hasn’t distinguished himself in the past two years with his play. It would likely be wise to bring Leonhard back on the veteran’s minimum, considering how well he knows the defense. Eric Smith is coming back and if used in the proper role, can be an effective player. Don’t forget how well Smith was playing in 2009 when he was used as a situational player and on special teams. He simply lacks the skill set to be a full time starter.

What that equates to, is that you need two more safeties in a bad way. Smith should be the #3 safety, used in certain packages and as an emergency starter. Leonhard should be the place holder for the rookie the Jets add in one of the first rounds of the draft, helping ease his transition and gradually sliding into a part time/depth player only role. A free agent needs to be brought in who can start immediately or the Jets need to swing a trade for one.

LaRon Landry is a big name that will get people excited. The problem is that he will command a big price tag that comes with durability concerns and questionable coverage skills. In reality, Lowery could be the best option out there. He spent last off-season preparing to be a full time safety and then the Jets traded him to Jacksonville where he took advantage of that off-season by putting together his best year in the NFL. Mike Tannenbaum would have to swallow his pride but bringing Lowery back makes plenty of sense.

History Teaches The Lesson: What The Jets Will Do This Off-Season

When attempting to understand what the New York Jets could do in the off-season, the best approach is to study the history of Mike Tannenbaum’s career as the team’s General Manager. We broke down that history in a two part series right here:

Part 1, The Mangini Years

Part 2, The Ryan Years

After review, here are a few things to expect -

Trades – Mike Tannenbaum has traded for a starter in every single off-season he has been the General Manager, except for last year. In total he has acquired eight starters via trade: Kevan Barlow, Thomas Jones, Brett Favre, Kris Jenkins, Lito Sheppard, Braylon Edwards, Antonio Cromartie, and Santonio Holmes. He also hasn’t hesitated to trade away big name veterans on his team, most notably dealing John Abraham, Pete Kendall, Jonathan Vilma, Dewayne Robertson, Kerry Rhodes, Leon Washington and Dwight Lowery.

It would be reasonable to expect the Jets to address one of the needs they can’t fill via free agency or the draft through a trade or two. Neither safety or tackle has an impressive list of available free agents, so look for Tannenbaum to target teams with a surplus at the position in the coming months. We also know the Jets window for making a big trade extends all the way into the regular season, as we saw with Braylon Edwards. As for players on their own team who could be on the market, we already know Bart Scott is and it wouldn’t be the craziest thing in the world to see Dustin Keller traded.

Familiar Names – Tannenbaum won’t hesitate to pursue players that his coaching staff has worked with in the past. For Eric Mangini, be brought in Matt Chatham, Ty Law, Tim Dwight, and Hank Poteat about eight thousand times. For Rex Ryan, he signed Bart Scott, Jim Leonhard, Marques Douglas, Trevor Pryce, Derrick Mason, and Howard Green. Many are speculating the Jets will add multiple ex-Dolphins this off-season to help retool the offense, notably Chad Henne, Vernon Carey, Anthony Fasano, and Ronnie Brown because of their familiarity with new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano. Even though he isn’t a head coach, it is a safe bet to expect to see at least a couple of former Dolphins added to the Jets roster this year. Beyond that, don’t be surprised to see Tannenbaum sign Jarret Johnson or Jameel McClain who both played for Rex Ryan in Baltimore.

Big Names – The reason there is validity to Peyton Manning to the New York Jets is because Mike Tannenbaum found a way to get Brett Favre to come here, after the Jets just went through a 4-12 season. He can recruit the big name, which is why it would be foolish to think the Jets have no shot at Manning.

Making Space Where There Is None – It seems that nearly every year the Jets are portrayed as having no cap space, yet then Mike Tannenbaum restructures a few deals, swings a few trades and the Jets end up having an active off-season. I am not saying they are going to pull in a handful of marquee names in the coming weeks but the Jets will be active and aggressive in attempting to fill their holes.

BREAKING NEWS: SOURCE ON PEYTON MANNING AND NEW YORK JETS

Considering how NFL news is being reported these days, I found it important to pass along the following information on the New York Jets pursuit of Peyton Manning. The following has been confirmed by a source -

- The New York Jets will inquire about Peyton Manning potentially playing for them.

- The New York Jets will determine how healthy Peyton Manning is.

- If Peyton Manning is healthy to the team’s standards and expresses a desire to play in New York, the Jets will make an offer to him.

- If he accepts that offer, he will be their starting quarterback next year.

- If he declines that offer, they will attempt to make nice with Mark Sanchez…and Sanchez will get over it and be under center for the Jets next year.

- Certain players on the New York Jets team think they’d be better off with Peyton Manning, others would rather stick with Sanchez.

My source? It is called common sense and it doesn’t need a headline on a New York newspaper or a bunch of asterisks next to it on Twitter (looking at you Incarcerated Bob).

Of course the New York Jets will inquire about Peyton Manning. Mike Tannenbaum would be negligent in his job if he didn’t. You know who else will inquire about Manning in the coming days, either publicly or not publicly? About 18 other teams. It is called doing your job. You at least research what Manning’s status is in terms of monetary demands and health.

If the Jets reach out, determine he is healthy to the team’s standards and he says, “hey, Mike, Rex, and Woody I want to be a Jet.” Guess what, folks? He is going to be on the team. Woody is too much of a star lover and Rex is too infatuated with Manning’s skills for it not to. Is that going to happen? Probably not. Is it a smart decision, if it does sign with them? Probably not, but that is an argument for a different day.

Finally if the Jets pursue Manning, fall short and turn back to Sanchez, he will deal with his “hurt feelings” that people are speculating about and remain their starting quarterback. People are talking like Sanchez is going to demand a trade the second the Jets call Manning’s agent. Where is Sanchez demanding a trade to? Where does he think he will be welcomed as an unquestioned starter? The kid isn’t stupid and he is a competitor. If given a chance to remain the Jets starter, regardless of a Manning pursuit, he will do it…he will do it because he will want to prove himself and the Jets will give him the best chance to do that. You think he wants to run off to Seattle to split snaps in camp with Tavaris Jackson? Stop it.

Finally, it isn’t news that “certain players” in the Jets locker room anonymously think Peyton Manning is better than Mark Sanchez. Manning is a first ballot Hall of Famer, it isn’t hard to find somebody to say they’d rather have him under center. But wait…maybe it is, since that person won’t reveal their name. I do know Nick Mangold, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Dustin Keller, Muhammad Wilkerson, Darrelle Revis, Sione Pouha, Antonio Cromartie, and multiple others have put their name to supporting Sanchez.

Let’s not let the Manning madness blind us to the fact that the Jets have one safety under contract right now and are in a division with the New England Patriots, who have 2 of the 5 league’s best tight ends or that Wayne Hunter is still the starting right tackle.

I hope the common sense source continues to divulge knowledge for the rest of the off-season.

New York Jets Free Agent Rumors Picking Up

Don’t worry, we’ll get to the Peyton Manning talk you maniacs. But for now there is other chatter picking up around who the New York Jets will pursue in free agency this off-season. In case you forgot, this team still needs help at linebacker, safety, offensive line and wide receiver. Let’s look at what we’ve been hearing -

Erin Henderson – An under the rader linebacker who Evan Silva speculated the Jets could pursue. The team recently hired Karl Dunbar to be the defensive line coach so he should be familiar with Henderson’s ability since both were in Minnesota last year. Henderson could be an affordable option to replace Bart Scott when the Jets eventually dump him.

Ronnie Brown – We speculated here back in January that the Jets would have interest in Brown and it has recently been confirmed by ESPN’s Rich Cimini. This is logical move as Brown would come on a veteran’s minimum deal, is familiar with Tony Sparano’s offense and provides a successor to LaDainian Tomlinson as a reliable veteran who can contribute in a variety of ways. Brown is solid in pass protection, as a receiver and could offer 5-7 carries a game, along with helping bring the Wildcat element to the Jets offense. If the Jets do sign him, it tells you everything you need to know about what the team thinks of Bilal Powell being ready to contribute.

Jarret Johnson – The Baltimore Sun and a few other outlets have been reporting this. Johnson played for Rex Ryan in Baltimore and would be a stopgap at outside linebacker to replace to Bryan Thomas. He is excellent against the run but doesn’t really get after the passer, sound familiar? If the Jets can draft a pass rusher in the first round to groom behind him, this is a sensible move.

Jameel McClain – The Baltimore Sun also reported the Jets being interested in McClain, another Ravens linebacker. McClain could be a replacement for Bart Scott, if the team doesn’t go after Erin Henderson or hand the job off to Josh Mauga.

Chad Henne – It is no surprise to anybody that the Jets are being linked with Henne considering his history with Tony Sparano. His price tag could end up being a little high for a backup.

Braylon Edwards – The Daily News reported the Jets having interest if “the price is right and he is healthy.” This means if he comes on a veteran’s minimum deal and that the team won’t move on him for a few months.

-

Many people are assuming the Jets will interested in Vernon Carey at right tackle and Anthony Fasano at tight end, if he is released. There has been no official reports on this however. It also makes sense to think the Jets will take a hard look at the few remaining names at safety, including Reggie Nelson, LaRon Landry, and Reggie Smith.

Mike Tannenbaum’s Career As New York Jets GM: Part 1, The Mangini Years

New York Jets General Manger Mike Tannenbaum deserves a large share of the credit for the New York Jets being a playoff team in 2006, 2009 and 2010. He also deserves a large share of the credit for the Jets missing the playoffs in 2007, 2008, and 2011. Since taking over as GM, the Jets have been a .500 or better team in 5 of 6 seasons but have only made the playoffs half of the time. Basically, you are getting a 8-8 to 10-6 team who could sneak into the playoffs depending on how strong the rest of the conference is. Mike Tannenbaum is going to field a competitive team but he hasn’t shown the ability to put together a roster good enough to be one of the NFL’s elite.

Zero division titles. Zero 12 win seasons yet three playoff berths and four playoff wins. Tannenbaum’s resume is an inconsistent one, as a closer look at this history reveals, a history that should provide some insight into what the Jets will do in the coming months:

2006

Primary Additions

Draft Class – D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Nick Mangold, Eric Smith, Kellen Clemens, Anthony Schlegel, Brad Smith, Leon Washington, Drew Coleman, Titus Adams, Jason Pociask

Free Agency - Andre Dyson, Matt Chatham, Brad Kassell, Kimo Von Oelhoffen, Tim Dwight, Anthony Clement, Trey Teague, Monsanto Pope, Wade Smith

Trade - C.J. Mosley, Kevan Barlow, Sean Ryan, Patrick Ramsey,

Primary Subtractions

Released - Kevin Mawae, Jason Fabini, Jay Fielder, Barry Gardner, Lance LeGree, Jerald Sowell, Harry Williams, Ty Law, Mark Brown,

Traded - John Abraham, Brooks Bollinger

An active off-season in which Tannenbaum succeeded in digging the Jets out of salary cap hell (they were 25 million over the cap when he was promoted to GM) and retooling them by signing and trading for a large crop of mid to lower level free agents and putting together a productive draft. The John Abraham trade did net the Jets All-Pro center Nick Mangold, which makes it hard to argue with even though the Jets have never properly replaced Abraham as a pass rusher. Outside of Mangold, Tannenbaum had a good draft by pairing him with Ferguson and finding late round contributors in Brad Smith, Leon Washington, Drew Coleman, and Eric Smith. Most of the acquisitions contributed in some way, either as a starter or a key reserve to a 10-6 playoff team.

The negatives were missing on Kellen Clemens and Anthony Schlegel in round 2 and round 3, respectively. Teague never played but was a smart insurance signing because Mangold was an unproven rookie. Tim Dwight couldn’t stay healthy but was productive when on the field. Overall, I would say this was a very good off-season for Tannenbaum mostly because of how he salvaged their cap situation and put together enough role players to field a playoff caliber team. Also at the time the hiring of Eric Mangini looked like an incredibly savvy move.

2007

Primary Additions

Draft Class – Darrelle Revis, David Harris, Chansi Stuckey, Jacob Bender

Free Agency – Michael Haynes, Marques Tuiasosopo, Andre Wadsworth, Wade Smith

Trade - Thomas Jones

Primary Subtractions

Released – BJ Askew, Dave Ball, Rashad Washington

Traded – Pete Kendall

There was much less volume this year as Tannenbaum constantly preached keeping as much continuity from the previous year’s playoff team as possible. The draft emphasized quality over quantity and the trade ups for Darrelle Revis and David Harris remain arguably the two best moves Tannenbaum has made since taking over as GM. Despite a disappointing 2007 season, the Thomas Jones trade turned out to be a major success.

Unfortunately, Tannenbaum began a disturbing trend of mistreating veterans and overestimating his talent on the offensive line by refusing to bump Pete Kendall’s contract up and then eventually trading him. The trade sunk the Jets season, as replacement Adrien Clarke was awful. Tannenbaum compounded the mistake by keeping Anthony Clement for another year as the starting right tackle. Clement was adequate when supported by a strong guard like Kendall in 2006 but flamed out in year two with Clarke on the line with him. The weakness of Clarke and Clement led to Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens getting beat up all season en route to a 4-12 year.

Without the Kendall trade, acquiring Revis, Harris, and Jones would have made for a great off-season but the trade knocks it down substantially.

2008

Primary Additions

Draft Class – Vernon Gholston, Dustin Keller, Dwight Lowery, Erik Ainge, Marcus Henry, Nate Garner

Free Agency – Alan Faneca, Calvin Pace, Damien Woody, Tony Richardson, Andre Woolfolk, Ty Law, Bubba Franks, Jesse Chatman

Trade – Brett Favre, Kris Jenkins

Primary Subtractions

Released - Erik Coleman, Anthony Clement, Andre Dyson, Justin McCariens, Chad Pennington

Traded - Jonathan Vilma, Dewayne Robertson

Credit Tannenbaum for taking advantage of the cap space he cleared in 2006 to do everything in his power to improve on the previous year’s 4-12 team. In retrospect, Faneca and Woody stabilized the line in the upcoming years despite only playing 2 and 3 years with the team, respectively. Pace was overpaid but has been a good starter since joining the team. Jenkins was a beast for one year but couldn’t stay healthy after that. Favre…well we know the story there. Trading Vilma hasn’t looked like the smartest thing in the world and the draft was probably Tannenbaum’s worst.

It is difficult to evaluate this off-season. Tannenbaum did improve the team in the short term but at the same time didn’t build for the future by sinking so much money into veterans and having a weak draft. This extremely active off-season didn’t equal a playoff spot in 2008 but Woody, Faneca, Pace, Keller, and Richardson were big parts of a team that reached the AFC Championship game in 2009 and 2010 (with the exception of Faneca).

After this season, Eric Mangini was fired and replaced with Rex Ryan. Tannenbaum’s first attempt at hiring a coach found a guy who had a winning season two out of three years, made the playoffs once but never won a playoff game and only had a 23-25 career regular season record.

Coming tomorrow: Part 2, The Rex Ryan Years

New York Jets: What Is A Successful Off-Season?

The upcoming New York Jets off-season is likely going to disappoint a large portion of the team’s fanbase. Every need isn’t going to be filled. That being said, what do the Jets have to take care of, at a minimum, in the upcoming months for Mike Tannenbaum to do a satisfactory job?

It starts up front on both sides of the football, which means getting Sione Pouha signed to a 2-3 year deal to make sure he can keep anchoring the Jets run defense. On offense, that means bringing in a veteran right tackle to compete with Wayne Hunter, somebody along lines of a Vernon Carey. The offensive line should also be supported with a mid-round pick to develop.

Improving the pass rush is of equal priority. Mario Williams isn’t happening. There are a few decent stopgap players available in free agency like Anthony Spencer and Manny Lawson. If Tannenbaum is thinking big on draft day, it should be at this position. The Jets aren’t going to need to sell the farm to move up to get an elite pass rusher but if they need to move up to the 12-14 range to get their guy, Tannenbaum shouldn’t hesitate.

Safety is a position the Jets could address in free agency and support with a 2nd or 3rd round pick. Tyvon Branch or Michael Griffin are worth the investment on the open market and look for Jim Leonhard to be brought back on a veteran’s minimum deal to provide depth.

There is a need at wide receiver but compared to right tackle, linebacker, and safety the need is a luxury. Don’t be shocked if the Jets don’t add a starting caliber free agent at receiver. This is a run first team and the priority to spend in free agency at the position is lower than other spots on the team. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Jets add a mid-round receiver with some size and go into camp with him, Jeremy Kerley and Patrick Turner competing for reps opposite of Santonio Holmes, with Dustin Keller having a much larger role split out at receiver, while the team signs a blocking tight end to pair with him.

Beyond that, another quarterback is going to be brought in. I have a tough time seeing it being anyone besides Chad Henne on a cheap, one year deal. It is a necessary, logical move considering his history with Tony Sparano.

Hypothetically, if Tannenbaum brought back Pouha, signed Vernon Carey to play right tackle, signed Branch or Griffin at safety, and Henne to be the backup quarterback and then on draft day got a pass rushing OLB in round one, along with a safety and wide receiver in the middle rounds. Would you consider that a successful off-season? I would.