Nothing is better than the cold weather and a 12 pack along with it. It feels like football outside today, which is a beautiful thing.
1. Joe McKnight will receive at least three touches on offense, as the Jets reward him for his game changing special teams play last week. What he does with those plays will determine how much of a role he starts to have moving forward. Also look for John Conner to play more reps this week and a catch a pass out in the flat. His hands are an underrated part of his game.
2. After this game, still nobody will know who the hell Jason Hill is.
3. Luke McCown is going to have a rough time against the Jets defense. He will throw for less than 175 yards, be sacked at least 2 times, and have at least one turnover.
4. Maurice Jones-Drew will have a solid day at the office but won’t rip off the big run that will kill the Jets. He will finish with 22 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown.
5. Mark Sanchez won’t turn the football over this week and will throw somewhere between 25 and 30 passes.
6. Santonio Holmes and Eric Smith are both questionable to play this Sunday. Both will suit up but will have a more limited role than usual. Look for more action from both Derrick Mason and Jeremy Kerley on offense and for more Brodney Pool on defense than last week.
7. Plaxico Burress will have another big game, finishing with over 70 yards receiving and another touchdown. He will also be more involved in the first half.
8. For the first time in just about forever, the Jets will score a first quarter touchdown.
9. Antonio Cromartie will have a much better performance than last week, recording an interception and ripping off a big kick return.
10. Shonn Greene will rush for less than 80 yards but will have an improved yards per carry from last week. LaDainian Tomlinson will have at least 4 receptions.
11. Calvin Pace will record a sack for the second straight week.
12. The New York Jets won’t pull away in this one until the fourth quarter but will ultimately win 24-13. Hello 2-0.
Rex Ryan prides himself on his defense, in particular he prides himself on the ability to confuse and get after the quarterback. On Sunday night, he will be facing a quarterback who missed the majority of last season with an injury and an offensive line starting two rookies and a center with one career NFL start.
If Ryan wants to stop hearing questions about his pass rush. If Calvin Pace wants to stop hearing about when he will finally break through and put up a double digit sack season. If Jamaal Westerman wants to answer the skepticism about him being the team’s designated pass rusher…Sunday is a hell of an opportunity to make a statement.
There is no excuse for the Jets to not constantly be in the face on Tony Romo and knocking him to the ground. Despite being a playmaker, Romo is prone to making a handful of poor decisions a game that can result in turnovers. The pass rush should be able to both sack him and force a few passes that should be intercepted.
The top two pass rushers on the team are supposed to be Pace and Westerman. This is the first time in two years Pace will be on the field week one and he can get a jump on a breakout season by turning in a big performance Sunday night. Westerman has proven nothing as a defensive player at this level and needs to make a few plays to demonstrate he has the ability to be a pass rush specialist on this defense. Ryan will also be sending his defensive backs at the quarterback as usual, so players like Kyle Wilson, Donald Strickland, and Eric Smith need to take advantage of their blitzes.
A great defense takes advantage of an offensive line with such a lack of experience. Let’s see if the Jets will take a first step towards being that great defense this year.
The New York Jets have a solid, veteran group of starting linebackers. Calvin Pace, David Harris, Bart Scott, and Bryan Thomas are now entering their third year together as the 4 in Rex Ryan’s 3-4, and while the group has been instrumental in the defense’s success the past two years, it would be nice to see them increase their playmaking ability in 2011.
Scott and Thomas have roles that are more conducive to doing the dirty work and making plays that don’t always show up on the stat sheet, so it is more on Pace and Harris to come up with the game changing plays.
Pace was signed to a monster contract before the 2008 season and has been productive, but still hasn’t put together that one big season for the Jets. The past two years he has missed the first four games, once because of a suspension and once because of a foot injury. On the current depth chart, he is the guy most likely to pull in double digit sacks and now needs to put together a full 16 game season where he produces like he is being paid.
Harris is now one of the highest paid linebackers in the NFL, and after playing at an All-Pro/Pro-Bowl level in 2009, took a minor step back in 2010, coming up with less tackles, sacks, interceptions, and forced fumbles. Rex Ryan’s scheme is designed to free Harris up to make plays and he needs to take advantage of that. There is no reason he shouldn’t be able to match his 2009 production (127 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 2 INTs) on a consistent basis.
Even though backup linebackers like Josh Mauga have shown potential in the pre-season, it is especially important that this group stays healthy this year. The depth behind them is extremely young and inexperienced. A full, healthy season from all of them with a bump in plays made from Pace and Harris could propel the Jets back to being the NFL’s number one defense.
The New York Jets appear to be done making major moves to their 2011-2012 roster. Unless there is a major injury or surprising turn of events, the week one staters/key reserves are already in place.
On offense, improvement will be found by young players taking the necessary next step in their development, most notably quarterback Mark Sanchez who now enters his third year. He has clearly established himself as the unquestioned leader of the offense but now must find a higher level of consistency and accuracy on the field. A great season from Sanchez is going to mean the Jets offense will improve, regardless of the turnover at wide receiver.
Shonn Greene and Dustin Keller are two other players who need to fully realize their potential. Similar to Sanchez, Greene is also entering his third year. He failed to become the lead back the Jets drafted him to be last year but now with LaDainian Tomlinson a year older must become the workhorse to lead the “Ground and Pound.” We have seen what Greene is capable of when he gets going and if he can consistently receive 18-22 carries each week, there is no reason he can’t be a 1200 yard back.
We have heard about Dustin Keller’s potential since the day he was drafted, yet have never seen him put together a full season of being consistently productive. With Tom Moore now helping out on offense and the flux at the wide receiver position, Keller needs to become the Dallas Clark type weapon he is capable of being. He should develop into Sanchez’s security blanket and needs to become a bigger factor near the red-zone.
A higher level of productivity from Sanchez, Greene, and Keller will allow Plaxico Burress more time to get acclimated to the NFL again and put less pressure on Derrick Mason as he picks up the intricacies of playing slot receiver in the Jets offense. There is also the hope that Joe McKnight can become another weapon out of the backfield and promising rookie Jeremy Kerley can offer a few big plays at wide receiver.
On defense, the turnover hasn’t been significant. The biggest question mark is on the defensive line where first round pick Muhammad Wilkerson will immediately step into the starting line-up to replace Shaun Ellis.
Yes, I think the Jets did an awful job by letting Ellis walk to the New England Patriots and would like to see them bring back Trevor Pryce as a veteran mentor to Wilkerson. However, it doesn’t appear that is going to happen so Wilkerson must quickly become a key part of a largely no name and somewhat inexperienced defensive line rotation along with third round pick Kenrick Ellis, Ropati Pitoitua, and Marcus Dixon. Sione Pouha and Mike DeVito are quality blue-collar players who can lead up front and should help keep the Jets stingy against the run.
At linebacker, it is about time for Calvin Pace to give the Jets a 16 game season and become a 10 sack player. There is no excuse for him not to be in this scheme with his talent level. A contribution from Jamaal Westerman to the pass rush would be nice but Pace is still the team’s pass rusher and needs to produce like it.
In the secondary, Kyle Wilson will have the chance to grab the nickel back role and hopefully develop into the playmaker Drew Coleman was last year. If he can’t, Donald Strickland and maybe Marquice Cole provide good insurance.
On most teams you would be concerned about the turnover on special teams the Jets have seen this off-season, yet with Mike Westhoff leading the way, it is hard to see them not being one the league’s better units again.
Here we are, one week out from the opening pre-season game. Do the Jets still look like a Super Bowl contender to you? They do to me, but only time will tell if the way Mike Tannenbaum and the Jets front office handled this off-season properly.
TOJ Roundtable: where a collection of our writers offer a quick opinion on a pressing Jets question of the day.
Who will be this year’s breakout player on the New York Jets?
Joe Caporoso: I have faith in Rex Ryan finding ways to get after the quarterback so when he names a player his “Designated Pass Rusher” as he did yesterday with Jamaal Westerman, I tend think we could see a major leap in production from him this year. The Jets need Westerman to fill Jason Taylor’s role from last year and hopefully at least give them 5-7 sacks and create a few big plays. I think he steps up and becomes a valuable part of their defense after being a special teams player the past two seasons.
Rob Celletti: I don’t want to jinx him, but I’m going to go ahead and say Muhammad Wilkerson. After the abject failure that was Vernon Gholston, I think the Jets would be very, very careful about speaking too highly of rookie front-7 players. Considering the heaps of praise from Rex Ryan as well as the New York media in the first few days of camp, early returns on Wilkerson seem to be very good. The Jets need to find ways other than all-out blitzes to generate a pass rush, so maybe Wilkerson will be the guy to help them achieve that.
TJ Rosenthal: Joe McKnight. We see him as the a Jamaal Charles type. If a game presents itself where there is ground to gain outside, he may break out and become a serious part of the rotation. Another breakout player, Calvin Pace, It’s time. The Jets have waited since he arrived to take over as a pass rushing threat. Now more than ever, the Jets could use one as the defense inches closer towards completion. Pace CAN have that breakout year, provided that he finally can stay healthy over a full season.
Chris Celletti: Is it possible to be one of the highest paid players in the league at your position and be eligible as a breakout player? Well, for Calvin Pace, it is now or never. He’s never had double digits in sacks in his career, and the only area the Jets are really lacking is consistently pressuring the quarterback. Pace needs to be the one doing so and I think (and hope) he will this year. I think in 2011 he finally reaches the double-digit sack plateau.
Rex Ryan always has a few interesting things to say about his line-up during training camp press conferences. Today was no exception, as he revealed:
Muhammad Wilkerson will start at defensive end from day one, which we will get into a little more in a separate article.
The kick return and punt return jobs are both wide open with Jeremy Kerley, Kyle Wilson, and Joe McKnight all expected to compete. Antonio Cromartie could also be used in late game situations on kick return.
And finally, when talking about linebacker Jamaal Westerman, he said the following – “It’s time to unleash him. I see Westerman as a DPR: Designated Pass Rusher.”
Westerman will now be entering his third year with the Jets as an undrafted free agent out of Rutgers University. He impressed in his first year with his versatility of being able to line-up at defensive end, outside linebacker, and inside linebacker. He recorded a sack in his first professional game against the Houston Texans and finished his rookie campaign playing in 14 games, ending up with 10 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries. Last season, with Jason Taylor on the roster and due to some injuries, Westerman only played in 6 games and recorded 7 tackles.
Unfortunately, his most memorable play from last year was a roughing the punter penalty against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game.
At the moment, it doesn’t look like the Jets are going to add a veteran linebacker which means Westerman will be the top backup to Calvin Pace and Bryan Thomas, along with be featured as a pass rusher in multiple packages. Is Rex Ryan expecting too much from Westerman, a player with 1 career sack or he is right to gamble on giving a young player with potential a bigger role?
Westerman is one of the handful of players who need to improve substantially from last year if the Jets are going to remain a Super Bowl contender. You can include Kyle Wilson, Joe McKnight, and Wayne Hunter in that category of players who can compensate for the Jets technically not looking as good on paper as last year, by stepping up.
As reliable as Chad Henne throwing an interception in a big game, the 12 pack is back with another edition. A friendly reminder to follow Turn On The Jets on Facebook and Twitter. For today’s 12 pack we are going to count down the 10 most important players to the Jets getting over the hump and making it to the Super Bowl in 2011, along posting some links and our usual weekend video clips –
Ten Most Important Jets In 2011 -
10. Santonio Holmes – Everything we have heard this off-season indicates that he will be back with the team and that he is now their top priority after taking care of David Harris. Holmes needs to be the number one receiver the Jets are going to sign him to be on a consistent basis.
9. Jim Leonhard – The Jets defense needs a healthy Leonhard quarterbacking the secondary, especially with the spot opposite him a major question mark with Eric Smith, Brodney Pool, and James Ihedigbo all free agents.
8. Calvin Pace – Regardless of who the Jets draft this year, Pace will be their top pass rusher entering the season. The Jets need a full 16 game season out of him, where he finally reaches double digit in sacks, which he should be more than capable of in this system with his skill set.
7. Dustin Keller – Based on the assumption that Braylon Edwards won’t be back, Keller will need to take on a bigger role in the offense and become the team’s primary red-zone threat because of his size. Even if Edwards returns, Keller needs to keep growing and become a reliable outlet for Mark Sanchez.
6. Kyle Wilson – Based on the assumption that Antonio Cromartie won’t return despite TOJ writing 1200 articles this off-season begging for the Jets to re-sign him. Wilson needs to be able to handle the daunting task of being the corner opposite Revis Island, along with stepping up in the return game on both punts and kicks. Even if Cromartie returns, Wilson needs to improve as a nickel back and be better on returns.
5. Vladimir Ducasse/Wayne Hunter – One of the two of them needs to step into the right tackle spot to fill in for the recently released Damien Woody. The Jets offensive line has been a major strength the past few years and they can’t afford a major drop off because of one player being released. The coaching staff will obviously be pulling for Ducasse, last year’s second round pick, to seize the job. However, if he isn’t up to the task, Hunter must be more consistent than he was last season when he stepped in for an injured Woody.
4. Nick Mangold/D’Brickashaw Ferguson/Brandon Moore – Don’t ever forget how much of the Jets success the past couple of years is from having such a solid, consistent center, tackle, guard combination.
3. Shonn Greene – The Jets need a lead back who can carry the load on a weekly basis and this is Greene’s year to show he is that guy. 2010 was a disappointing season for the second year back, who got off to a slow start and never became the workhorse he showed he had the potential to be during the 2009 playoff run. Greene has the physical ability to be a 1200-1400 yard back, but can he stay healthy and consistent enough to achieve those numbers?
2. Darrelle Revis – The Jets aggressive defense is predicated on their corners being able to shut down receivers in single coverage. Darrelle Revis needs to stay healthy and play at the level he did in 2009 and the second half of 2010, especially with the uncertainty at the spot opposite him.
1. Mark Sanchez – Was there any question? It always starts and ends with the quarterback. Similar to how Sanchez took a step forward in 2010, the Jets need him to do the same thing this year. He will given more responsibility on offense and likely be asked to throw more than he has in previous years. Sanchez needs to get his completion percentage closer to 60 and should able to get near 4,000 yards passing next season, while keeping his interception total in the 10-13 range.
A quick run down as we are now less than a month away –
1. Defensive Line – If the season started today, the Jets would be starting Mike DeVito, Sione Pouha, and Marcus Dixon up front with Ropati Pitoitua and Matt Kroul as the top backups…enough said. They need another player or two here and will likely spend their first round pick on the defensive line unless an outside linebacker jumps off the board. The Jets should also work to bring back Shaun Ellis and Trevor Pryce to improve their depth and to mentor the rookies brought in.
2. Outside Linebacker – The Jets need to improve their pass rush and in the 3-4 that means having outside linebackers who can get after the quarterback. Bryan Thomas is a solid, consistent all-around player but the Jets need more speed and athleticism off the edge to compliment Calvin Pace.
3. Secondary – The Jets could still use a play-making safety to pair with Jim Leonhard. Kerry Rhodes was a bust in Rex Ryan’s first year and the Eric Smith/Brodney Pool platoon from last year could stand to be improved. If Antonio Cromartie leaves via free agency, the Jets may also need to look at the corner position due to Kyle Wilson’s struggles last year.
4. Wide Receiver – This is under the assumption that either Braylon Edwards or Santonio Holmes isn’t on the team next year. The offense could use a player with some upside to develop behind Jerricho Cotchery.
5. Backup quarterback – They need a long term answer to the question of who will be Mark Sanchez’s backup, especially since he has had more than one injury issue in his brief NFL career.
6. Offensive Line Depth – With either Wayne Hunter or Vladimir Ducasse moving into the starting line-up to replace Damien Woody and Robert Turner’s status uncertain for next year, the Jets could use another lineman who is versatile between the tackle and guard spots to provide depth.
Today we start our series of evaluating how each player on the Jets performed this past season, along with looking forward to what their role on the team will be next year…up first, outside linebacker Calvin Pace -
Stat Line – 51 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 3 TFLs, 3 PDs, 1 INT, 1 FF, missed 4 games due to a foot injury
Playoff Stat Line – 10 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 FF
Best Moment – His bone crushing strip sack of Tom Brady in the Jets divisional round playoff victory over the New England Patriots, which landed him on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Fast forward to 4:18 to see the play…
Best Game – He didn’t have one that jumped off the page, but did finish with 7 tackles and a sack against both Cleveland and Cincinnati.
Overall Evaluation – It is hard not to be somewhat disappointed with the production from Pace this past year. For the second straight season, he missed 4 games and he had 2.5 less sacks than he did in 2009. There was also a fairly substantial drop off in the number of big plays he caused. The most encouraging thing about his season was that he recorded a sack in each of the Jets three playoff games. Pace remains the Jets best overall pass rusher, which is less of compliment towards him and more of a statement on how desperately they need to add one. He is a very good all-around football player but shouldn’t be relied on as your number one option to get after the quarterback. (B-)
Future: Pace isn’t going anywhere any time soon considering the monster deal he signed before the 2008 season. It would be nice to see him play 16 games this year and when healthy he will remain a key part of the Jets defense for the foreseeable future. Look for the team to attempt to upgrade the outside linebacker spot opposite him, which could help boost his production.
