MVN - Most Valuable Network

First Ever Cockpit Mailbag

Training camp is finally within sight. The Jets first practices are this Thursday at Hofstra University in Long Island. For the first time in a long time, there is alot of Jets news so let’s get right into it, before I answer the questions that were sent in for the mailbag:

Jets News and Notes:

- All of the Jets rookies are signed, except for #6 overall pick Vernon Gholston. The Jets have today, tomorrow, and Wednesday to make sure he gets into practice on time. Mike Tannenbaum has a strong history of getting his players in, except for a hiccup last year with Darrelle Revis, which fortunately didn’t affect his production.

- The Jets signed a backup center, Kyle DeVan who is an undrafted free agent from Oregen State.

- ESPN ranked the Jets #23 in the training camp Power Rankings. As recent history shows, the lower the expectations, the better for the Jets.

- Eric Mangini has discussed going a bit easier on practice length this year. He has held discussions with various veterans on the team who obviously supported the cutback, and it is good to see that he is open to changing some of his philosophies. There has been gripes over the last couple of seasons about how Mangini is running the team into the ground in August.

- The Jets PSL information is coming in late August. Personally, I don’t see how the Jets can’t have at least slightly lower prices than the Giants, since they were 4-12 last year. Yet, I am sure I will be paying 1,000 dollars for my upper-level seat in the new stadium…unbelievable.

Mailbag:

From Freeman24: I am concerned about depth at DE and offensive guard/tackle. Are there any specific vets that can help that may be cap casualties because of $ or teams with a surplus of decent players at those spots we should keep an eye on?

Answer: You are right to be concerned about our depth at those positions. The top backups at defensive end are currently CJ Mosley. Mike DeVito, and Kareem Brown. Outside of Mosley, it is hard to have confidence in anybody else currently on the roster giving us quality reps off the bench. In terms of current free agents at defensive end, there is really nobody available, unless you want to bring Bobby Hamilton back in the mix. If you are going to look at players on other teams, you want to look for ones that play a 3-4. New England could cut a guy like Mike Wright or Santonio Thomas, and maybe the Jets would look at them. The 49ers have a ton of defensive lineman currently on their roster, and they play a 3-4, so the Jets could look at one of their guys. Also since they drafted Philip Merling and Quentin Moses, the Dolphins could release one of their veteran defensive ends.

I would have liked to see the Jets sign Shane Olivea for depth on the offensive line, but the Giants recently picked him up. The Jets clearly could use another guard or tackle with NFL experience. Believe it or not, I wouldn’t mind taking Anthony Clement back at the veteran’s minimum to be a reserve tackle. I also believe Wayne Gandy, Mike Rosenthal, and Kyle Turley are all still a free agents. Beyond that, maybe when the Jets trade Chris Baker they could receive a quality backup offensive lineman. Yet, the only way there will be a strong market for Baker is if somebody loses their starting tight end. The Bills could probably use a tight end but I doubt the Jets would trade him in the division.

From billvv: Why do you think Baker will continue to disrupt the Jets practices? How will that advance his position with other teams?

Answer: He disrupted the practices in mini-camp, so I couldn’t see why he wouldn’t do it again in training camp. Pete Kendall pulled the same stunt last year and got traded to Washington and ended up starting for playoff team. Teams know that Baker has an issues with Jets management, about a so-called promise they made to look at his contract. The bottom line is that if a team feels they need a starting caliber tight end, they will contact the Jets with an offer. Off the top of my head, the Lions could use a player like Baker. How about backup right tackle and former first round pick George Foster for Baker? It makes sense to me. Personally, I’d still rather see the Jets work something out with Baker because he is their best 2 way tight end.

From 4jetfans: Who is out there next year in college or a FA QB the Jets should look at?

Answer: This question assumes that Kellen Clemens isn’t the answer for the long term at quarterback, which is still entirely possible. So let’s assume Pennington wins the job this year, which means the Jets will still need a long term guy at the QB spot. In the draft, Tim Tebow will obviously be the top guy, but hopefully the Jets aren’t picking high enough to have a shot at him. Beyond him, Sam Bradford from Oklahoma and Matt Stafford from Georgia will likely be top prospects. In terms of current NFL players, the UFA list is ugly unless you want to take a shot at JP Losman, Kyle Orton, or Kyle Boller. Beyond that, Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn could available in a trade if the other guy plays lights out this year in Cleveland. If Aaron Rodgers starts and plays well in Green Bay, Brian Brohm could be available for the right price. Hopefully, the Jets already got it right with Clemens though.

From KeepChad&Kellen: In slightly different words, asked when the Jets are going to get more physical?

Answer: I agree with the belief that they need to get more physical and I loved Jerricho Cotchery’s recent quote about needing to come out and hit some teams in the mouth. It is about time somebody on the Jets said something like that. I think Alan Faneca will go a long way to helping the offense become more physical. Thomas Jones is a hard runner, and Tony Richardson is a big time blocking full-back. The Jets should be able to line-up and pound the ball behind Faneca and Nick Mangold. On defense, Kris Jenkins should make the Jets more tough on the inside and David Harris is already a monster in the middle, so hopefully the Jets can develop into a more physical team next year.

Tomorrow: Training Camp Preview: Part 1

This entry was posted on Monday, July 21st, 2008 at 11:17 am and is filed under Jets Sites, The Cockpit, Blogroll, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.