"Yeah, I've talked to Tom (Brady), (Richard) Seymour and some other guys there. Those guys are lifelong friends, and I've heard some people say that it'd be a good fit. Why wouldn't you want to go to a really good team, which is always close to the Super Bowl, which was in one a couple years ago, was a game away from another one, which has great coaching and is a great organization with a well put-together roster? Why wouldn't you want to be a part of that? And with all the history I have, what we accomplished in the playoffs, that wouldn't be a bad way to finish up."

Football teams take on identities similar to that of the head coach. From Lombardi to Parcells, Walsh to Manigini. Teams play with the same energy level on the field as the coach's persona and demeanor. I mentioned Mangini because when you look at the overall body of work his teams produced here, they were as middle of the road and non-emotional as he was. Aside from the around 500 record overall in his stint, you can just look at the way the team performed on the West Coast and also down the stretch last year. The whole time he was making bland statements about approach and execution, the team played just as flat as his press conferences. Can you imagine what we would have heard from Ryan in the midst of such a collapse. I can guarantee that the team would react differently, if they were to end up in such a scenario, which is highly unlikely.

I mention all of this because this year, the team will rely heavily on the running game. If you doubt that for any reason, look at the drafting of Shonn Greene for proof. When you look at the culture that Ryan is creating in the locker room, you can't help but think that this year, the offensive line will step up to be one of if not the best in the league. They are experienced, highly talented, extremely well coached and more familiar with each other's tendecies. When coupled with the aggressive mentality that Ryan brings, I see the potential for a nasty unit that can dominate.

Damien Woody, Alan Faneca, Nick Mangold, D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Brandon Moore are all pretty darn big. When you factor in that the league as a whole is getting 3-4 happy, resulting in one less big tackle on the opposing defensive lines, I can easily see a season that produces two 1000 yard runners. These guys are not only big, but extremely athletic as well. You start talking about Mangold or Faneca downfield on a linebacker and it creates serious problems for the opposing defenses.

This is becoming somewhat of a hot topic with football minds around the country right now. There is actually a great in depth article by KC Jones earlier this month comparing the Jets and the Giants offensive lines in a highly statistical manner right here http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/15/who-has-the-best-o-line-giants-or-jets/  This shows that I am not alone in my thinking about the potential for this year. Many analysts around the league are actually expecting big things from this unit.

Even with the emphasis on the run, the pass protection will also be a huge factor in this team's success. No matter which QB we go with, neither is a proven Dan Marino back there. Teams will be bringing the heat in passing downs. The "blind-spot" protection for the QB will be a determining factor in games. Teams will not only bring the heat, but likely be ball hungry and swipping a lot when putting the pressure on. I expect to see a huge step up in D'Brckashaw's game this year as from the comments I have heard from him thusfar, he seems to have something to prove.

There is no debating the fact that with all of the high-powered offense, if the QB has no time, the throw can't be made. The game was and still is, won in the trenches.  

Back in 2003, Scott Pioli signed safety Rodney Harrison, who was a salary cap casualty of the San Diego Chargers.  Harrison was 31 at the time, and was considered by many to have lost a step.  All he did after that was be named defensive captain of the Patriots, win two Super Bowls (including one where he had 7 tackels, 2 INT's, and a sack) and create the 30-30 Club - the only person in the history of the NFL to record 30 sacks andn 30 INTs in a career.

A quick disclaimer here - I hate Rodney Harrison.  I mean it - I think he's a dirty, thuggish cheap-shot artist.  That said - I wish he had played on the Chiefs during the first part of this decade - and that's one of the ulitimate compliments you can pay anyone, right?  "I hate the guy - but man, I wish he played for us."

Harrison reinvented himself with the Patriots, but more importantly, he brought an expectation of success and provided some much needed leadership to a young New England secondary that became a productive unit.

Enter Mike Brown - a former All-Pro safety who was a salary-cap casualty with Chicago, and someone who is thought to have lost a step.  He joins a team that is young, especially in the secondary, and needs someone to bring a winning attitude to the team.  Brown may not be the most athletic person on the team, but he may possess enough intangibles to contribute to the Chiefs' success.  The only question I would have about him is his ability to stay on the field, having missed 44 games the past five years.

Brown may not be Harrison, but there's a reason that Pioli signed him - again, this is Scott Pioli's team.  We just get to cheer for it.

Anyhow, I really like the things I am hearing and seeing from Chanci Stuckey. Here is a guy who always seemed to make plays last year. While Favre got the credit, he made a riduclous catch in week 1 to help fry the fish in Miami. The guy got separation time and time again last year in the slot. This year he seems hell bent on getting the job opposite Jerricho Cotchery. I know a lot of folks are really grumbling about the lack of "proven" talent and depth at wideout, but wasn't Cotchery himself unproven a couple of years back. When you really think of it, who was the last receiver who really came straight out of college highly touted and really made an immediate impact and name for himself?

Stuckey started his college career as a quarterback so it really helped with his picking up pre-snap reads and blitzes last year and so far this year in workouts. He is learning from Henry Ellard, the new Jet's receiver coach. I also hear he is going to work out with Terance Mathis for some extra credit homework assignments before training camp starts. This kid is like a sponge and he is finding the best water possible.  

Now I recall Mathis when he was with the Jets. I saw promise there but he wasn't utilized properly in the system (sounds familiar?) as a receiver. He left as an unrestricted free agent and went on to AVERAGE three times his best yearly total up here (28 catches) down there per year (77 catches). His first year there, he caught 111 balls for over 1300 yards! This guy constantly made toast out of DB's and was always one of the top options for the QB's Jeff George and Chris Chandler down there. He actually finished his career as THE leading receiver in three categories in Atlanta Falcons history with 573 receptions, 7349 yards and 57 touchdowns from 1994-2001.

Let's look at the big picture here. Stuckey is going to work with the Falcons' ALL TIME leading receiver, outside of training camp on his own time and dime. Then he will come back to camp and have one of the best route runners in the history of the game, who's third all time in yardage, Henry Ellard working with him all year as his coach.

Now, maybe I am missing something, but the last time I checked we are talking about trying to "upgrade" over a guy who seriously studies his craft and already has a year in this system. The options are a guy who was late for his own court case for shooting HIMSELF in his leg (butterfingers), a guy who has hands of stone when it matters (lardfingers), a guy who got caught with more blow than the 86 Mets (blowfingers), a guy who hits his women (weak pimp hand) and all with pretty high price tags in cash and/or future draft picks, as well as quite possibly team PR and even more importantly chemistry. 

You heard it here first. Don't sleep on Stuckey. I can see big things popping for him.

I considered taking Chung off this list, as the second pick of the second round is hardly what most consider a "diamond in the rough." That said, there isn't a single player on this list (or the offensive list, for that matter) that I have more confidence in developing into a true standout than Chung. I tagged him as the most reliable open-field tackler in the 2009 draft and see no reason to back off that assessment now that he'll be playing for a defensive genius like Bill Belichick.

As of an undrafted free agent entering into his tenth year in the league, Douglas is used to being overlooked. After being signed with Baltimore out of Howard in 1999, he has had stints with New Orleans, San Fransico, Tampa, and then returning to the Ravens last year via trade. Mostly used as a reserve, early on, he had a solid year in 2003 starting all 16 games and recording 61 tackles and 4.5 sacks. This is actually a better year statistically than Kenyon Coleman's best year in his career thus far, which was his first with the Jets in 2007 (55 tackles, 1.5 sacks), who he replaces.

He was signed here in New York by Rex Ryan to, for the first time in his career, not be overlooked by his coaching staff and simply shuttled in to keep the starters fresh, but rather to lead the other players. What a lot of people don't realize is that aside from being a key DL player familiar with the system being implemented, he also was a big factor in the trade that got the team Mark Sanchez. Rex Ryan said in a quote earlier this year, "Signing him in the off-season kind of went under the radar, but it allowed us to make a trade to move [DE Kenyon] Coleman, a good football player. Would we have been able to make the trade if we never had the depth at defensive end, at safety? But we felt great about the depth we added, and we know Marques can play. This is the kind of player I want to surround myself with and bring in, guys who are passionate, love to play the game, prepare to play, and when the lights come on these guys really play great and elevate other players' games as well. Douglas is that kind of guy." I tend to see that as firstly, a glowing compliment of the work ethic, on field performance history and skill of Douglas. To a much lesser degree, a subtle knock of Coleman and S Abram Elam (naturally, as they were Mangini players who were let go and replaced with his players).

I feel that while many in the media and casual fans are overlooking him, this will be one of the players who plays a vital role in the Jets succes this year. While two years older than Coleman, he is a nasty, hardhat type, high motor player that will bring a more veteran presence on an established line. We all know that football is won in the trenches. No matter who is throwing the rock and who is catching it, this team will be led by the defensive play first and the offensive line setting up the running game second. To have a player on every level of the defense that is already familiar with the system is a smart move by Ryan and Mike Pettine. To have a smart player like this at the DL, is even bigger when factored in with how smart the other players they brought in are as well.

Every season since Derrick Burgess was signed by the Raiders, the question has come up about his contract. And every year, the Raiders and Al Davis have brushed it aside with little regard.

The Raiders acquired Burgess from the Eagles prior to the 05 season and signed him to a thrifty five year deal. His first season in Oakland he burst on to the scene with 16 sacks and made the pro bowl. He immediately asked for more money to closer match the kind of production he had on the field.

The Raiders, of course, balked at the idea. The thought was that they wanted to see him duplicate that kind of performance before they threw more money at him. Afterall, Burgess was seen as injury prone during his days in Philadelphia which is why the Eagles let him go in first place.