MVN: Most Valuable Network

From the initial press conference to introduce him to the NY media, Rex Ryan has stated that this will be his approach on offense. When you look at the talent level of the roster, it makes a lot of sense. The Jets have one of the best offensive lines in the league and a crew of running backs that all have game breaking skills.

Thomas Jones has filled in adequately after Hall of Famer Curtis Martin retired. He is a bruising back who does not shy away from contact. He is a good blocker for picking up blitzes, can catch a pass out of the backfield well and has a solid game all around. He has decent open field speed when in that second level of the defense and with 290 carries and only two fumbles last year, his hands are some of the best in the league.

Leon Washington is a perfect compliment to Jones. He has that breakaway speed to change a game with every time he touches the rock. This makes for the perfect weapon for sweeps, swing passes and screens, he's actually more durable than people realize and also a pro-bowler in special teams for his kick return ability.

Shonn Greene is a rookie with great vision and ability. At 5'11" and 227 pounds, he is actually bigger than Jones by an inch and outweighs him by 12 pounds. He has fresh legs as he was only asked to carry the team for one year in Iowa. He is great at finding holes and can make yards ater contact. I expect him to be a short yardage or goal line feature in the offense.

Then there is undrafted Danny Woodhead. He is the NCAA's career rushing leader and after this year's contract issues, was actually taking reps as the number one back in at the OTAs. Many are wondering about him even making the team, but if they truly are looking to ground and pound, I expect to see them carry four RB's and two FB's. He runs a 4.3 Forty Yard dash (.2 faster than Mr.Washington) and was the best player in Div II two years consecutively. He once scored for 38 games in a row! This is a smart, tough gamer who fits the underdog role of the Jets to a tee. I only hope that they give him the shot on occasion to shine.

There is a wealth of talent and depth in this area for the team. Even if there were a major injury, they are primed to have other people step up to produce. I expect to see many good things out of this unit as well with the offensive line returning complete from last year. That degree of familiarity will help to make the ground game more effective this year.

As of late last week, the NFL has suspended Calvin Pace for the first four games of this season without pay for violation of the NFL Policy on Performing Enhancing Substances. This is the chance for last year's number one pick Vernon Gholston to make a name and perhaps a career for himself. Taken number six overall last year, Gholston played little and made even less of an impact. He missed most of the early team activities in June and many feel that hampered his development. He is a player with a tremendous upside and the entire staff feels that he will be a breakout star in the league.  This year, he has spent almost as much time around the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center as the very walls of the facility. He has shown an incredible amount of dedication to extra weight and film sessions while many others are away until training... Read more

There is much to be excited about this year with the New York Jets. There is a new head coach, key new additions via free agency and a top five pick quarterback from this year's draft. The thing that may be a bit under the radar to the casual eye, is that the offensive line is returning intact. This unit has a full year together under thier belt and that is both rare and vital to success in the running game and pass protection. 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... Read more

So everybody wants one of the wideout divas in the league. Burress, Edwards, Jones and Marshall are the common names thrown around, some have even thrown Harrison out there. While I like the thought of adding a proven big threat reciever, I want to get one who doesn't shoot himself, drop the ball, do coke or hit women. So those guys are all up a river with a boat with no paddle. I suppose for the right price, I wouldn't mind Edwards or Harrison if you held a gun to my...nevermind. 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... Read more

There is much talk about the many additions and changes with the team this year. Whether it's new head coach Rex Ryan, the free agent additions of Bart Scott, Lito Sheppard, Jim Leonhard, Larry Izzo, Donald Strickland, Howard Green, or draft picks Mark Sanchez, Shonn Greene or Matt Slauson. One player who seems to often go practically unnoticed or unmentioned is Marques Douglas. 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... Read more

The final player I wish to cover in this four part article is David Clowney. While Dustin Keller made an instant impact last year. Clowney turned heads in pre-season and then was injured for most of the year. This sophmore player has the potential to be the biggest unproven "X-factor" on the team this year. The reality of the situation is that the Jets have no proven number two at wideout. Some may argue that the number one is really a number two at best. Many people are still looking to an addition from outside the team like Anquan Boldin or Plaxico Burress. Let's just assume that they are not brought in. As of this writing, Chanci Stuckey is ranked at the number two position due to his relative greater amount of experience. I would prefer if he was the slot receiver and Clowney the number two for one main reason. He... Read more

With the news that Plaxico Burress' trial has been postponed to September, there is great speculation that he may get a chance to play in the NFL this year. There is a need for the Jets to improve the talent and depth at the wideout position. I will examine what this latest development means in this article. There are two main factors that will affect the outcome of whether or not we see the big receiver don the green and white this year. The first obstacle is Roger Goodell. While Burress was suspended last year for five games, that was a team suspension issued by the Giants. The NFL still has a right to issue a suspension for violating the league's good conduct policy. I fear this more than the legal issues at this point as it truly looks as if he will not be in court until 2010 at... Read more

This week, continuing my in depth look at second year players to watch, I would like to focus on a player with huge potential for greatness in the league, Dustin Keller. He drew comparisons to Tony Gonzalez and Dallas Clark in the NFL combines, as having the potential to be an elite Tight End. As a rookie last year, Keller showed signs of being an unstoppable force on offense. The production from Keller will be a huge factor in the teams' success. This year there is no clear cut, proven number two receiver with the team. Some would argue that Cotchery is not really a number one and is more suited as that number two. If you look at the way this team is built on offense, then all signs point to Keller being a focal point to the passing attack this year. There is nothing that keeps opposing teams honest more than having a solid... Read more

Today is a huge day for the New York Jets. It is the day they find out what will happen regarding the legal issues surrounding Plaxico Burress. If he can avoid a jail sentence, I fully expect to see him in Green and White.  Mike Tannenbaum and Rex Ryan have tried to downplay any interest, but it is painstakingly obvious that this is the player the team needs to push the offense over the top. With Laverneus Coles gone, the team needs another veteran to keep defenses honest. Regardless of who is the starting QB this year, a proven big threat receiver is a security blanket for ANY NFL QB, let alone a rookie or one with half a season's experience starting.  I am a huge supporter of the current core of wideouts, but there is no denying the way that this guy changes the game. He forces defenses into double... Read more

When I saw the press conference for his introduction, I wanted to strap on some pads and run face first into a brick wall. There is a litany of quotes every time he opens his mouth. He is indeed his father's son. After this past week's comments about Belicheck and the hilarious exchanges with Channing Crowder ("first off, Channing Crowder has a rebuttal"), we are all familiar with the man at this point. Let's look closer at the reality of the what he brings to the team. Passion - Rex Ryan is the polar opposite of Eric Mangini in every possible way. In the past, you got the sense that the team was walking around on eggshells after Coach Herm left four years ago. It's kind of ironic that the same walking soundbyte that was Herm has returned after four years of the Mangini-bots. Many view it as a distraction... Read more

Since this year's coach Rex Ryan is a defensive guru with an attacking style, I chose to focus on defense this week in my sophmore player review. It's only right that after a review of Dwight Lowery with the initial story, we now focus on Vernon Gholston. Some may argue that Gholston should have been the first story. Taken as the number six pick in the first round, he was a much higher pick and thus received more attention overall last year. In Eric Mangini's system (former DB coach), Lowery got more playing time and had a bigger impact last year. Many argued that Gholston was a bust after one year with relatively little playing time. This year, Ryan and Mike Pettine have called out Gholston stating if they can't make him a player, then no one can. Looking at the feedback from Pettine who so far has said that "the signs are... Read more