2002 New York Jets

Will the Jets offense perk up now that the squad has had a full year to adjust to Paul Hackett’s West Coast scheme? We think they’ll improve, but not by much. The truth is the Jets have done little to awaken their rather mediocre 2001 offense. In fact, perhaps their most important addition on offense, guard Dave Szott (Redskins) is out recovering from knee surgery.

Overall, the Jets offensive line is no longer considered special. Losing Kerry Jenkins, Ryan Young and David Loverne have hurt this once elite unit, especially when you consider Dave Szott’s knee injury.

Rookie Jonathan Goodwin and veteran J.P. Machado are vying for Dave Szott’s starting job. Regardless of who wins, opposing defensive coordinators will likely try and capitalize on this weakness. In addition, the Jets starting center, Kevin Mawae, is still recovering from a shoulder injury. However, Kevin should be ready for the regular season. The Jets really need Kareem McKenzie and Jason Fabini to have a great year.

Fabini should do okay, however McKenzie could struggle, especially in pass protection. This becomes even more of an issue when you consider both Vinny Testaverde and Chad Pennington lack mobility. On the plus side, the Jets were able to talk Jumbo Elliott out of retirement. The anchors upfront will be Kevin Mawae and Randy Thomas.

With a rather small but speedy defensive unit on the field, the Jets will be vulnerable to 4th quarter comebacks. This suggests Offensive Coordinator Paul Hackett may become more aggressive with the offense this year. A number of factors strongly suggest this “should” happen. However, based on what we’ve seen at camp so far this year, Hackett’s squad looks very tentative.

The Jets camp is one of the most conservative around. Rarely do the Jets look to throw more than 15-yards down field. From all indications, it appears the Jets passing game will continue to focus on ultra-safe short throws.

Vinny Testaverde (age 38) will once again be a big key in the Jets offense. Unfortunately, Vinny’s durability is becoming an issue. Watching Vinny (foot, thumb, Achilles) in practice, it’s clear the Jets aren’t going to rushing him.

Vinny hurt his throwing hand at practice and he’s still recovering from foot surgery. In addition, his prior Achilles’ tendon problem is still lingering in the background. Vinny said he banged his right thumb on a player’s helmet on July 30th. This could be a very fickle situation. Before he hurt his thumb, Vinny looked very rusty. In fact, the first pass he threw at camp went for an INT. When Vinny went to the sidelines, Chad Pennington took most of the snaps and looked fair, at very best, with the first team offense.

If Vinny misses much time in camp due to his thumb injury, he could be very rusty come September.

Remember, Vinny also missed minicamp sessions this year due to the foot surgery he had earlier this year. Testaverde’s health remains an issue.

Even with all the issues, Testaverde remains the Jets #1 QB (for now). However, if he struggles in Hackett’s West Coast system, its quite possible we could see Vinny pulled for Chad Pennington. In fact, Pennington could “steal” 5-10 snaps per game from Vinny on a regular basis.

Pennington, the Jets 1st round draft pick back in 2000 has never lived up to his potential. When Pennington came out of Marshall, he was considered to be a Brad Johnson type-QB with excellent pocket awareness. Based on what we’ve seen in camp and practice sessions, even the Brad Johnson comparison looks like a stretch. Chad rarely goes deep during drills. In addition, despite his serviceable arm-strength Chad rarely brings heat on short out throws. In college, Pennington was known for his field vision and feel for the game. Ironically, those skills seem to be what he lacks at the NFL level.

Overall, Vinny’s skills don’t mesh particularly well with a complex West Coast system. Given Vinny’s age, lack of mobility, health/conditioning issues, the Jets front line and Pennington “stealing” work, we have little reason to think Vinny will improve on last year’s Fantasy numbers.

One thing Vinny can still do is throw the deep ball and get it down field in a hurry. One receiver that could really benefit from Vinny’s arm is Santana Moss. Based on our most recent scouting review, Moss (knee) is starting to emerge at training camp.

Frankly, we’ve consistently projected Santana Moss lower than most. However, Moss is the one Jet player we’ve been pleasantly surprised with this summer. Moss showed us great timing and elevation. His leaping ability more than compensates for his 5-10 height. In addition, Santana really showed us excellent moves and release off the line, against larger cover men. One of the few successful deep balls we’ve seen at Jets camp, good for about 50- yards, was hauled in by Santana Moss. On the play, Moss made a very nice adjustment near the sideline and snagged a Chad Pennington pass for a touchdown. Overall, Moss showed us he has what it takes to be both a possession and big-play receiver in the NFL. If he remains healthy and the Jets actually open up the offense somewhat, it’s hard to image Moss not emerging this year. However, the Jets offense hasn’t been that exciting at camp. During drills, the offense is often forced to settle for dump-off passes.

Despite their talent, the Jets conservative offense will limit the number of downfield opportunities for receivers Laveranues Coles, Wayne Chrebet and Santana Moss. Keep in mind, last year, Vinny Testaverde only averaged 173 yards per game passing.

Still, Coles looks poised to have a solid Fantasy season. Last year, Coles emerged as a Fantasy option. He finished the 2001 season with 210 yards in his last two games. Coming into his 3rd season, there’s little reason to doubt Coles success won’t continue. Coles is a good possession receiver and he has the speed to be a playmaker as well. On the down side, while it wasn’t widely reported, we noticed Coles had a gimp at camp. This was due to a heel injury. While this shouldn’t be a factor come NFL Week #1, its something to watch. Overall, Coles has worked hard to learn the NFL game. His hands, concentration and route running have all improved tremendously from his days at Florida State. Physically, Coles has great raw speed and runs a legitimate 4.3 40. Coles reminds us of a young Jimmy Smith.

With Coles and Moss, the Jets have the talent to really stretch opposing defenses. This will help Wayne Chrebet, especially underneath coverage. Chrebet remains the Jets best possession receiver. Chrebet had shoulder surgery in March, but that shouldn’t be a factor in September. At camp, he looked fine. Chrebet remains one of the better NFL receivers in man- to-man coverage because of his quickness on cuts. However, because of his size, he’s not an ideal #1 NFL receiver. In 2002, with Moss and Coles emerging, Wayne will really need to be at the top of his game to stay in the starting lineup. If Moss breaks the starting lineup, the Jets will move Wayne Chrebet into the slot.

Behind the talented trio of receivers, the Jets will likely go with Kevin Swayne as their #4 WR. Swayne appears to have decent chemistry with Vinny. However, Kevin won’t be much of a factor playing behind Coles, Moss and Chrebet this year. However, given Moss’ durability and Chrebet’s shoulder, Swayne could be called on from time-to-time.

While the Jets have a talented trio of receivers, Curtis Martin will continue to be the focus of the offense. Not much needs to be said about Curtis Martin. Over the last seven years, Martin has never rushed for fewer than 1,100 yards or caught fewer than 30 passes. At 29, he’s still at the top of his game and he’s the star of the Jets offense. Curtis Martin displays true veteran leadership, even in Jets team drills. Martin takes practice with both knees heavily wrapped. But that doesn’t slow him down. Curtis looks great in camp and his ability to cut hard and quickly is evident. From a Fantasy perspective, it’s clear to us, it’s only matter of time before Martin losses work to LaMont Jordan. Despite an outstanding season last year, look for Martin to split more time with Jordan in 2002 than he did in 2001.

In addition, it’s unfair to expect the 2002 Jets offensive line to open up as many holes as the 2001 squad. Still, Martin remains one of the safest bets in the NFL to reach 1,000 rushing yards in 2002.

Lamont Jordan looks imposing in his physical presence during practice. At camp, the Jets look to be featuring him in the short passing game. Jordan displayed an effortless ability to snag the ball on the move. Once Jordan picks off the ball, he can move in the open field. In fact, he routinely was able to cut and burst away for the Jets secondary. Seeing Jordan up close, in person, several years removed from Maryland, certainly helps solidify a positive impression about him — physical, muscular, quick. He’s a small truck and he looks to have the entire package.

Behind Martin and Jordan, the Jets will look to change-of-pace back Chad Morton. Morton lacks size, but he’s exceptional in the open field. In fact, at camp Morton and Moss showed us great big-play abilities once they got into open space. Still, playing behind Martin and Jordan, Morton will see most of his work on special teams in 2002.

Richie Anderson will remain the Jets fullback. Anderson has good hands however his blocking skills are only fair. While Anderson could easily catch 50-75 balls this year, it’s unlikely to happen given the Jets have Martin and Jordan in the backfield.

Anthony Becht is well positioned to have a good year in the Jets conservative offense. As a third year veteran, Becht looks more settled in the West Coast system. Becht has worked hard to improve his hands and consistency. If you combine the fact that Becht has the ability to move off the ball quickly with the fact that he’s 6-5 265 lbs, its easy to see why he’s a very viable red zone target. Becht established himself as one of Vinny’s favorite red zone targets last year. Look for that to continue in 2002.

With their 3rd round draft pick, the Jets selected Chris Baker. In selecting Chris Baker, the Jets have a good backup TE. Baker (6-4 260) has the skills to become a reasonable pass catching Tight End. Chris releases well from the line and has decent hands. Baker is more of a pass catcher than a blocker. Chris will need to work on his blocking skills this summer. Overall, Baker has good NFL potential. At this point, we think its fair to say Baker has been an underachiever relative to his natural talent. We look for Baker to be a steady #2 TE this season for the Jets. Long term, Baker could become a viable Fantasy tight end.

At last count, the Jets have signed seven (7) new defensive players and lost ten (10) from last year’s squad.

Additions include: DL Larry Webster (Ravens), LB Sam Cowart (Bills), CB Aaron Beasley (Jaguars), S Sam Garnes (Giants), CB Donnie Abraham (Bucs), DE Steve White (Bucs) and DE Josh Evans (Titans).

On the down side the Jets have lost CB Aaron Glenn (Texans), CB Marcus Coleman (Texans), S Victor Green (Patriots), FS Chris Hayes (Patriots), DT Shane Burton (Panthers), CB Tony Scott (Patriots), DE Rick Lyle (Patriots), DT Steve Martin (Patriots), LB James Farrior (Steelers) and DE Eric Ogbogu (Bengals).

In our view, the Jets defense looks better this year than last. Credit goes to Coach Edwards and his staff including defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell. However, the Jets took a big hit in the secondary losing both Marcus Coleman and Aaron Glenn to the expansion Texans. To fill the gap, the Jets will look to former Tampa star Donnie Abraham and former Jacksonville cover man Aaron Beasley. Both should fit in well in Coach Edward’s defensive system. To further help the secondary, the Jets picked up safety Sam Garnes (Giants). Garnes will likely start opposite Damien Robinson. The Jets also have high hopes for second-round pick Jon McGraw. The Jets hope McGraw evolves to be the next John Lynch.

On paper, the Jets have a very impressive group of linebackers with Marvin Jones, Mo Lewis and Sam Cowart. The Jets will look to free agent Sam Cowart to really rack up the tackles this year. However, Cowart is recovering from an Achilles’ tendon injury. If healthy, Cowart will have plenty of room to roam in the Jets 4-3 defensive scheme. If Cowart’s health fails, the Jets will call on James Darling. While Darling is a decent linebacker, he’s not in Cowart’s tier.

Up front, we like the Jets combination of Jason Ferguson and free agent Larry Webster (Ravens). These two give the Jets a good chance at stopping the run. To improve the defensive line, the Jets drafted Bryan Thomas in the first round. In addition, they signed free agent Steve White (Bucs). The Jets defensive line features John Abraham one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL. With the Jets improving the front line, things should only get better for Abraham. With Thomas and Abraham, the Jets will have an explosive pass rush.

From a Fantasy perspective, Abraham is the ultimate weapon. He’s an amazing pass rusher so he gets plenty of sacks. In addition, because he’s relatively small, most teams try and go after him. That works out great, since it gives Abraham extra opportunities to rack up tackles and assists.

The Jets reworked last year’s defensive squad and increased their team speed. In short, Coach Edwards is looking to turn the Jets defense into the Tampa Bay Bucs. Collectively on paper, the Jets have one of the better defenses in the NFL. Edwards’ defensive personnel in a 4-3 system should position the Jets as a viable playoff team in 2002.

Overall, the Jets have a number of pieces in place. Despite a number of new faces on defense, the Jets offense is the questionable unit. As such, the Jets will only go as far as Vinny, Curtis and Company can take them. On the plus side, in Curtis Martin, the Jets have one of the NFL’s best runners. Behind Martin, Lamont Jordan remains a very intriguing talent. The Jets backfield looks to be in great shape. However, if the Jets remain a one-dimensional offense, Martin will become much less effective with opponents stuffing the running lanes. The Jets have a talented trio of wide receivers. It’s going to be up to Vinny to get them the ball. However, Vinny’s performance is directly correlated with the Jets offensive line — a unit with major question marks. Putting it all together, our review suggests the Jets will come away with 9, perhaps 10 wins in 2002. However, if Vinny should go down to injury, all claims go out the window.

 

Discuss this article