Jets O.

[Guttpuppy]

July 22, 2003

Day 1 of life without Laveranues, and it's as if the guy never existed.

Coach Herman Edwards: "When you lose players, you find a way to move on. It's not the end of the world."

Quarterback Chad Pennington: "I think our receiving corps is stronger this year than last year." (Yes, he really said that.)

Running back Curtis Martin: "I don't think we'll miss a beat." (Yes, he really said that, too.)

Memo to the Jets: Hello?

The Jets opened training camp yesterday without their most accomplished receiver since Keyshawn Johnson, and the denial was everywhere. On the field, in the locker room, in the press room.

The Jets go into the season minus a player who had 89 catches for 1,264 yards and five touchdowns, but the way they sounded yesterday, it was as if Laveranues Coles were some street free agent.

OK, so you don't want to whine about what you don't have, especially when the guy takes the money and runs when the Redskins come calling with $35 million.

And in some ways, it was actually a good thing that Pennington would do some preseason woofing by proclaiming his receiving corps will be better than last year's. If nothing else, it lets the guys around him know their quarterback couldn't care less about who's not here. That's what you call leadership, and Pennington oozes it.

But if the Jets really believe they won't miss their star receiver, if they really think the offense will purr along as it did the second half of last season, they are sadly mistaken. Coles is a huge loss, and they won't easily make up for it no matter what they say now.

Not that they had much choice in letting him go; the Jets were wise to spend their free-agent dollars elsewhere rather than plunk down a $13-million signing bonus on a receiver. Football-wise, it was the right thing to do. But what they are left with is an offense that lacks the reliability and durability that Coles offered.

Don't think for a minute that Curtis Conway for Coles straight up is anything but a mismatch. Conway, the free agent from San Diego, still has good speed and soft hands. But he is a 32-year-old receiver with a history of injury with just three 16-game seasons in a 10-year career.

Santana Moss is talking about a breakout season, but based on his two previous years marked by injury and underachievement, we won't hold our breath.

Wayne Chrebet is the most reliable receiver the Jets have, and he will give you everything he has. And then some. He is an indispensable part of the offense, but he is not the No. 1 receiver that Coles turned into last season.

Right now, the Jets don't have a No. 1 receiver, but that doesn't seem to bother Pennington.

"There's a feeling among these [receivers] that we have that they have something to prove," the quarterback said. "There's a feeling they will step up and make more plays, and they want to be accountable. You can feel it out there with their focus, their intensity and their desire to be one of the best receiving corps.

"We lost a great player, and we can't just rely on what Laveranues did," he said. "That's a huge challenge for us, but I think we'll be stronger mentally to be able to overcome that."

Easier said than done. Pennington developed an instant chemistry with Coles last year, and to expect him to replicate that with Conway is unreasonable. Conway simply isn't the player Coles is.

Martin backs up Pennington's insistence that the Jets' offense won't struggle in Coles' absence.

"I think the receivers that we have now and the ones that have matured since last year bring our play to a higher level," the running back said. "The receivers we've had have all gotten better, plus we've got Curtis Conway to make up for Laveranues Coles, and we've got a Chad Pennington with more confidence and experience."

Ah, the first day of training camp, when it all sounds so simple. Just wait until September. Maybe then the Jets will realize the passing offense won't be the same, just as it wasn't the same the year after the Jets unloaded Keyshawn.

It doesn't mean the Jets are fatally flawed, and it doesn't mean they shouldn't dream about a third straight playoff berth under Edwards. But if they do get that far, it will be because Pennington is a good quarterback, because Martin is a great running back, because the defensive line is better and deeper than it's been in years, and because Edwards continues to mature as a head coach.

Not because they don't miss Coles.

[Guttpuppy]

Dave Hutchinson, Star-Ledger

The plan is to use WRs Curtis Conway, Wayne Chrebet and Santana Moss as interchangeable parts, with each learning both receiver positions. The Jets will use a lot of three-wide receiver sets, and, collectively, the trio will try to make up for the 89 receptions, 1,264 yards and five touchdowns WR Laveranues Coles posted last season.

[Guttpuppy]

Judy Battista, NY Times

This season,the Jets want to use LaMont Jordan and Curtis Martin together in the backfield, with Jordan playing FB. The idea is not to have Jordan blocking for Martin, but to confuse defenses because they will not know who is going to get the ball. This will also allow Jordan to run routes that used to be run by FB Richie Anderson.

[Homeless]

I see Chrebet ending up getting the nod.