Week 2: NY Jets 17 - NE Patriots 24

Another flat game for the Jets running backs who managed only 49 yards on 20 attempts which means that 2 NE running backs each had more rushing yards than both Jets running backs combined. That stat is not going to win many games against formidable opponents. I still think Blaylock should be sitting and Houston should be splitting time with Barlow (Barlow getting about 75% of the carries). I have seen nothing with Blaylock that makes me believe that he is a competent back worthy of getting 5-10 touches every game.

Chad once again looked good especially in the second half but the receivers really stole the show. Cotchery once again had a big game making a great catch, getting hit by two defenders, getting spun around 180 degrees, and having the wherewithall to keep his knee off the ground somehow and make a dash for the endzone for the first score for the Jets. This happened on Cotchery's way of 121 yards receiving with 1 TD. Coles also had a good game with 100 yards receiving and a touchdown that was pure determination. He refused to be tackled and refused to come up short of scoring the 6 points.

I was completely disappointed with the defensive line who managed to get absolutely no pressure on Brady. The Jets as a team only managed one sack and that was by Kerry Rhodes on a safety blitz. The D-Line got pushed around by the Pats O-line and gave up almost 150 yards rushing and 2 rushing TDs.

But the defensive line wasn't the only line that came up way short in this game. The offensive line once again didn't help the Jets rushing game much and looked to be manhandled by the big defensive line of the Patriots. With two rookies on the O-line (Mangold and Ferguson), the front 5 looked inexperienced in this game. For the record, I think Mangold and Ferguson will be two outstanding offensive linemen, but they showed their inexperience this week.

One player that stood out this week was Justin Miller. I hope he gets cut at some point. He doesn't tackle well, he never gets his head around in time to look at an incoming pass, and a lot of times he winds up 5 yards away from the receiver he should've been covering. About the only thing he does well is kick returns. Our secondary has look outmatched in the first two games. They were lucky in week 1 against a sub-par team, but week 2 they got picked apart by Brady.

The absolute epitome of this game happened towards the end where somehow Vilma wound up lined up against Troy Brown. Yes, a Jets linebacker was lined up against the number 1 receiver on the other team. No cornerback was to be seen to switch off or anything. Brady immediately noticed this and threw a quick pass out to Brown for an important third down conversion. That kind of thing just can't happen. A good QB will see that and exploit that every single time.

Week 1: Jets 23 - Titans 16

Result of picks for this past weekend: Ectropy (8-8)..........Wozzy (10-6)

Onto the game wrapup from Sunday. The Jets won the game that a suprising number of people we picking them to lose. Here are some things that I thought were good and some that I thought were bad/terrible/ugly.

The Good
Chad looked terrific. Hands down he was the MVP of the game. His arm strength looked great. At one point during the game he threw a perfectly placed pass over the shoulder of Coles which prompted an announcer to say "you talk about arm strength. I don't see why you'd need much more arm strength than that". That simple (and correct) assessment made me so happy that someone finally said what has been my opinion the whole time. True Chad doesn't have the strongest arm in the league. But he's accurate as hell and great at throwing a long pass and dropping it right into the receivers waiting arms.

Jericho Cotchery seemed to be a favorite target of Penningtons with 6 catches for 65 yards and 1TD. Coles also looked really good once again although he didn't really get involved with the offense until the end of the first quarter, but he made up for that for the rest of the game.

The Offensive Line looked better than I was expecting. Except for letting up that one sack, they gave Chad a good amount of protection throughout the game. Ferguson had one holding penalty which ended up being a good penalty since it stopped a Titan player from hitting Chad on the blindside while he was throwing which could have caused a fumble or INT. Other than that penalty the two rookies Ferguson and Mangold had no penalties.

The defensive line and linebackers looked good overall but they were going up against Tennessee. Hobson had a good game and it doesn't seem like Vilma will have any problems adjusting to the 3-4.


The Bad
The running game was atrocious. Cedric Houston was put on the inactive list which left Barlow and Blaylock to do most of the rushing and managed only 35 and 36 yards rushing, respectively. Needless to say, you're not going to win many games when the team rushes for 91 total yards. Blaylock didn't look confident out there and seemed to pause right before he got to the line to look for a hole. This is the same thing I saw from Houston last year although it looks like in the preseason at least Cedric was running more confidently. Either way, the running game needs to get going or we won't be getting many wins this year.

Justin Miller and David Barrett. How many blown coverages are we going to have to watch Barrett cause this year. Sure he makes some good plays now and then, but it seems like for every pass he knocks down there are 6 or 7 plays where he's at least 5 yards away from the receiver he's covering. Miller is just a bad tackler. He makes some great plays on the ball but once the receiver catches it, Miller doesn't seem willing to tackle properly.

Mike Nugent. There is no excuse for missing an extra point unless you slip and fall. Add onto that the two missed field goals and he had a terrible game. But they can't do much about it because he was their first pick in the draft 2 years ago and you're not going to cut your first pick because of one game. But his 3 missed kicks made this game way more interesting than it should've been. If he even makes the extra point, its 17-0 and when Tennessee scores they don't go for the 2-point conversion. It just would've drastically changed the way that game was played. He better get his kicking together before next week or the fans at home will completely skewer him if he has another bad game.



Overall I think the Jets showed that they aren't as bad as everyone was thinking they would be. I'm not delusional and I realize that the two QBs we faced in the game were Kerry Collins and Vince Young in his first NFL game. The Titans aren't a playoff team, but the Jets looked like they have a solid core of players to build around and could eek out a few wins this season against some good teams.

Combined Quick Picks

RECORDS: Ectropy (0-0); Wozzy (0-0)

Pittsburgh vs. Miami (even)
Ectropy: Miami
Wozzy: Pittsburgh

TB vs. Baltimore (-3)

Ectropy & Wozzy: Baltimore

Cleveland (-3) vs. New Orleans

Ectropy & Wozzy: Cleveland

Carolina (-5) vs. Atlanta
Ectropy & Wozzy: Carolina

Seattle (-5) @ Detroit
Ectropy & Wozzy: Seattle

Philly (-4.5) @ Houston

Ectropy & Wozzy: Philly

Tennessee vs. NY Jets (+3)
Ectropy & Wozzy: Jets

Kansas City vs. Cincy (+2.5)

Ectropy & Wozzy: Cincy

Denver @ St. Louis (+3.5)
Ectropy & Wozzy: St. Louis

New England (-9) vs. Buffalo

Ectropy & Wozzy: New England

Jacksonville (-2.5) vs. Dallas
Ectropy: Dallas
Wozzy: Jacksonville

Chicago (-3.5) @ Green Bay

Ectropy & Wozzy: Chicago

Arizona (-7.5) vs. San Fran
Ectropy & Wozzy: Arizona

Indy (-3.5) @ NY Giants

Ectropy & Wozzy: Indy

Washington vs. Minnesota (+4.5)

Ectropy & Wozzy: Minnesota

San Diego (-3) @ Oakland

Ectropy & Wozzy: San Diego

ECTROPY'S WEEK 1 PICKS

(Home Team in All Caps)

TENNESSEE (-3) vs. New York Jets
Pick: NY Jets
I think the Jets take this one. I'm not delusional and I know we aren't going to be going to the Super Bowl or anything this year, but I think ESPN ranking them second to last in the power rankings is garbage. The Titans are going to be terrible this year. The QB they went into training camp with (Volek) looked so bad that they called Kerry Collins to help out. That's not a good sign. Travis Henry will be starting at the RB position since Chris Brown has looked awful and basically pissed off the entire organization. Also not a good sign. Henry is also one more drug test away from being suspended a few games. But they have a young defense that I think Pennington can exploit. As long as the Jets D-Line looks better at stopping the run than they did during pre-season, I think the Jets can pull this one out.
Predicted Score: Jets win 17-13

PITTSBURGH vs. The Fish (even)
Pick: The Fish
All indications are that Culpepper has looked better than expected. I still don't think Miami can win the AFC East with him though. But Roethlisberger being out hurts the Steelers immensely. Miami has a tough defense and without Big Ben, Miami can key in on the Steelers running game.

TAMPA BAY vs. Baltimore (-3)
Pick: Baltimore
They win in an ugly game. McNair isn't the savior of that team. Baltimore isn't a good team, but the Bucs are worse mainly because I don't think Chris Simms will ever be a legit NFL starter.

CLEVELAND (-3) vs. New Orleans
Pick: Cleveland
Cleveland could surprise some people this year. Maybe not make the playoffs but I think they'll be alright.

CAROLINA (-5) vs. Atlanta
Pick: Carolina
This is the year that people start turning on Michael Vick. Mark my words. Carolina is a very dangerous team and will be no match for the Falcons. Whether or not Steve Smith starts, the Panthers have tons of offensive threats and an excellent defense to boot.

Seattle (-5) vs. DETROIT
Pick: Seattle
Did you know that every team that lost the Super Bowl since 2000 has never won even 8 games the next year? Seattle still wins this one but I think this will be a tough year for the Seahawks. Plus Shaun Alexander is on the Madden '07 cover so you know what that means.

Philly (-4.5) vs. Houston
Pick: Philly
Houston sucks. End of story. Philly will be very good, better than people realize since most people are so into the Giants and Cowboys from the NFC East. No TO distraction, McNabb & Westbrook are healthy, and the RB tandem looks like it could work alright. I hate myself for saying this.

KANSAS CITY vs. Cincy (+2.5)
Pick: Cincy
Cincy wins this outright. This is the most baffling line on the week. Cincy is my pick for the AFC champions. Palmer, Chad Johnson, TJ, Rudi. Not a bad offensive core. I still think TJ is the best #2 WR in the league.

Denver vs. ST. LOUIS (+3.5)
Pick: St. Louis
Another team that will be better than they are getting credit for. Plus the Rams are playing in their dome which always makes it tough to pick against them. They win it outright.

NEW ENGLAND (-9) vs. Buffalo
Pick: New England
This was a tough one so I went with comparing the QBs. Do you take Tom Brady or JP Losman? Thought so.

JACKSONVILLE (-2.5) vs. Dallas
Pick: Dallas
J'ville had an easy schedule last year. I'm just not sold on them as a team. Not much else besides a good defense. Their most vetern WR is 4th year player Cortez Hankton. Yeah. And I've had Byron Leftwich on my fantasy teams the past two years just waiting for him to have a breakout year that has never come. I'm not longer waiting. Dallas has to deal with TO, but that usually doesn't become and issue til about week 7. Dallas wins outright.

Chicago (-3.5) vs. GREEN BAY
Pick: Chicago
Green Bay will be the worst team in the NFL this year. Chicago's defense could cause Favre's head to explode. I wouldn't be surprised if Favre broke the record for most turnovers by an individual player in this game.

ARIZONA (-7.5) vs. San Fran
Pick: Arizona
San Fran will be the second worst team in the NFL. Arizona won't be as good as everyone thinks. Once Kurt Warner takes a couple of hits since the O-line is awful, he'll be crying on the bench.

Indy (-3.5) vs. NY GIANTS
Pick: Indy
AFC dominates NFC first off. Eli totally crapped the bed at the end of last season. The Giants will be good in the NFC, but they won't be able to deal with the superior defence and offense of the Colts even without Edgerin.

WASHINGTON vs. Minnesota (+4.5)
Pick: Minnesota (Washington win the game by 3 or less)
Not impressed with either team. Washington overspent on free agents and Brunell won't replicate his stats from last season. Minnesota covers but still loses the game.

San Diego (-3) vs. OAKLAND
Pick: San Diego
Art Shell + lackluster Oakland team = complete disaster. Will be fun to watch though. If only Herm was still coaching the Jets, the matchup on December 31st could have been the most embarassing display of clock management ever. Philip Rivers will be just as good as Drew Brees was with San Diego if not better.

WOZZY'S WEEK 1 FORECAST - THE PICKS

Throughout each week of the season I will briefly break the Jets matchup down, as well as provide my picks for each game. If Ectropy chooses to post his picks, we'll keep a running tally of correct forecast's for the entire season. So without further hesitation, here is Wozzy's week one forecast.

GANG GREEN

Jets (+3) @ Titans

Neither team is projected to have a particularly noteworthy season, as public opinion has both clubs dwelling in the cellar.

With new head coach Eric Mangini moving over from New England, look for the Jets to play a ball control game similar to Belichik's style, in an effort to win the time of possession battle. The Jets will feature a three pronged ground attack and run Cedric Houston, Kevin Barlow and Derrick Blaylock at the Titans, while mixing in the accurate passing of Chad Pennington. Pennington's arm strength is certainly an enormous question mark, but his accuracy has always been superb. The Jets should play to Blaylock's strength and utilize his pass catching skills.

Meanwhile, the Titans bring a fresh look to the quarterback position with the departure of Steve McNair to Baltimore. The Vince Young era has begun in Tennessee, but don't expect to see Young behind center until later in the season. For now, Billy Volek will take the snaps, while Chris Brown seems to have won the starting tailback job over LenDale White and Travis Henry.

Both teams have relatively young and inexperienced defenses, while the Titans seem to have a bit of an edge on offense, especially on the ground. However, the Jets offense will do just enough to keep them in the game, and Jonothan Vilma will make a second half game-changing play to propel Gang Green to an opening day road win.

THE PICK: Take the Jets and the three points.
PREDICTED SCORE: Jets 20, Titans 17

THE REST OF THE LEAGUE

Pittsburgh vs. Miami (EVEN) - Pittsburgh - Even w/out Big Ben, the Steelers will be amped to raise their Super Bowl Banner.
Tampa Bay vs. Baltimore (-3) - Baltimore - Goodbye Kyle Boller and hello Steve McNair!
Cleveland (-3) vs. New Orleans - Cleveland - Drew Brees does not look to be completely healthy just yet.
Carolina (-5) vs. Atlanta - Carolina - The Panthers could be Super Bowl bound this season.
Seattle (-5) @ Detroit - Seattle - The Seahawks will be the toast of the NFC along with Carolina.
Philadelphia (-4.5) @ Houston - Philadelphia - Houston still has no offensive line or running back, and McNabb is healthy.
Tennessee vs. New York Jets (+3) - New York Jets - See above.
Kansas City vs. Cincinnati (+2.5) - Cincinnati - Chad Johnson will unveil the first of many genius endzone celebrations.
Denver @ St. Louis (+3.5) - St. Louis - Tough to pick against the Rams at the Dome, especially when they're getting 3.5.
New England (-9) vs. Buffalo - New England - Who's playing QB for Buffalo? Exactly.
Jacksonville (-2.5) vs. Dallas - Jacksonville - The Jags boast a stout defense.
Chicago (-3.5) @ Green Bay - Chicago - The Packers are young and inexperienced, while the Bears have the league's best D.
Arizona (-7.5) vs. San Francisco - Arizona - The Cards' high powered offense will fly in their new stadium.
Indianapolis (-3.5) @ New York Giants - Indianapolis - Peyton has a little more experience than brother Eli.
Washington vs. Minnesota (+4.5) - Minnesota - Don't sleep on the Vikings in the NFC North. Hear that Chicago?
San Diego (-3) @ Oakland - San Diego - Tomlinson and Gates are quite a tandem.

Preseason Game 4: NYJ vs. Eagles

This past friday I went to my first NYJ Pre-season game in quite awhile. I went because my fiancee's nephews are Jets fans and have never been to a game but since they are younger, I figured a pre-season game would be perfect. So here are a few feelings about the game.

This game was a tough one to watch, Pennington didn't play, Barlow didn't play, none of the big time players played for either the Jets or the Eagles. So most of what I saw was the second and third string players, many of whom won't make the final team.

Leon Washington looked pretty decent as he played a good number of downs and looked very good on special teams. In my opinion, he maybe be a little small to be a steady running back although he's listed at 5'8" and 202lbs although the 5'8" seems alittle bit high. But he's also a rookie that I'll enjoy seeing how he develops hopefully into a fulltime RB in a couple of years.

I also thought Joel Dreesen had a good game although the Jets cut him a few days after the game. I liked this guy and thought he'd be helpful as a good blocking TE. Apparently the front office didn't think so.

The defensive line looked porous to say the least. Even with Ryan Moats running the ball for Philly. They looked pretty bad. Granted it was the second string D-line, but still, it was Ryan Moats. Maybe signing Bobby Hamilton will help some players focus more and learn the system a little better (more on the Hamilton pickup in a later post).

Kellen Clemens looked very good as well. Most of his passes looked pretty good and he didn't force any passes except for one (which ended up as an INT). I'm happy we held on to him and dropped Brooks Bollinger whom I never liked even when I saw him play on Wisconsin. Clemens is another guy that I look forward to seeing around and watching how he develops.

Cedric Houston was the standout player in this game. With over 100 yards on the ground, he looked much better than the Cedric Houston of last year. He reportedly lost some weight in the offseason which looks to have helped given him an extra step. To me, it looked like he hit the holes a lot faster than he was last year. Whether that is due to his reported weight loss or due to him being more confident in his second year with the team remains to be seen, but whatever its due to, he looks like a better rusher than he was last year.

All in all, I wasn't impressed. One glaring issue once again was the amount of third down passes that were 1, 2 or 3 yards short of the first down marker. That was one thing that has bothered me for years about the play calling. There is no reason to throw a 3 yard pass in tight coverage when its 3rd and 5. Just seems like the same old Jets sometimes.


I am happy with the way the organization is functioning so far under Mangini. I'm a little considered about the way they recently cut players that they just got in deals, but I'm alright with it because the players they traded may not have made the final roster anyway.

Obviously I'm looking forward to the season though regardless. I've been there during a 1-15 season so no matter what, I'll be in my seat for all the home games and I'll be watching the rest on TV. My one hope for this season is for Chad to have a successful year and make all the naysayers eat their words about him coming back and being able to play well.

Strait Back to Cleveland! Suggs Fails Physical

Less than twenty-four hours after the Jets and Browns announced a deal that would send Lee Suggs to the New York for Derrick Strait, the trade has been rescinded. Suggs failed his physical this morning and was immediately shipped back to Cleveland.

I referred to yesterday's move as a "calculated risk" that could provide a positive reward for a managable amount of risk. Today it seems as if the risk has far outweighed the reward as Suggs never even made it to the practice field, let alone off the sidelines and into a game.

Now the Jets are left to scramble for yet another running back that might help their ground game. In the meantime, Derrick Strait is headed back to a team that deemed him expendable just yesterday. For a player that has yet to live up to grand expectations, today's events can only damage his psyche.

As we so-often find ourselves muttering in Jetsland: "Same Old Jets!"

Jets Trade Derrick For Suggs - Strait Up!

Wire reports have confirmed that the Jets have dealt third year cornerback Derrick Strait to the Cleveland Browns in return for running back Lee Suggs. The move comes just weeks after Strait was moved from cornerback to safety to replace the injured Erik Coleman (apandectomy).

With future hall-of-famer Curtis Martin on the shelf recovering from offseason arthroscopic knee surgery, and only Cedric Huston and Derrick Blaylock slated as replacements, the move for a back like Suggs seems to be a well calculated risk.

At best, Blaylock is a third down back who's strongest attribute is receiving short dumps and screens out of the backfield, while Huston's performance late last season showed that he is not physically equipped to handle the workload of a full-time runner.



Suggs brings both youth and promise to the field, in addition to a history of injury and missed playing time. Drafted by the Browns in the 4th round in 2003, after a fairly successful career at Virginia Tech, Suggs represents promise unfulfilled. In his limited playing time between injuries, Suggs has shown flashes of NFL caliber play, including a 186 yard - two touchdown-performance in the final game of the 2003 season.

Strait came to the Jets with high expectations in 2003 as the Jim Thorpe Award-Winner for the nation's top college cornerback. Drafted in the 3rd round in 2003, Strait was expected to bolster a struggling Jets secondary. Unfortunately, in two season's as a backup, he failed to record an interception, and never quite matured as much the team had hoped. It is safe to say that he's been a bit of a disappointment.

As a result, this trade is well worth the possible risk/reward - Wozzy approved!

Make Up Your Mind

Earlier today, ESPN.com posted an article on their front page claiming that sources had confirmed that Chad Pennington had already been named the starting QB. However, just a few hours later, that article was removed from the site and replaced by another article claiming that the first report was erroneous. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2537001

Naturally, ESPN.com chose to blame the misinformation on an unnamed source that spoke with the "Newark Star Ledger." This excuse is humorous, because rule number one in journalism is to make sure your source is valid BEFORE you go ahead and print/post something. In this case, ESPN.com placed more emphasis on "breaking" the story, as opposed to accurately informing their readers.

At any rate, it is a positive sign for Jets fans to see Pennington earning high praise early in camp. First year head coach Eric Mangini went as far as saying "We're surprised at the progress he's made. No one expected him to along this far this early." If you choose to believe it, the "Star Ledger" source went on to say that the organization is surprised with Pennington's arm strength and accuracy early in camp.

It would be an absolute shame to see Pennington's career expire long before it's possible ascension. This Jets fan is surely rooting for Chad to take control of the position that is rightfully his. Ideally, Gang-Green will be led by Pennington on opening day in Tennessee.

Chad Throws - Mickens Returns

Quarterback Chad Pennington took a huge step in his quest to return yesterday, when he threw at a Jets mini-camp. While the media was prohibited from attending the workout, the Jets are reporting that Pennington ran reps on every passing route in the playbook, and was able to successfully make every throw. It is not known how hard or how many passes Pennington threw, but the QB reported no pain after the workout.

Pennington had surgery before last season, and returned to start the year after only eight months of rehabilitation. After reinjuring the shoulder against Jacksonville, Pennington was forced to undergo a second shoulder surgery with Dr. James Andrews. If he were to start this season, Chad would have eleven months of rehab under his belt before taking the field.

In other news, cornerback Ray Mickens returned to the Jets this afternoon. After playing his first nine seasons with New York, and missing the entire 2004 season, Mickens signed with Cleveland in 2005. The veteran cornerback returns home to NY where he will help solidify the secondary, most likely in third down and nickel situations.

The Jets also signed free agent wide receiver Reggie Newhouse and cornerback Rayshun Reed. Newhouse was drafted by the Cardinals out of Baylor in 2003, and played two seasons with Arizona. He has spent the past two years in NFL Europe with the Cologne Centurions. Reed, also drafted in 2003, spent the past two season's with the 49er's.

New York also waived QB Kliff Kingsbury and cornerback James Taylor.

After the Draft

I was extremely impressed with the way the Jets handled this year's draft. This is actually the happiest I've been about a Jets draft in quite awhile, maybe ever. Quick story before the picks. I watched the beginning on the first round at my fiancee's apartment. We were out late the night before with her roommate and some of their friends. So we woke up late but just in time to catch the start of the draft. The first three picks went along alright and Ferguson was still up there for the Jets at the 4 spot. So when Berman and the guys were talking about how they've heard rumors of the Jets taking Leinart I was punching her bed and quietly muttering to myself. Although before that, when New Orleans was set to pick there was a lot of buzz about the Jets trading their two first round picks and their third round pick to move up to select Bush. I was praying that didn't happen and I was relieved when they announced that NO picked Bush. But at the 4 spot the Jets were on the clock and I'm just mumbling "please take Brick, please take Ferguson, please make the smart pick". So when they finally did, I yelled a little bit. Unknown to me, the fiancee's roommate was still sleeping. Ooops.


Least Favorite Thing About the Draft

Now I'm not sure about you, but I'm not crazy about all this information they throw at you. Like I really didn't like knowing that Houston was absolutely taking Mario Williams with the #1 instead of Reggie Bush. Would've been nice to have been surprised when Tagliabue said "With the first pick in the 2006 draft, the Houston Texans select.....Mario Williams". I'd honestly rather not know with confidence until its said at the podium. It just seems more fun like that. Speculate all you want, but I'd rather wait til its announced by the NFL to be 100% sure.


Favorite Thing About the Draft

There are actually two things from this years draft.

1) This happens every year. The ESPN guys talk about a player that they are almost sure the team on the clock will select. They hype the guy up, talk about why he's the best person to go at this spot and all that stuff. Then the team on the clock picks someone else. I love hearing the ESPN team backtrack and talk about why the pick makes more sense over the pick they were just talking about for 7 or 8 minutes. Always fun to watch.

2) Watching them completely bash Baltimore for taking Haloti Ngata. I believe I heard one person say "This guy is not anywhere ready to be an NFL tackle. He can't fill up holes, he doesn't use his hands well, and against good teams in college he seemed lost a lot of times. This is just a terrible pick by the Baltimore Ravens". That's not something you want to hear said about your team on draft day.


Jets Picks

I'm going to let Wozzy cover this more in-depth, but I want to give my perspective on some of them.

Round 1, 4th Pick: D'Brickashaw Ferguson............Love this pick. It was the smart, intelligent pick to make at this point. As ESPN's Tom Jackson said, this is a guy you can put in the O-line for the next 10 to 12 years as a left tackle. What more can you want? A great left tackle is a hard thing to find and hopefully Brick turns into just that.

Round 1, 29th Pick: Nick Mangold (C, Ohio St.)...............Like this pick a lot even though being a Penn State alum, I hate Ohio State. Overwhelmingly regarded as the best center in the draft. I like this pick because we picked up Trey Teague after letting Mawae go and Teague is getting up there in age. He's a 31 year old, 8 year veteran center and centers just don't usually last too long in the NFL. Mawae was an exception, definitely not the rule. Mangold needs to put on some weight to compete in the NFL, but by the time he's done doing that, Teague should be on his way out so it works out very well.

Round 2, 49th Pick overall: Kellen Clemens (QB, Oregon)..............Another good pick by the Jets. An ankle injury ended his season last year but he was having a decent year. Seemed like an accurate passer throughout college (60% completion and a 2-to-1 TD-to-INT ration his sophomore and junior seasons, last year he had 19 TD's and only 4 INTs). The knocks on him are his arm strength and the fact that he can be pretty erratic. Last year at Oregon, they had a very spread offense that allowed him to use his mobility to his advantage, but that's not going to happen in the NFL and that worries me a little bit. I don't think he'll ever become a starting QB, but he definitely has potention to develop into a solid backup.


I'm going to let Wozzy deal with adding more to all of this and talking about the later picks as well.

ECTROPY'S DRAFT THOUGHTS

My first thought about this draft is that I'm pissed I'm not going. I actually got 4 tickets for this draft from a friend. But since I agreed to go to a friend's wedding (I agreed before the draft was even a thought in my mind) this Saturday, I can't go to the draft. So I gave my dad the tickets so he can be there most likely booing along with the other Jets fans.

The Jets do not have a good history at the draft. Draft day blunders include O'Brien over Marino (defensible at the time), Kyle Brady over Sapp (somewhat defensible at the time due to marijuana allegations against Sapp), trading our first round pick for a crappy TE last year (Jolley) instead of drafting a good TE with promise (Heath Miller) with that first round pick, Blair Thomas, Roger Vick, and a host of other bad picks. Check out this video montage of poor Jets draft showings.

But this year, they may have a chance to redeem themselves. Wozzy and I actually agree on who we'd like to see the Jets draft with the #4 pick overall. D'Brickashaw Ferguson is the way to go.

I'd take this guy before Leinart in a second. First off, Leinart had a huge team in front of him. I'm not saying he's not going to be good, but you have to remember that he was playing for a stacked USC team. The one thing I like about him though is that he finds ways to win games, like the QB sneak play he pulled. But I'd still take the offensive tackle from Virginia. Its what we need. Like Wozzy said earlier, we lost a lot on the O-line and taking a guy who most agreed would've been a top-5 pick in LAST YEARS draft seems like a smart move on the Jets part.

I also like the fact that he's never been hurt. Although my father points out that Mo Lewis was also a workhorse in college, then the Jets draft him and he has major hip problems throughout his career. But I stand strong on my vote for who they should select. Lets just hope the front office feels the same way.


Why not Leinart?
Now this is all my opinion. But Wozzy covered the top 10 in the draft, so I wanted to take a different angle and explain why I don't want the Jets to take Leinart. Obviously this is all moot is Houston picks Ferguson which some people (like KC Joyner) are saying they should or if New Orleans takes him over Mario Williams.

Plain and simple, I'm not ready to give up on Pennington yet. Call me sentimental or just plain naive, but I'm not ready to give up on the kid that just 2 years ago everyone was ready to build a team around. Yes, he's had two major surgeries to his shoulder. If he was a QB that made a living throwing deep or if he was a QB whose major attribute was a strong arm, I'd say stick a fork in him. But he was never either of those things. In fact, both of those things were two critiques of his game. He was always the type of guy who thrived on placing the ball perfectly over the middle of the field or dropping a ball right over a guy's shoulder. I'm just not ready to throw away all that promise because he had two surgeries.

What happens if Chad's surgery has some kind of "Rookie Of The Year" affect on him and he starts throwing the ball 80 yards downfield or out of the stadium like Vick did in that commercial? Or more realistically, what happens if Chad's shoulder, after almost a full year of rest unlike last time, is perfectly fine? And you have to believe that if Chad shows this year that he can be affective that he'd want to restructure his contract to make big money again right upfront. Are the Jets prepared to be paying Chad, the tried-and-true QB, big money as well as paying Leinart first-round pick money on top of it?

I also cringe at all the talk about Chad being done in the NFL, not because I'm worried about it happening, but because there is hardly any of the same talk being directed about Curtis Martin. I love the guy, but he's done. He maybe had a few years left in him to split time with someone. And that's a big maybe. He looked considerably slower last year and much easier to tackle.


Three Reasons I Want Ferguson

1) Even if Pennington's should is fine, the less he gets hit, the better I'll feel about his health. Surgically repaired joints usually aren't as strong as normal joints, so a hard hit could mean the end of Chad's career. Ferguson is supposed to be an excellent pass defender and it would be nice to see him protecting Chad's weakside. Franchise O-linemen don't come around very often.

2) Curtis isn't getting any younger like I said before. And I don't think Cedric Houston or Derrick Blaylock are quite ready to become full time starting NFL running backs, if they even will be. The one thing that everyone has been saying is that Ferguson is a better pass defender than run defender, but at this point, he's an upgrade as a run defender regardless.

3) The kid's from NY. Always nice to have someone who knows what the New York media is like right out of the gate. Can't hurt.


Anyway. I'll be watching the beginning of the draft from my couch and then will probably be listening to the rest of it on my way to the wedding. Hopefully the Jets don't screw this one up and take Chad Jackson with the #4 pick.



Next up: Results of the draft & my dad - the insane Jets fan

WOZZY'S DRAFT PREVIEW

With the NFL draft scheduled for noon tomorrow, and the New York Jets holding two first round picks, there is plenty of speculation as to which direction Gang Green will head with their picks. Naturally, the #4 overall pick will hinge directly on the first three picks preceeding it, while the #29 overall pick could be utilized in any number of ways to address the countless voids on the current roster. Here is how I see the first few picks shaping up, as well as what I would like to see the organization address in this year's draft.

WOZZY'S TOP 10 + 1 PREDICTIONS

1. HOUSTON - Reggie Bush - RB - USC.
2. NEW ORLEANS - Mario Williams - DE - N.C State.
3. TENNESSEE - Vince Young - QB - TEXAS.
4. NEW YORK JETS - D'Brickashaw Ferguson - T - Virginia.
5. GREEN BAY - A.J. Hawk - LB - Ohio State.
6. SAN FRANCISCO - Vernon Davis - TE - Maryland.
7. OAKLAND - Matt Leinart - QB - USC.
8. BUFFALO - Brodrick Bunkley - DT - Florida State.
9. DETROIT - Michael Huff - DB - Texas.
10. ARIZONA - Jay Cutler - QB - Vanderbilt.
29. NEW YORK JETS - LenDale White - RB - USC.

ANALYSIS

#4 Pick: D'Brickashaw Ferguson - I know some will argue that the Jets should take Matt Leinart at this spot if he's available. However, with the loss of Mawae and Fabini, the Jets are incredibly thin on the offensive line. Ferguson is a tremendous pass protector, and brings a ton of athletic ability to the table. A quarterback needs a solid line in order to be successful. Ferguson is the smart pick.

#29 Pick: There are any number of directions the Jets could go here. I've seen predictions for Manny Lawson, the defensive end out of N.C. State, as well as Davin Joseph, the offensive guard from Oklahoma. However, if Carolina does not pick up LenDale White with their twenty-seventh pick, I would like to see the Jets take a chance on White. Curtis Martin is not getting any younger, while Blaylock and Huston are not the answers for the future. White has decent speed, a strong build and a championship pedigree. He would be my pick at number twenty-nine if he remains on the board.

SLEEPER PICK

If I had to pick a sleeper at the #4 slot for the Jets, I would go with tight end Vernon Davis out of Maryland. I know, I know. The last thing Jets fans want to hear is that they should take another tight end after all the previous busts at the position. However, Davis runs a 4.3 forty, all while carrying 250 lbs. He could turn out to be an explosive and athletic Antonio Gates-like tight end.

Welcome from Ectropy

After a little bit of discussion and lots of boredom, I finally decided to kick off this NY Jets blog. The deal is that myself and Wozzy will be contributing to it as two lifelong Jets fans. Its going to include our thoughts on upcoming games, thoughts after games, opinions of trades/free agent signings, draft results, and the general play and management of the team. Neither of us claim to be experts about football or anything like that, so comments would be great and its my dream to have some decent conversations in the comment section about different posts.

We are both going to try to keep up with this as best as possible. That means posts before upcoming games as well as posts on the Monday after games. As well as any posts about anything else dealing with the Jets.


My Story

I started out like many other Jets fans my age, with absolutely no choice about who to root for. I was destined to be a Jets fan before I was even an idea in my parents' heads. My father has been a Jets fan since he started watching football which was right around the time the Jets started out at that time as the New York Titans. He's had season tickets since the days of Shea Stadium. He always tells me about bringing me home from the hospital when I was born (1980) and watching the games while holding me. So I've literally been watching the Jets since I was born. I think my first regular season game that I went to was in 1985, I was 5 and already hooked. During middle school I would go to as many games as my parents would allow me and by high school I was at every home game. After a 5-year absence while at college in Pennsylvania, occassionally making a presence at games during breaks (especially a playoff game against Jacksonville, the first home Jets playoff game I ever went to and the first playoff win since 1986), eventually I went back to going to every home game. And that's where I'm at now, the proud owner of a season ticket seat in Section 334.


This Blog

Both Wozzy and myself hope that this blog catches on somewhat. Hopefully we'll have some good things to write about this season. The idea started last season, at that time both Wozzy and I were experienced bloggers and I came up with an idea to have both of us writing about the Jets throughout the season. Wozzy liked it, but neither of us had the motivation to put it together. But now I finally have. So enjoy and LET'S GO JETS!




Next up: An introduction by Wozzy & our takes on the upcoming draft

And We Have Lift Off!

Welcome to the inaugural season of "2 Jets Fans." While this may be our first year in the blogosphere, I'm honored/saddened to admit that Mr. Ectropy and I have been New York football Jets fans and season ticket holders since we were little scrubs. Here is a brief history of how I (Wozzy Bear) became a loyal supporter of "Gang Green."

THE METAMORPHOSIS

As long as I can remember, I have been a Jets fan. As a young lad, my father became enthralled with the AFL and the free-wheeling offenses and passing games that defined this upstart league. Before I was even born, the pops split a season ticket with his pal at Shea stadium in the 1970's. A few years later, I popped onto the scene (1980) and was naturally dooped into becoming a Jets fan by my pops.

I can recall sitting with my father in the living room on Sunday's watching the Jets blow games (Some things never change), driving us to the brink of insanity. As if being a father of four wasn't daunting enough, the Jets would invariably ruin his Sunday afternoon's. After any given loss, my father would tell me fairy tale's of the glory days of Joe Namath and Don Maynard, and I would soak up every minute of it in my Freeman McNeil jersey. I hadn't even reached double digits yet, and I was hooked.

GAME TIME

Finally, at the age of ten, I attended my first home game at Giants Stadium. Just a few years earlier, I had become friends with Mr. Ectropy when we were placed on the same pee-wee soccer team. Both sons of rabid Jets fans, we naturally hit it off and became fast friends. By now, with a family to attend to, my father had gotten rid of his tickets at Shea Stadium, so I had yet to attend a game. Finally, on September 16, 1990, Mr. Ectropy took me to my first game with our fathers. Lucky for me, the Jets defeated the Cleveland Browns 24-21, and the memory of that day will stay with me forever.

Since those early days, my father was able to grab tickets from some of the lawyers he works with from time to time, and just four years ago, I was presented with my season tickets. On Sunday's, I now sit in section 308 with my big brother, whom we have since converted to Jets nation, along with the rest of my family.


The Gang Green Family

Coming Tomorrow: NFL Draft Preview