Adrian Fedkiw
Each day leading up to the official start of the NFL football season, I will be providing you with player rankings, team previews, analysis, predictions, opinions and a whole lot more.
A promising year ended in torment when former New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan ended their season in Buffalo in the regular-season finale.
That was a bitter pill to swallow.
Now the expectations have heightened compared to last summer and it’s playoffs or bust for second-year coach Todd Bowles. The Jets had gone 8-8, 6-10, 8-8 and 4-12 in Ryan’s last four years before Bowles guided New York to a 10-6 mark in 2015.
Quaterback Ryan Fitzpatrick finally decided to end his holdout and agreed to a one-year, $12 million deal. That’s peanuts compared to the change defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson received. The former Temple product signed a five-year, $86 million pact.
Grading the Roster
QBs- Ryan Fitzpatrick (7.4), Bryce Petty (7.2)
RBs- Matt Forte (7.6), Khiry Robinson (7.3), Bilal Powell (7.3)
WRs- Brandon Marshall (8), Eric Decker (7.5), Devin Smith (7.3), Quincy Enunwa (7.2)
TEs- Jace Amaro (7.2), Kellen Davis (7.2)
Ts- Ryan Clady (7.5), Breno Giacomini (7.2), Ben Ijalana (7.1)
Gs- James Carpenter (7.4), Brian Winters (7.3), Craig Watts (7.1)
Cs- Nick Mangold (8), Dakota Dozier (7.1)
DEs- Muhammad Wilkerson (8.6), Sheldon Richardson (8), Leonard Williams (8), Jarvis Jenkins (7.2)
NTs- Steve McLendon (7.3), Deon Simon (7)
OLBs- Trevor Reilly (7.2), Jordan Jenkins (7.2), Lorenzo Mauldin (7.2), Deion Barnes (7)
ILBs- David Harris (7.8), Erin Henderson (7.2), Darron Lee (7.3), Bruce Carter (7.3)
CBs- Darrelle Revis (8.6), Marcus Williams (7.2), Buster Skrine (7.2), Dee Milliner (7.2)
Ss- Marcus Gilchrist (7.3), Calvin Pryor (7.3), Dion Bailey (7.1)
K- Nick Folk (7.3)
P- Lac Edwards (7.3)
KR- Jeremy Kerley (7.3)
PR- Jeremy Kerley (7.3)
Team Rankings
Team- 7.387 (14/32)
Offense- 7.359 (22/32)
Defense- 7.458 (4/32)
Quarterbacks- 7.3 (28/32)
Running Backs- 7.4 (8/32)
Receivers- 7.4 (16/32)
Offensive Line- 7.34 (19/32)
Defensive Line- 7.68 (1/16)
Linebackers- 7.28 (15/16)
Secondary- 7.41 (9/32)
Special Teams- 7.3
Coaches- 7.3
PREDICTION- 8-8 (3rd AFC East)
QUARTERBACKS
Fitzpatrick has excelled under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Chan Gailey. Fitzpatrick thrived in his offense while he was the head coach in Buffalo and put up the best numbers of his career last year. The 33-year-old completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 3,905 yards with 31 touchdowns and 15 interceptions for a quarterback rating of 88.0.
Fitzpatrick’s accuracy has never been a strength, but does like to take his fair share of deep shots and get the ball to his playmakers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker.
Three quarterbacks are fighting for the last two quarterback spots, with rookie Christian Hackenberg, second-year pro Bryce Petty and former second-rounder Geno Smith vying for those slots.
RUNNING BACKS
Offseason acquisition Matt Forte is on the wrong side of 30 to go along with a plethora of touches during his career, but is still a solid replacement for the bruising Chris Ivory, who was just one of seven running back last season to run for over 1,000 yards. Forte is still dangerous in the passing game and Gailey likes to call a lot of screen during the course of a game.
The Jets might be able to limit Forte’s touches if Khiry Robinson and Bilal Powell step up. Robinson has shown potential, but was hidden behind Mark Ingram and C.J. Spiller in New Orleans and suffered a broken leg last season. Powell is a solid receiver coming out of the backfield.
RECEIVERS
Marshall tallied 1,502 yards and 14 touchdowns on 109 receptions, becoming the first player in NFL history to record 1,000 yards receiving with four different teams.
He’s a savvy player who uses his 6’4 frame to his advantage when boxing out defenders and make plays on the ball. His route running is fluid and precise and while he’s never had sprinter speed, he’s very tough and physical after the catch.Marshall does tend to have a case of the dropsies and lacks concentration at times, but 2015 was a great bounce back year for him.
Decker doesn’t possess a lot of speed, but runs good routes and has solid hands. Second-year pro Devin Smith is a burner and could provide the Jets a viable deep threat, but suffered a knee injury in December. Quincy Enunwa and Kenbrell Thompkins are the fourth and fifth options.
Gailey likes his tight ends more to block than catch passes, which has really hurt Jace Amaro. The team did re-sign Kellen Davis and blocking is a strength of his.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Father time appeared to have caught up to center Nick Mangold a few years ago, but he’s been back to his solid self the last few years.
To combat those nose tackles disrupting the middle, most teams sacrifice a guard to help out the center, but Mangold is one of the few that can take on that nose tackle one on one despite the 50 pounder weight disparity. He can lock and drive with the best of them. So not only does Mangold have the power to hold off those beasts, he has enough lateral agility to slide over and help his guards out with a combination block.
Mangold is an excellent pass protector, but an even better run blocker. He has a great knowledge of angles and seals off defenders to create lanes for his running back.
D’Brickashaw Fergusen hung up his cleats during the offseason and will be replaced by the injury-prone Ryan Clady at left tackle. He has a lot of talent if he can stay on the field and was acquired via trade from Denver. He’s missed two of the last three seasons due to a pair of left knee surgers to also go along with a Lisfranc sprain to his left foot. Opposite Clade is the rock-steady Breno Giacomini.
James Carpenter and Brian Winters will be the starters at left and right guard, respectively.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
This is obviously the strength of the team with a trio of studs in Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams at defensive end.
Wilkerson is a great athlete for a 6’4, 315-pound behemoth. He’s a very good run stuffer. He’s very powerful, has long arms and big hands. He plays with great technique to shed blocks. He also uses his quickness to get into the backfield.
While stopping the run is Wilkerson’s best trait, he can get to the quarterback. Although he didn’t post a ridiculous sack total last season, he had 10 ½ two years ago, it’s about technique and hand usage with him.
Williams has elite potential and in my opinion was the best defensive player in last year’s draft class.
He’s a much better run defender right now than he is a pass rusher. Williams has an explosive get off to go along with superb upper body strength. He generates a lot of push and gets into the backfield with ease.I think he’s still finding his way as a pass rusher, but he has a unique blend of power and athleticism.
The 2013 Defensive Rookie of the Year Richardson has a really good bull rush to collapse the pocket to go along with several counter moves to get after the quarterback. Richardson is very good in space in the run game, he stacks and sheds very well.
Former Steeler Steve McLendon replaces the effective Damon Harrison at nose tackle. He signed with the New York Giants during the offseason.
LINEBACKERS
Bowles never had much talent in Arizona, but was still able to pressure the quarterback. While the defensive line is going to generate some heat, the talent is lacking at outside linebacker. Bowles blitzes a ton. Lorenzo Mauldin and Trevor Reilly appear to be the starters on the outside.
David Harris has been an overlooked inside linebacker for years. He has a high football IQ and is at his best playing downhill. Erin Henderson is solid as well. I’m really curious how the Jets will incorporate first-round rookie Darron Lee, the fastest linebacker in the class. He might play a linebacker/safety hybrid role.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
No other cornerback plays with better technique than Darrelle Revis.
He can defend any style of wideout, his range and instincts are spectacular, he can jam and re-route and his ball skills are outstanding. At 30 years old, he has lost a tad of a step and received more help over the top last year than in previous seasons.
Revis is ok defending the run, but he still sticks his nose in there and is a willing tackler.
The depth behind Revis is lacking, however. This is a problem due to how much Bowles like to blitz. There were a lot of missed assignments along the back end last year. Marcus Williams, Buster Skrine and Dee Milliner are vying for the other starting cornerback spot.
Safeties Marcus Gilchrist and Calvin Pryor are underrated. Gilchrist is a former corner that is a solid center field type, while Pryor is the hitter of the two and an effective blitzer.
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