UA-59049186-1 NFL Team Preview: New York Jets - Good if it Goes

NFL Team Preview: New York Jets

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Last Year: 

Record: 10-6

Offense: 370.3 YPG (10th), 24.2 PPG (11th)

Defense: 318.6 YPG (4th), 19.6 (9th)

The Jets season looked fabulous on paper. They were a top 10 offense and defense in terms of yards and they won 10 games. Yet still they missed the playoffs. Ryan Fitzpatrick had a career year, yet when it mattered most, he choked and came up extremely small in a win-and-in game in the final week of the regular season. The running game was effective led by Chris Ivory, but the real story was the Jets receiving corps led by Brandon Marshall, who played at an elite level and Eric Decker had major contributions as well. The offensive line actually had a down year. On defense, the Jets were very good. They allowed the 4th-fewest yards per game and allowed less than 20 per game.

Offseason: 

Key Acquisitions: OT. Ryan Clady, RB. Matt Forte, DT. Steve Mclendon,

Key Loses: RB. Chris Ivory, OT. Debrickashaw Ferguson, DT. Damon Harrison, CB. Antonio Cromartie

2016 Draft Picks

RD(PK) PLAYER POS SCHOOL
1(20) Darron Lee OLB Ohio State
2(20) Christian Hackenberg QB Penn State
3(20) Jordan Jenkins OLB Georgia
4(20) Juston Burris CB North Carolina State
5(19) Brandon Shell OT South Carolina
7(14) Loc Edwards P Sam Houston State
7(20) Charone Peake WR Clemson

2016 Outlook

Coaching Staff

HC: Todd Bowles

OC: Chan Gailey

DC: Kacy Rodgers

ST: Brant Boyer

 

Projected Depth Chart

Offense

QB. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Geno Smith

RB. Matt Forte, Bilal Powell

FB. Tommy Bohanon

WR. Brandon Marshall, Devin Smith

WR. Eric Decker, Kembrell Thompkins

WR. Quincy Enunwa

TE. Jace Amaro, Kellen Davis

LT. Ryan Clady, Ben Ijalana

LG. James Carpenter, Craig Watts

C. Nick Mangold, Wesley Johnson

RG. Brian Winters, Dakota Dozier

RT. Breno Giacomini, Brandon Shell

Defense

DE. Muhammad Wilkerson, Jarvis Jenkins

NT. Steve McLendon, Deon Simon

DE. Sheldon Richardson, Leonard Williams

OLB. Lorenzo Mauldin, Jordan Jenkins

MLB. Erin Henderson, Taiwan Jones

MLB. David Harris, Bruce Carter

OLB. Darron Lee, Trevor Reilly

CB. Darrelle Revis, Dee Milliner

SS. Calvin Pryor, Dion Bailey

FS. Marcus Gilchrist, Rontez Miles

CB. Buster Skrine, Dexter McDougle

NB. Marcus Williams

Special Teams

K. Nick Folk

P. Lachlan Edwards

Breakdown

Offense: 

Offensively, with Ryan Fitzpatrick now safely under contract, at least for 1 more year, the Jets should at least be able to somewhat replicate their success in the passing game from last season. However, the Jets are going to be older offensively this year. Matt Forte was believed to be pushed out of Chicago because they thought he was on the decline. He’s still a versatile player that can impact the game as a rusher and receiver, but he is older and appeared to be slowing down last season. Brandon Marshall is also starting to get up there in age and the depth at the receiver position after Marshall and Decker is really thin. The tight end position is also a question mark. 3rd-year man and the team’s 2nd-round pick in 2014 Jace Amaro will be the starter, but who knows where he is at this point in his career after missing all of last year. And then there’s the offensive line. Nick Mangold is on the decline at center after being a model of consistency for the majority of his younger years. The team is average at best with Carpenter and Winters at guard. Ryan Clady is 1 of the better pass blocking tackles in the game, but his run blocking has declined over the years and so has his durability. Can he stay healthy? At the other tackle spot, the Jets will be forced to endure another year of Breno Giacomini, who was horrible last season. Considering the age and durability issues plus the likelyhood that Fitzpatrick takes a step back, I have to believe the Jets offense will be a lot less effective in 2016.

Defense: 

Defensively, I can see the Jets taking a step back as well in 2016. For starters, the defense looks incredibly weak at the linebacker position. The Jets plan to start 2 30-year-old guys that can’t cover at MLB and if you wanna guess what 2 guys they’re gonna roll out there week 1 at OLB, be my guest. Lorenzo Mauldin, the team’s 3rd-round pick in 2015, is supposed to be the top edge guy, but that certainly shouldn’t inspire confidence if he is. The OLB position was such a question mark for the Jets a year ago that we saw big Sheldon Richardson have to move from the D-line and play the position some. Trevor Reilly is listed as the starter on the other side on a lot of other depth charts, but that guy is a back up and special teamer at best and I fully expect 1 of the rookies in either Darron Lee or Jordan Jenkins to beat him out. Thee is both talent and question marks in the secondary. The Jets are completely set at safety with Calvin Pryor and Marcus Gilchrist. That’s actually 1 of the better safety duos in the NFL. The Jets are also set at 1 corner spot with Darelle Revis, who even as he starts to slow down, remains 1 of the game’s best corners. The question is what about the other corners. Antonio Cromartie’s departure has prompted Buster Skrine to be promoted to a starting role, and though he has had success as a nickel guy, it remains to be seen how he performs full-time in that role. To fill the void he left, Dee Milliner and Marcus Williams look to compete for that 3rd corner spot. The 1 real position of strength for the Jets defense is up front on the defensive line where even with the loss of Damon “Snacks” Harrison, they still are a very elite group. Led by Muhammad Wilkerson, who is just 1 of the game’s best defenders right now, it’s a group that can take over games both rushing the passer or shutting down the run. Sheldon Richardson, in terms of talent, is right there with Wilkerson, but he has to get his head on straight and stop getting suspended. He missed the 1st 4 games last season with a suspension and now is suspended again for 1 game to start the 2016 season. Replacing Harrison at nose is free agent acquisition Steve McLendon, who performed very well at the same position for the Pittsburgh Steelers. And then you have the team’s 6th-overall pick from a year ago in Leonard Williams, who figures to rotate in for all 3 of them and play all over the defensive line. I’m certainly not suggesting that the Jets defense won’t be good in 2016, but it’s hard for me to see them finishing top 5 in yards allowed again.

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