Gutterball 2013 : The New York Jets

When I was a young kid growing up, my mother always told me to get my mind out of the gutter. Well, that was great parental advice that kind of fell flat as I got older. There is a kind of strange fascination of watching a slow moving train wreck occur…especially when it involves highly paid people and NFL Teams.

Each week during the rest of the pre-season and throughout the regular season, I will explore the dark underbelly of the league. The nether regions of football will be scrutinized with the fascination of watching a disaster flick. This week’s team featured in Gutterball 2013 is the New York Jets.

J.E.T.S. JETS, JETS, JETS…JUST END THE SEASON! This was Chris Berman’s rant many years ago when the Jets were coached by Eric Mangini. This team has been snake bit for many, many years. The hiring of Rex Ryan to be its head coach several years ago has not helped this team in any way. Sexy Rexy seems to pander more to the New York Media rather than coach his team. His bombastic ways are media gold in sensation starved New York City. Ryan’s bold predictions of winning a Superbowl came to a loud thud when his team literally fell apart the first year at the helm. Last year, the Tim Tebow media circus came to town. The misuse of Tebow was quite evident as it seemed that Ryan was bent on making Tebow a failure rather than trying to help his team win.

Enter the 2013 football season. The New York Jets have fired Tony Sparano as their offensive coordinator and have hired Marty Mornhinweg who spent the last 7 years with Andy Reid at the Philadelphia Eagles. Dennis Thurman is now the Defensive Coordinator leaving his post from the past five seasons as Defensive Backs Coach. On paper, the coaching, minus Rex Ryan is not the problem. The problem is the personnel.

Mark Sanchez or Geno Smith? If either of these are the answers, I really don’t know what the question is… Both of these Quarterbacks are lackluster. Pete Carroll, Sanchez’s former Head Coach at USC said it best when Sanchez entered the NFL draft, “He needs more time to develop” Last year Sanchez, as the starting quarterback, threw for 2883 yards with 13 touchdowns. He had 453 attempts, with a lackluster 246 completions.

Half of the problem of Sanchez’s stats falls in the hands of the Jets receiving corps. The likes of Jeremy Kerley (827 yards and two touchdowns), Chaz Schilens (289 yards and two touchdowns), Santonio Holmes (272 yards and a touchdown) and Braylon Edwards (199 yards and a score) are not the basis of an all pro, nor championship, NFL team! The Jets top office must realize that there was a reason why Braylon Edwards was cast off from the Browns and Santonio Holmes is not the hot shot he thinks he is.

The running game last year was a bit better, but not by much. Shonn Green started out hot, but ended the season with 1063 yards rushed and 8 touchdowns. Bilal Powell had 437 yards rushed with touchdowns and Joe McKnight finished the season with 179 yards rushed and zero scores.

What changes have occurred in 2013 that will make this team more competitive? Seriously, I do not think Geno Smith will be the answer to a lackluster Sanchez. Chris Ivory was added to the team from the New Orleans Saints. This move was actually quite good for Ivory as he will be the main back provided that he can stay healthy. Ivory’s shifty style of running and quickness will definitely help the running game. However, Bilal Powell cannot be counted out as competition for the featured running back spot.

Other than that, there is really not big change from the Jets this year. Yes, Santonio Holmes is coming back from surgery to repair his Lisfranc sprain in his left foot. Jeremy Kerley is shifty and quick, but is at the mercy of whoever is throwing the ball to them. Marty Mornhinweg’s offense does feature the tight end position. However, Dustin Keller is not a Jet anymore, so Jeff Cumberland will figure big in this position. Last year, Cumberland had 359 yards receiving with 3 touchdowns.

Defensively, Darrell Revis has left the team. Ryan has drafted Dee Milliner as CB to help fill this void. There is a serious lack of talent at all of the key positions in the Jets organization. What talent is there, is overshadowed by injuries. Mark Sanchez has not grown as a QB since he has been drafted. If anything, his development has been stifled by the unrealistic expectations of what he can do by Rex Ryan. Geno Smith will perform as a rookie and make rookie mistakes! Unless Rex Ryan is dethroned as Head Coach, this team will be just a backdrop to the Sexy Rexy show where his weight loss, and sexual peccadilloes will be profiled by the New York media…at least Mrs Ryan has nice feet!