New York Jets Trade Up For Future In Sanchez and Greene

Get $15 Off Your Purchase of $100 or More Until 05.31.09 at NFLShop.com.

In the first round of the NFL Draft Mike Tannenbaum and the New York Jets traded up from the 17th spot to number five to pick what surely will be the future of their franchise (we've heard it before around here!) in USC QB Mark Sanchez. Then the next day they did it again in the third round by moving up to the first pick, via a deal with the Detroit Lions, to get RB Shonn Greene from Iowa, the highest listed RB on the Jets board. For Greene they gave the Lions their third-round (76th overall), fourth-round (No. 115), and seventh-round (No. 228) picks. For Mark Sanchez they gave Eric Mangini's Cleveland Browns their first-round (No. 17), and second-round (No. 52) picks as well as defensive end Kenyon Coleman, quarterback Brett Ratliff, and safety Abram Elham. These two maneuvers left the NY Jets with only three picks in the 2009 NFL Draft. The other player taken was Nebraska guard Matt Slauson in the sixth-round. In minimizing the number of picks this year by trading away all the other picks, Tannenbaum has put more pressure on himself, his fun rookie coach Rex Ryan, and young Mark Sanchez. If these guys don't pan out, along with all the offseason free agent aquisitions, it most surely will be Tannenbaum's demise. If Tannenbaum were a cat he most certainly would be on his 9th life. But now on paper these decisions all look good. They always look good in April!

Buy Mark Sanchez Jerseys Here

Remember Richard Todd, Ken O'Brien, Browning Nagle, Chad Pennington, Boomer Esiason, Vinny Testaverde, and I'm sure I missed a few... oh yeah, remember that guy from last year? The one who was supposed to be the savior? The second coming of Joe Willie Namath! I guess we'll see if Mark Sanchez has the stuff to lead us to another Championship after forty-plus years of futility. He does seem to have the qualities you want in a New York quarterback; confidence, a good arm, and the personality to deal with the media. The one thing he does not have is experience. Although he played in a pro type offense at USC, in college football's biggest market, he only started 16 games. He might not win the starting position right away from Kellen Clemens.

Sanchez already is a New York media darling. After throwing out the first pitch on Monday at the Mets game at Citi Field he talked in the booth with Ron Darling and Gary Cohen. Before the Mets game he was seen with fans in Citi Field signing autographs and talking. The kid definitely has personality. We'll see how that personality holds up after he loses a few games in New York. That's when you want to judge the kid. When he meets with some adversity in the Big Apple (New Jersey). If he can handle that and bounce back and win. That's when you'll see a good New York QB. Maybe not the second coming of Namath but someone who can lead you to a Championship nevertheless. Only time will tell Jets fans, only time will tell. Until then....It's always good in April. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Baltimore Ravens Loss Will Be NY Jets Gain

The loss by the Baltimore Ravens yesterday in the AFC Championship Game by a score of 23-14 to the Pittsburgh Steelers will add up to a big gain for the New York Jets. This will be apparent soon when the NY Jets announce the hiring of Rex Ryan, the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator for the past four seasons after six seasons as an assistant there. It isn't official as of now but Wikipedia already has him listed as the Head Coach of the New York Jets. According to sources close to the Jets they have already notified the other coaching candidates that Ryan, the son of Buddy Ryan, former Head Coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals and Defensive Coordinator of the Super Bowl Champion '85 Chicago Bears, will be the successor to Eric Mangini, who now is the Cleveland Browns leader.



This will mark the beginning of yet another new era for the perpetually cursed franchise whose soul was traded to the devil by Broadway Joe Namath when he promised a Super Bowl victory against the heavily favored Baltimore Colts, and delivered, in Super Bowl III 40 years ago. Since then (believe me I know) Jets fans have suffered through thick and thin (mostly thin). Hopefully Ryan can come in and change things around enough to bring the NY Jets to the next level while leaving most of the personnel intact (minus Favre). He won't have anything resembling the defensive personnel he had in Baltimore, but he does have a good nucleus and his coaching style seems to be extremely motivating to his players, who describe him as a players coach. It would be nice to see him do something similar to what his Ravens boss, Head Coach John Harbaugh, did in going with one of the young arms on the team as QB. Harbaugh went with Joe Flacco and rode the wave all the way to the AFC Championship with good offense and great defense, and maybe Rex Ryan can do the same with the Jets by going with Kellen Clemens or Brett Ratliff (who the Jets seem to be higher on than Clemens). I think with the right influence on the defense and some mistake free ground it out offense the New York Jets could be on their way to some good things. Only time will tell. Next year Jets fans, next year. Sound familiar. If it doesn't your not a NY Jets fan for too long. Good Luck Rex Ryan!

Lucky Win Yields "Same Old Jets"

These 2008 New York Jets tried their best to give the hapless Buffalo Bills the game Sunday but Dick Jauron and the Bills just didn't want to take it. Jauron decided to overrule his offensive coordinator and change a call late in the game and have quarterback J.P. Losman roll out and attempt a pass rather than continue to do what was working and eat up the clock by running the ball. The whole game Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson ran on the Jets like O.J. Simpson running from the cops. They were unstoppable rushing for 158 yards combined on 28 carries, and all Jauron had to do was hand it to one of them just before the 2 minute warning and get one more first down to win. By now you know what happened instead; Abram Elam knocks the ball loose from Losman and Shaun Ellis scoops it up and rolls like a joint into the endzone for the winning TD and the first of his career. Give Ellis a big bong hit, he earned it! But all this win is gonna do is prolong and postpone the agony. These 2008 Jets are headed on a flight to nowhere quick. I could already see the final game of the season for the AFC East, against Chad Pennington's Miami Dolphins, being set up as the big letdown weeks ago, and now it looms just around the corner. Same Old Jets on the way. This Jets Fan is so used to it by now I actually expect it!

Brett Favre and the Jets offense looked pretty good this game, but as in all of the Jets losses this season, and some wins, they failed in one or two of the facets of the game; this time it was a porous run defense (a recurring theme this year) and poor special teams play. It always seems to be that way with the Jets this season; if the offense plays well they blow it on defense or special teams, if the defense plays well (not often, but sometimes) they blow it with missed plays and mistakes on offense. They owe this win to lady luck and bad coaching, they'll take it and deny the truth; that they deserved to lose this one.

The potential is there, as seen in the five game winning streak, especially the wins against New England and Tennesee. All they have to do is put the winning teams (offense, defense, and special teams) out on the field consistently these last two games (and in the...dare I say it...Playoffs!). But all of us Long Time Jets Fans know what's in store for us in one way or another. Here come the "Same Old Jets"...get ready for the holidays!

Jets Crash Should Be Wake Up Call

So the NY Jets finally crashed against the Denver Broncos after flying high on a five game winning streak ending in Tennessee against the previously unbeaten Titans. Really, losing is probably just what the Jets needed to wake them back up for the last four games of the regular season. Even though they claim their heads were not swollen from the five game winning streak it's gotta be hard to not be a little over confident going in to a game like the Denver Broncos game. They seemed to be a good match with the Broncos poor rushing defense and the Jets recent success at the running game; Thomas Jones has already rushed for over 1000 yards in 12 games. But the Jets went in with a bad game plan and failed to adjust after the half, and Brett Favre and the receivers regressed to their early season problems of not being on the same page, and the defense failed to put enough pressure on Jay Cutler or stop Denver's weak running game. It really boiled down to fundamentals: poor tackling, bad game plan, penalties, turnovers, poor play calling. Now the New York Jets need to do some soul searching and turn things back around against an inferior but Mike Singletary motivated San Fransisco 49ers team. Hopefully Mangini went back to stressing those fundamentals in practice this week so that the Jets don't blow another game on the west coast. So far they're 0-2 on the west coast this season, losing big against the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football and losing to a terrible Oakland Raiders team in overtime in a game they should have dominated. Following that game came their five game winning streak in which they seemed to build steam because of that Raiders loss. The NY Jets need to use the Broncos loss for the same kind of inspiration and go back to playing mistake free football and it needs to start this week in San Fransisco.

NY Jets Better Not Get Caught Sleeping

The New York Jets (5-3) are in a great position to sieze the moment and right the ship once and for all going into a game at mid-season against a 2-6 St Louis Rams team lead by interim coach Jim Haslett. But you really never know with these Jets after a loss to the terrible Oakland Raiders, a team they were favored heavily to beat, and a tough time against Herm Edwards pitiful Kansas City Chiefs, another game they should have won with ease. Then last week they came up big and beat the Buffalo Bills, pretty convincingly, to make it a three way tie for first place in the AFC East with the Bills and Tom Bradyless New England Patriots. The much improved Miami Dolphins are only a game behind at 4-4 in second place in a division that is the most evenly competitive in the Conference at mid-season. Being a longtime New York Jets fan I can tell you that this is the time for the Jets to crash...or..dare I say it...soar. If they win this game against another mediocre team they can go into next week against the Patriots with nothing less than another tie for first place in the Division and a chance to be atop it alone. That's why this week these Jets better not get caught sleeping. They need to go in to this game and stay disciplined, not make alot of bone headed mistakes against a team they're favored to beat at home by 9 points. Brett Favre needs to minimize the interceptions by not taking too many risky chances and throwing punts to the Rams. The NY Jets are poised to make that next step and prove everybody wrong once and for all; that they can win consistently against the teams they should beat as well as some of the upper echelon teams like the Buffalo Bills. Hopefully they set the alarm clock and don't get caught in bed with their pants down. Wake up Jets: there's still a chance to soar. All you have to do is do it!

Jets Beat Bengals with Defense & Special Teams

The NY Jets(3-2) won this weeks game against the 0-6 Cincinnati Bengals primarily with good defense and special teams which kept creating good field position. Even after both of Brett Favre's interceptions, deep in Bengals territory, the Jets held Cincinnati and got the ball back with good field position and scored a field goal and a touchdown in response. After Favre's fumble was returned for a touchdown by Chinedum Ndukwe(say that 10 times fast) on the first series of the game, the Jets came right back with a long 10 play TD drive of their own. That drive was set up by another great kickoff return by Leon Washington of 46 yards, shortening the field for Favre and the offense to drive downfield; and this was the case throughout the game with the Jets offense starting on average at their 46 yard line. That's what wins games, and it was accomplished with good special teams, great run defense(43 Net Yards), and pressure up front on the inexperienced Ryan Fitzpatrick(Sacked 5 times, Hurried 6) by Calvin Pace, Kris Jenkins, and company. So in a game that future Hall Of Famer Brett Favre made his share of risky mistakes, the New York Jets did what they needed to do with their other units to get the job done and get the ugly win; and we all know that an ugly win is still a win whether Favre considers it ugly or not. The Jets need to win, ugly or pretty, the next two games, which concludes the soft part of their schedule, at Oakland and at home against Kansas City. They could conceivably be 5-2 going into week 8 at frigid Buffalo (4-1) Nov 2nd. By that time the Jets need to play consistently in all three phases of the game because most of the remaining games, starting with the Bills, are against real teams and defense, special teams, and offense need to produce. If not they'll be losing some ugly games instead of winning them.

NY Giants Look Like The Team To Beat In NFL

Eli Manning and the defending Super Bowl Champion NY Giants are starting to look as though they've emerged as the team to beat in the NFL. Even without banished WR Plaxico Burress at their disposal the New York Giants slaughtered the Seattle Seahawks at Giants Stadium yesterday 44-to-6, dominating in all facets of the game. Manning played one of the best games of his career throwing for 267 yards completing 19-of-25 and 2 TD's. The Giants showed their depth at wide receiver with rookie Domenik Hixon replacing Burress as starter and catching 4 passes for 102 yards and one TD before leaving the game with a concussion and being spelled by Sinorice Moss (4 catches, 45 yds, 2 TD's). This combined with a strong running game by Brandon Jacobs (15 rushes for 136 yds 2TD's), Ahmad Bradshaw, and Derrick Ward produced 523 total yards of offense for the game. With that many yards on offense you don't even have to play good defense but the Giants did; yielding only 6 points to the Seattle Seahawks, a projected NFL Playoff team. That leaves the New York Giants and the unlikely Tennessee Titans as the only two undefeated teams in the NFL after 5 games into the season; and the Giants, being defending Superbowl Champs, are officially the team to beat in the National Football League. They are no longer the underdogs they love to be. It's a new role for these NY Giants and they look like they're ready for the prime time spotlight in the NFL right here and now.

Keep Favre's Breakout Game In Perspective

Brett Favre finally had his breakout game for the NY Jets we all knew he would eventually have. Who thought he would throw for 6 TD's in one game, 3 to Laveranues Coles? Well I for one know that anything is possible with Favre. But with that possibility also comes the risk of throwing some interceptions when chances are taken. So if you want Favre and Schettenheimer to take those chances rather than run the ball three times in a row (i.e. New England Game) you have to be willing to accept an interception or two along the way. He's that kind of a quarterback; you have to let him take his chances and sling the ball and hope that he makes more plays than he blows; and historically he's made a whole lot more than he's blown to date.

Favre's breakout game is due to two major reasons though. One: Favre is more on the same page, obviously, with his receivers, especially Coles who had his best game TD-wise with 3 TD's. Two: The Arizona Cardinals are not such a great team. They tried to hand the game to the Jets with 7 turnovers (3 INT's, 4 Fumbles lost). The Jets took the game over in the 2nd quarter by scoring 34 points after a scoreless 1st quarter, but tried to hand the game back to the Cardinals by spotting them 21 points in the 3rd quarter to make things interesting. They just happened to outscore them in the 4th quarter enough to win the game by 21, in a wild mistake filled game with a Final score of 56-35 Jets. Crazy!!! But keep this win in perspective. Favre did have a breakout game, no doubt, and it's nice to see Cole's get over his crush on Chad Pennington already and get involved in a big way; but The Jets defense really played up and down in this game by laying down in the 3rd quarter and giving up 35 points in the second half. The Jets were lucky they were playing the hapless Cardinals who repeatedly turned the ball over at the most inopportune times (like the whole game). So far this season the Jets beat two Bad-to-Mediocre teams and lost to two Superior teams. So keep it in perspective. They're 2-2 now. Not bad, but not great either. Favre does make it exciting and the Defense did show flashes of what they might become, but they were too inconsistent to believe they're gonna get away with a win every week if they play like that. The Jets are headed in the right direction from the looks of it. They just have to continue to head that way. In two weeks, after the Bye Week, we'll see. They play Cincinnati, an 0-4 team, who most likely will be 0-5 after playing Dallas this week, and will certainly have their backs up against the wall one way or another. That should be a game The New York Jets dominate too. They could easily be 3-2 going into week 7. Don't think they're sittin' pretty yet. We'll see. Enjoy being .500 right now though fellow Jets fans. Enjoy.

Cool Sports Blankets!