The New York Jets starting quarterback thought that he finally got the respect from the club that he was looking for when he signed a long term contract. Instead, the Jets make a trade for Tim Tebow that leaves fans wondering “why”? How could this affect the Jets 2012 NFL odds?
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I noted that the Jets needed to nail their first three selections and on the surface, they just didn’t do it. While they did address their three biggest needs, the players they selected make you scratch your head. Take first round pick, Quinton Coples. The Jets had their pick between Coples, Melvin Ingram, and Chandler Jones. Ingram and Jones were used to playing in 3-4 schemes while Copes comes from a 4-3 front at UNC. That didn’t slow the Jets down from selecting the much maligned Vernon Gholston 2.0. Outside of Coples, the Jets added 2 WRs, OLB, DB, RB, G, and S. I’ll go into more detail, but this Jet draft class isn’t anything special.
The Jets used their first round pick to draft a big, extremely athletic defensive end who has been questioned about his work ethic and desire to play football. No, we aren’t talking about Vernon Gholston…we are talking about UNC defensive end, Quinton Coples. Coples is a very big man, checking in at 6’6″, 284 pounds. Coples has the prototypical 4-3 defensive end size which obviously doesn’t help the Jets’ 3-4 defensive scheme. Questions are already starting whether Coples has the ability to cover tight ends in Ryan’s scheme. Coples watched his sack total decline from 10 in his junior year to 7.5 in his senior year.
There’s no doubt that the Jets needed an edge rusher. Coples was apparently the second rated defensive end on the Jet board behind Bruce Irvins who went to Seattle a pick earlier. With questions already starting about Coples’ characters, Jet defensive leaders must set-up and quickly acclimate him to their scheme. I don’t love this pick for the Jets and I preferred new Patriot defensive end, Chandler Jones. Only time will tell, but on the surface, this pick has a lot of comparability to Vernon Gholston–and that’s not a good thing.
For the third straight year, we’ve done a lot of NFL Draft stuff. To summarize our thoughts, the links below will take you to appropriate page for each topic. Enjoy tonight’s NFL Draft!
Giants
Prospect Profile: Coby Fleener
Prospect Profile: Dwayne Allen
Propsect Profile: Harrison Smith
Jets
Mike Tannenbaum has never been shy when he sees a draft prospect he likes. Mr. T strategically positioned the Jets to nab Darrelle Revis and traded up to the fifth pick to select Mark Sanchez in 2009. While the Jets effectively traded five players to get Sanchez, franchise quarterbacks are difficult to obtain and after suffering from years of quarterback futile, Sanchez was a no-brainer. Tebow-mania aside, Sanchez is an established player that has won four road playoff games and will likely have successful NFL career.
Going into this year’s draft, the Jets have another opportunity to move up and select another cornerstone player. Alabama running back, Trent Richardson is considered to be the best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson–and moving up to get him should be another no-brainer for the Jets.
Last night, the NFL released the regular season schedules for each team. Overall, relative to last season’s results, the Jets strength of schedule is ranked 20th in the league. Without further delay, here is the 2012 Jet schedule and some analysis:
The New York Jets have a lot of holes.
On offense, the Jets desperately need an upgrade from their lackluster right tackle, Wayne Hunter. In addition, if the Jets want to regain their ground and pound mentality adding a guard or two could desperately make up from the absent play of Matt Slauson. While building the offensive line is an obvious need, the Jets don’t have the running back personnel needed to log 30+ carries per game. Shonn Greene was able to log 1,000 yards last season, but has not been able to top six rushing touchdowns. On the outside, the Jets only feature Santonio Holmes and clearly need another threat. We won’t even dig into the quarterback mess, but clearly, the Jets are lacking an identity. Management can tell Jet fans that Mark Sanchez is their guy, but rumblings have already started about trading him away.
On defense, the Jets are very, very weak up the middle. Bart Scott is an older player that looked slow last season while the free safety position needs an obvious upgrade. The Jets did bring in LaRon Landry to solidify the strong safety position, but his health is an obvious concern. The Patriots can (and will) kill teams via the tight end and the Jets need obvious upgrades at both inside linebacker and safety.
Overall, the Jets have a lot of holes on both sides of the ball. By picking at #16 in the first round, the Jets will have their choice of play makers. Alabama’s Courtney Upshaw and Mark Barron are obvious targets, but the Jets will need to plug a lot of holes with limited picks. Remember, the Jets gave up their fourth rounder for Tebow, so the Jets must nail their first three selections.
The Jets aren’t a deep team and if they want to keep up with the Patriots, they need to add sure-fire, impact talents in the first three rounds. Muhammed Wilkerson was a very good first round pick last year, but their Kenrick Ellis and Bilal Powell picks had very little impact.
The Buffalo Bills improved this off-season as they brought in Mario Williams and re-signed Stevie Johnson. Fred Jackson will be healthy for the start of the season as well. If the Jets do not solidify their team, they may miss the playoffs for the second straight season.
Yesterday, the Jets arranged a huge press conference for their new backup quarterback, Tim Tebow. In total, the Jets granted over 200 press passes, which equates to the number of passes given during the Super Bowl.
In typical Tebow fashion, the ex-Gator handled every question with poise and professionalism. Tebow stated that he was ‘excited to be a Jet’ and looked forward to working with Mark Sanchez. Tebow brushed off tough questions about his role on the team, the current state of the team, and the obvious flaws with throwing motion.
Granted, Tebow did not ask for this press conference. The Jets demanded that their newly acquired quarterback meet with the media. Even though, Woody Johnson and Mr. T were not in attendance, their presence was felt by having such an event in March. I can’t remember a time when a team had a large press conference for a backup player, but this is the Jets and this is how they do things. We can’t knock them for staying true to form.
On a pure football level, I can write pages bashing the Jets for this move and question why they did such a thing, but that’s not the purpose of this article. Tim Tebow will go into Jet camp competing for the starting quarterback role. Regardless of the outcome, Tebow will do whatever the coaches ask him to do and try to help the Jets win a championship. Sure, there are questions about Tebow’s football makeup, but this guy has the intangibles needed to help enhance the Jet locker room. If anything, he’ll be used in some packages and will be asked to pick up tough yards in tight spots.
Win, lose, or draw, Tebow will always be a role model for football fans. His personality and demeanor will never be questioned. Whether that translates into Jet victories is yet to be determined.
Last night, I shared my thoughts on the Tebow-to-Jets scenario. Initially, I scoffed at the idea, but then I remember that Woody Johnson owns the Jets. Johnson has never shied away from making an impact and cannot stand when his team is not in the limelight. Well today, Johnson and his cronies brought Tim Tebow to New York in exchange for a fourth round pick.
From a business standpoint, trading for Tebow makes a lot of sense. The Jets need to sell some tickets and the initial Rex generated buzz fizzled out last season. Bringing in Tebow creates a buzzing atomsphere for Little Brother.
From a football standpoint, this move just solidifies how much a joke that Jets are. In the last three weeks alone, the Jets have flirted with three different quarterbacks. First, Peyton Manning told them to take a hike. Then Sanchez cashed in big time. After finding out Tebow was available, the Jets wasted little time grabbing Tebow from Denver.
Tebow isn’t any player. Tebow is a phenomenom. He has a following. In Denver, it was clear that John Elway didn’t believe. The only way to stop an uprising was to replace Tebow with an immortal player. Now, the Jets have created their own circus by bringing in Tebow. After every incompletion or interception thrown by Sanchez, the Tebow-believers will be screaming for #15. Great way to build more confidence in Sanchez.
The Jets are clearly a laughing stock. They envy that the Giants are the toast of the town and have resorted to bringing in Tebowmania to level the playing field. In essence, Tebow will create buzz, but from a football standpoint, this move doesn’t make the Jets a better team. What a joke.
Sources say that the Jets have intensified their efforts to land quarterback, Tim Tebow. Sources say that bringing in the mild-mannered Tebow will alleviate some negative emotions associated with the Jets. In addition, Tebow’s play making ability and intangibles make him an intriguing option. Add in new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano’s love of the Wildcat offense and Tebow seems like a no-brainer.
However, the Jets just doled out major bucks to their ‘franchise’ quarterback, Mark Sanchez. Sanchez claims he wasn’t affected by his team’s pursuit of Peyton Manning, but we all know that Marky Mark is a sensitive player. Bringing Tebow-Mania to New York would not only create hysteria, but put immense pressure on the fragile Sanchez. The Jet locker room needs to unite under its franchise quarterback, not endure the phenomenon that is known as Tim Tebow.
Some Jet players have been very candid, stating that they don’t want Tebow. Antonio Cromartie, who is never at a loss for words, stated that the Jets can use Jeremy Kerley or Joe McKnight to run the Wildcat. And for once, Cromartie is right. The distractions, whether good or bad, that surround Tebow are not appropriate for this Jet team. If anything, the team may be going public with their interest in hopes of rallying the players to support Sanchez.
While the Giants have stolen all of the headlines, owner Woody Johnson has never been one to back down. Johnson brought in the Brett Favre in 2008 and has a history of making drastic moves following disappointing seasons. The Broncos will want at least third round pick for their unorthodox quarterback and that’s a steep price that the Jets shouldn’t pay.
