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From Nfl.com Jets preseason primer


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SEASON OUTLOOK

Chad Pennington

The Jets are looking for Chad Pennington to come back strong after undergoing off-season surgery on his right shoulder. New York feels they upgraded the offense by trading Santana Moss to the Redskins for former Jet Laveranues Coles straight-up. Coles and Pennington both had their most productive seasons playing together in 2002.

Despite the loss of Jason Ferguson, the defensive line remains strong. NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Jonathon Vilma highlights a speedy group of linebackers. With the recent retirement of Veteran cornerback Donnie Abraham, the Jets acquired Pete Hunter from the Dallas Cowboys in order to help shore up what might be a suspect defensive backfield, especially with the questions surrounding the youth at the safety positions.

This is a playoff-caliber team stocked with weapons on both sides of the ball. The Jets should make their fourth playoff appearance in five seasons, but the main problem right now is that division rival New England remains the team to beat in the AFC.

CAMP QUANDARIES

Curtis Martin

Will the return of Coles boost the passing game?

Coles had his best year as a pro in 2002, hooking up with Pennington 89 times for 1,264 yards. Justin McCareins will also benefit from Coles' willingness to make the tough catches. The Jets' passing game ranked 22nd in the league last season, and a reignited chemistry between Pennington and Coles should help spark the passing game to greater heights in 2005.

Can Curtis Martin keep up his blistering pace?

Look up the word "consistent" in the dictionary. See Curtis Martin? If not, throw away that dictionary and get a better one. Martin had his finest season with 1,697 yards and 14 touchdowns, becoming the 2004 rushing champion. Martin still has a strong supporting cast in Jerald Sowell and Derrick Blaylock, and the offensive line remains a juggernaut. Look for Martin to rush for well over 1,200 yards on his way to the Hall of Fame one day.

Will Mike Nugent justify being selected in the 2nd round?

Picking a kicker in the second round was considered a reach by some, but if Nugent wins several games, the high pick will be worth it. A clutch kicker that was a revelation at Ohio State, Nugent better get ready to shake off the pressure of kicking in the fish-bowl atmosphere that is New York.

VETERAN COMINGS AND GOINGS

Roster Additions Players Lost

Derrick Blaylock, RB

Ethan Brooks, T

Laveranues Coles, WR

Jay Fiedler, QB

Barry Gardner, LB

Doug Jolley, TE

Micah Knorr, P

Lance Legree, DT

Donnie Abraham, CB

Anthony Becht, TE

Doug Brien, K

Sam Cowart, LB

Josh Evans, DT

Jason Ferguson, NT

Toby Gowin, P

LaMont Jordan, RB

Santana Moss, WR

Reggie Tongue

DRAFT PICKS

Rd Sel# Player Pos. Ht. Wt. School

2 47 Nugent, Mike K 5-10 182 Ohio State

2 57 Miller, Justin CB 5-10 202 Clemson

3 88 Pouha, Sione DT 6-3 329 Utah

4 123 Rhodes, Kerry FS 6-2 209 Louisville

5 161 Maddox, Andre SS 6-1 205 North Carolina State

6 182 Houston, Cedric RB 5-11 225 Tennessee

6 198 Dreessen, Joel TE 6-4 260 Colorado State

7 240 Williams, Harry WR 6-2 175 Tuskegee

PRESEASON SCHEDULE

Date Opponent Time

Aug. 12 Detroit 7:00 p.m.

Aug. 19 Minnesota 8:00 p.m.

Aug. 26 at N.Y. Giants 8:00 p.m.

Sept. 1 at Philadelphia 7:30 p.m.

Pretty positive view of the Jets- we expect them to make the playoffs

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I dunno. With the exception of Coles for Moss, where are the upgrades?

If the Jets drafted Nugent because he's a great kicker, fine. But if they drafted him just so Herm can wash his hands clean of the Doug Brien fiasco, then no, that's not fine. This mindset that "we were a FG away from the AFC championship game", and now that we have Mike Nugent, the peices of the puzzle are complete.

I like Mike Nugent. I'm glad they used a #1 on him. But he has yet to show he can do this in the NFL.

This article says the D-line is "strong". Half the D-line is (Ellis and Robertson) but the other two positions are question marks.

Pennington- I hate to say it, but I don't think he's going to play in 16 games this year. I like Fiedler, and who knows, maybe the Jets can get to that next level the way the Giants did in '91 with Hostetler replacing an injured Phil Simms.

Adrian Jones- Think about it.

The secondary- C'mon guys. Look at it. It's never been good since Herm's been here, but this is really bad. Unless Strait or Miller can compete for a starting spot.

Which brings me to my next point:

Bradway and Herm have never truly had a rebuilding process; they basically retooled on the fly, while trying to win with Parcells leftovers. 5 years later, and the core of Parcells team are ready for the glue factory. Sadly, the window of opportunity closed on these guys while Bradway spent 4 years drafting special teams players.

I'm not impressed with the results. Some where along the way, you'd like to see your team win a Super Bowl.

I'm just not feeling it with this team, and I feel the fans could have been served better had a coaching staff come in here back in 2001 that actually knew what it was doing.

For Donnie Henderson and Mike Heimerdinger, this gig is nothing more than a stepping stone towards a head coaching gig. I know DH can squeeze water from a brick, because I've seen it.

I hope Heimerdinger can adjust as well, on the fly.

In any event, this is probably the last hurrah for that core group Herm and Bradway inherited.

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