Deadspin.com previews the Jets

[Matt39]

NFL Season Preview: New York Jets

We are officially less than a month before the start of the NFL season, so it's probably time to start previewing the monster. The key to the NFL's success -- other than fantasy football and gambling, of course -- is the rabid nature of its fans. That is to say: You don't see a lot of people painting their faces for their favorite golfer.

We asked a gaggle of writers, from the Web, from print, from books, even a TV guy or two, to tell us, in as many or as little words as they need, why My Team Is Better Than Your Team. This is not meant to be factual, or dispassionate, or even logical: We just asked them to riff on why they love their team so much, or what their team means to them, or whatever. We will be running two a day until the beginning of the NFL season.

Right now: the New York Jets. Your author is David Goodwillie.

David Goodwillie is the author of Seemed Like a Good Idea At The Time, a new memoir about baseball, books, women, money, the Mob, and the art of surviving one's twenties in millennial Manhattan. His words are after the jump.

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It's much worse than I thought.

Those are the only words I managed to write down through four disquieting quarters of preseason football last Friday night. It wasn't for lack of effort on my part. I'd canceled my evening plans and was ready in front of the TV, pen and paper in hand, figuring the "revamped" Jets would come out gunning against the Giants, show everyone what they had. I mean, really...if you're not optimistic in August, what's the point?

I won't relate any childhood stories or teenage anecdotes here. It's enough to know I've been a Jets fan a long time, and that names like Blair Thomas, Browning Nagle and Rich Kotite still come immediately to mind every time I'm seeking a metaphor for disaster. Sure, I remember specific plays, memorable games, but there are no eureka moments for me -- for any Jets fan -- because the next play, the next game, is always coming, and it's bound to go badly. Never in the history of the franchise has fortune taken off its coat and made itself at home.

Let's take this past offseason. It started inauspiciously with the departure of Herm Edwards (and I use the word "departure" instead "fleeing" only because there's much more misery to come). It was handled with all the aplomb of the Bill Belichick fiasco in 1999, but hurt more, because we all fell for Herm, breathed in his energy, his endless optimism. How could we know he was football's answer to Ray Nagin -- clueless in crisis but full of answers afterwards? And so another era, Eric Mangini's, began, awkwardly, as usual. Wayne Chrebet retired in a concussed fog. Ty Law found a new team to suck the life from (not a bad thing until I saw his replacements). And the mercurial Justin McCareins was deemed "physically unable to perform" for what appears to have been a bad attitude.

Then there was the draft. Having won one -- literally one! -- too many meaningless games at the end of last year, the Jets missed out on Vince Young and Reggie Bush. But Matt Leinart was still backstage. Sitting and waiting. Now here's the thing about the Jets: They've always been a one-man team, hit or miss, all or nothing. Think Namath. Think Gastineau. The Giants can Phil Simms and Tiki Barber you to death, but the Jets need a franchise player. They need an identity (to say nothing of a stadium), and Matt Leinart could have been that guy. Instead, we got D'Brickashaw, who, no matter how good he may become, will never be a franchise player because an offensive lineman cannot be a franchise player. By definition. But the Jets have been burned too often on draft day (see above), so here we are with Twinkle Toes Ferguson (see below), and Arizona has Leinart, who'll most certainly become the next Brett Favre now, because that's the way it goes for the team in green.

Of course, the real problems are more easily defined. The Jets -- an NFL team, remember -- currently have no viable quarterback or running back, and it is this small issue that I focused my attentions on last Friday night. Chad Pennington, the Cliff Floyd of football, is slowly making a comeback from his 17th shoulder surgery (after being lightly guided out of bounds almost a year ago), and as such, hasn't been named the starter yet -- despite the other quarterbacks in camp, an underwhelming trio named Bollinger, Ramsey and the rookie Kellen Clemens (no relation, believe me: I saw his arm). The knock on Pennington, besides his speed, mobility, health, play-calling and...well ... his main problem is his arm strength, and so on one of the few occasions (it was the third quarter by now) when he actually dropped back to pass the ball downfield, I leaned forward and stared hopefully at the screen as he released the ball. It was in the air a long time, even if it didn't travel that far, and when the 20-yard Hail Mary came down in the arms of the patient Laveranues Coles*, said receiver was hit so hard it's a wonder he didn't limp back to the huddle and end Pennington's season there and then with a quick slap on the shoulder.

No matter, I'd seen all I needed to see: The guy can't throw downfield. And that's where the running game comes in, or doesn't, since the rehabbing Curtis Martin** has suddenly become as elusive around camp as Sidd Finch. But the Jets are no dummies. They saw this coming, which is why they signed Lee Suggs, who was promptly returned to the Browns for "failing a physical" (i.e.: The Jets changed their minds), and then Kevan Barlow, who promptly compared his ex-coach Mike Nolan to Adolph Hitler. All told, the team rushed for 74 yards against the Giants. Which actually seems like a highlight, now that I think about it.

But I'm too harsh. So the offense didn't score. So the defense wasn't dominating. So our man D'Brickashaw likes to go to work a hut too soon. So there were interceptions and fumbles and penalties galore. It may be much worse than I thought, but I do have good news. I've found the team's savior. He's a former Australian Rules Football star named Ben Graham. Sure he's still learning the rules stateside (last year was his rookie season), but he may just be the best punter in the NFL. And the way this season is shaping up, he'll be seeing a lot of action.

* It's spelled right, I triple-checked.

** Is it just me, or is Curtis Martin endlessly overrated? Yes, yes, I know the stats are impressive (shocking actually: He's fourth all time in career yards), but when the hell did he gain all of them? Every time I was watching, he ran into the line for a gain of two. And yes, my memory's fine. It's how I make my living.

[JetCane]

I just dont get people who havent gotten over who was drafted or not. It's a done deal- water under the bridge- these are the grocercies the new regime decided upon, and let's move on. If you dont want to support the guys you have, and keep looking at Ariz or Nawlins, you'll just be miserable before the season even starts. The obsessive manlove for Leinart and inability to stop pining for a rookie on another team is pathetic.

Anyways, i thought the highlight of what was otherwise a whiney,

neurotic article was:

"How could we know (Herm) was football's answer to Ray Nagin -- clueless in crisis but full of answers afterwards?"

That was good, maybe even brilliant.

[Spudicus]

I have to agree that was spot on, best metaphor ever. Yes I to am getting tired of this draft day warbling....I have to admit I wanted Leinart. Then I read about Brick and I realized sometimes you can't build a house from the top down you need a foundation. It takes a few drafts to re-stock a depleted team and getting a QB now would not solve our problems.

Lets use my dimensional mirror and take a look into the alternate reality where we Traded up and picked Reggie, here is a little play call from game 1 against the titans

'And down goes Bush in the backfield he really can get anything going that line isn't blocking for him at all, the Jets really should have gotten some linemen in the draft'

ooo and here comes another one if we Drafted Leinart

'And down goes leinart his 4 time being sacked tonight, those linemen sure aren't having a hard time getting to him, oh look and he's injured his leg trying to scramble away'

We have to remember a RB and QB can only be as good as the line in front of them. A good line can make the offence better...a good QB or RB can be bogged down by a bad line, for every Larry Johnson and Peyton Manning there is a David Carr and...well lets just see what happens to Larry with Herm and without Roaf.

[NJ]

I just dont get people who havent gotten over who was drafted or not.

It is truly mysterious to me too JC. Leinart throws a touchdown pass in his first preseason game and they all wake up again. The guy was delusional in thinking we would "come out gunning", he must not have got the memo that Chad was starting. Regardless - Leinart, Young, Dan Marino, don't care who - would not prosper or live without revamping the O line and thats what we did. The fact that it's not Gibraltar yet is just the way things evolve when players segue from college ball. Theres a salary cap in the NFL and you only get so many draft picks.

[JetCane]

I have to agree that was spot on, best metaphor ever. Yes I to am getting tired of this draft day warbling....I have to admit I wanted Leinart. Then I read about Brick and I realized sometimes you can't build a house from the top down you need a foundation. It takes a few drafts to re-stock a depleted team and getting a QB now would not solve our problems.

Spud, going into draft day, there was nothing wrong with wanting Leinart or whoever. But you have obviously gotten over the fact they selected someone else. There were so many needs that had to be addressed, that the staff could have gone in any number of directions.

They started to rebuild the OL which was a liability, and still managed to get a guy who looks like he can play QB.

Now we are on the eve of a new season and this Goodwillie guy (wtf kind of name is Goodwillie? We're supposed to take him seriously?) is still nursing a draft day hangover. He needs to buy himself a Leinart jersey so he can be happy.

NJ- points for working "segue" into your post.

[joewilly]

I just dont get people who havent gotten over who was drafted or not. It's a done deal- water under the bridge- these are the grocercies the new regime decided upon, and let's move on. If you dont want to support the guys you have, and keep looking at Ariz or Nawlins, you'll just be miserable before the season even starts. The obsessive manlove for Leinart and inability to stop pining for a rookie on another team is pathetic.

Anyways, i thought the highlight of what was otherwise a whiney,

neurotic article was:

"How could we know (Herm) was football's answer to Ray Nagin -- clueless in crisis but full of answers afterwards?"

That was good, maybe even brilliant.

it was brilliant, but the only decent sentence in the article. what a whiny pile of trash the rest of the article was

[jamesAngleton]

I love the ebb and flow of "Jet" fans. After the games against Tampa Bay & Washington everyone got excited about the prospect of Clemens being the future. A couple of dropped passes and bad route runs and BAM he is 3-11 passing against the Giants. The "Jet" fan starts clamoring "we shoulda, coulda drafted Leinart". This is the same Leinart who looked like a deer in headlights a week prior against the Pats. But after a good outing they are already crowning him the next Favre, Manning and Brady. Truly pathetic.

[GreenBeans]

Spud, going into draft day, there was nothing wrong with wanting Leinart or whoever. But you have obviously gotten over the fact they selected someone else. There were so many needs that had to be addressed, that the staff could have gone in any number of directions.

They started to rebuild the OL which was a liability, and still managed to get a guy who looks like he can play QB.

Now we are on the eve of a new season and this Goodwillie guy (wtf kind of name is Goodwillie? We're supposed to take him seriously?) is still nursing a draft day hangover. He needs to buy himself a Leinart jersey so he can be happy.

NJ- points for working "segue" into your post.

I might be one of the few, but I got two of the three guys I wanted in rounds 1 and 2. My wish list was:

D'Brick Ferguson

Nick Mangold

LenDale White

in that order. I'm hoping that Clemens will make me forget all about White, although White is actually doing a good job of making me forget about him all on his own.

Games are won and lost on the LOS. Jets had a good draft IHMO.

[bitonti]

Instead, we got D'Brickashaw, who, no matter how good he may become, will never be a franchise player because an offensive lineman cannot be a franchise player

there you have it folks

who wrote this article and was he older than 15?

[Bugg]

By and large, fair. But what still bothers me as it does many of you is the idea that drafting a back or a QB would solve everything. We've tried for 5 years to patch together the OL with duct tape, bubblegum, 6th and 7th rounders and it was a disaster. It doesn't work.

[DireJet38]

there you have it folks

who wrote this article and was he older than 15?

http://www.davidgoodwillie.com/index.php

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...don't you love when NY hipsters take a shot at writing about sports.

[SoFlaJets]

http://www.davidgoodwillie.com/index.php

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...don't you love when NY hipsters take a shot at writing about sports.

holy crap DJ tell me he doesn't look like a younger Powers Boothe..

http://www.hbo.com/deadwood/cast/actor/powersboothe.shtml

[Preston Howley III]

I'd like to know why the media isn't going gaga over Vince Young. Why just Leinfart? Young was taken 3, and Leinfart was taken 12.

[KINGDIRK]

THe draft is over and done with. We made our pciks and move on. The way I look at it, the Jets will have a Top 3 pick in 2007 and a Top 10-15 pick in 2008. People dont get that it takes a few years to rebuild. A few good drafts.

I dont mind the DBrick pick, although I was hoping we could have traded up for Cutler as well. If ATL would have forked over a #1 pick straight up for Abe we probably would have moved up and added Leinart or Cutler as well as DBrick.

But again, its over. Hopefully the young guys show promise and no quit attitude. And if Clemens can be a solid starting QB in the NFL, we're looking nice. If hes Losman, were in deep $hit.