New York Jets vs. Carolina Panthers Preview

[Maxman]

By Tyson Rauch - Examiner.com

On Saturday night the New York Jets travel south to take on the Carolina Panthers in their second preseason game (8pm EST). The Jets are coming off of a loss last week where their first string unit flashed signs of dominance, but the 2nd and 3rd stringers played mediocre at best. This week the spotlight will be on the backup units as they will see extensive playing time, with the starters slated to only play the first quarter. Here are some things to keep an eye on during Saturday night's game.

1) Secondary play- Last week the Jets second string pass defense was lit up by the New York Giants. Gang Green is hoping to see improved play and communication throughout the secondary. Players like Dwight Lowery and Drew Coleman need to show the Jets brass they can hold their own, especially with Darrelle Revis continuing to holdout. As of this point there is some growing concern about the depth in the Jets secondary.

2) Linebacker depth- The Jets have one of the best starting linebacker units in the AFC, but have some issues when it comes to depth. Gang Green needs to find some backers that can hold the fort down when the injury bug hits. Players like Kenwin Cummings, Jamaal Westerman, Lance Laury, and Tim Knicky are being given a chance to shine, now lets see if they can make an impact.

3) Vernon Gholston- Another game and another chance for VG to show the world that he can make plays in the NFL. Rex Ryan continues to believe in Vernon, but as of this point he remains the only one.

4) Joe McKnight- The rookie running back from USC has been a lightning rod for criticism, whether it is for conditioning, lack of effort, or mental mistakes. It is surprising the amount of attention that this kid has received and will be interesting to see how he bounces back. McKnight should get plenty of snaps on Saturday night to show off some of his talents.

5) Laveranues Coles- LC was signed by the Jets as an insurance policy while Santonio Holmes serves his 4-game suspension. Coles should see substantial playing time and needs to play well in order to retain his spot on the team. Also keep an eye on the younger receivers like David Clowney and Aundrae Allison.

6) Kellen Clemens- The New York Jets are reportedly shopping quarterback Kellen Clemens as they appear satisfied with Mark Brunell as the backup to Mark Sanchez. It will be interesting to see how much playing time both of the gunslingers receive.

7) Special teams play- For many young players the only way to get a roster spot is to make an impression on special teams. Keep an eye on the kick coverage as that was one of the areas the Jets struggled last year.

8) Vlad Ducasse- The rookie offensive lineman from UMass continues to battle Matt Slauson for the starting left guard position. As of this point Slauson is entrenched as the starter, but some solid performances by the rookie could go a long way for his development.

[spjets]

great read Tyson....cant wait to see the boys live...

im going to the game tonight .....i know its only pre-season but i havent been to a game in 4 yrs...lol

[faba]

Thanks Tyson

Don't you think Revis and his agent will be watching real close how the secondary plays?

Another chance for McKnight to show something

[JoeC36]

nice job as always tyson

[jaspegs]

im pumped to see vernon and mcknight. hopefully they prove the doubters wrong

[billo83]

great read Tyson....cant wait to see the boys live...

im going to the game tonight .....i know its only pre-season but i havent been to a game in 4 yrs...lol

Me too. Should be a great time - it's rare that the Jets play here.

There's a Charlotte Jets fan club that will meet at the preferred parking lot at Mint and West 2nd for tailgating

[spjets]

Me too. Should be a great time - it's rare that the Jets play here.

There's a Charlotte Jets fan club that will meet at the preferred parking lot at Mint and West 2nd for tailgating

cool....i'll try to get over there...

[shawn306]

I'll be at the tailgate as well

First live game I have seen since I left. Can't wait.

[Apache 51]

By Tyson Rauch - Examiner.com

On Saturday night the New York Jets travel south to take on the Carolina Panthers in their second preseason game (8pm EST). The Jets are coming off of a loss last week where their first string unit flashed signs of dominance, but the 2nd and 3rd stringers played mediocre at best. This week the spotlight will be on the backup units as they will see extensive playing time, with the starters slated to only play the first quarter. Here are some things to keep an eye on during Saturday night's game.

1) Secondary play- Last week the Jets second string pass defense was lit up by the New York Giants. Gang Green is hoping to see improved play and communication throughout the secondary. Players like Dwight Lowery and Drew Coleman need to show the Jets brass they can hold their own, especially with Darrelle Revis continuing to holdout. As of this point there is some growing concern about the depth in the Jets secondary...............Depth?, let's start with quality of play.

2) Linebacker depth- The Jets have one of the best starting linebacker units in the AFC, but have some issues when it comes to depth. Gang Green needs to find some backers that can hold the fort down when the injury bug hits. Players like Kenwin Cummings, Jamaal Westerman, Lance Laury, and Tim Knicky are being given a chance to shine, now lets see if they can make an impact. ...........This could turn out to be a big problem.

3) Vernon Gholston- Another game and another chance for VG to show the world that he can make plays in the NFL. Rex Ryan continues to believe in Vernon, but as of this point he remains the only one.........This is a no brainer, you have to stick with him, maybe the Jets will win the lottery,......back.

4) Joe McKnight- The rookie running back from USC has been a lightning rod for criticism, whether it is for conditioning, lack of effort, or mental mistakes. It is surprising the amount of attention that this kid has received and will be interesting to see how he bounces back. McKnight should get plenty of snaps on Saturday night to show off some of his talents......This guy acts like a pussy on a HS team........WTF.

5) Laveranues Coles- LC was signed by the Jets as an insurance policy while Santonio Holmes serves his 4-game suspension. Coles should see substantial playing time and needs to play well in order to retain his spot on the team. Also keep an eye on the younger receivers like David Clowney and Aundrae Allison.........Most likely a rental, although I wish it were otherwise.

6) Kellen Clemens- The New York Jets are reportedly shopping quarterback Kellen Clemens as they appear satisfied with Mark Brunell as the backup to Mark Sanchez. It will be interesting to see how much playing time both of the gunslingers receive............Gunslingers? I thought Favre flew into Mini? Really not very interested in my backups, other than, can they play a couple of games, god forbid.

7) Special teams play- For many young players the only way to get a roster spot is to make an impression on special teams. Keep an eye on the kick coverage as that was one of the areas the Jets struggled last year..............Keep an eye on all the ST, they all were mediocre last year. Good 1st game last week. This is also a potential problem.

8) Vlad Ducasse- The rookie offensive lineman from UMass continues to battle Matt Slauson for the starting left guard position. As of this point Slauson is entrenched as the starter, but some solid performances by the rookie could go a long way for his development............If we get lucky we could wind up with 2 OL's in the future, Awesome.