A Quick Look at the NY Jets

Still a little early for football but never too early to preview a team heading into training camp. The Jets are coming off a dismal year that started off with a lot of promise. They had just beaten the undefeated Titans and were sitting at 8-3 amidst the talk of a Giants - Jets Super Bowl when everything went down hill. Well it's now time to prep for the 2009 season and let's look at what the Jets have done this offseason and look toward what they will do or not do this coming year.

First off, I love the move of getting Rex Ryan. He is the type of coach that the Jets have needed for a while, a fiesty guy who will introduce an aggressive defense and overall style of play. Don't likw so much that he was flapping his gums so much during the OTA's but a guy who should accomplish more than Herm Edwards and Eric Mangini.

The next thing that needs to be straight with everyone is that people should not get overly excited should the Jets win 10 or 11 games this year, Ryan's first as a head coach. Remember in Mangini's first year that he won 10 games and the Jets made the playoffs and everyone dubbed him "Mangenious". People tend to forget that the year before the Jets had gone 4-12 and were the beneficiaries of an easy schedule. Now their schedule this year is not easy, but there are more winnable games than not. They play the AFC and NFC South this year, two of the more tougher divisions in the league. However, in those divisions lie the Jaguars, Titans, Saints, and Bucs. These are .500 teams at best this year, all games the Jets should win. The other two AFC non-divisional opponents they play are the Raiders and Bengals, enough said. Solid defensive play and 13-17 points will win all of these games.

Now we all know about the additions of Bart Scott, Lito Sheppard, and Jim Leonard, as well as the Calvin Pace suspension and Vernon Gholston having to step up. We all also know that Bart Scott, Pace and Gholston, Kerry Rhodes, and Kris Jenkins are not Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed, and Haloti Ngata. The challenge for Ryan is to get them to play on a similar level. Jets fans should not expect Ryan to come in here and produce the defense he had in Baltimore in just one year. The defense will be good, but there will be growing pains and it will be a few weeks into the regular season before this defense really hits its stride.

While the defense will be good enough to keep the Jets in games, its the offense that is questionable to win them games. Mark Sanchez was a good draft pick and seems to have all the tools for a franchise QB, the only concern is that he only started one season at USC and if that will be enough the make the leap now the NFL. More than that are the unhappy duo of Thomas Jones and Leon Washington who both want new contracts and rightly so with what they contributed to this team last year. The Jets have a very good offensive line and they need those talented backs to be there to provide for a solid running game. Though its not completely clear what the Jets cap situation is with all the spending they did last offseason and this past one. Another reason for the necessity for a good ground game is the possibility of the lack of a passing game. Coles left for free agency and that leaves Jericho Cotchery as the main target for Jets QB's. Cotchery in my opinion is a No. 2 at best and the question is who is going to step up to help him out. The Jets seem to be depending on Chansi Stuckey, Brad Smith, and Clowney to get the job done along with TE Dustin Keller. Not necessarily a pass offense that scares you, especially with either a rookie QB, or Clemens who has not even 10 starts in his career.

While the Jets have improves their defense, the other teams in the division have done their part to improve as well. We start with the Dolphins who won the division last year and have brought back hometown hero Jason Taylor. They also drafted QB Pat White, a player who looks like he is tailor-made for the Wild-Cat offense. Other than that they return most of the team that went 11-5 last year. Next is the Buffalo Bills who if you have not heard added T.O. to their mix of offensive talent. If Buffalo's offensive line can mesh, this is going to be one dangerous offense with Marshawn Lynch, Lee Evans, Owens, and Parrish. Last but not least we come to the Patriots who also went 11-5 last year and now get back Tom Brady. In addition to Brady, they got him some veteran toys to add to their already explosive offense in Fred Taylor and Joey Galloway. I can only imagine what a 3-Wide set with Moss and Galloway split wide and Wes Welker in the slot, and Ben Watson can do to any defense. Also the additions of veteran corners Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden should help make up for the loss of Mike Vrabel.

It is my feeling that the Jets will be the kind of team that the Ravens up until last year have been known to be. Good defense, mediocre offense. However, 2-3 wins in the division, wins over the teams mentioned at the top of the post, and 1 upset over either the Texans, Colts, Panthers or Falcons can have this team playing in January. Early Prediction; 10-6 and making the playoffs as the 6th seed.

Don't Play Yourselves Mets Fans; Halladay Won't Help, Nor Will He Come to Queens

For all those Mets fans and fans of other teams clamoring for their respective clubs to go out and get Roy Halladay, remember that it is Halladay who has the final say in any trade possibility. Some people just don't get it. Halladay has a full no-trade clause meaning that he gets to choose the team he wants to go to. And he has made it clear as day that he wants to play in October.

The Mets have taken themselves out of October two years running and will not be anywhere close this year. Not to mention they will have to offer up the only 3 prospects they have with any value. And if Minaya did that, the Mets would be worse next year than they are this year. That's right, you read it here, even if the Mets have a rotation that had Santanna and Halladay at the top they will be worse next year. Reasons being:

1) The rest of their rotation is still garbage. Would have been nice to give the money to Lowe instead of Perez right? Maine and Pelfrey are average at best. And acquiring Halladay would mean giving up John Niese, so who would fill the rotation that could possibly be ravaged with injuries again?

2) Getting Halladay won't make the Mets start hitting all of a sudden in their Grand Canyon ballpark. Everyone is wondering where David Wright's power has gone, it has been sucked up by the high and deep walls fo Citi Field that has forced to play to the gaps instead of for the fences. Which makes for a better average but means diddly when no one in front of him can get on base, or no one behind him can drive him in.

3) And last but not least, getting Roy Halladay will not change the fact that Omar Minaya is still the GM and Jerry Manual is still the Manager. Minaya can solely be blamed for building a top-havey team with no depth whatsoever. Should he trade what remains of a depleted farm system for Halladay, then the Mets will be replacing injured starters next year with Single A quality talent rather than Double A which is what they had to do this year. And as for Jerry Manual, the guy was completely okay with coaching his team to "tread water" until they got their starters back.

I'm sorry, but if you have a plethora of injuries and you are forced to go out there day after day with a subpar team, then they are going to play subpar if you do not change the style. The call for the suicide squeeze the other day was brilliant. So why haven't there been more of these types of calls? More bunting, more hit and runs, or just an overall more aggressive style of play? He managed the team to tread water and now by the time the starters get back, who won't contribute effectively right away, they will be boarding a sinking ship, if the ship is not already completely submerged.

Yanks Don't Need Halladay... Would Be Nice To Have Him

The availibility of Roy Halladay should not send the Yankees into a frenzy of "We have to get him" because right now they do not NEED him. It would be nice to have him.

Many Yankee fans will equate this situation to the one 2 years ago with Johan Santana. While many believe that the Yankees made the mistake of not giving in to the Twins' demands, they did their job which was to make sure he did not go to the Red Sox. The Yankees made the offer of Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Melky Cabrera, and Austin Jackson. On top of that the Twins wanted Joba or Cano, NO WAY JOSE!!! Go back and ask the Twins if they would take the Yankees original offer instead of the Mets' and see what they would say. Phil Hughes has almost single-handedly resurrected the Yankee's bullpen, Melky has single-handedly won the Yankees about 6 games, and Austin Jackson in Triple A is hitting .316.with an .824 OPS.

So the Yankees should not give up key prospects to acquire Halladay. Not when they are playing as well as they are right now being tied for first place in the AL East. If its prospects that the Blue Jays want, then hold onto to Jackson, Cervelli, Pena, and let them have their pick of the rest. The Yankees should not offer anyone on the Major League roster and should not try to get Halladay on a bargain by taking Vernon Wells. Stick to your guns Cashman and show enough interest so that he does not end up in Boston, but do not break your back to get him. We would be a nice addition, but not at the subtraction of the Yankee future.

On another note, Joe Girardi continues to surprise me. Cody Ransom and Jose Molina over Pena and Cervelli!!!! Give me a break. If Girardi wants to keep his job, he has to win this year, and right now the best chance he has of that is to have those to youngsters on the Major League level where they have done but contribute. Get with the program Girardi, go with what works, don't always go by the book.

Yankees On A Roll

With a victory last night over the visting Seattle Mariners, the New York Yankees have now won 7 in a row and look to continue their solid play tonight as they wrap up their series with Seattle. During the 7-game win streak the Yankees have put forth outstanding pitching, both from the starters and the revamped bullpen. I won't call for Hughes to be the eigth-inning set-up guy, I will let that takes it course as Girardi is bound to see the writing on the wall at some point and eventually have Hughes go for a save when Mariano Rivera is in need of a day off. Perhaps the most enlightening aspect of the win streak has been the hot bat of Alex Rodriguez. Coming off the DL Girardi had played A-Rod in 38 consecutive games with no rest. A trip to Atlanta from Brian Cashman quickly changed that as A-Rod has been on a tear ever since those 2 days off in Florida. Notice that as A-Rod goes, so do the Yankee bats. Let us hope that this good play carries on until the All-Star break which will make for a very exciting August and September as the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays inch closer to one another in the standings.

An Unofficial list of the 104 Baseball Players that Tested Positive

http://www.deportes809.com/2009/06/exclusivarevelan-la-supuesta-lista-de-102-jugadores-que-dieron-positivo-de-esteroides-2003-en-mlb.html#more-3529

This list is unofficial. Not sure where this webpage got the names from.