I Guess Green Really is the Color of Money

This offseason the Jets have spent an incredible amount of money in order to solidify their defense and offensive line. The moves on defense have garnered the majority of the attention-signing Cardinals OLB/DE Calvin Pace to a huge contract worth 22 million guaranteed, trading for run-stuffing defensive tackle Kris Jenkins from Carolina, signing corner back and former first round pick Andre Woolfolk, and finally veteran safety Artrell Hawkins.

The Pace signing, paired with the Jets first round selection of Vernon Gholston should create one of the best past rushing tandems in the entire NFL. I really like the Pace signing, even though the guaranteed money is a little high because with the departure of Victor Hobson to the Patriots there was a hole to fill and the Jets did what they needed to do to find a replacement. It seems like this is one of the first seasons in which the Jets organization actively attempted to fill holes through blockbuster free agent signings or trades as opposed to simply finding role players who were average at best. This pattern is easily seen with the acquisition of Kris Jenkins, who is a good fit for the Jets 3-4 defense, weighing in at 6'4 and 335 pounds if there was ever a body made to play the nose Jenkins is the one. And now that the Dewayne Robertson era is over, the Jets might actually be able to play some run defense next season.

The signings of Woolfolk and Hawkins are interesting because neither defensive back played even one down in the NFL last year. Woolfolk hasn't really had any impact in the league since 2005 when he played 13 games, had 55 tackles, and 1 interception. If Woolfolk manages to remain uninjured then he should be able to help the Jets in run support and he can play a decent 3rd or 4th corner. Either way he cannot be any worse than Andre Dyson. who the Jets waived in February. Hawkins, who last played in 2006 with the Patriots, will look to replace the departing Erik Coleman, who left for the Falcons in free agency. Hawkins is only 31 and had a very solid season with the Pats recording 73 tackles, an interception, and two forced fumbles.
On the offensive side of the ball The Jets biggest free agent signings were on the O-Line. Damien Woody was signed to play right tackle, and Alan Faneca signed another huge contract, with 21 million dollars guaranteed over 5 seasons. Woody is supposedly a great player, even though he was moved from guard to tackle last season and he played on one of the league's worst offensive lines in Detroit. I will take a wait and see approach towards Woody, I am not expecting an incredible season. Faneca is in my mind the premier offensive guard in the league and his acquisition should give a huge boost to the running game, where Thomas Jones and Leon Washington looked dazed and confused for the majority of last season. To further help Jones and Washington the Jets signed veteran full back Tony Richardson. It is unclear how much gas he has left in the tank, but Richardson has been one of the greatest blocking and receiving fullbacks in the league over the past 10 years.

The last offseason acquisition of any import was the signing of tight end Bubba Franks. I am worried about Franks' durability as he has missed significant time due to injury in two of the past three seasons, Franks signing paired with the selection of TE Dustin Keller in the first round of the draft leaves me even more confused about what the Jets are going to be doing offensively. Why the Jets chose to take Keller at the end of the first round instead of a big wide receiver like Limas Sweed is quite a mystery. I have no choice, but to hope that the Mangenious knows what he is doing, I just hope we don't end up running multiple 3 tight end sets, because that my friends is not fun to watch for anyone.

Going into the season the Jets have made some massive improvements, particularly on defense, but the situation at quarterback still leaves a lot to be desired. No matter how many weapons Pennington gets, he still will never be able to throw the ball more than 20 yards down field, and until Kellen Clemens becomes more consistent this could end up being another very long season for the Jets.

-Mose