What I know as the preseason comes to an end...

There still is one game left, but I now know what I know. The Jets will be physical and hopefully play with passion every week. As fans we were in an emotionless prison with Mangini as our headcoach. Teams always take on the personality of their coach... I just hope we will be able to walk the walk as well as we talk the talk.

I know Lito Sheppards performance against the Giants concerns a lot of fans. He will be fine this year. I think he was probably a bit beat up from a long hard training camp, and thats why he was holding and tugging on the guys he was covering. I feel 100% comfortable that Rex will rest up the players who are nicked up and have everyone fresh for Houston.

I know that we are lucky to be a healthy team as the preseason is ending. Other than the two suspensions to Ellis and Pace we should have all of our players available. I'll make one final observation of the Jets preseason... I have seen enough of Leon Washington... he doesn't need to be on the field with the 2nd and 3rd string players this week and he doesn't need to return any kicks. One bad hit and the most dynamic player on our offense could be injured.

As for the rest of the league...

I know the Bears offense has the potential to really step up this year. On the other side of that coin, I would be shocked if Josh McDaniels survives this season as the Broncos headcoach. Orton is a train wreck and Marshall will make his teammates lives pure hell. After everything that has happened with the Bronco's talented, and very disgruntled WR I just wouldn't touch him in any trade. Should be fun to watch... if you aren't a Denver fan. I have been very clear about my opinion of McDaniels in a previous post: Your Not Belichick

As for Tom Terrific from Chowderville. Tom Brady ran his mouth after their first preseason game saying he was disappointed he didn't get a big hit. In the NFL thats a huge mistake. Albert Hanesworth answered Tom's taunts by pile driving him into the turf this weekend when the Pats faced the Redskins.

I know that his throwing shoulder is injured. If I had to guess I would say he has a torn rotator cuff. Today two very significant things happened in New England. Teddy Bruschi decided to retire and walk away from a 13 year career and the Pats dropped their inexperienced back up QB O'Connell, and are in the market for a veteran.

All of that points to Belichick scrambling to salvage a season and Teddy calling it quits because he knows he has little chance of getting another ring without Brady. Tom may try to make a go of it like Pennington did in 2004, but he won't be his old self with a damaged throwing shoulder. I am not proud of this, but I do like watching him suffer. Karma is a bitch, cheaters always get theirs.

Finally Brett Favre will start for the Vikings and as long as they are .500 or better he should have a smooth ride in Minnesota. They have a very easy schedule starting out so things should be OK. However, I know that if they fall below .500 at any point this season, his teammates will turn on him like a bunch of wild dogs with a rabbit for a QB.

NY Jets vs. NY Giants, preseason week #3

I paid very close attention to two specific players in this game... Vernon Gholston and Mark Sanchez. A football team is made up of more than two key players, but frankly the future success of the NY Jets in the coming years hinges upon these two men. We have two very high draft picks and a ton of guaranteed money invested in these players.

Our other high draft picks have been pulling their weight... guys like Mangold, Ferguson, Revis, Harris and Keller have all panned out to be pretty productive. If Sanchez and Gholston end up as 'busts', the salary cap ramifications alone will bury this team.

Sanchez looked good and his 37 yard impromptu TD pass to Chansi Stuckey was impressive. Number 6 really seems to be driven. He willed that pass to Stuckey. He has a much better arm than I previously thought, and Chansi looked liked a man possessed on that play. Stuckey and Sanchez are hungry playmakers and Bart Scott made the defensive play of the preseason by diving into a gang tackle of Brandon Jacobs and stripping the ball from him.... all with no helmet. That dude is nuts and I love it!

On the other side of the fence stands Vernon Gholston. This guy is starting to get frustrating. He didn't do much of anything last season and Jets fans began rumbling and grumbling. I can give you a list of high draft picks who took time to develop. Calvin Pace is a perfect example. He was a 1st round pick for the Cardinals and showed little hope of becoming a productive LB for the first 3 years he was in the NFL.

As fans we need to have patience with number 50. That being said, he has shown absolutely nothing on the field so far this preseason. Rich Crimini wrote about Gholston's reaction when he found out (from Crimini) that he was starting this week:

"Gholston said he didn't know he was starting until I mentioned it to him in the locker room after practice. His reaction? He acted as if he had just learned the price of gas was going up a nickel a gallon; he showed absolutely no emotion."

It's time to start seeing some emotion from this player. He looks like he started playing football last week. He is cumbersome and seems to be afraid of contact. He takes plays off and when he finally had a clear shot at a sack in the third quarter he leveled David Carr. Awesome! finally a sack for the big lug... unfortunately he blatantly led with his helmet and the play cost us 15 yards. He is a work in progress, but if he turns in a sophomore season that resembles his rookie campaign, it may be time to start panicking.

A few other quick observations on this weeks game...

• Our 'questionable' WR corps outplayed the Giants group. I thought we had it bad... their wideouts are scary. On a positive note Hakeem Nicks has the best hands I have seen in a young WR since Fitzgerald was a rookie.
• David Harris is responding to the free agent signing of Bart Scott this offseason exactly how I thought he would. He has elevated his game and looks like a potential pro-bowler this year.
• Westerman continues to show flashes of greatness. He had a great sack in the 4th quarter, but I have noticed he struggles against the run.
• Our O-line didn't play perfect, but they looked REAL good. I was especially impressed with their play on the screen to Cotchery. Faneca and Ferguson are dynamic linemen, and they do a great job getting to the 2nd level.
• Ferguson did give up a sack to Kiwanuka, but he did a great job containing Osi. Number 72 is the best pass rusher in the NFL today and he was quite all night.
• Kiwanuka and Chris Canty are both better than any of our DE's, and they aren't even starters on the Giants D-line. WOW. How did we miss out on Canty? I don't get it.
• Revis had a brilliant one on one open field tackle of no other than Brandon Jacobs. He is going to be a household name by the end of 2009.

Overall I consider the 2009 NY Giants to be a much better all around team than our Jets. I am impressed that our starters outscored their starters and this win is as fulfilling as any preseason win can be.

One final note... Leon Washington has outplayed Thomas Jones in every possible way. No one is talking about it, but I think Neon Leon should be our official starter at RB. I would let players like Brad Smith (who is one hell of a special teamer) and the speedy David Clowney share reps in the kick return game. If players like Chris Johnson and Brian Westbrook can carry the load as starters so can number 29.

NY Jets vs. Baltimore Ravens, pre-season week #2

As I post this almost every news organization on the planet is reporting Mark Sanchez will be officially named as the starting QB for the 2009 Jets.

The competition is over. I have a hard time understanding the reasoning behind this decision. Obviously I am not in the practices and I am sure the coaching staff knows a lot more about all of this than I do. That being said, from what I have read about their performances in camp and what I have witnessed in the first two pre-season games Sanchez looks like a rookie. He is telegraphing his passes, seems rattled in the pocket and needs time to adjust to the speed of the NFL. All of this is natural and normal. Since things are about even between these two signal callers, why not start the veteran and give the rookie more time to grow.

I say give Clemens six games. If he can lead us to a .500 record or better you let him finish the season. If he looks bad you move onto the Sanchez era. With the rookie starting, we have no plan B. If Sanchez is a complete train wreck through the first 6 to 8 games what do we do next? Do we just let him put up a 4-12 season with 13 TD's and 28 picks? He will be buried and eaten alive by the NY press.

Pennington didn't start right away and he was a first round pick. Neither did Eli Manning, Carson Palmer or Jay Cutler. I am not always trying to be a nay sayer but I see this as a mistake that could have long lasting ramifications. There is such a thing as being "shell shocked" in this league. Right now Sanchez is full of piss and vinegar, 16 games of getting his ass handed to him could break his confidence for good.

Now for the game analysis. Our 2nd and 3rd string defensive players were a big concern in week one and they stepped up this week. I was very impressed by the 6'8' 310lb DT Ropati Pitoitua. This young Washington St. prospect lookls like he will be able to contribute this year and may have some great upside. Howard Greene is a bit' over the hill', but he should also have a good impact in 2009. Jamaal Westerman, the Rutgers alumni, may have a bigger role in our defense than Gholston in 2009, which is a very sad statement. I am a big believer in depth, I think every great NFL team has hungry players pushing the starters for their jobs.

On offense obviously Clowney is a stand out and he very well may develop into an elite wideout one day. However, I think its a bit premature to make him our #2. He was an explosive player at Virginia Tech and was expected to have a monster season entering his senior year (2006). He missed the first month of the season because of an emergency appendectomy and therefore slipped in the draft. The packers picked him up in the 5th round, but later waived him because they had such a strong WR squad. Luckily he fell to us.

He's still young, give him time to develop, frankly Stucky is a much more solid all around WR right now. I am very concerned about #89 as our #1 wideout. He has been non-existent during our first two preseason games, and I am afraid he may disappear all together in 09'. Cotchery, Stuckey, Keller, Clowney and Sanchez desperately need a true #1 WR in order to be successful. I will not change my opinion on this. Cotchery is a #2, Stuckey is a slot WR, and Clowney is a change of pace/deep threat (at this stage of his career). You can't make a player something he is not.

As for Mr. Washington, he use to be know as 'the poor mans Reggie Bush"... he will be able to by the house next door to #25 very soon if he chooses. Let me say this in no uncertain terms: Leon Washington is a far superior NFL player than Reggie Bush. He is a bit undersized for a RB but he runs between the tackles with authority. He has great quickness and vision and most importantly he is durable. He'll get paid, I hope he doesn't get fat and happy and keeps playing with that chip on his shoulder.

I am very interested in our next game against the "Va-Giants". They have some of the most wicked pass rushers in the NFL and #6 should play at least two full quarters if not part of the third. He goes from the Ravens to the Giants defense... back to back... with 4 days rest. I guess that what you call out of the frying pan and into the fire.

It's all about revenge, attention and money for this liar...

I have been waiting for over 5 months for this glorious day. The greediest, low life, attention whore in the history of sports has made this off season an even bigger circus than his previous attempts. By the end of the Jets 2008 season I had zero respect left for Brett, but somehow this offseason I lost even more. I have watched as ESPN has romanticized this ridiculous charade in an disgusting attempt to scavenge up ratings. They keep posting timelines.... let me give you the REAL timeline.

• August-December 2008: The Jets GM trades away a valuable 3rd round pick to land a QB that would lead us to a 9-7 record. We missed the playoffs and the QB we dumped lead our division rival to the post season. He alienated his teammates and simply humiliated himself and the NY Jets. The Favre/Mangini 2008 season is my least favorite in my 20 plus years as a fan of this organization.

• January 2009: Favre is basically run out of town by Jets vets like Kerry Rhodes and Thomas Jones. They released multiple statements saying if Brett was going to participate in all the OTA's and training camp he was welcome back... if not he should move on. He announces his retirement.

• February 2009: Favre and his agent ask the Jets for his release. They told the press, our GM and our owner that he was 100% retired and he wanted to be released so he could retire as a Packer. This is a very standard request from iconic players that are associated with a previous franchise.

• March 2009: As soon as Brett is free he begins his flirtation with the Vikings.

• July 2009: After months of constant waffling Favre sets a deadline for his final answer. The deadline passes and Favre's agent releases a statement claiming that multiple Vikings players have contacted Favre begging him to reconsider. One week later he releases a statement saying he will not join the Vikings and his career has ended.

• August 2009: 3 weeks after his 3rd announcement that his career was 100% finished, he decides to return and join his former teams number one division rival. He then claims on national television that he had no intentions of returning and one simple phone call from the Vikings head coach changed his mind and made him make the huge commitment to lead this team for the 2009 season.

If you believe him, you should be disgusted by him making a decision like this that effects so many people during a quick phone call. If you have basic common sense you can see very clearly that this deal was done months ago. Multiple anonymous Vikings players had started releasing statements that Favre was signed and the team was delaying the announcement.

Why would they delay the announcement? Protecting his image is what this whole soap opera has been about. Brett Favre is a ego maniac and a liar. He lied to the Jets organization, and he has lied for months to fans everywhere. He simply wanted to get back to his old division to stick it to his old team. He also is too lazy to participate in training camp. It's all about revenge, attention and money for Favre. Yes I said money.

He has signed a new contract that pays him even more than his previous one, which was way overpriced to start with. If he "just wanted to play football" and he was so grateful to the Vikings for giving him another chance and dealing with all of his waffling, why not sign a more reasonable contract? Give the Vikes a little breathing and cap room.

He supposedly made a spur of the moment decision to return to the NFL during a surprise phone call... somehow he and his agent made sure Favre was compensated a little better than his counterpart in Arizona Kurt Warner. Warner just signed a 2 year 23 million dollar contract so of coarse Favre demanded 2 years and 25 million.

What a low life!!!! All that being said, I just picked up Favre as a free agent in my fantasy league. Who's my other QB.... ummmm Tom Brady. Hey, the rules of morality don't apply in my fantasy world.

If you look back to a previous post ( My predictions post ) the easiest call to make was that Favre would return. I also see Thomas Jones being traded and Leon Washington getting a new contract. All 3 looked pretty bad a few weeks ago.

However, contract talks have heated up with Neon Leon, and if he is to get a raise Jones will most likely leave camp. At the same time, it's becoming obvious to the Jets that we still have a huge whole at WR and the Brandon Marshall saga has taken another turn for the worse in Denver. The Broncos have little to no depth at the RB position and there 1st round pick Knowshon Moreno has a knee injury and is doubtful for the rest of the preseason.

Hmmmmmmm, seems like Jones and maybe a 3rd round pick might be enough to score a young explosive wideout with a ton of upside. Imagine Marshall and Cotchery as our bookend WR's, with Stuckey in the slot (where he belongs) and Keller at TE, oh... Leon in the backfield... oh, and one of the top 5 offensive lines in football. Even a rookie QB could have fun with that line up. Hell, I could probably put up 3,000 yards and 15 TD's with that group.

NY Jets vs. St. Louis Rams, pre-season week #1

The most exciting part of the week one match up with the Rams was #97 Calvin Pace.... the dude who is suspended for the first 25% of the season. As goes the bitter sweet life of a Jets fan, always a blessing a curse. We saw a defense that was a bit more aggressive and for lack of a better word, natural. Lets remember they were playing the Rams who were one of the most pathetic teams of 2008.

Vernon Gholston was gloriously non-effective. Vernon is horrible in interviews and even worse on the field. He has the tools to be an impact player, but our front office made a huge mistake drafting a guy who is not ready for prime time to play for a NYC pro sports team. He is not cut out for the spotlight. So we drop millions of dollars and the #6 overall pick in the draft, and some small market team will eventually pick him up a few years down the road and reap the benefits. I have said it before, it takes a special type of player to make it in the big city.

I liked what I saw from Brad Smith, Chansi Stuckey and David Clowney. Lowery looked a bit out of sorts, he was beaten on a long pass from Bulger and fumbled a couple of punts. I wouldn't read to much into it. He played well last season and he has impressed everyone in camp so far. A bad game doesn't mean anything.

I also liked what I saw from David Harris. The day Bart Scott was signed I said that we need to remember as a team that we drafted one of the best young ILB's in the league and he will remain our #1. He is big, fast and has a nose for the ball.

Another under-appreciated performance came from our patch work offensive line. Depth is a major issue for this team overall. We saw that very clearly when our second and third string defensive players took the field in the second half. But, on the flip side, three of our 5 starting O-linemen were out with minor injuries and the back up's held their own pretty well. Kudos to our line coach Bill Callahan.

Overall I was shocked that the special teams were so sloppy. Mike Westoff is the best special teams coach in the NFL, bar none. He will tighten the screws and get this squad up to speed. And lets remember we always have Neon Leon.

Finally I will address "the pass". The infamous pass that will live in Jets history forever. Let me set the stage: Kellen Clemens lays an egg on his first two drives. Sanchez takes the field serenaded by the loving embrace of the crowd. Our offense is backed up against our own goal line. Sanchez takes the snap and falls back into a 5 step drop. He looks to is first read far left, moves on to his 2nd read in center field, and finally read number 3, David Clowney streaking down the sideline. He puts up a 48 yard completion and 'bandwagoneers' all over the Jets nation officially crown him the next king of NY.

It takes more than a 3 for 4 passing performance to prove you should be the starting QB for my team as far as I am concerned. He has earned the chance to be our starter next week. Thats it, the competition continues. (Come on Kellen, show some signs of life!)

Mike Vick is back... and his impact will be minimal.

OMG! Who cares?!?! I guess the Eagles are the new dirty birds. They signed the most controversial free agent of all time. Vick is back in the NFL and there are those who are outraged. Let me say this, he was convicted, sentenced and served his time. If you don't think he deserves to move on with his life and you don't believe in remorse and rehabilitation, then every crime that currently requires prison time should be changed to the death penalty.

For the record, I don't see him being an impact player any time soon. I assume he will participate in some-sort-of wildcat capacity. He can't really hurt things, but if he does emerge and show he still has that quickness and killer instinct (no pun intended) I am sure teams will come calling. When he's the starter for the Redskins in 2010 I am sure the Eagles will be glad they stuck their necks out on the line for him.

His current contract covers 2009 with a team option for 2010. If the Eagles exercise the option for next year they will have to pay him 5.5 million. Thats starting QB money, not wildcat/slot receiver money. If the injury prone Mcnabb goes down again Vick will have a chance to take his old friends job.

I still feel Vick would have fit in with the Panthers the best. Delhomme is on his way out, and Williams, Stewart, Smith and Vick would have been a wicked wildcat package. That being said, Deshawn Jackson, Brian Westbrook and Vick should be able to have some fun too.

Latest camp news about Gholston, Stuckey and Lowery...

Camp has been progressing as expected and some position battles are heating up. Dwight Lowery continues to impress the transplanted former Baltimore defensive coaching staff. The Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine has expressed his desire to include Lowery in multiple 'packages' and to have him participate as more than a nickel back.

If I was to read between the lines I would think that if the head coach, defensive coordinator and our top FA acquisition Bart Scott all are singing the praises of the player who is one step behind you on the depth chart, you would be a bit nervous if your name was Lito Sheppard.

Rex Ryan said that Vernon Gholston is showing an aggressive approach on the practice field and is communicating very well with his teammates during his August 10th press conference. He also added that Vernon is exactly where he should be regarding his progression as a second year LB in a new system. I still have a lot of questions about this player, but if anyone can get him motivated, Ryan can. It blows my mind that any human could sign a contract for tens of millions of dollars and still need motivation.

The most telling part of the press conference was Rex's endorsement of Chansi Stuckey. The former 6th round draft pick has been the most consistent of all the wide outs trying to move up on the depth chart. He spoke in a way that made me feel that there is a very high probability we will see Cotchery and Stuckey as our bookend WR's on opening day. Thats a bit scary.

I really hoped that players like Smith and Clowney would really push Stuckey and maybe even a dark horse would emerge like Wallace Wright. Instead this group has been dropping balls and not impressing anyone. Stuckey getting the job by default by being the best of the worst is not what you hope for when you have an open competition in camp.

Anyone have Matt Jones phone number or E-mail?

A true Jets fan needs to be "ALL IN"....

What do the last 10 SB champs have in common? Do they all have an elite QB? Do they all have brilliant accomplished coaches? What about their defenses... from what I hear defense wins championships. To be completely honest... I don't really see what they have in common. Lets break them down.

The Ravens and Patriots probably had the best overall defenses of the group. That being said they are very different when it comes to the quality of the QB's for their respective teams and the experience of their head coaches. Obviously Trent Dilfer doesn't compare very well to Brady, and Belichick is regarded as a much superior coach to Brian Billick.

On the other side of the fence, teams like the Rams and Colts did not have elite defenses but they did have two of the most dominate QB's we have seen in decades. The last 10 years have produced veteran SB champion QB's like Elway and Peyton Manning. These are guys who waited a long time to get to the top of the mountain and used there leadership and experience to guide their teams. Other teams like the 2001 Pats and 2005 Steelers had 2nd year QB's who were wet behind the ears.

Some of these teams had dominate regular season records and carried their success into the post season and a more recent trend has had wildcard teams sneaking into the post season and making a late run. Winning your division and earning a bye week during the wildcard round is not necessarily a formula for making it to the top.

That being said one thing that has been proven over and over again; the one thing we could count on in this unpredictable league is rookie QB's certainly can't win consistently and lead their team to the post season. Then came Roethlisberger, Ryan and Flacco.

So what does this all mean to me? Their is no concrete formula for winning a Superbowl in this day and age. I have given my humble opinion on the miscues and success's of this offseason. I don't like the idea of a rookie QB, I am not thrilled with our WR corps. or our defensive line. If Kris Jenkins or Dustin Keller go down I think it could be a real disaster for our team, and no team should be 1 injury away from a wasted season. We have some serious depth issues.

That being said if you are going to be a real Jets fan you need to go all in. I hated the Favre trade but I rooted for him and enjoyed the first 11 games of the 2008 season as much as anyone else. Now is the time to stop the analysis and get behind our team. We have an O-line and a backfield that should be able to run the ball against anyone, provided we can put together a passing game. Our receivers are a questionable bunch, but they are led by a true warrior in Jericho Cotchery. I refer to him as 'Cotch-Diesel', because of his powerful legs and tenacious playing style. He's someone we can be proud of!

I have already sung the praises of our secondary and linebackers. Our D-line is my least favorite squad but Sean Ellis has given his all for almost a decade and Kris Jenkins is a man amongst boys on the football field. Our defense and special teams could become a fantasy football gem and hopefully an elite group in REAL football.

My prediction looking at our schedule is 8-8 at best and no shot at the post season. Thats what my mind tells me, my heart says division champs and we make a run for the Superbowl. Looking back at the 2008 Atlanta Falcons, my analysis was not a positive one. I thought they had real chance at the worst record in football and the top pick in the 2009 draft. Instead Mike Smith took over a franchise in complete turmoil and put together one hell of season.

He convinced his team they could win on any given sunday, put his playmakers in a position to succeed and demanded they play disciplined football. They made the post season and did it all with a rookie QB. 'Matty Ice' made it happen and obviously this team and it's overall formula caught the eye of our GM and front office and surely played a role in our aggressive move to trade up for 'Dirty' Sanchez and the hiring of Rex Ryan.

My choice behind center is Kellen Clemens. I have liked him from day one. If he becomes our starter and emerges as our leader we would have nothing to loose with Sanchez. He could still be trade bait down the road. If Mark wins the starting job I will back him with all my heart... not because I think he is the chosen one, but because he wears the green and white. I'm sure if he helps us wins games he will grow on me in time.

Our 2009 season is here.... and all I have left to say is J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!