2007-08 Season
This year, Jets fans won’t see the easy schedule their team had last season. They still have to face the Pats, and critics say the Jets are not going to sneak up on anyone this season. However, Thomas Jones was a brilliant pick up, and Washington, Cotchery and Smith make a strong O Line. Their first two games against the Pats and Baltimore will still be tough. Do they have strong enough QB depth to go up against them? Remains to be seen, but their RB situation is looking better with Jones and Leon Washington. Their O Line looks good as well, with Nick Mangold and D’Brickashaw Ferguson looking solid. New York ticket buyers can expect lots of potential from their team this season.
Previous Seasons
Chad Pennington, the quarterback selected by the team in the first round of the 2000 draft, took over as starter in 2002. Pennington, from MAC school Marshall, excelled in 2002 but had to deal with injuries in 2003 and 2004. Last year, Pennington still managed to finish with better than 2,600 yards and 16 touchdowns but wasn’t able to throw the deep ball as effectively as he would have liked to. Curtis Martin, now into his 30s, surprised a lot of people by leading the entire league in rushing with 1,697 yards and 4.6 yards a carry. Martin was also able to find the end zone on a more regular basis after 12 scores in 2004. Martin also contributed out of the backfield, registering 41 receptions for 245 yards and another two scores. Backup Lamont Jordan was looking for more touches and more money, neither of which the Jets could offer, so he left for Oakland in the off-season. The Jets also traded wide receiver Santana Moss to the Redskins and received Laveranues Coles, a player that was with the Jets before leaving in free agency a few years ago. Moss never really became a receiver that fit the Jets system and while Coles finished with solid stats last season in Washington (90 receptions, 950 yards), he was used more as a possession receiver. Now that he’s back in New York, Pennington will have his favorite receiver back.
The Jets defense played much better in 2004 then they did in 2003 and finished with a top-10 defensive ranking. Eric Barton led the team with 107 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss while Shaun Ellis had a team high 11 sacks. Eric Coleman led the team with four interceptions while rookie Jonathan Vilma might have been the best player on the entire unit in 2004. Vilma, an inside linebacker from the University of Miami, was the only other player on the team to register more than 100 tackles while also collecting 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Vilma also showed he can drop into coverage by tying for second on the team with three picks, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Vilma’s on-field accomplishments earned him a huge reward in the form of being named Defensive Rookie of the Year.
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