New York Jets 2009 Season Outlook

It’s been a weird last couple of years for the New York Jets. In 2007, a disastrous and injury-plagued campaign saw them finish 4-12. In 2008, there was a modicum of improvement and the team finished 9-7. The reward? Head coach Eric Mangini was fired, starting QB Brett Favre was released and longtime receiver Laveranues Coles flew the coop.

All of this leaves the Jets in a precarious situation for 2009. It’s a team loaded with veterans, but led by a rookie QB (assuming fifth overall selection Mark Sanchez makes the leap) and first-year coach in former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.

Key Departures: TE Chris Baker, LB Eric Barton, DE Kenyon Coleman, WR Laveranues Coles, S Abram Elam, QB Brett Favre, QB Brett Ratliff.

Key Acquisitions: Free Agents – S Jim Leonhard, LB Bart Scott, CB Lito Sheppard, CB Donald Strickland. Draft – Mark Sanchez, Shonn Green.

Being a defensive guy by nature, it’s unsurprising that Ryan brought in help. He raided his former team’s cupboard by inking ex-Ravens Bart Scott and the wildly underrated Jim Leonhard, then snagged two-time Pro Bowler Lito Sheppard from Philadelphia. Suddenly, the Jets went from having a good secondary to a great one. Leonhard and Sheppard join Pro Bowlers Kerry Rhodes and Darrelle Revis to form a ballhawking, fundamentally-sound unit that should strike fear in opponents. Most NFL football lines seem to agree – currently, the Jets are listed at 8/1 to win the AFC East division outright.

Offensively, the Jets will look dramatically different to a year ago. The drafting of former Iowa standout RB Shonn Green indicates there’ll be heavy emphasis on the run this year – Green, Thomas Jones and Leon Washington all appear primed for lots of touches. And that makes sense, because the keys to the offense look like they’ll be handed to Sanchez, who is just a few months removed from slinging passes at the collegiate level. Thankfully for Sanchez, the Jets still boast one of the biggest keys for an inexperienced QB – a tremendously strong offensive line. D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Alan Faneca, Nick Mangold, Brandon Moore and Damien Woody might be the best front five in the AFC, if not the NFL. Sports betting enthusiasts should expect the Jets to run the ball a lot and when it comes time to pass, use a lot of short routes and slant patterns. The likes of TE Dustin Keller and WR Jerricho Cotchery should get a lot of work in these instances, with an emphasis on gaining yards after the catch.

Notable 2009 Games: The Jets have two key primetime games this year, both against heated AFC East rivals. On October 12, New York heads to Miami to take on the Dolphins on Monday Night Football. On Thursday, December 3, the Jets go to Buffalo for a key Thursday-night affair.

2009 Outlook: With a stellar defense and a good ground game, the Jets could look a lot like last year’s Baltimore Ravens. That team protected rookie QB Joe Flacco well and made plays around him, ending up with an 11-5 record. If New York can do the same for Sanchez, they could very well be a 10 or 11 win team, even with its ridiculously tough schedule and tough divisional opponents. At the very least, New York should be in the wild card hunt right up until Week 17.