AFC East
J-E-T-S JARGON - New York Jets 2007 Kickoff Report
By Randy Setterberg
Sep 21, 2007, 01:06

Jacob’s Ladder:

The Jet quarterback situation is fragile, at best. After carefully nurturing his surgically repaired shoulder, the last thing Chad Pennington needs to worry about is hitting the turf with relative frequency. And your best offensive lineman - and arguably one of the league’s best guards - just hightailed it out of town for our nation’s capital (and bagged a million dollars extra in the process). So just how do you protect a quarterback who is held together with duck tape and bailing wire?

Meet Jacob Bender, a 6th-round draft choice from Division II Nicholls State. The Jets were high on him after mini-camp, but he’s yet to prove his mettle in “live” action. But after disgruntled Pete Kendall was jettisoned to Washington, Bender has little choice but to step up and take on the competition. He has more upside than veteran Adrian Clarke, so his insertion into the starting lineup is inevitable. And he’ll be placed smack dab between a couple of promising studs: LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson and C Nick Mangold. Both second year players, while rough around the edges, have enormous potential, and both are being counted on to support and assist Bender until he gets his feet under him. And it better happen soon; if Pennington takes too many more shots, the Jets’ season could end prematurely.

Spy Gate:

Apparently the Jets’ espionage reputation precedes them. Not only did they uncover a Patriots’ cheating scandal by apprehending a camera man who was filming their defensive coach’s hand signals, now Baltimore coach Brian Billick has outright accused New York defenders of simulating snap counts to entice his Raven offense into false start penalties. Jet coach Eric Mangini lobbed Billick a phone call after the Ravens’ 20 - 13 victory and assured Billick that his defense was not advancing a scam. Even ILB Jonathan Vilma denied the allegations, stating that the Jets have far too many other in-game issues to concern themselves with than try to trick their opponent into jumping offsides. But it makes one wonder if the Ravens really felt their counterpart was trying to “cheat” or was Baltimore attempting to divert attention away from their own special coaching techniques?

Fill In the Oval:

The Jets’ secondary has taken a pretty substantial hit. Andre Dyson has a lingering foot injury that has seen him miss extensive time. He’s lost his starting to David Barrett, who is better situated to be New York’s nickel back. Dyson saw limited action as the 5th defensive back in game two, and should supplant Barrett as soon as he is healthy enough to stand the wear and tear of a full game. Rookie Darrelle Revis is entrenched as the other starting cornerback, and has been tested early and often. The strength of the secondary is their safeties, where Kerry Rhodes and Erik Coleman continue to improve. The secondary must create miscues, because through two games, the Jets are the only team in the NFL that have yet to garner a sack or create a turnover.

EFSLANT:

Don’t count on Pennington to complete a full 16-game season; that has happened only once in his seven complete NFL seasons. He should be your second option anyway; but be sure to have a couple more signal callers at the ready when Pennington lands on IR. Bender’s progress merits watching - Kendall clearly had to be moved, but the Jets foolishly didn’t have a contingency plan in place for his departure. Adrian Clarke is a stop-gap measure at best, so Bender provides the most upside. But even if he is finally inserted into the lineup, it could be too little too late, especially if Pennington is already strapped to the trainer’s table. Revis will eventually be a solid cornerback, but growing pains could be troublesome for EFS owners. Latching on to either safety, however, will provide scoring dividends well into the future.

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