New York Jets

NFL Previews - New York Jets

The New York Jets team preview for the 2007 nfl football season. Our 2007 pro football preview covers all 32 teams to advise you on your NFL fantasy football draft, as well as to help you with your NFL betting online with our top sportsbooks. We can hardly wait for the 2007 NFL season to start. How bout it owners? Email me your thoughts.

New York Jets 2007 Preview

(My Sportsbook) - Soon after he was spotted at a restaurant table chatting with New York Jets coach Eric Mangini, things began to go awry for one Tony Soprano. And not so long after it had seemed that the fictional Soprano had the world on a string.

The real-life Mangini, who currently finds himself in the catbird's seat in terms of reputation, is trying to keep his world from unraveling in the same manner as the HBO character.

Mangini defied the skeptics in 2006, making those that questioned his relative youth and his team's shaky talent base eat their words during a 10-6 playoff campaign. The Jets overachieved in a major way, making those long-suffering fans begin to feel that those dreams of their team's first Super Bowl trip in nearly 40 years weren't just pure fantasy.

But the heightened expectations could be difficult for Mangini and his team to meet in 2007.

The schedule that did New York a lot of favors down the stretch in '06 looks tougher, at least on paper. For starters, the Jets open with the Patriots and Ravens, a couple of teams earmarked for double-digit wins this season.

And with the playoff berth in their back pocket, there will be no one overlooking Mangini's club as they might have a year ago. The element of surprise, a major feature of the Jets' schemes on both offense and defense a year ago, might become easier for opponents to predict.

Doubts have crept in about the staying power of a team that still has some holes in the two-deep and still features a quarterback, Chad Pennington, whose health will be a question mark for as long as he puts on a jersey.

Mangini thrived in the role of underdog a year ago. Will he again prove that he is the all-knowing, all-seeing boss of this mob of Jets, delivering his team back to the postseason for a second straight season?

Or will his crew's hopes abruptly fade to black, Soprano-like?

Stay tuned for the answer.

Below we take a capsule look at the 2007 edition of the New York Jets, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2006 RECORD: 10-6 (2nd, AFC East)

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2006, lost to New England, 37-16, in AFC Wild Card Game

COACH (RECORD): Eric Mangini (10-6 in one season with Jets, 10-6 overall)

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Brian Schottenheimer

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Bob Sutton

OFFENSIVE STAR: Chad Pennington, QB (3352 passing yards, 17 TD, 16 INT)

DEFENSIVE STAR: Jonathan Vilma, LB (113 tackles)

OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 20th rushing, 17th passing, 18th scoring

DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 24th rushing, 14th passing, 6th scoring

FIVE KEY GAMES: New England (9/9), at Buffalo (9/30), at Cincinnati (10/21), Pittsburgh (11/18), at Miami (12/2)

KEY ADDITIONS: QB Marques Tuiasosopo (from Raiders), RB Thomas Jones (from Bears), RB Tony Hollings (from Colts), FB Darian Barnes (from Dolphins), DE Eric Hicks (from Chiefs), DE David Bowens (from Dolphins), DE Andre Wadsworth (from Cardinals), DE Michael Haynes (March 22), DE Kenyon Coleman (from Cowboys), ILB David Harris (2nd Round, Michigan), CB Darrelle Revis (1st Round, Pittsburgh)

KEY DEPARTURES: QB Patrick Ramsey (to Broncos), RB Derrick Blaylock (to Redskins), RB Kevan Barlow (to Steelers), RB Cedric Houston (left team), FB B.J. Askew (to Buccaneers), OL Trey Teague (released), DE Dave Ball (to Panthers)

QB: After beginning training camp enduring questions about whether he'd even make the team, Pennington not only won the starting job but lasted an entire season without getting hurt. Pennington's numbers weren't earth-shattering, and his arm strength still left much to be desired, but his leadership skills and decision-making were the best he had ever displayed. The departure of Patrick Ramsey means that 2006 second-round draft pick Kellen Clemens moves into the No. 2 role. Given Pennington's injury history, the Oregon product must be ready to play if needed. Expected to hold the clipboard this year will be ex-Raider Marques Tuiasosopo, who remains something of a mystery after making just two starts during six years in Oakland.

RB: Five different running backs received carries for the Jets last year, and the fact that just one of those players - Leon Washington (650 rushing yards, 4 TD, 25 receptions) - remains on the roster should tell you a lot about how that experiment went. Washington indeed gave New York a spark, but his 5- foot-8, 200-pound stature meant that team had to find another player with every-down potential. That player arrives in the form of Thomas Jones (1210 rushing yards, 6 TD, 36 receptions), who revitalized his career in two years in Chicago and immediately becomes a focal point of the Jets offense. Behind Washington and Jones there isn't much to recommend, especially after Cedric Houston went AWOL from the club in the early stages of training camp, citing a lack of passion for the game. The team brought in former Texan Tony Hollings to get some camp carries, but you can bet Jets brass will be scanning the waiver wire for a better No. 3 option come September. At fullback, former Cowboys and Dolphins starter Darian Barnes is an upgrade over the departed B.J. Askew.

WR/TE: Most pundits regard the Jets' receiving corps as being nothing to write home about, but with 173 catches and over 2,000 yards between them a year ago, you can't fault the production of starters Laveranues Coles (91 receptions, 6 TD) and Jerricho Cotchery (82 receptions, 6 TD). Coles re-established himself as one of the most reliable possession receivers in the game a year ago, and Cotchery delivered on the promise that preceded him during a breakout season. The problem really lies behind those two players on the depth chart. Justin McCareins' (23 receptions, 1 TD) numbers have steadily declined since he arrived in New York in 2004, and converted college quarterback Brad Smith (9 receptions, 103 rushing yards) provides an interesting matchup problem for defenders but isn't ready for a significant role as a pure wideout. The only meaningful wideout addition in the offseason was seventh-round draft pick Chansi Stuckey, who is intriguing but has had injury problems. The team lacks a first-rate, pass-catching tight end, though Chris Baker (31 receptions, 4 TD) is a solid pro. Behind Baker on the depth chart are blocker Sean Ryan (6 receptions) and 2006 fifth-round draft choice Jason Pociask, who missed his rookie season with a shoulder injury.

OL: This area of the roster was the one that needed the most work entering 2006, and for the most part, the Jets staff did a terrific job getting it ready for primetime. Rookie left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and center Nick Mangold weren't perfect, but both justified their first-round selection and will be staples of the o-line again. The rest of the unit remains sketchy. Right guard Brandon Moore and right tackle Anthony Clement are adequate but won't need to make Pro Bowl reservations any time soon. Left guard Pete Kendall is 34 years old, fading, and reportedly in the doghouse of team management and the coaching staff for complaining about his contract and being something of a "clubhouse lawyer." Don't be surprised if Kendall is cut or traded before the regular season begins. Adrien Clarke, a four-game starter with the Eagles in 2005, could be in line for a promotion if Kendall is deemed expendable. Other line backups should include holdovers Wade Smith, Adrian Jones, and Na'Shan Goddard.

DL: Mangini's move from a 4-3 to a 3-4 base defense had negative ramifications for the line, which struggled to hold up against the run during the latter stages of the 2006 season. In response, the team acquired free agents such as David Bowens (20 tackles, 5 sacks with the Dolphins), Michael Haynes, Eric Hicks (7 tackles with the Chiefs), and especially Kenyon Coleman (30 tackles, 4 sacks with Dallas) to help stem the tide. Coleman, the former Cowboy, should immediately step into a starting role on the right side, relegating Kimo von Oelhoffen (28 tackles, 1 sack) to a backup job. Bowens projects as a backup on the left side behind Shaun Ellis (58 tackles, 5 sacks), and Hicks has a chance to make the club as a nose tackle backing Dewayne Robertson (61 tackles, 2.5 sacks). The Jets would like to see 2005 third-round pick Sione Pouha develop into a player, but Pouha missed last season due to a knee injury and could be battling Haynes and holdovers Bobby Hamilton (30 tackles) and Rashad Moore (10 tackles) for the last spot on the roster.

LB: The Jets' linebacking corps had its strengths and weaknesses last season. Those are easy to identify based on the offseason additions the team made in that department. Inside linebacker Jonathan Vilma (113 tackles, 1 INT) and outside man Bryan Thomas (77 tackles, 8.5 sacks) both adjusted reasonably well to the change in scheme, and will keep their starting jobs in 2007. The other two returnees - outside linebacker Victor Hobson (100 tackles, 6 sacks, 1 INT) and inside man Eric Barton (101 tackles, 4.5 sacks) - could have a tougher time cracking the lineup. On the outside, Hobson will be challenged by holdover Matt Chatham (25 tackles) as well as former No. 3 overall pick Andre Wadsworth, who has been praised for his play in camp after sitting out with injuries for the past six (that's right, six) seasons. On the inside, the team used a second-round draft choice on David Harris, who the team would like to get on the field sooner rather than later. In the backup forces, 2006 third- round draft pick Anthony Schlegel figures to make the squad, but holdovers Brad Kassell (30 tackles) and Cody Spencer (13 tackles) could be sweating out their spots late into camp.

DB: To disguise its flaws, New York did a great deal of blitzing last season, a tactic that put a wealth of pressure on an oft-maligned group of cornerbacks. Justin Miller (52 tackles), Andre Dyson (62 tackles, 4 INT), Hank Poteat (32 tackles), Drew Coleman (26 tackles, 1 sack), and David Barrett (33 tackles, 3 INT) all took their turns in the starting lineup, with mixed results, prompting the club to trade up to draft Darrelle Revis in the first round of the April draft. If Revis learns quickly (a situation not exactly aided by Revis' holdout during the early stages of training camp), he will press Poteat and Miller for a starting assignment opposite Dyson. That leaves Coleman and Barrett, one of whom will probably get the axe when Mangini pares down his roster. The safety spots are more secure with Kerry Rhodes (98 tackles, 5 sacks, 4 INT) back to man the strong side and Erik Coleman (101 tackles, 1 INT) holding down the free safety slot. Eric Smith (27 tackles, 2 INT), a third-round pick last year, will make the team as a backup, and Rashad Washington (33 tackles) will return if the Jets opt to keep four safeties.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Most Jets fans disagreed with his selection in the second round of the 2005 draft, but kicker Mike Nugent (24-27 FG) has been more than capable during his two seasons in the Meadowlands. He and punter Ben Graham (44.2 avg.) will both be back in 2007, as will long snapper James Dearth. Justin Miller (28.3 avg., 2 TD) made the Pro Bowl after a sensational season as the team's kickoff returner a year ago, and should remain in that spot. Revis could give the Jets the punt return impact they have lacked since Santana Moss filled that role during the Herm Edwards regime.

PROGNOSIS: Even if you're one of those that believes that the Jets are a team on the rise, you'd have to be awfully delusional to argue that Mangini's club has gotten closer to the loaded New England Patriots. That leaves the Jets on one of the two AFC Wild Card lines, with clubs like the Bengals, Jaguars, and Broncos scratching and clawing for the same piece of real estate. The schedule, which is tough right out of the box, doesn't leave New York with much margin for error, although the Jets will get to play the comparatively weak Dolphins and Bills a couple of times each. Those factors aside, are the Jets a better team as 2007 begins than they were a season ago? With a year in Mangini's system under their belt and some important personnel additions on both sides of the football, the answer is yes. This team should win between eight and 11 games and be a part of the playoff picture heading into the final weeks. In this year's AFC, whether the Jets reach closer to the eight or to the 11 will determine whether they make a playoff return or not.

August 6, 2007, at 06:06 PM ET

WagerOnFootball.com - New York Jets Predictions

More 2007 NFL Previews >>

Click For The 2007 Fantasy Draft Guide...

USE THESE NFL PREVIEWS TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR NFL BETTING AT OUR BEST FOOTBALL SPORTSBOOKS ONLINE FOR THIS SEASON