I actually don’t have too much to say about the Jets as far as improvements are concerned. They have a very confident, if not cocky, head coach who clearly thinks his team is among the best in the league, as it was this year when they made their second straight AFC Championship Game appearance. There is a lot of negativity surrounding Mark Sanchez, and it is well placed, to a point. I would argue that keeping Sanchez is in the best interest of the organization. He had a better 2010 than his 2009 season and he led his team to the Super Bowl qualifier both seasons. He should continue to improve. If he does, Rex Ryan’s prediction of a Super Bowl win won’t seem as far-fetched as it does right now.
What New York needs to do is find a way to keep their players. It may be essential that they keep both Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards if they want those Super Bowl dreams to become reality. Several of the Jets’ wins this season came on luck, but that is from the Mark Sanchez viewpoint. It took the skills of these two players to pull off those last-second heroics.
They also need to retain their secondary. Their pass rush is not particularly strong, but they still got 40 sacks this season because of exceptional coverage downfield by their corners and safeties.
New York also needs to address Brian Schottenheimer. I think there are better offensive coordinators out there, but I also don’t think it is necessary that they get rid of Schottenheimer. They just need to make a decision and get their players and fans to buy into it, the sooner the better.
As for the draft, it all depends on what players they lose, and they won’t know that until the new CBA is completed. If they lose Holmes and/or Edwards, their first round pick might need to be a receiver. Otherwise a defensive lineman would be the best choice. They could use a better pass rusher, but they may also need someone who can pick up the slack in containing the run.
The most important thing for the Jets to succeed next year will be for the players not to get too caught up in proving their coach right. It can work in the postseason when you’re only thinking about those guarantees for a week at a time. But can they keep from a collapse when they are thinking about a Super Bowl guarantee during the entire season?
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