Browns the new Redskins

[Dirtbag59]

Originally Posted by GMScud

As far as this year goes, the Jets are a candidate as the "new Redskins" too. They have given out over $140M in total contracts in the past two weeks, over $70M of which is guaranteed, not mention trading 2 2008 draft picks in the process. And the moves are questionable. $22M guaranteed to Calvin Pace? Making a soon to be 32 year old Alan Faneca the richest O-lineman in history? Making a 30 year old Damian Woody the RT for a ton of money (he's only started 5 games ever at RT his entire career)? Giving up 2 draft picks for an overweight, injury prone, malcontent Kris Jenkins, then giving him a $35M ($20M guaranteed) contract? Panicked overspending. I said this in another thread, but it bears repeating here.

Looks like Don Banks agrees with you.

Thumbs down

• New York Jets -- The Jets seem to be getting credit for trying in free agency, but that's not necessarily always the right approach. Just ask a Redskins or 49ers fan. I sense a certain lack of rhyme or reason in New York's additions, as if the Jets aren't really sure who they are as a football team. Are they still right on the heels of the Patriots in the AFC East, as they appeared in 2006, or miles behind them, as was the case in 2007? How big a gap are they trying to close?

Many believe Kris Jenkins is an upgrade at nose tackle, but it's a different role for him compared to playing defensive tackle in a 4-3. I've got questions about how he'll adapt and how long he'll stay healthy. And while Alan Faneca and Damien Woody look like a huge improvement on paper, Woody shifting to right tackle this late in his career is a puzzler. Faneca, it must be noted, was part of a Steelers O-line that was the weakest link on the team. For that matter, the same was true of Woody in Detroit. For all the extra money he'll cost, will Faneca be a head-and-shoulder improvement at guard over the exiled Pete Kendall?

The Calvin Pace signing makes sense to me, because New York had no pass rush last season, and he could really help on that front. But I still think the Jets wasted Vilma's talents and wound up giving him away to New Orleans. Getting fullback Tony Richardson should also aid the chances of lead rusher Thomas Jones having a bounce-back second season in New York. Jones was a disappointment last season, but it likely had more to do with the Jets underachieving offensive line.
And then there's the karma factor. The Jets' spending spree in free agency seems to have ticked off some of their best players, top receiver
Laveranues Coles among them. That could wind up being a bit
counterproductive. Lost in the shuffle so far is another key point: Who's definitively the Jets' guy at quarterback: Kellen Clemens or Chad Pennington?

Until that's resolved, it's hard to know exactly which direction New York is headed.