So, the choices are there.

TE Ben Olsen- Miami
DE/OLB Anthony Spencer- Purdue
CB Darrelle Revis- Pittsburgh

These are the three main names being tossed around for the Jets first
round pick.

Who would you take?

The Jets gave the New England Patriots a good game, but came up short
in the first round of the playoffs.
So ends a much better year than many expected. Coach Eric Mangini
deserves strong consideration for NFL Coach of the Year. Chad
Pennington has to be up for Comeback Player of the Year.
Pennington may have been the offensive difference this year, but still
has suspect arm strength heading into the 2007 season. Patrick Ramsey
may look elsewhere for a chance to play. Strong-armed Kellen Clemens
will push Pennington for the starting job in camp. The Jets will have
to consider their options here.
The Jets did wait too long on Curtis Martin, whose career is likely
over. Lamont Jordan could have been the back this past year, but the
Jets have a nice committee to run with next year.
The receivers had a good year with Coles, Cotchery and McCarreins. TE
Chris Baker also figured well here.
The Jets had two solid rookies on the O-Line with Brick and Mangold,
who replaced respected Kevin Mawae with little dropoff. The Jets will
need to pick a lineman and sign a free agent as well to improve this
decent group.
The 3-4 was tested with mixed results. The Patriots used a 3-4 well,
but disguised their linebackers well and had better speed to the ball.
The way to beat a 3-4 is inside running, where the nose tackle can be
beaten. Robertson and Vilma were the keys here and both were very
good. Vilma may be the best Jets linebacker I've ever seen. But guards
blocking Jets linebackers were very successful. Run defense is
essential in the playoffs. The Jets rarely had this all year. So this
must be addressed.
I think the Jets do have good linebackers. But too often they were too
easy for opponents to find and block. John Abraham I think is a huge
loss here still.
The secondary also had mixed results. Defense should be the focus of
drafting and free agents this coming spring.
Justin Miller is the best return man in the NFL right now. Perhaps the
Jets can work him into the offense on a few plays. Kicker Mike Nugent
has clearly improved, but has not justifed his draft position yet.
If it's up to me, Vilma and Miller make the Pro Bowl.
The Jets will get a 'B' schedule next year that will have some good
opportunities for them. The Bills will be better and the Dolphins will
be hard to predict. The Patriots are still the team to beat, and could
sneak past the Chargers, Ravens and Colts to the Super Bowl. The Jets
should be taking notes on them.
Free agents are the key to the coming season. Hopefully, the Jets will
find a couple more gems in the draft and some young speed to sign, but
a couple high profile names are needed to send the right message that
this team is on the rise again. New York City should be very helpful
with this.
All in all, a good year to build on. The pieces to step even further
forward are largely there for 2007-08.

Hi, I just joined your group and am looking forward to interacting
with other Jets fans about the team. I recently started a brand new
Yahoo group for Jets running back Curtis Martin, my favorite player of
all time, and would like your permission to post a message in the
group inviting all members to join. If that is okay with you, I'd
appreciate it, if not, it's okay. Thanks for reading this and replying
back either way.

Steve

The New York Jets are back in the playoffs.
Bring on the Patriots for a grudge match early in the new year.

Greetings Jets Fans!! I'm a new member here and have been a long time
Jets fan for over 30 years. Being a big fan of Curtis Martin, my
favorite player of all time, I started a Yahoo group dedicated just to
him and his career and stats and whatever else we could talk about. I
invite all of you to join in the discussion. Thanks for reading this
posting...

   [Click here to join curtismartin]  <../../../../../curtismartin/join>
Click to join curtismartin <../../../../../curtismartin/join>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

As you all know, I co-host a 100% commercial-free, no one makes a dime
from it, Sports Talk radio show on Long Island.

Tonight at 10:15PM on Long Island's 90.3FM, Jets beat reporter Randy
Lange from the Bergen Record will be our live guest.

We'll put up the interview at http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg

As always, thanks.
http://www.myspace.com/nysportstalk

Buffalo, a much better team than their record might indicate, took
the Jets game like a playoff game. The 31-13 loss means the Jets
have to adopt the same attitude the rest of the way.
The Jets are 7-6. They need all three remaining games to make the
playoffs. So each game: Minnesota, Miami, and Oakland, are basically
playoff games. The one that could be hardest to pin down is the
Miami game. But you have to start with the first one, so all the
Jets are thinking about is the Vikings.
The Vikings are without former Jet Brooks Bollinger at QB. That
means they will likely look to run FB Chester Taylor against the
Jets so-so run defense on the Metrodome turf. Time of possession
will be a key in a game like this. So will kicking and other special
teams.
The Jets need to take these one at a time, but overall, have a
chance to win all three. Stay tuned.

On another note, AFL founder Lamar Hunt has passed way. The Dallas
Texans-Kansas City Chiefs leader created the American Football
League when he and future Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams could not
get NFL expansion franchises. Their decision to enter a New York
franchise, the Titans ( later the Jets ), made a merger inevitable
and created the Super Bowl. Hunt's place, like Sonny Werblin's, in
pro football history, probably cannot be overstated. He was a big
factor in making pro football what it is today.

either his performance improves this week over that pass defense the
texans have or mangini should go to a combination of clemens and smith.

Before heading into a surprisingly strong challenge this week versus
Green Bay and ageless Brett Farve, the Jets got a much-needed easy W
against Houston. The Bears had put the shutout on the Jets, a fact no
one should overlook. The Bears are talking Super Bowl. This Jets fan
is simply talking playoffs.
The Jets are 6-5. No one I know, besides myself, thought this was
possible. The Jets are right there with two others trailing Kansas
City and Denver for wild cards. New England leads the division and
look pretty good to win it.
Denver gets a solid Seattle team, while Kansas City will get a
Cleveland team that, hopefully, is ready to kick a little ass after
getting paved by Cincinnati this weekend.
Jets need to run the bal versus Green Bay. Pennington needs to spread
his passes around. Jets need to stop the run, but also to apply some
pressure on Green Bay's future Hall of Famer. A tall order, yes. But
not something these Jets cannot do.
How does it feel to talk playoffs here? Pretty good to me. Three more
wins should put them on the doorstep.

Jets at Packers

The New York Jets hope quarterback Chad Pennington and the offense
can find as much consistency as the defense when they visit the
struggling Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

The Jets (6-5) beat Houston 26-11 last week after losing 10-0 to
Chicago on Nov. 19. Pennington had contrasting performances in both
games, completing a season-high 77.4 percent of his passes for 286
yards and a touchdown against the Texans after throwing two
interceptions in the loss to the Bears.
"Even when we're talking about the Chicago game, when I mention
there are a lot of things he did really well, he does them well each
week," Jets coach Eric Mangini said. "Sometimes they result in
touchdowns, the big plays. Sometimes they result in getting out of a
bad play.

"Even though it's a gain of one or two, it's a heck of a lot better
than what would have happened if you had kept the original call on.
He's done that since training camp. It's a great quality. Chad is
the type of guy that's not going to be denied. That's how he
approaches everything."

Pennington has completed 68.9 percent of his passes for 1,320 yards,
eight touchdowns and two interceptions in New York's six victories,
while posting a 56.4 completion percentage, 854 yards, three scores
and nine picks in the five defeats.

Despite his inconsistency, New York is just one game back in the
hunt for a wild-card spot in the AFC thanks to solid play from its
defense. The Jets have allowed 35 points with nine sacks over the
last three games.

"We've been for real," defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "Now, we're
just starting to jell a little bit more and we've just got to play
more consistent and just get better every week."

The unit snapped a nine-game streak of allowing opponents at least
125 rushing yards when it held the Texans to 25 on 14 carries.

"The defensive line played real well," linebacker Victor Hobson
said. "They were able to put pressure on the quarterback and that
makes it easier for the whole defense."

The defense will now attempt to put pressure on Brett Favre, who
threw for 266 yards and a season-high three interceptions in a 34-24
loss to Seattle on Monday night. The performance came a week after
the 37-year-old quarterback completed 5-of-15 passes for 73 yards in
a 35-0 loss to New England.

The Packers (4-7) hope to avoid a three-game slide that would
virtually knock them out of the NFC playoff race and only assure
them of, at best, a .500 record.

To do that, they need to stop making mistakes and capitalize on
turnovers. Green Bay caused four against Seattle, but committed four
of its own.

"When you have four turnovers like we did and you don't generate
point production on two of them, that speaks volumes," Packers coach
Mike McCarthy said.

The offense was unable to generate much of a running game in the
snow at Seattle, totaling 51 rushing yards. Green Bay has just 142
yards on the ground in its last three contests.

Ahman Green has 127 of those yards, including 44 against the
Seahawks.

"I thought Ahman ran the ball very hard," McCarthy said. "I thought
the fullbacks were OK with their fits. We just were not in sync like
we should have been. And we had a number of good looks just as far
as the fronts we were getting.

"In hindsight, I really feel good about the plan, and how we went
about it. But our execution was not there."

If the weather was a factor in Green Bay's inability to run the ball
Monday, it could take its toll again Sunday as temperatures are
expected to be in the mid-20s with snow possible at Lambeau Field.

The Packers have stumbled at home, winning only once in five tries
this season. They've been outscored 132-78 there while being shut
out twice.

The Jets have won the last two meetings with the Packers, including
a 42-17 victory on Dec. 29, 2002, at Giants Stadium which clinched
their last division crown.


BIG JIM SAYS:

JETS 24-PACKERS 21

http://stores.ebay.com/Big-Jims-New-Store_W0QQssPageNameZl2QQtZkm

http://www.prostylebaseball.com

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?
fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=133307463


http://myworld.ebay.com/regalion2006

http://360.yahoo.com/my_profile-
FLLl2HYjfqGwb37dI3KtwW7x;_ylt=Ak1EOkcQNaA80cs0jLq60cu0AOJ3

Looking over the remainder of the schedule, I think there's a
possibility of a sweep here. How do you think that will affect post-
season potential? Opinions?

Panthers at Eagles
Preview | Game Trax | Depth Chart | Head-to-Head
TICKETS: Panthers |  Eagles
The Carolina Panthers are desperate to get their sputtering offense
going. A matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles could do the trick.

The Panthers will look to bounce back from an ugly loss when they
visit the Eagles on Monday night.
Carolina (6-5) was held to 264 yards in Sunday's 17-13 defeat to
Washington, which came into the game with the NFC's worst defense.
Steve Smith, who leads the NFL with 100.4 receiving yards per game,
managed only 34 and Jake Delhomme threw two interceptions, including
one on his final pass.

The poor offensive performance left many observers questioning
whether Delhomme should still be the Panthers' starting quarterback.
Coach John Fox, however, insisted he is sticking with Delhomme.

"When you drop back to pass the ball it's a team effort," Fox
said. "Whenever you don't play well enough to win I'm not sure it's
one guy. It's definitely not just Jake."

Carolina's running game wasn't much better, as the Panthers managed
only 101 yards on the ground, narrowly avoiding their fifth sub-100-
yard rushing performance in six games. Rookie running back DeAngelo
Williams, who started for the injured DeShaun Foster (elbow), gained
only 63 yards on 17 carries.

The Panthers ran for a franchise-record 242 yards the previous week
in a 15-0 win over St. Louis. Foster, listed as questionable against
the Eagles, gained 63 yards against the Rams, while Williams had 114.

The Eagles (5-6), on the other hand, are coming off a poor effort in
defending the run. They allowed Indianapolis rookie Joseph Addai to
rush for 171 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-21 loss to the Colts
on Sunday night.

Indianapolis gained 237 yards on the ground, becoming the third team
in four games to rush for more than 200 against Philadelphia.

The Eagles have lost five of six since a 4-1 start.

"We need to get better at stopping the run," coach Andy Reid
said. "I didn't think it was a lack of effort. I thought they were
aggressive. We had too many blown assignments. It comes down to
assignments and it comes down to scheme. The mental part of it, I
thought they were emotionally ready to go."

The Eagles' front four was also ineffective in pressuring the
quarterback, as Philadelphia failed to record a sack for the third
time this season. The Eagles have just six sacks in their last six
games after picking up 23 in their first five.

"It is the same group that came out and held Tiki Barber to whatever
yards we had against him," Reid said of limiting the New York
Giants' top back to 51 yards on 21 carries in an overtime loss in
Week 2. "We just have to get back into it and get out of the funk
that we are in right now."

Jeff Garcia made his first start in place of five-time Pro Bowler
Donovan McNabb, who's out for the season with a torn knee ligament,
and completed 19 of 23 passes for 140 yards, two touchdowns and no
interceptions. Garcia left the game with a strained right forearm,
but Reid said Monday that the quarterback is feeling better and
listed him as probable for the Panthers game.

Running back Brian Westbrook gained 124 yards on 20 carries last
week, becoming the first Philadelphia player since Wilbert
Montgomery in 1981 with three straight 100-yard games. That effort,
however, wasn't nearly enough to get the Eagles past the Colts.

"We just didn't make the plays out there," Reid said. "I'm going to
step up and tell you it starts with us, as coaches, and I've got to
continue to take a close look at that and make sure we're putting
the right guys in the right positions."

Philadelphia ranks second in the NFL with 385.2 yards per game, but
will be up against a Carolina defense that's third-best in the NFC
with an average of 295.3 yards allowed. The Panthers have given up
only 27 points in their last three contests.

Sunday's defeat dropped Carolina out of first place in the NFC
South, behind New Orleans. Still, the Panthers would earn a wild-
card berth if the season ended today.

"We have to take care of the Philadelphia Eagles and get to 7-5 and
see what else happens in our conference and our division. Hopefully,
everything will fall in our favor," said receiver Keyshawn Johnson,
who caught six passes for just 38 yards against the Redskins.

"There's no looking back at last week. It's over. It's done with.
That's how you have to look at it. If you continue to hang onto
things you have no control over, it will drive you crazy."

Along with Johnson, Fox is also trying to keep his team from
panicking.

"We're all 6-5. The coaches, the head coach, the players. That's
where we are," Fox said. "The sky is not falling either. It was said
we could get a bye and all of a sudden we became the worst team on
the planet. We are what we are. We've got five games left and a very
important one this week against Philadelphia."

The Eagles have won three of the teams' four regular season
meetings, including the most recent in 2004, a 30-8 victory.
Carolina, however, defeated Philadelphia 14-3 in the NFC
championship game on Jan. 18, 2004 in their only postseason matchup.

BIG JIM SAYS:

PANTHERS 28-EAGLES 14
http://stores.ebay.com/Big-Jims-New-Store_W0QQssPageNameZl2QQtZkm

http://www.prostylebaseball.com

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?
fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=133307463


http://myworld.ebay.com/regalion2006

http://360.yahoo.com/my_profile-
FLLl2HYjfqGwb37dI3KtwW7x;_ylt=Ak1EOkcQNaA80cs0jLq60cu0AOJ3

Go jets!!!! it´s only 4-4, you can beat New England!!!

Jets were 2-1 heading into the Colts game and playing good football.
The Colts are nearly everyone's pick for the Super Bowl, but the Jets
exposed some weaknesses on them, nearly pulling off the upset.
Losing 31-28 to a team like the Colts and still being 2-2 still had me
impressed with the team.
Then they played a playoff-caliber Jacksonville team and got crushed.
Three picks, four sacks, a blocked punt and a lost fumble in the loss.
The Jaguars were pumped to play better after losing to the Skins. I
also think they manhandled the Jets 3-4 defense early.
It's a sobering slap in the face.
Fortunately, Miami, which is self-destructing, and Detroit are the next
two opponents. This team will gear up and come back. They need to run
the ball better and I think they will. Washington could be the guy.
They are going to play the run inside better too. Mangini won't let
that go unaddressed.
Sometimes a good team needs a loss like this to get their heads
straight. The next two games will prove whether or not this team can
contend. I think they can.

the jets are the worse owned team in football. i really feel bad for
the coaches, the players, 7 fellow fans. we are going to have to
endure 30 more years of sharing a stadium with the giants. that dhould
be against nfl rules and it should be unaceptable to owner woody
johnson. but he is rich and dumb. the jets are better off playing on a
carpet at belmont park or waiting to see what the n.y.c. mayor's
office is going to do with governor's island. its 200 sq. acres and
the jets need only 10 for a stadium and 10 for parking or the parking
could be in brooklyn where the docks are. i heard that there is a
state assmblyman trying to get a law passed that would have all teams
not playing in new york put the new jersey moniker in front of their
names. i hope the law is passed maybe then nassau or suffolk counties
can come up with a stadium plan for the jets. you know what though, i
wouldn't mind traveling to shea for games. maybe the jets could keep
the old stadium and the new parking area can be put somewhere else.
peace.

the jets may have finally showed their real colors. i hope not, but it
is possible. mangini has coached these guys better than expected, but
the new defensive base just doesn't work. robertson seems lost, andf
vilma seems to be not strong enough. maybe the jets were overachieving
a bit. i think we will find out by the half way mark if the jets are
playing above their ability or not. if they are 2-6 or 3-5 we know
that the early success was just adrenaline. if the are 4-4 or 5-3 we
know that they are a really good team that may be able to play spoiler
down the stretch, and catch a borderline playoff spot holder
unprepared. only the l;ord knows in the end.

How about these guys, huh?
They beat Tennessee in the opener, played a good game vs. Patriots, and
beat a pretty good Buffalo team to go 2-1. They did that without Curtis
Martin and others. The Jets are a good team and Chad is getting the job
done.
It's long past time to change that photo on the homepage. The Jets are
playing very good football.

As you all know from our past Jets interviews, I co-host a 100%
commercial-free, no one makes one red cent from it, Sports Talk radio
show on Long Island.

The other night, we did a 44 commercial-free Jets Preview with Jets
beat reporter Randy Lange from the Bergen Record.

It can be found at
http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg

I wasn't there that night, so I will type up a mini-transcript when I
listen to it in its entirety. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy.

As always, thanks.

Jets were finished. Now, they are facing a brand new season.
Maybe your pick should be the Brick, who should star immediately at
left tackle. The Jets have some real tradition here with Winston Hill,
Marvin Powell, Jumbo Elliot and Jason Fabini.
Maybe it's Jon Vilma or Dwayne Robertson, the keys to the new D. Both
of these guys could end up in the Pro Bowl.
Or it could be the new coach Eric Mangini. He has the Jets practicing
with higher intensity. His personality and Patriots influence start a
new identity for this team than the one they had under Herman Edwards.
Whatever your choice, there are some good reasons to look forward to
the start of this season.

Hey, the new NFL season start on september!!!!!

Chad looked a lot better than many, including me, thought he would.
The guy threw the ball well. Jets also have a decent back in Kevin
Barlow. The rookies blocked well and the D got the job done also. A
very good start.
Patriots had trouble with the Bills as I expected. Patriots will be
better this week, but clearly have some issues the Jets might be able
to exploit.
Seeing Chad like that gives this team a real chance at home vs. New
England.

I have done my duty with sending Kellen Clemens from Oregon to my
beloved Jets! Don't blame me when "Paddington Bear" can't get it out
of the gate!  Love ya!

Available

Schedule some football games this fall! Nice ticket opportunity. Be
there for the start of the new regime.

2 tickets in Section 122 row 37 beneath the overhang - nice warm, dry
seats for four regular season games and the two pre-season games
(Giants and Eagles) Looking to sell in a group to the same person.
Face value $70 each x's 6 games ='s $840.00. Potentially two more
regular season games available in addition, also @ face value - not
scalping.

For more info contact rsvp_nj@.... Can meet in Manhattan or
Bergen County, NJ.

Go Jets!

Sorry, guys, about suggesting that the Jets pursue Terrell Owens and
Randy Moss earlier. Must have been my antihistamines ...

The schedule is very interesting very early for the Jets, in my
opinion. I think the first six games may bear much of the season out.
Catching other teams early might be a break for the Jets if other
clubs are beat up or unprepared. Of course, this could be the Jets
too, who have a rookie head coach, a new defense and a shaky
quarterback situation.
They open nicely at Tennessee, who are also a team in transition.
The Titans were also 4-12 and could have Billy Volek or Vince Young
at QB. They do have three running backs I like, and I think that
will be their key. But the Jets have a real chance here to opening
the season with a win.
Then, there's the home opener against New England. Not much love
lost here. But the Pats still have Tom Brady and a very solid team
that came down to 10-6 last year and are looking to rebound. Spirit
here may mean the most. Tough game very early.
Then they go to Buffalo, who, I think, have been better than their
record. I have always liked Kelly Holcomb, a gutsy mad bomber. But
it's their DBs that may keep them in games this year. This is a team
you have to get on top of early. Jets will show alot here against a
club that was just a game better last year than the Jets.
Then they are home for another brutal one, the Indianapolis Colts.
For my money, the best team in football last year. But no Edgarrin
James this year. Can Peyton Manning pitch even more this year? Is he
in danger of becoming Dan Marino? No, because Colts also have D. But
if Jets have some momentum at this point, this could be a fun game.
Is it possible that Jacksonville will sneak up on anyone this year?
I don't think so. But this is a solid team looking to return to the
playoffs. I think they drafted well and this is a home game for the
Jags. Could be a very tough game.
Then they are home against the Fish. Does anybody really know what
Miami will bring up to Jersey for this one? The Boatman, Daunte
Culpepper or the Detroit escapee Joey Harrington? This team does
have some parts. Their TE is top-rate. I really like Zach Thomas.
This may be a weird game, but I expect a good Jets team to win
against this kind of team. Fish were 9-7 last year.
Detroit and Cleveland take the Jets into their bye week, both
winnable games at this early stage. Jets could be flying high at
this point or looking at backups for next year.
After what happened to Chad and Jay Fiedler last year, I would be
surprised to see something like that again this year. But this is
football.
I expect the Jets D to take a big step forward this year. They
probably have to. Offensively, there are a lot of 'ifs' .
It sure will be interesting.

As you already know, I co-host a 100% commercial-free, no one makes a
dime from it, Sports Talk radio show on Long Island.  Last night,
Jets beat writer Randy Lange of the Bergen Record was our guest live
from Minicamp.

The interview is 54 commercial-free minutes of nothing but Jets talk,
and is in MP3 format.

Here's the link:
http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg

And, here's the list of topics discussed in chronological order:

--Chad Pennington looking good
--Patrick Ramsey
--Kellen Clemens
--Brooks Bollinger
--A discussion of Eric Mangini's Camp vs. Herm Edward's Camp
("crispness, tempo")
--Mangini's demeanor in the Minicamp
--The players on Mangini's approach
--Will this team finish above .500?
--The old and young on the coaching staff
--Brian Schottenheimer is not afraid to yell (dropping F-Bombs on
Bollinger)
--How much of these practices do the media really get to watch?
--Players who are older than some of the coaches
--Coles stepping up
--The WR corps and their speed
--Dwight/Cotchery/McCareins/BrdSmith
--Curtis Martin, Starting HB
--Derrick Blaylock
--Cedric Houston
--Leon Washington
--Running Back by Committee?
--The Offensive Line
--Trey Teague is injured!
--Nick Mangold
--D'Brick wearing #60 and Kendall says Bricks's the LT
--The 3-4 Defense
--Bryan Thomas at LB
--Dewayne Robertson
--David Barrett, Andre Dyson, Justin Miller
--3 different CB alignments
--"Every position is open"
--Mangini not declaring #1 starters
--Who's gonna take Abraham's place?
--Victor Hobson, Eric Barton, Shaun Ellis, Kerry Rhodes, Erik
Coleman, Brad Kassell, Eric Smith
--Chris Baker, 1st Team TE
--Doug Jolley
--Joel Dreesen
--Jason Pociask
--BJ Askew
--Cedric Houston, again
--Mangini's practice of giving equal 1st team reps to all the QB's
--If you only watched the morning practice, you wouldn't know about
Chad
--The players' living arrangements during Minicamp
--Sources tell Randy that the Jets will still be at Hofstra in 2007.
--A discussion of media access to the team
--No information was given to the reporters about Trey Teague's injury
--Media access to the assistant coaches
--Since he was hired, the majority of the media has not been able to
talk with Brian Schottenheimer
--What kind of Offense will they run?
--Who's on the Hot Seat?
--Kevin Mawae a clubhouse lawyer?
--John Abraham
--Kimo Von Oelhoffen
--Matt Chatham
--Because Randy wrote the book Stadium Stories: New York Jets, we
asked him to pick (with the exception of Super Bowl III) his Desert
Island Jets Games.

As always, thanks for listening.  And, please tell a Jets fan friend.

Another season, another season of PAIN. (sigh)



I can hardly wait ......

Around all the growing obstacles facing this Jets team, including the
loss of key players to retirement or free agency, and the very tough
salary cap situation, there is some good news. The rookie coach has two
very good rookie linemen he can optimistically look to build on.
Ferguson is the mountainous but athletic left tackle that follows a
team tradition going back to Winston Hill and Marvin Powell. Whoever
the QB is, and that will be a real question for a while, he'll likely
be a healthier guy with Ferguson guarding his back.
Nick Mangold is not Kevin Mawae --- who is? ---, but he's a very good
rookie center prospect from Ohio State. These two, along with the rest
of the roster, are a solid place for the next Jets regime to build.
The defense is still fairly solid,and a strong offensive line is a
must. So the Jets are putting their chips in the right squares in
rebuilding this team.

Hi all, first time poster.

We had Rick Gosselin from the Dallas Morning News as our guest on my
100% commercial-free, no one makes a dime from it, Long Island
Sports Talk radio show Thursday night. I have long considered him to
be the most knowledgeable Draft resource out there.

Here is the link to the interview:
http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg


This is by no means an exhaustive transcript of all that was said,
but it should give you a good guide. As always, I hope you enjoy and
please tell a friend.

Thanks


--Reggie Bush
--The Buzz right now is "What happens to the 3 QB's? Where do they
go?" They have to be placed in the Top 10 to get a fix on the Board.
--The Saints at 2
--Jets/Titans & Trading Up
--The Titans are the Wild Card as they are definitely taking a QB
--Mario Williams
--"The NFL Draft is all about measurables. It's not how you play,
but how you look."
--"The Jets can't lose if they're looking at Ferguson and Williams
at #4."
--Ferguson vs. Ogden and Pace
--Comparing the Big 3 QB's
--Vince Young & the Wonderlic Test
--A discussion of what the Wonderlic tests
--A discussion on Jay Cutler
--Where would Alex Smith have gone in this Draft?
--We then conduct a Mock Draft for the 1st 10 picks.
--A discussion of the Jets' quarterback situation
--Rick believes that it's a 6-player Draft, followed by Cutler,
Young and Huff. He says that there is no consensus 10th guy.
--Rick feels that the Draft is soft between 10 and 20, but picks up
steam in the 20's.
--Rick says that he has determined that there are 36 players with
1st Round value, with most coming in the 20's, so teams will have
some options in the 20's.
--With 3 picks in the Top 35, Rick feels that the Jets will get some
good players
--Rick slots 9 RB's for the First Day, with a drop off on the second
day.
--LenDale White
--The separation has increased between #1 WR Santonio Holmes and #2
Chad Jackson
--It's a bad year for wide receivers. Rick is not sure that there
will be a Top 20 WR, and maybe even only 1 in the First Round.
--Giants are looking Defense
--Rick expects 6 or 7 CB's to go in the First Round, along with 4
LB's and 3 DT's, so the Giants "should have a couple of good
defensive options when they go on the clock."
--RB's are sliding into the 20's. Good teams could get good running
backs. There should be 5 1st Round RB's taken, and the Colts will be
one of them.
--Marcus Vick
--Anthony Fasano should go in the 2nd and Maurice Stovall in the 3rd
--Rick doesn't even look at tape; he talks to the NFL personnel guys
and develops a consensus Draft Board of "This is what the NFL
thinks…."
--Brett Favre and Retirement
--Terrell Owens in Dallas
--Jerry Jones/Jimmy Johnson/Barry Switzer
--Rick's presenting retired Cowboys to the Hall of Fame Committee
--Michael Irvin and the Hall
--Art Monk
--Harry Carson and why Rick changed his mind on him
--Rick thinks there is a logjam developing in the Hall vote, and
that next year (and maybe even the year after), all 6 finalists
should get in.
--The so-called bias against the Cowboys in the Hall vote.
--Bill Parcells and the Hall
--Joe Gibbs and the Hall
--Ralph Wilson's comments on the new breed of owners
--The next Commissioner will be strong on the business and global
marketing side.
--Everything has been on the upside for Paul Tagliabue, with the
lone exception of the California situation.
--Jeremy Bloom
--This is one of the best Returner drafts, he has ever seen.
--The Steve Hutchinson contract
--Rick considers Josh Huston to be the best kicker available, but
predicts that no K or P will be drafted on the First Day.

The New York Jets, who last month released six-time Pro Bowl center
Kevin Mawae for salary cap reasons, on Wednesday found his
replacement, reaching agreement with unrestricted free agent Trey
Teague on a two-year contract.


  Teague


The durable Teague started at center for the Buffalo Bills in each
of the past four seasons. His addition fills a huge void for the
Jets, who did not have a proven center on the roster except for
veteran Pete Kendall, a more natural guard who has started at the
latter position for New York since 2004.


Contract details on Teague's two-year deal were not yet available.
But landing Teague, who visited with Jets officials recently, is
certainly a major step toward solidifying the line.


Teague, 31, is a tough interior blocker, a solid technician and a
savvy player who can make all of the blocking calls for the revamped
Jets line. Given his experience and ability, it was somewhat
surprising that Buffalo did not try harder to retain him, but the
Bills wanted to go younger at the position. Most observers felt
Teague was the best remaining lineman in the much-diluted
unrestricted pool.


In his four seasons with the Bills, the eight-year veteran missed
only four starts, all in '04 when he suffered a strained left knee.


A former University of Tennessee star, Teague entered the league as
a seventh-round choice of the Denver Broncos in the 1998 draft. He
began his career as a left tackle, but injuries limited him to just
18 games and four starts in his first three seasons. Teague finally
earned a spot in the lineup in 2001, starting all 16 games at left
tackle, and then signed with the Bills as an unrestricted free agent
in the spring of 2002.


Buffalo coaches were initially uncertain where Teague would play but
moved him to center in mini-camps, and he became a fixture there.
Because of his experience at tackle, Teague is regarded as one of
the best pass-blocking centers in the league.


Teague has appeared in 94 games and started 80 of them.

if anyone wants to talk Jets football, stop by and check out
jetsinsider.com. We're open 24/7/365 and have subjects ranging from
back-up tackles to the 2006 draft. Very cool place - hope to see some
of you there.