Around the AFC East: New York Jets

by Matty I on Jul 6, 2007 2:56 PM EDT in News Comment 0 comments

We are back with the final part of "Around the AFC East." It's now time for Jetfighter from NY Landing Strip to take center stage:

Phinsider: Does the lack of a true #3 option for Chad Pennington concern you at all? Last year, after Coles and Cotchery, the Jets next highest reception totals were just 31 by Chris Baker and 23 by Justin McCareins. Are Baker and/or McCareins ever going to develop into that true 3rd option for Pennington or is the passing game going to continue to be basically a 2-man show?

NY Landing Strip: With Chad and the passing game that Mangini runs, I really have no concerns about the 3rd wideout. The stats are true on Baker and McCareins, but I feel that Tim Dwight, Brad Smith, and rookie Chansi Stuckey will also contribute as well. If you factor in McCareins, Dwight, and Smith as a 3rd, they had 48 grabs for 570 yards and 1 TD which isn't that bad for a 3.

I don't think in this current regime it will matter how Baker and McCareins do because the Jets stress moving the ball. If you notice again statistically, their running backs had 55 grabs for 422 yds ( 80 of those 422 came on Leon Washington's screen that set up Nugent for the win in Miami on Christmas Day), so all Chad is doing is finding the open man.

As a whole, the Jets other receivers (beside Coles and Cotchery) totaled 103 rec. for 992 yds and 1 TD, so even though you are right that after Coles and Cotchery, a dedicated 3rd receiver is not putting up numbers, the Jets are happy with moving the ball any way they can. And with a steadily-improving line, their two man show will work fine.

My take: Let me translate this into language that other fans, other than Jets' fans, will understand: "Oh crap, we don't have a third receiver at all so I'll throw around some numbers to make all us Jet fans feel better." Why do I say this? Here's my problem with this logic that Jetfighter has provided. He says that the team's other receivers combined put up numbers that are equivalent to a 3rd WR. But that's just not true. Because if you look at the numbers of the Dolphins other pass catchers other than Chambers and Booker, you see that they account for 150 receptions for 1,548 yards and 5 touchdowns. And that's only taking into account 3 players (Welker, McMichael, and Hagan). I could have included Ronnie Brown and Sammy Morris, but I felt my point was already made. The bottom line is that you need more than 992 yards and 1 TD from players other than Coles and Cotchery in the passing game if that offense is going to be successful. And this year, I don't think it will be as successful, at least not through the air.

Be sure to head on over to NY Landing Strip to see my response to Jetfigher's question.

And as always, feel free to e-mail me at phinsider@gmail.com if you have a question you'd like me to use in a future edition of "Around the AFC East."

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