Note: I will be breaking down every football team by doing about two everyday (although some days may be four). At the end, I will post my preseason power rankings for the NFL, pick my sleepers and busts for the players, and give my fantasy football analysis for the upcoming season and my team in my main league. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it.
New York Jets:
Offense:
QB- Mark Sanchez
RB- Shonn Greene, LaDainian Tomlinson
FB- Tony Richardson/John Conner
WR- Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery, Santonio Holmes (suspended 4 games)
TE- Dustin Keller
LT- D’Brickashaw Ferguson
LG- Vladimir Ducasse
C- Nick Mangold
RG- Brandon Moore
RT- Damien Woody
BREAKDOWN: The New York Jets ran the ball over 600 times last season, but may need to rely on Mark Sanchez more this season. The Jets lose the aging but still productive Thomas Jones, to put all of their marbles on second-year running back Shonn Greene, who rumbled to 304 yards in 54 carries in their three postseason games. Greene didn’t run the ball much in the regular season last year but will be kept fresh by the addition of future Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson suffered his worst season of his career last year, but he may be a steal for the Jets. Tomlinson is a great receiver out of the backfield and is dominant around the goal line. Tomlinson enjoys running behind a fullback and Tony Richardson is one of the best in the business. The Jets revamped their passing game by adding Santonio Holmes to add a guy that can stretch the field to mix with Jerricho Cotchery as the possession receiver and Braylon Edwards as the ‘jump up and go get it’ guy. The Jets have one of the strongest offensive lines in the league, as they had the best rushing attack in the league and Mark Sanchez was only sacked 26 times in 15 games. The Jets offense should be better this season than last year, which spells trouble for any of their opponents.
Defense (3-4):
LE- Shaun Ellis/Vernon Gholston
NT- Kris Jenkins
RE- Mike Devito
LOLB- Bryan Thomas/Jason Taylor
LILB- Bart Scott
RILB- David Harris
ROLB- Calvin Pace
CB- Darrelle Revis* (holdout), Antonio Cromartie, Kyle Wilson
FS- Jim Leonhard
SS- Eric Smith
BREAKDOWN: The Jets possessed the best defense in the NFL last season, and was one of the main reasons the Jets made the run to the AFC Championship game. However, the number one headline for this season is the holdout of Darrelle Revis. Revis was one of the most shutdown cornerbacks last season as he continually played man-on-man defense against the other team’s top receiver and usually held them to less than five catches and forty yards. Revis only gave up one touchdown last season, and coach Rex Ryan has continually stated that he is the best corner in the game. However, if Revis prolongs his holdout throughout the season, the Jets defense will be missing their x-factor. The Jets defense held opposing offenses to 154 passing yards per game and 99 rushing yards. Kris Jenkins is one of the best nose tackles in the NFL when he is healthy, and Shaun Ellis was second on the team with 6.5 sacks last year. The linebacking corps are the strongest pass rushers in the NFL with future Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, their leader in sacks last season Calvin Pace, their leader in tackles last season David Harris and their team leader Bart Scott. Jim Leonhard is one of the fiercest safeties in the league, and a player that I think will surprise this season is rookie Kyle Wilson from Boise State. Wilson was an excellent corner in college and I think he will thrive with the Jets. With Revis, the Jets should be a top defense again, but without Revis they may only be around the top ten.
Special Teams:
K- Nick Folk
P- Steve Weatherford
KR- Brad Smith
PR- Jerricho Cotchery
BREAKDOWN: Steve Weatherford returns as punter after a solid season last year averaging 42 yards per punt. Nick Folk struggled last season with the Dallas Cowboys. In his career, Folk has been 87% accurate but struggled to 64% last year (18 of 28 in 14 games). Brad Smith and Cotchery are solid returners as Smith averaged 10 yards on punt returns and Cotchery averaged 31 yards on kick returns.
New York Giants:
Offense:
QB: Eli Manning
RB: Brandon Jacobs/Ahmad Bradshaw
FB: Madison Hedgecock
WR: Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, and Mario Manningham
TE: Kevin Boss
LT: David Diehl
LG: Rich Seubert
C: Shaun O’Hara
RG: Chris Snee
RT: Kareem McKenzie
BREAKDOWN: Usually when your franchise quarterback has the best season of his career, it leads to a Super Bowl opportunity. However, for Eli Manning, his best season only came because of the injuries that the Giants suffered in the run game. They are two years removed from the NFL’s top running game, but a lot of that weight is going to be on Brandon Jacobs shoulders. Jacobs is a beast when he stays healthy and can convert on close yardage situations. Another factor of the run game is Ahmad Bradshaw, who will be needed to move the chains and is a better third-down running back than Jacobs. The mix of these two runners is needed for the Giants to make the next step in the postseason. Last year the big question for the Giants was how well the wide receivers were without Plaxico Burrs. Alas, Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, and Hakeem Nicks, picked up the slack and delivered for Manning and the Giants. Smith caught over 100 passes last year for 1220 yards and seven touchdowns, but my prediction to breakout this season is Hakeem Nicks, who had 47 catches for 790 yards and six touchdowns last season while playing on a broken toe. With healthy feet, I expect Nicks to be a better downfield threat, and the word on the street is that Nicks can catch anything thrown at him. This is a veteran offensive line and are only two years removed from being the top rushing line in the league. I expect this offense to be more improved last season, and a huge threat in the NFC East.
Defense (4-3):
LDE- Justin Tuck/Jason Pierre-Paul
LDT- Barry Cofield
RDT- Jay Alford
RDE- Mathias Kiwanuka/Osi Umenyiora
WLB- Michael Boley
MLB- Keith Bulluck
SLB- Clint Sintim
CB- Corey Webster, Terrell Thomas, Aaron Ross
FS- Antrel Rolle
SS- Kenny Phillips
BREAKDOWN: The specialty of the Giants defense has always been the pass rush, and they will have a plethora of options this year. Justin Tuck has always been a freak athlete as he caused five fumbles last season to go along with his six sacks. Jason Pierre-Paul was an interesting draft pick by a team with other needs, but it shows that the Giants value their pass rush. Osi Umenyiora may have a reduced role this year but he is a supreme pass rusher as he led the Giants with seven sacks last season. The linebacking core is an experienced group and should still be very productive, especially behind the emotional player Keith Bulluck. The secondary will be forced to step up this season, as quarterbacks will need to get rid of the ball quickly against their pass rush. I like the tandem at safety of Antrel Rolle and Kenny Phillips. Both safeties are athletic and can make strong decisions when the ball is in the air. I don’t see the Giants defense as dominant, but they should be able to keep the offense in each and every one of their games.
Special Teams:
K- Lawrence Tynes
P- Matt Dodge
KR- Danny Ware
PR- Aaron Ross
BREAKDOWN: Matt Dodge is a relatively unknown punter as he fills the spot of Jeff Feagles, who seemed as if he punted for the Giants for the last three decades. Dodge was drafted in the last round of this year’s draft by the Giants and is known to have a tremendous leg, but his accuracy may be put into question. Lawrence Tynes is a reliable kicker with an 81% career average and going 27 for 32 (84.4%) last year. Danny Ware and Aaron Ross didn’t return many kicks or punts last season and I would be surprised if they still were the returners by week five. Although, Ware shows some strong speed at running back, I don’t think that will translate to the return game.
Next up: Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots
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