Last season for the Jets was a disaster to say the least.  The team was in such disarray, they were heavy competition for most disappointing franchise with the New York Knicks… now, that’s pretty bad.  So, with QB Chad Pennington hurt and lost for most of the season, perennial All Pro C Kevin Mawae injured, and RB Curtis Martin showing his age, drastically performing the complete opposite way he’s had previously in his career, it all added up to a very sorry offense.

So, how did the Jets improve offensively?  They drafted QB Matt Leinart… umm, oops.  No they didn’t.  Instead, with the fourth overall pick, the Jets drafted OL D’Brickashaw Ferguson, passing up on Leinart who could have stepped in as the QB of the future for the Jets, if not the present.

However, despite passing up on the more high profile player in Leinart, who would have been killed since the Jets didn’t have an O-Line, drafting Ferguson and C Nick Mangold later in the first round was an excellent way to get the offense back on track.  Both were graded as the top two blockers before the draft and that kind of ability will only help with protecting the QB and opening holes. 

However, the offense will still be in trouble with former golden boy Pennington, coming off of back-to-back seasons of surgeries on his throwing shoulder.  Patrick Ramsey was traded for from the Washington Redskins, but don’t look for him to be any better.  The Jets have to hope that rookie Kellen Clemens develops and eventually becomes a starter.

The defense has some talent all over the place with DL Shaun Ellis, DeWayne Robertson, LB Jonathan Vilma, and FS Erik Coleman.  It’ll be interesting to see how the defensive front seven adjusts to the switch from a 4-3 base to a 3-4.  Will Vilma be able to shed blockers and still make tackles the way he did in his second season?  How good will DE/LB Bryan Thomas be coming off the edge?  Listen, if there’s anyone that can make a defense work, it’s a former Bill Belichick defensive coordinator, which Jets head coach Eric Mangini used to be with the New England Patriots.

So far, the new regime of Mangini and GM Mike Tannenbaum have done well with a very successful draft.  There is no question this will be a rebuilding season for the Jets, but I think they’ll do surprising well.  It may not be this season, okay it definitely won’t be this season, but either next season or the season after, the Jets will be serious contenders again.