Wednesday, August 25, 2010

The Latest

Sorry about the long delay between posts, but I've been preoccupied with real-life over the last few weeks to the point that I haven't had time for pro football or MMA or just about anything else.

Over the last few weeks, we've seen the training camp and the preseason crawl by with little to focus on. For the Jets, the Revis hold-out saga continues with little in the way of concrete information about a resolution. Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlinshaw made news on Sunday when he claimed that "credible sources" had informed him that Revis would be reporting to camp by Wednesday, and that a new deal was imminent, but no one has been able to confirm that story and Cowlinshaw looks like a fool at this point, at best.

As for what's taking place on the field, the Jets first-team defense has looked pretty solid, and it looks like the secondary is adjusting to life without Revis. The defensive starters gave up one big play against the Giants, and smacked the Carolina Panthers' starters last Saturday night.

The offense is a different story. We have yet to demonstrate we can run the ball with the same effectiveness we did last season, and I have been thoroughly unimpressed with Mark Sanchez thus far. Like most Jet fans, I really want Sanchez to excel, and I'm looking for any proof that he's showing the improvement necessary to legitimately make the 2010 squad contenders down the road. However, I'm still seeing a young QB with happy feet in the pocket, a guy who forces the ball in the middle of the field, and a terrible ballhandler.

Ballhandling is one of the most underrated skills of a good quarterback. When your QB drops into play-action, he should have the ability to freeze the secondary in the middle of the field. He doesn't have to be a Houdini who makes the free safety take several steps in the wrong direction while faking out the cameraman (like Chad Pennington did when he was at his best), but it shouldn't be obvious to a guy on his couch (like me) that it's a fake before he even reaches the tailback. A good QB should look the same on a seven-step drop, whether it's run or play-action. Sanchez looks like he's anxious as can be, like he wants to score 4 touchdowns on each throw. Perhaps Brian Schottenheimer should slip him a sedative before Friday night's tilt against the Redskins to calm his ass down.

I'm not hung up on the numbers Sanchez puts up in the preseason, I just want to see the development in action on the field, the type of development that experience should bring. And I'm still waiting, by and large. Regardless of what happens with Revis, the Sanchez issue controls the Jets' destiny this season. If he doesn't progress significantly, no defense will be strong enough to make us legit contenders.

At least we had some good news this week, as the Jets made Nick Mangold the highest-paid center in the league, giving him roughly $55 million for 7 years. Mangold is our best lineman, and is headed to Canton if he can keep up the pace he's established as a young player. He is also a true leader, a guy who was in the walk year of his deal, yet came to camp because he knew his presence would help whoever won the left guard competition in camp. He took the responsibility that a leader must shoulder, putting the needs of the team before his immediate financial gain. If Mangold isn't one of your favorite Jets, he damn well should be.

Are you listening, Darrelle?

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