A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
Jets Brass Blowing It

During the Terry Bradway era, the Jets consistently neglected their offensive line, and let talented offensive linemen like Randy Thomas and Kareem McKenzie leave as free agents after the 2002 and 2004 playoff seasons.

With Bradway's replacement by Mike Tannenbaum and Tannenbaum's selection of D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold in the 2006 draft, it looked as though the neglect of the Bradway regime was a thing of the past. While the selection of Ferguson at #4 was questionable, it certainly appeared that the Jets finally recognized the importance of their offensive line.

Alas, since the first round of last year's draft, the Jets have reverted to neglecting their offensive line. They have brought nobody of any talent in as a free agent, and their only selection of an OL in the 2007 draft was their sixth round pick of Jacob Bender.

After a mediocre rookie season, Ferguson has struggled this pre-season, making the left side of the line a mess in light of the trading of ex-left guard Pete Kendall on Thursday.

The Kendall sideshow that led to his trade is reflective of another Tannenbaum failure. Kendall is essentially an average guard nearing the end of his career, so that the Jets refusal to acquiesce to his demands to renegotiate his contract were not inherently unreasonable. What is unacceptable, however, is that due to the front office's neglect, there is not a single player on the Jets roster capable of replacing Kendall. Instead, the Jets are left to hope that someone will be released by another team and immediately step in to shore up Chad Pennington's blindside.

It is ultimately pathetic that after trading for Thomas Jones and giving Jones a large contract, the Jets offense looks like it will be going nowhere because its line can neither run block nor pass protect. Under those circumstances, Jones will have little chance to gain yardage between the tackles, neither Pennington nor backup Kellen Clemens will be able to sustain a serious passing attack, and the talents of wide receivers Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery will be wasted.
posted on 8/26/2007