I've been a bit lax in my Jets coverage (forgive me), but that doesn't mean the team has been quiet. Let's do a quick rundown on what's been going on in the land of Green.
Getting more defensive depth. The Jets have been very active in picking up defensive players this offseason and they landed another defender on March 25, signing cornerback
Donald Strickland to a reported three-year deal. Strickland has spent the past three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and finished with 23 tackles and five passes defensed in 13 games last year as the team's nickel back. Strickland is a six-year pro and also played for the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles. The move to grab Strickland came after cornerback
Corey Ivy signed with the Cleveland Browns on March 19. The Jets were in hot pursuit of the former Baltimore Raven, but he decided to become a member of the Dawg Pound. The Jets also brought in former Raven Samari Rolle for a visit. No word if Rolle is still on the team's radar.
Draft notes. I'm not a draft guru by any means, but I would be shocked if the Jets select a quarterback with their first pick. I've seen a few mock drafts that have USC quarterback Mark Sanchez or Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman going to the Green and White at No. 17. I don't see it happening. I don't think Sanchez will fall that far and I don't think the Jets would be wise to choose Freeman if he's available. The Jets already have three young QBs -- what are they supposed to do with another one? Doesn't make sense to me. With Thomas Jones wanting to rework his contract and Leon Washington in the final year of his, I think the Jets will shoot for a running back at No. 17.
Jets Confidential had a superb breakdown of the top players in this year's draft and their top 3 running backs are Georgia's Knowshon Moreno, Ohio State's Chris "Beanie" Wells and Pittsburgh's LeSean McCoy. The Jets also need help at the wide receiver position and JC lists Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree at the top (surprise, surprise), followed by Jeremy Maclin from Missouri and Florida's Percy Harvin. All three will likely be gone by the time the Jets hit the clock, but ya never know. Things can get wacky during the NFL draft.
Escape from New Jersey. This was supposed to be the first full-year for the Jets at their brand-new training complex in
Florham Park, N.J. Well, it looks like that's not gonna happen. Rex Ryan wants to take the team to an "isolated environment" in order to prepare for the regular season. Unless Ryan plans on taking the Jets to Siberia, I'm not sure how secluded he thinks it will get. The media will follow the team no matter where they decide to hold training camp. Possible destinations include Cornell, in Ithaca, N.Y., and SUNY Cortland, in Cortland, N.Y. The only people that will be isolated are the Jersey fans who were looking forward to watching the guys in green this summer. Not only will the Jets not train in Jersey, but their new complex in Florham Park doesn't have dorms for the players or bleachers around the five fields for fans to watch practice. Unacceptable.
Sometimes you just have to shake your head.
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