Let’s talk about Brunell first.  The first thought is that if Sanchez were to go down, we would be in trouble anyway, so it doesn’t matter if David Klingler is the backup QB.  Looking at the available QB’s on the market, who else were the Jets going to bring in?  JaMarcus Russell?  So they bring in a high-character vet who can tutor #6.  I also like this move from the standpoint of QBing style.  Brunell in his prime was mobile, creative, and an accurate passer (not to mention a great leader).  I say Sanchez’ ceiling is higher than Brunell’s, but I really think Brunell can help Sanchez harness his frenetic style into becoming an elite QB.  I love this signing from that standpoint.

Also, let’s say Sanchez does miss some time.  Does Brunell perform any WORSE than Sanchez’ 12 TD/20 INT season from a year ago?  Probably not.  In this worst-case scenario the passing game takes a small step back as a whole and the Jets revert back a little more to last season’s Ground and Pound, rather than this season’s version which was only going to be slightly more pass-friendly.  Still it wasn’t like we were going to be The Greatest Show on Turf 2.

Finally- it gives the team a little more direction and actually puts the Franchise firmly in Sanchez’ hands.  Remember, only a year ago this was an open competition.  Not that anyone was calling for Clemens to get the call again this year, but after Sanchez the pecking order has been a mess.  Now the roles are clear- Brunell is the backup and Clemens/Ainge/O’Connell are all competing to be #3.  Next season, I would expect Brunell to continue as the #3 while the Jets bring in a fresher backup (and maybe Brunell will parlay that into a QB Coach position with the Jets after that).  Bringing order to the depth chart was a smart move- for this season and for Sanchez’ future.

Laveranues Coles is one of my favorite Jets of all time.  The way his career happened just felt like what would happen to an underdog Jet.  Remember- he was kicked off Florida State’s team for his role in the team’s shoplifting scandal, while Peter Warrick remained a star.  Warrick went on to accomplish nothing as a pro, and Coles was one of the best in the league for a period of time.  While those days are over, I have a lot of respect for Coles with his return to the Green and White.  He even said he knows he might be off the roster after Santonio Holmes’ 4-game suspension.  I personally hope he is able to stick around after that, although I am not sure if he’s ever been a Special Teams player or has a desire to be one.  I just want him on the roster when we hoist the Lombardi this year.  A side note: a lot of people are feeling bad for David Clowney, as this might put his roster spot in jeopardy.  Not me.  How many chances has that guy gotten to be an effective player for the Jets?  He could have been the #2 WR last year, but wasn’t able to make it happen.  When Holmes was acquired, he famously tweeted that he didn’t know what more he could do.  Well- the answer is you can make a couple plays during the regular season, not just the preseason.

In summary, these were good moves for depth and leadership.  Brunell and Coles don’t have to play like they did 10 years ago, they just need to make an impact any way they can- on and off the field.

Things have gone from embarrassing to down-right career-threatening for Joe McKnight.  In rookie camp, it was reported that McKnight couldn’t make it through any drills without puking his brains out.  Ok, so you give the kid the benefit of the doubt in his first taste of the pros.  SURELY, he will work out as hard as he can to be ready for Training Camp, right?  Wrong.

McKnight failed his conditioning test yesterday.  I can understand when Terrence Cody or Albert Haynesworth fail a conditioning test (sort of).  These guys are really, really, really fat.  Joe McKnight is a RB with a chance to play a role on a Super Bowl contending team!  I know he took a paycut coming to the Jets from USC, but you would hope the kid would be a little more motivated than this.

Right now, it looks like Brian McKnight has a better chance of being the change-of-pace back than Joe McKnight.

This week in meaningless rankings…

Don Banks ranks the Jets as the best team in the league heading into camp.

And it’s a backhanded compliment if I’ve ever heard one.  Really, somehow he makes it sound like the Jets are doomed.  Or maybe he believes in the power of the jinx, and is trying to use it.  If you want analysis of the Jets battle at Left Guard, look elsewhere.  In an interview with Dan Patrick, Banks pretty much said he put the Jets here to be different, and because the Jets have been “talking big”.

I’m really glad Banks decided to “play along” and add to the “self-created pressure” here.  And of course, we better not dare play the underdog role anymore!  That would be audacious after our off-season “spree”.

The main problem I have is the repetition of this team being built to “win NOW”.  That is a veiled insult that sportswriters love to use for some reason.  First of all, the Jets are not built to win only NOW (something I have talked about a lot in this space).  Secondly- isn’t the point to win NOW?  Should Mike Tannenbaum deliver a press release saying he’s traded the roster for draft picks and say, “Well, we are really going to suck for the next 5 years, but we will be awesome in the future.  Of course, the ‘future’ will eventually become ‘now’, and we can’t have that!”

And I actually think Don Banks is GREAT!  It just always seems to be the same kind of coverage surrounding the Jets (more front-office than on the field).  Maybe that is the world the Jets have created.  Maybe I’m just bitter.

I just want the season to start so our Gang Green can start shutting people up!

End of rant.

So, my question today is what NFL Franchise has a chance to be a dynasty in the Teens?  A dynasty in today’s terms really means  3 championships in the decade, and prolonged success throughout the decade.  As the current CBA situation brews, we don’t know what kind of league we will have after this season…so here’s a chance to project the future going by the current standards.

When you look at all of those teams, there are a few things they all had in common: a Franchise QB, a dominant defense, at last one offensive homerun hitter, and an elite head coach.

While I am not sure there is a team that currently has all of those pieces (the Saints are probably the closest), to me there are 5 teams today that are in contention to be the next dynasty in this league…and yes, the Jets are one of them.  Some of them have young QB’s who project to be franchise players, and head coaches who are in their first few years who project to become great ones.  We’ll have to see.  Here are my 5 candidates:

NY Jets: Obviously I’m going here.  While the Jets have added a lot of pieces they will lose, they will keep a core of elite players together for a long time.  (See an earlier post on this very topic here).  But Rex Ryan looks like the right coach, and Mark Sanchez seems like the right QB, who is doing all the right things.  The missing piece right now is the homerun hitter on offense.  It might be Shonn Greene, it might be Santonio Holmes…we don’t know yet.  All of the talk surrounding the Jets has anything less than a Super Bowl win as a failure.  Good- I agree with that and love high standards.  But if something goes wrong (i.e. Mark Brunell takes ANY snaps this year), the core is going to be back in 2011, or after any lockout.

New Orleans Saints: Already the front-runner having won the first Lombardi of the Teens.  Drew Brees is the oldest QB out of any of the teams I’ll be talking about, but he seems to have another great 3-5 seasons in him.  If the Saints can add two more championships by the time he slows down, expect a Disney movie starring Dennis Quaid as Sean Peyton, overcoming his pill addiction, and Sandra Bullock as Mrs. Brees to not be far behind.  The thing about the Saints is that it was their Defense that won it for them last year.  They’ve added some nice pieces in the secondary over the last few years, and project to have one of the better D’s in the league for the next few seasons.

Baltimore Ravens: Weird thing about the Ravens- they might have one of the best OFFENSES in the league for the next decade.  They have a franchise left tackle, a franchise QB, and one of the most explosive backs in the league.  Add that to the culture of playing great defense that is embedded in their franchise, and one of the best young coaches in the league in John Harbaugh, the sky is the limit for this team for years to come.  Yes, they have some secondary issues going into this season, but I expect that to get corrected either from the draft or through free agency (I don’t know what corner wouldn’t want to play on that defense).

Green Bay Packers: The question mark here is the head coach.  Mike McCarthy seems good at improving young players to a point, but the Packers have had some teams over the last couple of seasons that have completely underachieved, especially in the playoffs.  I’m not going to write him off completely though- he has the best Quarterback in Fantasy Football, a slew of offensive playmakers, and a budding defense.  If the Packers can develop a young corner to eventually replace  Charles Woodson, the second-best defensive player in the league in 2009, they will be set for a while.

Detroit Lions: Yes, I know.  But this isn’t a joke.  Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, and Ndamakung Suh are three franchise players…and each could eventually be the best at their position in the NFL.  Jim Schwartz is only going into his second season, but you can see he is already changing the culture.  He also has a winner’s personality, along with a sense of humor that will keep his young team relaxed.  He was once quoted in Sports Illustrated (paraphrasing here), “Some people use the internet to watch adult videos, I go on YouTube and watch Jahvid Best highlights.  That’s what gets me excited.”  Look, the Lions have a a great number of issues, especially on the line- but they appear headed in the right direction.  If they live up to my potential-dynasty billing it will likely be in the last half of the decade.  But they can get there.

Anyone I left off?

The Jets have grabbed most of the headlines this off-season, and the thing I heard and read over and over again is that the Jets are “making a run”, and “there’s no way they can re-sign everyone after this season.”  Both are true…but they are not mutually exclusive.  If anything is clear to me it is that, yes, the Jets are making a run to the Super Bowl and can’t re-sign everyone…but they are building a contender for the long haul, not just 2010.

First, let’s take a look at what the Jets did this past weekend as evidence of this “add pieces to make a run to Dallas, yet build for the future” model:

• Joe McKnight and John Connor: Leon Washington, a fan favorite for good reasons, was not part of the long-term plans.  A 28-year old coming off an injury and looking for a bigger payday, there was just no way Washington was going to ever become a guy who would take a significant number of carries from Shonn Greene.  So, the Jets drafted a cheaper (but potentially as explosive) alternative in Joe McKnight, who can spend his rookie year getting 0-5 touches a game until he’s ready to take on more responsibility.  They then used the pick they got for Washington to grab the best fullback in the draft in John Connor, who will be the starter next season when Tony Richardson retires.

• Vladimir Ducasse: Alan Faneca, another popular player among fans and teammates, was also not going to be a Jet past this season.  The reason?  He was the weak link last season, and we are better served in the long-term by letting Matt Slauson or 2nd-round behemoth  Ducasse develop into the answer at guard.
• Kyle Wilson was close to being the #7 pick in the draft and everyone agrees that getting him at 29 was a coup.  Now, the Jets have a guy ready to be our nickelback immediately, and possibly be our #2 CB if Cromartie is a goner at the end of the year.

Those 4 picks should be contributors, or even starters, for the next half-decade, perhaps even longer.  Next, let’s look at how the “hired guns” fit, or don’t fit in to the long-term plans.

• Antonio Cromartie: Already discussed, but if he doesn’t fit under the cap in 2011, Wilson looks like he might even be an upgrade at CB2 if he develops as expected.
• LaDanian Tomlinson: He probably will last 1 year, 2 years tops.  A great addition in the short-term, and not an answer in the long-term.  However, if Greene and Tomlinson can handle a 20-15 carry split this year, there’s no reason that next season can’t look something like 22-9-9 with Tomlinson and McKnight sharing the backup duties.  If not, McKnight should be ready to be the backup in ’11, and for a while after that.
• Santonio Holmes: Jets Nation knows that 2010 will basically be an audition for the Jets WR1 of the future between Holmes and Edwards.  Both will play hard this year to earn the big payday, but the other will most likely be done.  In the short-term 2 great receivers will push each other.  In the long-term this team will have a Pro-Bowl caliber #1 target for Sanchez.
• Jason Taylor: Well, there’s no real way to sugarcoat this one.  He is a hired mercenary to help the team get to a Super Bowl this year.

The point is, the core of the team will be here for a long time.  Mark Sanchez, Nick Mangold, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Shonn Greene, David Harris, Darrelle Revis, and Kyle Wilson will be the Jets core going forward, and every year the organization will complement these guys.  That is a pretty freakin’ good core of players.

Take a look at the projected starters for 2011.

QB- Sanchez

RB/FB- Greene/Connor

WR: Holmes/Jerricho Cotchery

TE: Dustin Keller

LT/LG/C/RG/RT: Ferguson/Ducasse/Mangold/Brandon Moore/2011 Draft Pick

LE/DT/RE: 2011 Draft Pick or FA/Jenkins/2011 Draft Pick or FA

LB’s: Pace/Harris/Scott/Westerman

CB’s and Safeties: Revis & Wilson/Leonhard and 2011 Draft Pick or FA

Except for the Defensive Line, age is not an issue.  There will be some needs there that the team will have to draft or sign, and adding a safety would be a good idea of Poole can’t avoid injury.

So, while everyone is saying the Jets are trying to win a Super Bowl this year, they are absolutely right.  But the rest of the league would be making a huge mistake to think the Jets won’t be contenders for years to come with the core they have in place.

I’m not one of you, but I just posted a lengthy analysis on why your team shouldn’t be interested in Adalius Thomas. Here’s a little expansion for you:

1) Jason Taylor. You already got an over-the-hill pass rusher in Jason Taylor. Granted, I would rather have AD too, but the ink is already dry on the contract for your former nemesis. I was trying to think of a Baltimore corrolary, and I’m pretty certain it’s if the Ravens picked up Hines Ward. I just threw up in my cereal.

2) He’s not a corner. Picking up AD would seem a lot like taking Kyle Wilson in the first round. Wilson was a coup; sure you signed the Cromartie Family(ies), but the reason you weren’t in the Super Bowl last season was a lack of corners. “Loaded at Corner” means having three cover guys, which you do now. “Loaded at Pass Rusher” means two. You got them already.

3) He’s not that good. Belichick doesn’t cut bad players. He just doesn’t.

4) You have Rex Ryan. This is maybe the most important point I can make. You’ve only got one season with the soon to be formerly fat man, we had nine. Similar to the points I make in my other post about Ray Lewis making everyone around him seem like a Pro Bowler, Ryan doesn’t need great players to rush the passer. To sort of rip off a line from Apollo 13, Rex could take a washing machine and get it eight and a half sacks. That’s why the Jason Taylor deal is so puzzling to me. Everyone on the team becomes a pass-rush specialist because Rex’s scheme, not the talent, creates sacks, hurries and hits (see Leonhard, Jim). Getting Thomas wouldn’t improve anything and at best put 32-year-old legs in a place where an undrafted rookie could do just as well. Before you get all giddy about adding someone your division rival thinks can’t play anymore, take a look at the facts.

See you Week 1. I’ll be there.

10:30- Ready to begin the new hour with one team in the way of the Jets pick.  Kindle, Odrick, Hughes, Wilson all in play.  Or do Trader Mike and Rex have a surprise in store?

10:32- 28th PICK, MIAMI DOLPHINS SELECT: JARED ODRICK, DT, PENN STATE: I liked Odrick all along, now he can feel free to have a terrible career.  He sucks.  Too bad, kid had a chance.

JETS.

ON.

THE.

CLOCK.

10:34- Everyone thinks the Jets are taking offers for the pick so that a team can grab Claussen.  This has turned out to be a dream scenario for the Jets.  Great players on the board.  Great possibilities for trades.

10:37- 29th PICK, NEW YORK JETS SELECT: KYLE WILSON, CB, BOISE STATE: This is a guy who was arguably the best cornerback in the draft!  Another great cover corner who will play the nickel…and be the #2 CB when Cromartie leaves.  In a division with Moss/Welker and Brandon Marshall having a lot of corners is a good thing…Revis/Wilson might be able to dominate opposing passers for years to come.  I agree with Mike Mayock….TREMENDOUS value for the Jets here.

10:43- Detroit trades up for the Vikings pick and it looks like they’re going RB.  Savvy move by the Lions.

10:45- 30th PICK, DETROIT LIONS SELECT: JAHVID BEST, RB, CALIFORNIA: This is a good move by the Lions who had to replace Kevin Smith.  They still have some work to do on the 0ffensive line, but value is running out there.  If Best works out it will take a lot of pressure off of Stafford and not allow Calvin Johnson to be guarded by 7 defenders.  Still no Jimmy Claussen!

10:53- 31st PICK, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS SELECT: JERRY HUGHES, DE, TCU: One of the guys who I liked for the Jets.  Would have been an OLB for us, but will be a DE for the Colts.  Fast, quick, and as Rosolio said in our podcast, sounds like a used car salesman.  Jerry Hughes Automotive.

10:56- Well, unless the Saints make a trade here, it looks like Jimmy Claussen will go in the second round.  The Rams, Lions, and Bucs don’t need a QB, so I’m sure there will be a move made.  Claussen in the top 10 was a risk…Claussen in the 2nd round is a no-brainer.  If those teams keep the top 3 picks of the second, I would expect JC to become a Redskin.  If they keep the pick, New Orleans can choose the BPA…I would expect Taylor Mays- Especially because Darren Sharper wants to be a Jet.

11:01- 32nd PICK, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS SELECT: PATRICK ROBINSON, DB, FLORIDA STATE: Apparently Robinson might be a corner, he might be a safety.  Everyone talks about this being a passing league now, and if the Saints have any aspirations of a Super Bowl return, they need to keep improving their pass defense.

11:05- That’s a wrap on the first round! I’m looking forward to see what happens with Claussen, as well as Sergio Kindle, and what the Jets do with their second pick.  I really wouldn’t mind making a move up for Kindle, but for now I can go to bed with the knowledge that NOBODY will be able to pass on us next year.

9:32- 19th PICK, ATLANTA FALCONS SELECT: SEAN WEATHERSPOON, OLB, MISSOURI: One of the more pro-ready guys in the draft goes to a team that disappointed last year and is hoping to get back to the playoffs.  In addition to acquiring Dunta Robinson in the off-season they may be on their way to doing so.

9:34- Switching back to NFLN.  The lady doing the voiceovers on the way to commercials is is really freaking me out to much.  The way she just said “Jimmy Clausseeeeeen” is going to keep me up tonight.

9:37- 20th PICK, HOUSTON TEXANS SELECT: KAREEM JACKSON, CB, ALABAMA: Jackson has looked really good in workouts, but surprised to see him go before Kyle Wilson.  Mayock described him as a more physical guy than a one-on-one cover guy.  He’ll have to cover some physical receivers in the AFC South, so the Texans gave him the edge.

9:40- 21st PICK, CINCINNATI BENGALS SELECT: JERMAINE GRESHAM, TE, OKLAHOMA: The best TE in the draft goes, and this is the rare pick that has been slotted correctly since the earliest mocks came out.  Ochocinco, Antonio Bryant, and Gresham are going to give Baltimore and Pittsburgh’s secondaries headaches next season.  I like this pick for the Bengals.

9:42- New England trades down, Denver moves up to 22.  Will we finally see Dez Bryant get picked?  I’m starting to feel bad for the kid.

9:46- 22nd PICK, DENVER BRONCOS SELECT: DEMARYIUS THOMAS, WR, GEORGIA TECH: Thomas becomes the first WR to go.  Considering they just had to get rid of Brandon Marshall, it does make some sense they wouldn’t go with Bryant.  They get a guy who might be just as good, or better, and accumulate a bunch of picks.  Nice work today by the Broncos.  Demaryius Thomas will replace Brandon Marshall and he is already better than Marshall at not hitting women and not being a drive-by shooting target.

9:51- 23rd PICK, GREEN BAY PACKERS SELECT: BRYAN BULAGA, OT, IOWA: A homerun for the Packers.  Bulaga could have gone 5th and nobody would have blinked.  Also, if you gave me a pen and paper and told me to draw a Green Bay Packer, I would draw Bryan Bulaga.

9:57- I can’t believe how many trades there have been.  The Cowboys just moved up to #24…is it possible for there to be a better place for Dez Bryant to end up?

10:01- 24th PICK, DALLAS COWBOYS SELECT: DEZ BRYANT, WR, OKLAHOMA STATE: This is crazy, I mean this is really crazy.  Dez Bryant is unbelievable, and he goes to one of the league’s best offenses.  Michael Irvin even just offered to help mentor him!  Um, Michael, we’ll call you.

10:05- Tim Tebow on the phone with the Broncos.  Tim Tebow was picked before Jimmy Claussen!  Broncos give a boatload of picks to the Ravens for the 25th.

10:09- 25th PICK, DENVER BRONCOS SELECT: TIM TEBOW, QB, FLORIDA: I don’t know if Tebow will pan out.  I am rooting for him (he annoys people but what has he ever done besides win and stand up for what he believes in?)  If he does, the Broncos will have Tebow and Demaryius Thomas as a great combination for years to come.  And getting rid of Brandon Marshall and adding Tim Tebow within a week of each other?  That sends a clear message of where the Broncos want to go.

10:12- I switched over to the ESPN guys to see what they would say about Tebow.  Apparently Jeremy Schapp was assigned to the Tebow house, or he is a Tebow because he was right there, ready to roll for an interview.  Jon Gruden says Tebow will be fine.  Steve Young desperately tried to interrupt, and says for the 100th time tonight that “nobody is open in the NFL”.  Tom Jackson, who has rarely gotten a word in tonight, just looks angry.  He just jumped in yelling “YOU DON’T KNOW IF HE’S GONNA PLAY AT ALL!”  Berman reeled him in, but I really feel like TJ isn’t feeling the chemistry of this team.  Neither am I.

10:17- 26th PICK, ARIZONA CARDINALS SELECT: DAN WILLIAMS, DT, TENNESSEE: I was starting to think Williams might fall to the Jets.  Arizona makes a great pick in not only taking the BPA, but also grabbing a need.  Now we have to wait for both the Patriots and Dolphins to take two players that would be perfect for the Jets.  Not liking this turn of events.

10:19- I’m really starting to wonder about Tom Jackson.  He’s been quiet, and every time one of the ESPN guys is talking, they are saying “Tom” as if to pull him in, but it doesn’t work.  I like Tom Jackson and think he has a lot to offer here…but he is being drowned out by LeBron, Jamison, Shaq, and Delonte West (worthless because suspended).  I want to call Jackson Zydrunas Ilgauskas to complete my Cavaliers analogy…I guess Mortenson is Danny Ferry?  It’s getting late.

10:23- 27th PICK, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS SELECT: DEVIN MCCOURTY, CB, RUTGERS: A guy who I liked on the Jets, but can’t be too disappointed since Kyle Wilson is better and still available if we decide to go corner.  Sergio Kindle, Jerry Hughes, and Jared Odrick are all also there…and at least two of them will still be on the board when the Jets pick.  We just have to wait for the Dolphins to make a terrible pick.

10:25- Switching back to NFLN for the end of this round.  The ESPN guys all clearly hate each other and are jealous of LeBron.  Not winning a championship.