2006 New York Jets Preview

2006 preview of the New York Jets football team from MadduxSports.com. Don't forget Maddux's expert handicappers once the 2006 NFL Season gets underway for Expert NFL Picks and be sure to bookmark our Live NFL Point spreads page from 16 quality online sportsbooks updated to the minute so you know you always get the best number.

The Herm Edwards’ era is over. Enter New England’s youthful Belichick protégé Eric Mangini. Great move or foolhardy choice? Only time will tell. There are a lot of question marks on this team.

The first question is-- who will be the quarterback? Chad Pennington (83 ATT, 49 COMP, 2 TDs, 3 INT)? Is Pennington healthy? Backup QB Patrick Ramsey (25 ATT, 15 COMP, 279 YDS,1 TD, 1 INT), defunct from the Redskins, could start. Then there’s second-round pick Kellen Clemens, who can throw the ball a ton.

Classy RB Curtis Martin (220 ATT, 735 YDS, 3.3 AVG, 5 TDs) is back, but he’s showing his age. Perhaps Cedric Houston (81 ATT, 302 YDS, 3.7 AVG, 2 TDs) can offer more output this season?

The receivers are not spectacular but they are serviceable and include Laveranus Coles (73 REC, 845 YDS, 11.6 AVG, 5 TDs) and Justin McCareins (43 REC, 713 YDS, 16.6 AVG, 2 TDs).

The best news on offense is the addition of 4th overall draft pick, tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, and 29th pick, center Nick Mangold. The Jets were wise to take two starting offensive linemen.

Last season, the Jets were 31st in total offense and rushing, 28th in passing and 29th in scoring. They must improve.

The highlight for NY was their pass defense, which was number 2 in the league. But CB Ty Law is gone and so too are his 10 interceptions. (The team had 21 total.) Seahawks star CB Andre Dyson replaces him, hopefully stabilizing that position. The other corner is up for grabs, while the reliable tandem of Kerry Rhodes (SS) and Erik Coleman (FS) are back with one and two years experience respectively.

At linebacker, Pro Bowler Jonathan Vilma anchors that squad, while the defensive line will miss John Abraham who was traded to Atlanta. This team was 29th against the rush and may be in the same place this season.

2006 New York Jets Predictions

The Jets have a tough schedule that includes the Pats, Colts and Miami in the first six weeks. September 24th against Buffalo will say a lot about how good or bad this team is. The Jets have a lot of questions marks and probably won't be playoff bound this season, we peg them 3rd in the AFC East in 2006.

For more information on the Jets division rivals check out the Patriots, Dolphins, and Bills season previews from Maddux Sports.

For more info and news on the 2006 New York pro football team visit the Jets NFL.com section.