Clowney & Smith; The Future Of The NYJ Receiving Corps?

by Xander Diaz on May 1, 2009 12:40 PM EDT Comment 6 comments

The Star-Ledger is reporting that the New York Jets will go into the 2009 season with WR's David Clowney & Brad Smith. Apparently, the franchise decided against drafting a wideout based on the feeling that these two could and would be their guys. According to the report, the Jets general manager, Mike Tannenbaum, and the organization feel either one, possibly even both, of these two young men have the potential to be big time contributors in the offense.

Really?

Didn't we just learn that Tannenbaum made calls to Drew Rosenhaus in regards to Plaxico Burress and his legal 'situation'? What about all the talk about seeking deals for the likes of an Anquan Boldin or Braylon Edwards? Something about this screams smoke-screen to me. After all, Mike Tannenbaum and the Jets have basically been lying through their collective teeth, not only to the media, but to fans as well.

Time after time, we were told there would be a QB competition for the starting job. Rex Ryan painted a pretty rosy picture for us at this years NFL owners meeting:

"I feel good about our quarterback situation. Everyone seems to think we have major issues there. I don’t think the situation is what people think it is. I think we’re going to be just fine. As I look at our offense, if we don’t have the best offensive line in the league, I think we’re certainly in that mix. We have one of the best offensive line coaches in the league, if not the best, in Bill Callahan. That’s a great foundation right there.

We have two Pro Bowl running backs in Leon Washington and Thomas Jones. We have a former Pro Bowl fullback in Tony Richardson. We’ve got a great receiver in [Jerricho] Cotchery. We’ve got a tight end that scares the heck out of defenses in Keller. I think we’ve got plenty of weapons on offense. I’d like to be the quarterback for those guys." - Rex Ryan

The reality was that the Jets were working the phones trying to land Jay Cutler, flying out to Manhattan Kansas to work out Josh Freeman all while schmoozing Mark Sanchez. Later reports have them planning on making a play for Mark Sanchez as early as March. Now the organization would have us believe that David Clowney & Brad Smith, two players who have had seriously limited playing time, will round out our experience challenged receiving corps?

Like many of you, I believe that Jericho Cotchery has earned the right to start but as far as Chansi Stuckey, David Clowney & Brad Smith are concerned, I am not entirely convinced they are quite ready for prime time. Out of the three, I am inclined to lean towards Stuckey. While he has all of 2 starts under his belt, Chansi did show some excellence early on last year. Let's not even mention Marcus Henry in this discussion...the Jets certainly aren't saying much about him. All in all, this team needs to find a replacement for Lavernues Coles and don't you believe for one second that the Jets don't know it.

In light of the over-all game plan to run the ball down everyone's throat, a defense stretching, play-maker is of the utmost importance. According to reports out of ESPN, head coach Rex Ryan wants to implement a 'no more than 30' passes per game scheme. Basically, he wants to mimic the scheme that brought Ravens head coach John Harbaugh success with Joe Flacco in Baltimore. The Ravens and Joe Flacco were 11-2 in games where he threw the rock 30 times or less in the 2008 season. I love the plan but no running game can be successful until you have an established air game. That's just football 101.

Dave Hutchinson reports that his sources claim the Jets plan going into training camp will go something like this; if neither Clowney or Smith steps up during the offseason program and the mandatory June minicamp, the Jets will then seriously consider trading for a veteran wide receiver or signing a veteran off the street. I would look for the Jets to make a play for Braylon Edwards. Edwards is certainly the kind of player who commands respect from opposing defenses. Don't count out moves for Plaxico Burress, Anquan Boldin or even Marvin Harrison who is still floating around out there.

I'm not too sure how I feel about the possibility of having a Plaxico Burress on the team. He is certainly a dynamic player who would bolster our offense from day one. An honest to God difference maker, he definitely has the on field experience I would love to have around my younger less experienced players. I wish that was all there was to consider when talking about Burress. His well documented insubordination and recent legal woes make him a bitter pill to swallow. I find it hard to believe that he and a man like Rex Ryan could have a successful working relationship. I mean seriously...does Ryan look like a man who jives well with prima donnas? Me thinks not. Having said that, it will be hard to let him slip away if he is eligible and available to us. He's that good.

No team in the league would pass on Boldin if they could afford him and I'm sure the team from NY will cast their lot in that lottery should Arizona not find a way to keep their man.

One way or the other, I suspect the Jets will make at least one more major move for a wide receiver before the start of preseason play.

Xander Diaz is Editor-In-Chief for AFCBeast.com

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David Clowney

I think Clowney should be given a good look. He was hurt in a pre season game last year. He looked good until he was injured. He has speed and good hands. Hopefully he gets a good look in training camp. I go with David C. as the Jets wide receiver in 2010.

by GSauerJr on May 1, 2009 4:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree that Clownys good...

But I wouldnt mind trading next years first for Boldin if given the chance, hes to good to pass up

by Civardi on May 1, 2009 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

+ 1

Boldin would complete this offense

by CardsDefense on May 5, 2009 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

"no running game can be successful until you have an established air game. That's just football 101."?... strongly disagree!

I would say the most successful offenses are run priority and use that to set up the play action pass and long pass game. A stud wr isnt as important to the Jets if they are going to implement the type of O the Ravens had last year. The Ravens didnt have one. They had an aging Derrick Mason (who i’ve always loved) and Todd Heap. Its arguable that the Jets have a better overall wr corps than that now. I think finding our replacment at de may be more important than bringing in some “sexy wr”.

by Ozone on May 1, 2009 7:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't doubt that the Jets would like to trade and sign as many star players as

it takes to sell all the PSL’s they can, but the salary cap won’t allow them to become the Yankees. I haven’t heard anyone explain how the Jets would fit Boldin or Edwards under the cap. With what little cap space remains, the Jets need to be watching for other teams’ cuts to help fill the holes that weren’t filled in the draft – TE and depth on both lines.

Ironically, WR is one of the Jets’ deepest positions and one of their best opportunities to develop some talent without using much cap space. Coaching up the youngsters into productive players will have a lot to do with how good the offense can be. Hopefully Stuckey and Clowney will step up. They don’t have to be great, just decent, to replace what Coles produced last year.

The Jets are a few players from becoming a Superbowl contender and a couple injuries from disaster. If a couple guys on the Oline go down, it may not matter who starts at WR. We really have quality depth at only a couple positions, and injuries could quickly wreck this season.

by ClipCat on May 2, 2009 2:20 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You make a fantastic point.

Especially when talking about depth at position and injuries. As to the salary cap, I think that is why you could see a Marvin Harrison come in. He might be a whole lot easier to get in under the cap for a year. I have been wondering about the TE position but then I read coach Ryan said he thought nothing of using a lineman as a blocking TE which I find that rather interesting. Of course, none of that addresses our needs for quality depth at the lines.

Xander is a staff writer for AFCBeast.com - The Best Damn Jets Fan Site Ever!

by Xander Diaz on May 2, 2009 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs