Taking the Pulse of Gang Green Nation: Turn on the Jets

We're continuing our series interviewing Jets writers today. Joe Caporoso of Turn on the Jets was kind enough to answer five questions about where he feels the team stands entering training camp.

1. If you could go back to January, would Rex Ryan be your first choice to coach to 2009 Jets. If the answer is no, who would you choose? Eric Mangini? Somebody else?
 
If I could go back to January, Rex Ryan wouldn’t have been the first person that came to my mind. I thought Eric Mangini took the fall for Brett Favre’s terrible play down the stretch, however didn’t think a change was the worst thing in the world. Originally, I was interested in the big names like Bill Cowher and Steve Spagnuolo but when those didn’t work out, I had no problem with the selection of Ryan. I would have been disappointed if Brian Schottenheimer was named the head coach because he didn’t deserve a promotion and when Ryan was hired, he seemed like the best guy for the job.

2. What are your thoughts on the offseason the team had? What did you like? Is there anything you wish the front office had done differently?
 
I think the Jets had a good, but not great off-season. I loved the job they did with their defense and believe Bart Scott, Jim Leonhard, and Lito Sheppard will all be upgrades at their respective positions. Also Scott, Leonhard, and Marques Douglas will help with the transition into a new defensive scheme since they are familiar with Rex Ryan. I was a big fan of the Mark Sanchez trade because the Jets didn’t give up any future picks, just three backup caliber players for a potential franchise quarterback. I like Shonn Greene but thought the Jets gave up too much to move up for him. This team had too many holes (OL depth, WR, TE, DL depth) to only add three players through the draft and no offensive players of note through free agency

3. What scares you the most entering the season?
 
Most of my major concerns are on the offensive side of the football. I am scared of prolonged holdouts by Thomas Jones and Leon Washington impacting the development of the offense during training camp. I am scared of Mark Sanchez struggling his rookie season when he inevitably becomes the starter. I am scared of a major injury on the offensive line that could hurt our running game and our franchise QB’s health. I am also worried that we have 1 NFL capable tight end on our roster.

4. The biggest difference between the 2008 Jets and the 2009 Jets will be...
 
The coaching style and attitude of the players. The Jets will be a more aggressive group of players that play with a little more swagger than they did in 2008 and also now have a coach who isn’t shy around the media and won’t force his players to be shy with them either. I think you will see more pressure/big plays from the defense and a offense that runs the ball even more than they did the previous year, with a significant bump in touches to Leon Washington and Dustin Keller.

5. Will the Jets make the Playoffs if they stay healthy?
 
I can’t hold myself to a yes or no answer yet, but I will say that I believe if they stay healthy they will be playing meaningful games in late December, meaning they will be right in the mix for a playoff spot. A healthy Jets team will have 9-11 wins.