Editor's note: As offseason work across the league comes to an end, the focus is shifting to the steamy summer workouts ahead. The countdown to training camps has begun. To get you fully primed for the preseason and beyond, Sporting News provide in-depth looks at all 32 teams leading into camps. Today: New York Jets. Thursday: Miami Dolphins.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J.â€"The New York Jets’ 2011 season ended infamously with moody wide receiver Santonio Holmes being yanked from a loss at Miami because he was arguing with teammates. The Jets’ offseason program of 2012 ended with Holmes missing all of a mandatory minicamp with a hamstring tweak, after he had pulled himself out of the team’s final voluntary practice.
So when coach Rex Ryan talks about the progress the team made this spring, he apparently isn’t referring to Holmes, who seems to be in a similar place to where he finished 2011.
“I’m excited about how far we’ve come,†Ryan said after the final minicamp practice, referring to how the offensive players have picked up the schemes of new coordinator Tony Sparano.
Maybe so, but the Jets have many potential distractions confronting them that have little to do with X’s and O’s, such as Holmes’ attitude and the ongoing Mark Sanchez-Tim Tebow saga at quarterback. Whether the Jets can avoid potential turmoil will go a long way toward determining how they fare in 2012.
What new: Offense
Sparano has taken over for Brian Schottenheimer, who favored multiple shifts and formations. The new system is a run-oriented scheme with fewer reads for the quarterback, who will be asked to take care of the ball with short passes and occasionally take downfield shots, often with the help of play-action.
The personnel has changed, with running specialist Tebow taking over as Sanchez’s backup. The team has installed myriad Wildcat schemes to take advantage of Tebow’s unique abilities, but can he improve his erratic passing enough to be a viable backup in the base offense?
Second-round pick Stephen Hill likely will replace the departed Plaxico Burress as the starting wideout opposite Holmes. Joe McKnight is penciled in as the third-down back, replacing the retired LaDainian Tomlinson.
What’s new: Defense
There are no major changes per se in the schemes, although Ryan has vowed to become more involved, which likely means he will reclaim some of the play-calling duties from coordinator Mike Pettine.
Linebacker Bart Scott is in the final year of his contract, and Ryan believes he is primed for a bounce-back season after a 2011 in which he was often replaced during passing situations. First-round pick Quinton Coples will start at end, Ryan has said, which means he will replace veteran run-stuffer Mike DeVito, who still will be part of the rotation.
Safety was a weakness last season and still is a question mark because free-agent signee LaRon Landry (Achilles’) was unable to get on the field this spring. Still, the Jets expect him to be ready for opening day.
Camp goals
1. Manage the quarterback situation. The Jets made themselves the dream team for tabloids and talking heads by acquiring Tebow from Denver in March. That came five days after they apparently had taken care of their backup QB situation by signing Drew Stanton, who then was traded to the Colts. The Jets have gone to great lengths to make it clear Sanchez is the starter, but if he should have a shaky game during the preseason, the speculation will begin.
2. Get Holmes involved. The Jets must make Holmes an integral part of the new offense. The biggest reason he was unhappy last season was that Sanchez couldn’t get him the ball consistently, and Ryan’s unwillingness to criticize Holmes’ behavior makes it clear they intend to appease him.
3. Settle the Revis situation. Star corner Darrelle Revis has implied he may hold out because he wants more money in 2012 after signing a front-loaded deal following an acrimonious holdout two years ago. If so, it would be his third contract impasse in six seasons with the team, and the Jets can’t afford to let it linger, given the rest of the potential soap opera issues.
Breakout player: Muhammad Wilkerson, DE
First-round pick Muhammad Wilkerson started at defensive end from Day 1 as a rookie last year, despite not having spring practice because of the lockout. He wasn’t spectacular but was solid and got better at setting the edge on running plays as the season went on.
The Jets believe he can help push the pocket and cause sacks, especially with Coples likely starting opposite him.
“He came in here last year and had a great season,†nose tackle Sione Pouha said. “Muhammad knows that his defensive-line brothers all depend on him. He’s only getting better. … He can cause some disruption.â€
Bottom line
As usual during his tenure, the Jets are banking on Ryan and his people skills. He will need to manage several potentially explosive situations (QB saga, Holmes, etc.), and the fact is he admitted after the 2011 season he had lost the pulse of the locker room.
Can Sparano’s back-to-basics offense put up enough points to compete with the likes of New England? Can the defense return to its earlier form under Ryan? If these questions aren’t answered positively, the Jets likely will miss the playoffs again.
Prediction: Third, AFC East
J.P. Pelzman covers the Jets for the Bergen (N.J.) Record and Sporting News.
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