With news that the Jets are “serious” about Nnamdi Asomugha many Patriots fans are worried that when combined with Revis the Patriots won’t be able to complete another pass against them. Personally I’m enjoying the ride with the Jets, they continue to prove to be the Ying to the Patriots Yang, and I like that symmetry in the rivalry.
This is how the Tannenbaum-Ryan Jets do business. They build their team through free agency. They are aggressive on the field and off it and right now they are trying to cash in on the capital Rex Ryan as accrued with two successful and loud seasons. They’re hoping stars will take less money and think that they’ll be the missing link to get the Jets over the hump.
However the maneuvering has been surprising as it’s been well documented that the Jets are over the salary cap. Even with the loose cap-allowed $3million dollars to work with, they’ll need to either cut people or get multiple guys to restructure their contracts to open up the kind of space they’d need.
It’s also been well documented how many free agents the Jets have. They need a starting cornerback. They need a starting safety. And they either need a starting defensive end or hope Muhhamad Wilkerson can step in and start.
So yes, on the surface the thought of Revis and Asomugha together is daunting. But when you look at the potential holes or stop gaps that might occur elsewhere in their defense if the Jets have to dedicate another huge chunk of money to another cornerback, it’s not like there won’t be weaknesses to exploit. Especially when you look at the Patriots tight ends and back field.
From a pure football sense the effect of second awesome outside corner could have in Rex Ryan’s defense is intriguing. It would allow them to get away with even more exotic blitz packages.
As for the Patriots, even with Asomugha the Jets will have to figure out how to stop Gronk and Hernando. They are the ones who are going to make the Patriots offense go for the next four years and will be a huge factor to deal with. At some point the Jets will have to find defensive personnel that can match up with those guys.
Who knows how it will all play out, I’m sure we’ll know more in a couple hours.
