Mike Dussault

Rivalries are what take being a fan to the next level. If I felt the same way I feel about the Bills about the rest of the Patriots opponents it’d make for a pretty boring season. That is why I’m a big fan of hating the Jets.

I’m never one to get on the Jets or their fans saying things like “see, they’re obsessed with us!?” and I really hope that my Jets fan frenemies out there enjoy the attention I pay to their team just as I enjoy the attention they pay to mine.

With that said let’s talk a little about the Jets off-season. Patriots fans might as well get used to the Jets pursuing just about every big name Free Agent that hits the market. That’s how they build their team. But they’ve also done a good job locking up key pieces for the long term. David Harris, Revis, Mangold, and Turd Ferguson aren’t going anywhere.

But there are some moves that have me scratching my head that are a result from needing to constantly sign free agents and get people to restructure their deals to fit more free agents.

If the Jets lose Shaun Ellis, Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery they’ll be without three players who played huge roles in them defeating the Pats in the playoff game.

Ellis is the one that leaves me scratching my head the most. Rex has already said he expects rookie Muhammad Wilkerson to start, that’s a bold prediction for a rookie who’s been practicing for a week. Supposedly they’ll only offer Ellis a one year deal.

The Achilles heel for the Jets remains their depth, that’s the Achilles Heel for any team that is built primarily through Free Agency. We saw some evidence of that in their preseason last year when their 2s and 3s were getting slaughtered.

I have a ton of respect for Rex Ryan as a football coach and I’ve said from the first time that he opened his piehole that I love what he brings to the rivalry. But the 2011 Jets will be a new team, and they will have holes. Whether or not that Patriots can exploit those holes will remain unknown until week five.