It was tough for me to do those camp write-ups, so those are scrapped. I can’t commit to series things like that, so allow me to try another series. I’m going to do team by team previews in this “cheers and jeers” format. The cheers will talk about why you should like this team this year. The jeers will talk about why you should dislike this team this year. I’ll deliver a final verdict and talk about some of their offseason acquisitions, in a segment I’ll call “New guy that won’t meet expectations and new guy that will meet expectations.”
The teams will be done in a random order, and since I need to do two teams today to get on my schedule that will culminate with kickoff to the first game, I’ll start with two breakout teams of sorts, the Jets and 49ers.
Cheers: Under first year coach Eric Mangini, they managed to make the playoffs last year and beat everyone’s expectations. Considering they did it with almost no running game and an overall inexperienced team, there’s reason to be optimistic in 2007. With Thomas Jones in the fold and the Offensive Line having a year under their belts, the Jets really have a complete offense. They added depth to an average defense with draft picks Darrelle Revis and David Haris. If Chad Pennington can stay healthy for another year, this team could do good things.
Jeers: They stood pat when they should’ve taken the offseason to try and get over the top and get better than the Patriots. Thomas Jones worked best when Cedric Benson got a carry here and there, and the Jets don’t have anyone as good as Benson backing up Jones. They’ll need to get more out of Chad Pennington this year. He needs to find a way to get the ball to his playmakers in Coles and Cotchery again.
On second thought… I thought they overachieved a bit last year, and I don’t know if they’re going to make the playoffs again. I don’t think Pennington will stay healthy, and their QB situation behind him is unsettled. Their defense was solid last year, with some guys rejuvenated in new roles in the new hybrid 3-4 defense. They’ll still be a solid team.
New guy who won’t meet expectations: Darrelle Revis. One of three remaining holdouts, Revis needs to get to camp. He needs to get to practice and get some reps in the Jets defense, because they’ll almost certainly ask him to do more from corner than Pitt did. He has a lot to learn in the NFL, and he’s not helping himself by missing out on his chance to prove himself.
New guy who will meet expectations: Thomas Jones. The Jets had a bad running game last year, so they went out and got one of the most consistent producers over the past couple years in Jones. He’s an immediate upgrade over the slop the Jets already had, and he’ll bring a strong backfield presence that’ll help out the whole offense because he can catch a little too.
Cheers: Alex Smith will lead a generally young offense with one more year of experience, and he should be ready to break out. Along with star RB Frank Gore and an emerging talent in Vernon Davis, the 49ers should have a pretty good offense in 2007. Darrell Jackson is an experienced playmaker that should help out Smith in the passing game. They went out and got help for their defense with guys like Nate Clements, Michael Lewis and first round choice Patrick Willis. Although some will say they overpaid for their free agents, you have to spend money if you want to get better.
Jeers: They made some nice defensive improvements, but they weren’t good enough. They’re still pretty mediocre up front, and they could still do a better job at stopping the run. They still need more depth in the front seven of the 3-4 defense, and it’s their third year in the system, so they should be getting there by now. Offensively, it’s possible that Norv Turner was the key to their success. Without him there getting messages across to Alex Smith, he might falter in his third year.
On second thought… they could surprise some people this year, if they’re expecting the 49ers to be the 49ers of a couple years ago. This is at least an 8-8 team, and they could walk away with the weak NFC West this year. They’re a young team, and they’re pretty good across the board. They really opened the wallets in the offseason, and they’re hoping that the new faces can get this proud franchise back into the playoffs.
New guy who won’t meet expectations: Michael Lewis. I like the guy and thought he got a raw deal with the way Considine played last year, but he doesn’t fit in their defense. They needed to improve their pass defense greatly, and Lewis isn’t the way to do it. He can play the run well, but he’s not very good in coverage. He’ll do some good things for him, but he’s not upgrading their biggest area of need.
New guy who will meet expectations: Darrell Jackson. After TO got his way out, the 49ers have been really unsettled at receiver. Rashaun Woods was a bust, Antonio Bryant didn’t work out and they couldn’t nab Donte Stallworth. On draft day, they made a trade with the rival Seahawks to get
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