It's ironically fitting that the Jets' first-round pick in next Saturday's
NFL Draft is No. 19 overall, because one of their primary objectives is to
fill the void that was left when they traded their own No. 19.
The Jets are a full year removed from one of the most blockbuster and
controversial NFL trades since the Dallas Cowboys-Minnesota Vikings Herschel
Walker deal.
Last offseason, the Jets shipped their prolific and self-confident wide receiver
Keyshawn Johnson, bearer of No. 19 in Jets' green for four seasons after
being picked with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 draft, to the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers for two first-round picks in last April's draft.
With those picks -- and more -- the Jets were never able to come even close to
replacing the production that Johnson brought to them.
|  | | The Jets are hoping that tight end Anthony Becht can step up and have big 2001 season. |
And so, with newly-hired general manager Terry Bradway
and new coach Herman Edwards looking to the future, the Jets are left needing receiving help.
The Jets, as next Saturday's draft approaches, remain a franchise trying to
recover from the loss of Johnson.
The Jets drafted two receivers last April, Laveranues Coles and Windrell
Hayes. Both have potential, but didn't prove to be enough of an answer for
Johnson's absence last season.
Bradway and Edwards signed former Vikings' backup Matthew Hatchette, whose
size (6-3) is closer to Johnson's, but Hatchette has caught limited passes in
the NFL and remains unproven. The Jets hope that, now that he's out from the
ball-hoarding shadows of Randy Moss and Cris Carter, Hatchette will flourish.
He's a projected starter alongside Wayne Chrebet.
Speaking of Chrebet, he was clearly affected by the loss of Johnson.
Though the two did not get along off the field, Johnson helped Chrebet and
Chrebet helped Johnson on the field.
"The ideal situation," is what Bradway called the complementary duo of
Johnson and Chrebet.
Chrebet struggled at times to get open last year, because there wasn't much
of a threat opposite him on the field. That allowed teams to key on Chrebet
more than they could when Johnson was on the field with him.
Chrebet's production in 2000 (69 catches, 937 yards, eight touchdowns) went down
slightly in some areas without Johnson. He had his best season in '98 when he
caught 75 passes for 1,083 yards and eight touchdowns. In '97 he caught a
career-high 84 passes.
So the Jets continue to search for the kind of production that Johnson
brought them.
"In the draft (in 2000) we just weren't able to get that kind of guy,"
Jets' personnel director Dick Haley said. "You don't get that kind of guy
very often."
That's why the Jets must find better ways to spread it around. Last year,
the beneficiary of Johnson's absence was running back Richie Anderson, who
caught 88 passes and went to the Pro Bowl for the first time of his career.
"What happened last year is that Richie Anderson ended up becoming much more
involved in the offense," Bradway said. "What they did was take all of
Keyshawn's catches and tried to divide them up. What they would have liked
was to have (tight end) Anthony Becht catch more than he did (16 catches in
2000) and have the tight end position be more involved."
Look for the Jets to make more of a commitment throwing the ball to Becht,
one of their four first-round picks last year and one of the two they got in
exchange for Johnson.
"Looking back on it, I think it was a good trade for both teams," said
Bradway, who was with the Kansas City Chiefs when the trade was made.
"(Tampa) got a good football player in Keyshawn Johnson and the Jets were
able to come up with a couple good football players (defensive end/linebacker
John Abraham and Becht) -- guys that will help the team for the next few years
and hopefully more than that.
"It's probably too early to evaluate that trade, but anytime a trade works
out for both teams it's a good trade."
Abraham and Becht should be better than they were in their respective rookie
seasons last year. And, if Hatchette, who had only 16 catches in 2000, works
out as the new starter, perhaps the Jets can forget about missing Keyshawn
Johnson.
"Once he gets more opportunities, there's a good upside on Matthew,"
Bradway said. "He never really had opportunities in Minnesota. He played 40
percent of the snaps last year and didn't have many balls thrown to him. When
you're the third guy on field with Carter and Moss and Robert Smith there's
only one ball and it can't go to everybody. He was on the short end of that.
"We'd like to sit here and say he's going to be this year's Joe Horn (who
caught 35 passes in Kansas City in '99 and went to New Orleans to catch 94
balls in '00), but I can't say that for sure. But we look for him to be a
much better player.
"We do think there's an upside to Matthew Hatchette despite the fact that
he's been in the league for four years."
If Hatchette does, indeed, flourish with the new opportunity, and/or if the
Jets land a playmaking receiver in the draft, it'll go a long way toward their getting over the lack of Keyshawn Johnson's production.
Dolphins get an early test
Since the 1970 NFL merger, the Dolphins own one of the league's best
records the first month of the season at 72-30-1, a mark that is also the
best record of any month that Miami plays.
That September dominance, however, will be put to the test this season
thanks to a brutal early schedule.
The Dolphins open the 2001 season playing the Titans in Nashville, where
Tennessee has lost only once in 15 regular-season games at Adelphia Coliseum.
That's the start of a September schedule during which Miami's opponents had a
combined 40-24 record in 2000.
San Diego charges ahead
It should be compelling to witness the different look of the San Diego
Chargers in the post-Ryan Leaf era -- or should we call it error.
While it's giving a poor player too much credit to give him an "era," the
Chargers during Leaf's existence were a league laughingstock.
Now, with Leaf having been sent off on the ejection seat and with new
general manager John Butler, a proven winner in Buffalo, the Chargers seem to
have gained instant credibility.
Barring a major setback or change of mind, they'll pick Virginia Tech
quarterback Michael Vick with the first overall selection in the draft, and
Vick doesn't even have to start right away, because of Butler's acquisition
of Doug Flutie.
Flutie, whom the Bills let go in favor of Rob Johnson -- a move that could
cost the Bills a playoff berth in 2001 -- is a proven winner, owning a 30-14
won-loss record as a starter. Add the acquisition of former Bills' defensive
end Marcellus Wiley, who had 10 1/2 sacks last season, and the Chargers could
become the NFL's most-improved team in 2001.
"They're going to be a different team," Raiders coach Jon Gruden said
recently. "I know this: It's going to be hard to make a yard against that
crowd that already has Junior Seau and Rodney Harrison on defense."
Patience pays off with Griese
With the Broncos' signing of quarterback Brian Griese to a six-year, $39
million deal that included a $12.6 million signing bonus, it brings to mind
how thin the line is between patience and impatience.
Remember, it was only a couple of years ago when Griese couldn't even beat out
Bubby Brister for the Denver starting job and wasn't liked by a number of his
teammates. Now he's fresh off the best season an NFL quarterback had in 2000
(102.9 rating, 19 touchdowns and only four interceptions) and he's the
franchise for the Broncos.
Had Mike Shanahan not had the patience to stay with Griese, who knows what
Griese and the Broncos would be doing today?
Griese, perhaps remembering those times not long ago when he was playing
behind the journeyman Brister, seemed uncomfortable with his huge contract.
"I don't think any one man is worth as much money as I've just signed a
contract for," he said. "Anybody who thinks they are is just kidding
themselves."
Now what Griese must do is stay healthy since his last two seasons have
ended with shoulder
surgery.
Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post writes an AFC notebook every other Thursday for ESPN.com. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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