As the New York Jets prepare for the 2012 season one of the team’s biggest goals is to get the offense, mainly the passing attack, back on track. The first step was to replace offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer with former Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano. The next step is to focus on improving the performance at the quarterback position as Mark Sanchez clearly struggled in 2011. There is a notion that Tony Sparano’s disciplined style of coaching will help improve Sanchez’ performance, but at the same time the team must bring in another quarterback to push the young gunslinger. Here is a list of some free agent quarterbacks that should be considered by the New York Jets.
Kyle Orton- A veteran quarterback that is 2 years removed from a season where he had 6 300-yard passing games, 3,652 passing yards, and 20 touchdowns. Orton should be a solid fit in a run first offense and would be a good resource for Mark Sanchez. The one major downside with Kyle may be his contract demands, as he may want to be paid like a starter.
David Garrard- An experienced quarterback that is familiar with managing a run first offense. Garrard missed all of the 2011 season due to injury, but should be healthy in time for the offseason training activities.
Jason Campbell- A strong armed quarterback that displayed the ability to effectively lead a Raiders offense that was built around the running game. Jason missed 10 games in 2011 due to a broken collarbone, but should be ready to play in 2012.
Chad Henne- According to several published reports the Miami Dolphins will not bring Chad Henne back in 2012. Henne missed the 2011 season with a shoulder injury, but his familiarity with Tony Sparano’s offense could give him an advantage over some of the other quarterbacks available.
Brady Quinn- The former Notre Dame star could be a low risk, high reward type of player. Quinn reportedly had an excellent training camp in 2011, but fell victim to the politics of playing behind a proven veteran (Kyle Orton) and fan favorite Tim Tebow. A major concern with Brady is playing time as he has not played in an NFL game since 2009.
Note: As of this time Peyton Manning remains a member of the Indianapolis Colts therefore I did not add him to the list. If Manning gets released he would be an obvious choice for the Jets to pursue.
New York Jets News
Ferguson restructures- Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News is reporting that left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson has agreed to restructure his contract. This move, which should come as no surprise, will reportedly create over $7 million dollars in cap space for the Jets. As free agency approaches on March 13th expect similar moves to be done with players like Mark Sanchez and Calvin Pace.
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