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New York
JETS
2002 Record: 9-7
Head Coach: Herman Edwards
19-13 overall, 1-2 postseason
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TEAM LEADERS
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Passing
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Chad Pennington
275-399, 3,120 yards, 22 TDs, 6 INTs
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Rushing
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Curtis Martin
261 carries, 1,094 yards, 7 TDs
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Receiving
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Laveranues Coles
89 catches, 1,264 yards, 5 TDs
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Kicking
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John Hall
24-31 FGs, 35-37 PATs, 107 points
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Schedule | Roster |
Statistics | Stadium
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By Jacob Luft, SI.com
Jet Fan is never lacking for somebody to hate, and this season they already have two prime targets: the Raiders and Redskins.
If it weren't for the Redskins' offseason raid on the Jets' roster, this might have been the trendy preseason Super Bowl pick. But the fast airplanes have glaring holes to replace, most notably at wide receiver, where Laveranues Coles takes his 89 catches to the nation's capitol.
Coles' defection leaves the Jets' wide receiver corps severely lacking. The unproven Santana Moss will have to live up to his promise as a first-round pick, and one can only speculate on what veterans Curtis Conway and Wayne Chrebet have left in the tank.
The Redskins also swiped guard Randy Thomas, kicker John Hall and return specialist Chad Morton. If Herman Edwards comes home one night and finds his dog missing, he knows where to look.
The news got worse when the cruel joke that is the Jets' 2003 schedule came out. You can say a lot of things about the NFL heirarchy, but you can't deny its sense of humor. For what seems like the 14th season in a row, the Jets have to travel to Oakland on Nov. 9. It will be New York's seventh trip to the Black Hole since 1999, a streak that includes two painful postseason losses and a 1-5 overall record.
If there is a beacon of hope for this franchise it is its ability to retool through the draft the past few seasons. Stalwarts like Chad Pennington, John Abraham and Shaun Ellis all came from the 2000 draft, and they hope this is the season picks like Moss, Lamont Jordan, Anthony Becht and Bryan Thomas begin to emerge.
Since they didn't bring in any free agents of note, this distinction falls to their highly touted first-round pick, defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson. In case he wasn't under enough pressure already, his role may have to expand with the suspension of Josh Evans.
Coles was Pennington's go-to guy last season, so their chemistry on the field will be missed.
QB Chad Pennington -- After assuming the starting job from Vinny Testaverde early last season, Pennington became one of the league's best QBs and a solid fantasy prospect. While he had just one 300-yard game last season, he did have two outings with four TDs and another with three. Laveranues Coles isn't there anymore as the go-to receiver, but he still has a number of decent targets including newly acquired Curtis Conway, up-and-coming Santana Moss and steady Wayne Chrebet. He's among the top-10 fantasy quarterbacks, although you don't necessarily need to draft him until the middle rounds.
TE Anthony Becht -- He's scored 10 TDs the past two seasons, but most of his production came with Vinny Testaverde at quarterback. He didn't have a TD after Nov. 17 and he never had more than 36 yards receiving in any game. He has some value in TD-only leagues, but even that is waning with Pennington under center.
WR Santana Moss -- He's already proven to be a dangerous return man. Now, he wants to prove he's a dangerous big-play receiver as well. He only had 433 yards and four TDs last season, but his role in the Jets offense should be increased dramatically with Coles' departure. The yards should definitely increase, and the TDs will likely follow.
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>> Jets will make the playoffs because...
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Curtis Martin is still a premier, franchise running back who won't be slowed by ankle injuries like in 2002. At 2,604 career carries and counting, it would not be surprising to see the 30-year-old Martin finally begin to slow down. If he does, look for Jordan to come in as a strong change-of-pace back.
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>> Jets will miss the playoffs because...
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They get off to another slow start. The Jets have yet to charge out of the gates under Edwards. In 2001, they began 3-3 before finishing 10-6, and last year they were 2-5 before winning the division at 9-7.
| 2003 Draft Picks |
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| Rd. |
Pick |
Player |
Pos. |
School |
| 1 |
4 (4) |
Dewayne Robertson |
DT |
Kentucky |
| 2 |
21 (53) |
Victor Hobson |
ILB |
Michigan |
| 3 |
21 (85) |
B.J. Askew |
FB |
Michigan |
| 5 |
5 (140) |
Derek Pagel |
S |
Iowa |
| 5 |
15 (150) |
Matt Walters |
DT |
Miami (Fla.) |
| 6 |
27 (200) |
Brooks Bollinger |
QB |
Wisconsin |
| 7 |
23 (237) |
Dave Yovanovits |
OT |
Temple |
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