Summing Up The 2011 Free Agency Period

This free agent period reminds of a Saved By The Bell episode in which Zack falls for the new student nurse and dumps Kelly. When he's turned off by the student nurse (who's onto his scheme), he tries to run back to Kelly but she is dating another guy. In this case, Nnamdi Asomugha is the new object of affection and Antonio Cromartie is the jilted lover. Luckily, Cromartie has forgiven the Jets by signing a 4-year, $32 million dollar contract as reported by the NY Post.

Asomugha is a shutdown cornerback, while Cromartie is a very good cornerback. But by pursuing Asomugha vigorously and not getting him, the Jets ran the risk of also losing Cromartie, leaving them with what would have been a gaping hole in the secondary. I don't think Kyle Wilson was ready to step up and start based on what I saw of him last year.

In the end, the Jets did not get the most-coveted free agent but retained two of their top four free agents(Cromartie, Santonio Holmes) and brought in Plaxico Burress to give Mark Sanchez a bigger target to throw to in the end zone. They couldn't re-sign Brad Smith and Braylon Edwards appears to be headed elsewhere. I'm sorry to see both go, but I'm relieved that the Jets kept their biggest stars. It remains to be seen the impact of Smith's absence on the wildcat and special teams, but Cromartie can at least spell Smith on punt returns.

Did The Jets Just Shoot Themselves in The Leg?

For the second time in eight months, a Philadelphia team has screwed a New York team.

First it was Cliff Lee turning down a seven-year offer from the Yankees to join the Phillies, now it’s Nnamdi Asomugha joining the Eagles after the Jets engaged in a hot pursuit of the All-Pro cornerback. This pursuit proved costly when all-purpose superstar Brad Smith signed with the Buffalo Bills.

The Jets are trying to save face by signing Plaxico Burress to a one-year deal. Personal problems aside, he has not played football in two years and is 34. Is this really an upgrade over Braylon Edwards or just a stopgap? I think it’s the latter.

It’s great that the Jets went after a superstar like Asomugha, but since they didn’t close on the deal, Jet fans are now left to wonder if they could have put their attention towards singing a defensive lineman like a Charles Johnson, a Ray Edwards or a Cullen Jenkins. The New England Patriots added Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco for nothing more than a couple of draft picks.

Mike Tannenbaum has been a great GM for the Jets. I’m not going to argue against 2 consecutive AFC Championship game appearances. However, if the Jets want to get to a third, they are going to have to hope Antonio Cromartie doesn’t have bruised feelings and they are going to have to find some way to develop a pass rush. Johnson or Edwards would have been a good acquisition for them. Instead, it looks like New England got better and the Jets stood pat.