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We're overdue for another installment of "Speed Dial," where I ring up three folks from my cell phone's contact list to get their takes on a particular subject.

Today's question for three notable special-teamers: What are your thoughts on the NFL's decision to move kickoffs up to the 35-yard line and limit the running head start of coverage players to 5 yards behind the ball?

Steve Tasker, seven-time Pro Bowler for the Buffalo Bills:

"The Oakland Raiders might not have to cover a kick all year because Sebastian Janikowski can put the ball out of the end zone. With the extra 5 yards, he'll be able to do it through December and January. It gives the coaching staff a chance to not keep any special-teams players. They can put their offensive linemen on kickoff coverage for conditioning drills. They're not even going to hit anybody.

"For each team, it comes down to the guy who can put his foot on the ball as to how much change there will be. It used to be if you could keep the return guy inside the 25, it was a good cover. Now, it's going to be inside the 20.

"After this modification, if it continues to be a problem with guys getting blown up on kick covers, it may go the way of the jump ball in basketball. Maybe you score and the other team just gets the ball on the 20 with no kick. Maybe you have a kickoff to open the game and then the second half. They may move away from that special team all together.

"It would be a break from tradition, but the league never has been averse from doing that anyway. The rules aren't sacred. The fan interest is. If the fans don't want to see it, they'll take it out."

Jim "Crash" Jensen, former Miami Dolphins do-it-all contributor:

"It's definitely going to make kickoffs safer, and that's the whole idea of it. A lot of the injuries happen on the return. I thought they should have put the touchback to the 25-yard line, though [as in the original proposal], to keep the return a part of the game. It's not going to be as exciting for the fans, but the game will be a little safer.

"I don't have a problem with the safety of the players. I'm starting to feel it myself, you know? I'm in a lot of pain. If you play in the NFL for 12 years, you're going to feel it.

"It's a totally different game, the one that I played compared to the one today. There are a lot more rule changes. They eliminated the wedge [of more than two players]. You can't cut the wedge. But to say [today's players] are softer? I don't think so. It's still the gridiron."

Jay Feely, Arizona Cardinals kicker

"I've spoken to some return guys like Leon Washington and LaRod Stephens-Howling and, obviously, our opinions are very different when it comes to whether we're pleased. The older kickers are very happy. One of the impacts will be it will almost de-emphasize the kickoff role because it'll be easier to get touchbacks, easier to get balls into the end zone. It won't create as much separation between somebody who has a great leg and somebody who doesn't.

"I don't think you'll see nearly as much directional kicking anymore. Coaches will allow you to just kick away. I'm going to try to convince my coach -- whenever we get back to playing -- to allow me to do that. The distance between kicking outside the numbers and trying to get it into the corner compared to a straight line down the middle of the field is close to 5 yards farther. If you're kicking straight down the middle and not changing your steps or worrying about being accurate, you can swing away. Because you're 5 yards further up, you'll see more coaches kicking away, and I think that change in scheme could double the number of touchbacks.

"The 5-yard limit rule [for the coverage team] could make it tougher for onside recoveries. They're not going to get to the ball as quickly, and you tried to time that up so they had as much speed to cover those 10 yards as quickly as possible."

Brad Smith didn't enjoy learning that new kickoff rules were adopted this week.

But he's willing to wait before bashing the decision outright.

The NFL on Tuesday voted to move kickoffs from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line. Touchbacks are expected to soar. Smith spoke to "First Take" co-host Dana Jacobson about it Thursday.

"Any time you do something and you have some success at it, you want to keep doing it," Smith said. The new rule "limits the opportunities that guys get to return a ball. It was a little disappointing, but obviously the owners, coaches see something that can be fixed as far as safety. We'll see how it works."

Smith returned two kickoffs for touchdowns last year for the New York Jets. He averaged 28.6 yards per return, most in the NFL among those with at least 22 attempts.

ESPN Stats & Information projected the continued rise in touchbacks over the past decade plus the extra 5 yards could push the touchback rate toward 50 percent. Only 8.8 percent of kickoffs went for touchbacks in 2001. Last year's figure was 16 percent.

When penalties have pushed kickoffs to the 35 because of penalties, 40 percent went for touchbacks from 2007 through 2010.

Smith asserted fewer opportunities could cause some return men to take more chances -- with a coach's blessing.

"A guy like Leon Washington, a good friend of mine, he's that type of guy who will do that," Smith said. "Special-teams coaches will be more apt to let their guys bring it out because that field-position change is huge.

"I think you'll see a lot of kickers try to bloop kick, squib kick and get guys in the corner so they won't have the opportunity to set up returns. If they try to kick it deep and happen to kick it 5 yards deep, you can have a lot of 105-yard touchdowns."

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Thoughts from the press box at Ralph Wilson Stadium, where the Buffalo Bills beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night 35-20:

• If there was any doubt before -- or if Bills fans were in denial and still clinging to hope Brian Brohm would win the gig -- Trent Edwards is Buffalo's quarterback.
• On the first possession, Buffalo had minus-12 yards aside from a pass interference penalty. The Bengals sacked Edwards the only time he tried to pass. But Edwards rebounded on the second drive, methodically taking the Bills down the field. He completed all five of his passes for 48 yards and connected with Roscoe Parrish for a 12-yard touchdown.
• Edwards' stat line: 13-of-17 for 153 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. He had a 122.9 quarterback rating.
• C.J. Spiller had another brilliant game. He ran 12 times for 52 yards and two touchdowns and two receptions for 33 yards in a half of work. He had a 20-yard run and a 26-yard reception.
• As mentioned in my notes column following the Bills' victory over the Indianapolis Colts last week, Spiller is going to have a lot of negative-yardage runs because of his style and the Bills' offensive line. He had runs of minus-7 and minus-11 yards. But he's a threat to break away every single time.
• The Bills showed off a little Wildcat. Spiller took a direct snap and ran 6 yards for a first down. In case you were wondering, Edwards remained on the field, split wide right. In the fourth quarter, rookie running back Joique Bell also took a direct snap and ran for 4 yards.
• Parrish is one of those players fans always want to see more of, but size always seemed to be an impediment to increased involvement. Think Leon Washington with the New York Jets. Maybe new Bills head coach Chan Gailey has been able to figure something out. Parrish caught all four balls thrown to him for 56 yards and a touchdown.
• Maybe the Bills were showcasing Ryan Fitzpatrick for a potential trade (hello, Arizona?). Otherwise, Brohm can't like the fact he quarterbacked only two series late in the fourth quarter. Brohm threw one pass, an incompletion.
• Buffalo's secondary didn't have the same success against Carson Palmer that it did against Peyton Manning. Palmer completed all but two of his 11 passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns for a 142.2 rating.
• Second-year outside linebacker Aaron Maybin, the 11th overall draft choice last year, may have gotten some traction. He didn't start even though Reggie Torbor was out with an undisclosed injury. Chris Ellis started instead. But Maybin did force J.T. O'Sullivan into an intentional grounding call with some heavy pressure in the third quarter and sacked Jordan Palmer twice in the fourth quarter.
• James Hardy, a second-round draft pick in 2008, didn't make much of an impression in his bid to stay on the roster. He had one catch for 30 yards (great pass from Fitzpatrick) and a drop. That was all.
• Undrafted rookie receiver David Nelson had another strong game: two receptions for 34 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown.
• Third-year cornerback Reggie Corner looked like he might be on the roster bubble in a deep defensive backfield. He helped himself in the fourth quarter by intercepting Jordan Palmer and dashing 20 yards for a touchdown.
• Reserve cornerback Ellis Lankster, meanwhile, had another rough night. Quan Crosby beat him for a 44 yard pass play one series after Corner's touchdown. Lankster broke up a pass on fourth-and-goal from the 6, but he got away with pulling on Dezmon Briscoe's collar. Lankster was called for illegal hands to the face to wipe out an Arthur Moats 9-yard sack.
• The Bills strength in recent years has been their special-teams play. Special teams coordinator Bobby April bolted for Philadelphia, and the transition to Bruce DeHaven has not been smooth. Their kickoff coverage unit has been awful. The Bengals averaged 32.7 yards per return and rarely started a drive inside their own 30-yard line.

New York Jets nose tackle Kris Jenkins beamed into the NFL Network studios and delivered some pointed remarks about Jets fans and some former teammates.

"NFL Total Access" host Rich Eisen asked Jenkins to advise nervous Jets fans how to approach a season full of expectations but also question marks because of such key departures as running backs Thomas Jones and Leon Washington, guard Alan Faneca and safety Kerry Rhodes.

"Suck it up. That's what y'all being doing so far," Jenkins said of the fans. "Look, you've got to understand that this is football, and if I could make a public-service announcement, I will say this: New York fans, we love you. This is Kris Jenkins. I am a little bit of a clown in my free time, so if I hurt your feelings I'm really not going to apologize because this is my time right now. ...

"If we win, then you get all your dreams coming true. If we lose, then you all get to do what you've been doing for a long time and talk about us until you basically run us out of the city. So you're going to get what you want either way. But we're going for a Super Bowl. So sit back, enjoy the ride. We're planning on doing it big."

Jenkins continued with a curious and disparaging comment about players who have left -- without naming names.

"We have great guys who have come in to step up, to fill in the void of some of these big losses that we have had this season," Jenkins said.

"Then in some other cases, we've had some real men come in and step in for the women that we lost. So we're going to be OK. Don't worry about it."

Jenkins probably was being that aforementioned clown, but Eisen didn't follow up with another question to clarify who Jenkins was referring to. Some players left on rougher terms than others. Many Jets weren't pleased to see guys like Jones, Faneca and kicker Jay Feely leave.

Rhodes would be a good guess as to one player Jenkins meant. But Jenkins did say "women" plural.

For the record, Jets who were on the final 2009 roster but not currently with the team (in addition to those listed above) are receiver Wallace Wright, defensive tackler Howard Green, defensive end Marques Douglas, linebackers Marques Murrell and Ryan Fowler, cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Donald Strickland, special-teams ace Larry Izzo and long snapper James Dearth.

Douglas reportedly will re-sign with the Jets later this week.

The New York Jets are a fashionable pick to reach the Super Bowl this season.

They're also commonly dismissed as overrated.

ESPN's "First Take" tackled the topic Tuesday. Resident provocateur Skip Bayless was joined by Sports Illustrated writer Jim Trotter and San Diego Chargers linebacker Shaun Phillips for the discussion.

Skip Bayless: They're going to be pretty good, but I do not think this team will be able to live up to its preseason, "Hard Knocks" hype. So I'll say they're not a Super Bowl contender.

I just think they're going to miss Thomas Jones. That was a big mistake to me because I'm not sure Shonn Greene can carry the load and stay healthy the whole year, and I'm not sure your favorite player, LaDainian [Tomlinson], can pick up that slack. That means too much will fall on Mark Sanchez. I'm not sold on him. I'm sorry. I think he'll press. I think he'll struggle. I think he'll have some bad games last year.

I remind you they lost six of seven in one stretch last year, and everybody wrote them off. They took a lot of teams by surprise all the way up to [the second-round playoff game against the Chargers].

Jim Trotter: How do you take someone by surprise when you talk the way the Jets talk? Come on.

SB: Because everyone said it's "Talk, talk, talk." It's big mouths.

Shaun Phillips: They back it up. They have a really, really strong defense. With a defense like that, you always got a chance to win. Obviously, they're strong up front. The secondary's good.

SB: Who's their pass-rusher?

SP: Who's the pass-rusher? Calvin Pace.

SB: But he's not good enough. He's not a big-time. He's not a Shaun Phillips.

JT: They have big-time guys. They get back [Kris] Jenkins in that lineup. You add [Kyle] Wilson. You add [Antonio] Cromartie ...

SB: I like the defense, but I don't love defenses that consistently need their DBs to blitz the quarterback, and they do. That's what they do for a living, and there's a way to beat that and beat it big.

JT: How do you beat it big when you have a cornerback like [Darrelle] Revis over there? Why wouldn't you try and blitz your corners on the other side? Who did it?

SP: The Ravens were able to win a Super Bowl with a defense doing that. They blitzed their secondary and their corners a lot. So it can be done.

I'm not going to pick them to win the Super Bowl, but they are contenders. You have to give them a bit of respect. They made it to the playoffs last year with the same players they have out there. They're missing Alan Faneca and Thomas Jones, but they brought in LT and Jason Taylor to help them out.

JT: My issue with the Jets isn't so much personnel, but chemistry. They had a great chemistry going down the stretch last year. When you take out locker-room favorites like Thomas Jones, Alan Faneca, Leon Washington, to me, that's huge. They've got to show that they can all mesh and they can be one. That's what some players said to me when those guys were let go: "How are we going to deal with that?"

Buffalo Bills

C.J. Spiller chatted with USA TODAY's Seth Livingstone before completing his duties as grand marshal at the NASCAR Nationwide Series race last Friday. Despite a crowded backfield, the rookie is ready to compete for carries.

Eric Edholm sizes up the Bills' quarterback competition and surmises that Trent Edwards is the favorite, Ryan Fitzpatrick is the safest option and Brian Brohm has the greatest potential but is currently No. 3 on the depth chart.

Miami Dolphins

Barry Jackson got input from two NFC personnel directors, a scout and ESPN's Matt Williamson about where the team stands at several position groups. The biggest areas of concern? Outside linebacker and safety.

New England Patriots

Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston has a list of best places to watch the Patriots, ranging from Alexandria, Va., to Zurich, Switzerland.

Athlon has an AFC East offseason wrap-up with predictions of the end-of-season standings: The Pats are third in the AFC East.

New York Jets

Leon Washington's injury last October has had a lasting effect on his teammates during their contract talks.

Football Outsiders managing editor Bill Barnwell and I pick over or under for three players from each AFC East team, using 2010 statistical projections from ESPN.com's fantasy analysts.

The New York Jets round out the four-part series.

Quarterback Mark Sanchez, 17 touchdowns and 17 interceptions

Barnwell's take: OVER and OVER. Sanchez threw only 364 passes last year, and he was picked off on 5.5 percent of those throws. Since 364 is about two-thirds of a season for most quarterbacks, if you project Sanchez's performance onto a more reasonable 16-game total for quarterbacks -- 500 attempts -- then he would have thrown 28 picks. I wholly believe that Sanchez will play better as a sophomore, but the Jets' running game won't be as effective with the loss of Alan Faneca. Sanchez is going to have to throw the ball more than he did a year ago. When he does, he's going to make mistakes. I think the rise in attempts will also push his touchdown rate up, though, to the point where he should be able to hit 20 touchdowns.

My take: OVER and OVER. The Jets are going to throw significantly more in 2010. They acquired Santonio Holmes. Sanchez will have Braylon Edwards for a full season. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer will figure out ways to use tight end Dustin Keller more, especially in the red zone. Part of LaDainian Tomlinson's appeal is that the Jets can throw to him out of the backfield. Plus, the run game might not prove to be as reliable without Thomas Jones. Shonn Greene showed promise in the postseason, but can he be a workhorse for a full season?

Running back LaDainian Tomlinson, 644 rushing yards and seven touchdowns

Barnwell's take: UNDER and UNDER. I'm not bullish on Tomlinson's chances in New York. He was dire in San Diego last year. His touchdown total occurred because he had more chances inside the 5-yard line than any back besides Adrian Peterson. If you compare Tomlinson's performance there to a league-average back given the same number of opportunities, Tomlinson's touchdown total was actually below-average. There are the complicating factors of injury and a likely decline in the Jets' running game.

My take: OVER and UNDER. I'm probably reaching a little on the yardage, but Tomlinson did rush for 730 yards in a passing offense and behind a line that's not as talented as New York's. Even if he's the backup, he'll take his share of handoffs. With Jones taking a lion's share of the Jets' rushing attempts last year and Leon Washington getting 72 carries, Greene managed to rush for 540 yards as a rookie. Green looks like he'll be the featured back, but the carries should be more balanced this year. But around the goal line, Greene should get the carries and limit Tomlinson's touchdowns.

Cornerback Antonio Cromartie, five interceptions

Barnwell's take: UNDER. Cromartie's another example of the issues I brought up with Buffalo Bills safety Jairus Byrd. Interception totals just aren't consistent from year to year in the way other statistics are. Cromartie followed a 10-interception season in 2007 with five picks in '08 and '09 combined. Darrelle Revis isn't like Nnamdi Asomugha, who forces a lot of passes -- and potential interceptions -- the opposite way. Revis was targeted more than all but three other corners last year because the Jets build a scheme designed to dare quarterbacks into throwing his direction. Cromartie won't get the targets for five picks.

My take: OVER. A substantial reason for Cromartie's steep decline in interceptions after his All-Pro season was X's and O's. He is much better in man-to-man coverage, but the Chargers asked him to play more zone the past two years. Jets defensive mastermind Rex Ryan wants his cornerbacks in man coverage. Ryan does manipulate quarterbacks into throwing Revis' way, as Bill noted. But Dwight Lowery and Lito Sheppard, who split the starts opposite Revis, still combined for four interceptions last year. Cromartie is more dangerous than Sheppard and Lowery.

Last year, frustrated Buffalo Bills fans bestowed upon quarterback Trent Edwards an unflattering nickname.

He became known as Captain Checkdown for his reluctance to throw downfield despite having Lee Evans and Terrell Owens at his disposal. Edwards looked skittish, would hold onto the ball too long and -- if he didn't get sacked -- instinctively dump off to a tight end or running back.

Here's a statistical example: When the Bills faced third down and 6 yards or longer last season, Edwards completed a robust 71.1 percent of his passes -- for an average of 6.08 yards. He was sacked seven times.

Despite eventually losing his job to Ryan Fitzpatrick, Edwards has a healthy chance to win Buffalo's open competition this summer and be named opening-day starter for a third straight season.

That will elicit quite a few groans in Western New York, but Edwards legitimately could look like a different quarterback this time. Regardless of whether new head coach and playcaller Chan Gailey will ask Edwards to stretch the field, they'll have a weapon to make short tosses look glittery.

When the Bills drafted Clemson running back C.J. Spiller ninth overall, they found a sizzling sidekick for Captain Checkdown.

Spiller has been likened to Reggie Bush. Bills general manager Buddy Nix also compared him to Minnesota Vikings receiver Percy Harvin. Leon Washington, the slithery former New York Jets back, also comes to mind.

Scouts Inc. analyst Matt Williamson isn't a fan of the Spiller pick, calling him a "luxury accessory" because the Bills had so many other needs heading into the draft. Williamson is not great fan of Edwards either.

But Williamson can envision ways for Spiller to help Edwards immensely.

"I have been very critical of the Spiller pick, but that is certainly something he can provide," Williamson said. "Checkdowns become much more dangerous in his hands. He is extremely dangerous.

"With the protection problems that are sure to continue in Buffalo, having someone who is feared on screens and draws can be a great weapon to help slow down the rush and make a defense pay when they do bring pressure or lose discipline upfield."

Spiller certainly could get a lot of touches that way.

The Elias Sports Bureau tracks every play, and it credited Edwards with only two pass attempts that traveled more than 40 yards in the air and 21 that traveled farther than 20 yards.

But 140 of his 183 attempts were 10 yards or shorter, with 47 of them thrown behind the line of scrimmage.

"I'm not excusing Edwards in any way, nor am I in his corner," Williamson said, "but it is awfully tough to go deep downfield when the protection is so poor."

Bills running back Fred Jackson finished second to Owens in receptions and ahead of Evans with 46 catches for 371 yards and two touchdowns. Marshawn Lynch was fourth with 28 catches for 179 yards and no touchdowns.

With an offensive line still in tatters, Spiller still might be able to jitter his way to extra yardage on passes out of the backfield.

ESPNNewYork.com's Rich Cimini broaches an intriguing and ominous topic on his blog.

In light of the San Francisco 49ers giving linebacker Patrick Willis a gargantuan five-year, $50 million contract, Cimini wondered how the New York Jets will address their slew of young superstars.

Willis was drafted in 2007, the same year as Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis and David Harris, and a year after center Nick Mangold and D'Brickashaw Ferguson.

Cimini writes:

The Jets have sent a dangerous message to their locker room this offseason, dumping well-respected, productive veterans such as Alan Faneca and Thomas Jones. Rex Ryan always talks about how he wants his guys to "play like Jets." Well, Faneca and Jones played like Jets and what happened? They received pink slips even though Faneca made his ninth straight Pro Bowl and Jones rushed for 1,400 yards. There's also the case of Leon Washington, who basically gave a leg for the organization and was sent packing in a trade.

The organization needs to show a willingness to take care of its own. The Jets have done it in the past, giving rich extensions to players like Jerricho Cotchery and Kerry Rhodes (gone), but the latest perception is that they’d rather take on one-year, hired guns than develop and pay homegrown talent.

The Jets are loading up for a run at the Super Bowl in 2010, bringing in several players who might be around for only one year. While so much focus has been placed on the newcomers such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Santonio Holmes, Jason Taylor and Antonio Cromartie, core players -- the kinds of pillars to keep around for as many years as possible -- also are reaching the end of their respective deals.

» NFC Big Question: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Can the New York Jets assimilate so many different personalities and expect to win in 2010?

The Jets' headquarters in Florham Park, N.J., will feel like the Justice League of America with all of the stars they've collected.

To Jets fans, the stars seem like superheroes ready to conquer the Legion of Doom (aka the New England Patriots) once and for all. In every area of the Jets' locker room will sit a player who has been an All-Pro. A few are on track for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Quite a few youngsters seem like they can be special players.

To fans of opposing teams, the roster seems like an obnoxious gathering of talent.

But anybody who ever has read a comic book knows there's no such thing as invincibility. The Jets have their kryptonite, and it's their own chemistry.

The Jets have introduced some big personalities (running back LaDainian Tomlinson, receiver Santonio Holmes, pass-rusher Jason Taylor, cornerback Antonio Cromartie) into the locker room, while subtracting proven leaders and contributors (leading rusher Thomas Jones, Pro Bowl return man Leon Washington, habitual Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca, kicker Jay Feely).

Mixing up behaviors and egos can be dangerous. Many of them are short-timers expected to be around for 2010, a fact that increases the volatility.

"I think every year is a different team anyway," Jets coach Rex Ryan said. "The chemistry issue is what it is. When I look at our offensive chemistry, I look at the fact that basically we're replacing two starters: Thomas Jones and Alan Faneca. Last year, for instance, on defense we replaced four starters and nine players overall. How'd that chemistry work? Best in the league."

But the Jets didn't add players like Cromartie and Holmes, players given up on by their former teams despite their abilities. Cromartie's off-field problems are legendary. Holmes will begin the season with a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.

And players such as Jones and Faneca were pillars in the locker room, significant reasons why the Jets were able to pull off the transition from Eric Mangini to Ryan. Tomlinson and Taylor will need to help make sure veteran leadership doesn't slip, but that's not always easy for a newcomer to accomplish.

"Am I worried about team chemistry? Absolutely not," said former Ravens defensive coordinator Ryan. "I don't worry. My teams are always going to play hard. All I've got is my history to go back on. ... The only thing that never worked out was that we were going to compete for that Super Bowl, and we never had that opportunity. That's our mission right now.

"I expect it to come together. I really do. If I was just wanting to stay status quo and have a team that's easy to coach and bringing that team together, you'd never get rid of those kind of players. ... Quite honestly, there are a lot of factors going into things when you bring people in. That's what we did.

"I came here to win. I never came here to be average. Again, I know when it's all said and done, I'm going to be held to those standards. Did you win? Did you deliver a championship? I'm man enough to go for it where a lot of guys aren't. We'll see what happens."

Why do I get the feeling that if Mrs. Tannenbaum sent her little Mike off to school with his packed lunch, he rarely ate whatever she made?

By the time the lunch bell rang, he would've traded his bologna for a PB&J, his pretzel sticks for a fruit cup and offered recess services for a pudding to be named later.

"Our needs don't call for tapioca at this time, but we can revisit when chocolate becomes available and keep Jell-O as a contingency," I can imagine him saying during those formative years in Needham, Mass.

Mike Tannenbaum seems born to make his trades. As general manager of the New York Jets, he has gained a reputation as the consummate wheeler-dealer, unafraid to pull the trigger on any move that might improve his roster.

"I applaud him," former Green Bay Packers vice president Ron Wolf said, "because he's at least willing to put his nuts on the line."

Wolf knows Tannenbaum through mutual friend Bill Parcells. Tannenbaum considers both mentors and has invited Wolf to visit with the Jets' scouting department at the team facility in Florham Park, N.J.

"Everybody there's got to be proud of what he's doing," Wolf said. "They're a viable team."

A substantial reason for the Jets' outlook is Tannenbaum's maverick approach to building the team.

Any time is a fine time to make a trade in Tannenbaum's world.

He'll do it at the draft, trading up to snag cornerback Darrelle Revis, linebacker David Harris, tight end Dustin Keller quarterback Mark Sanchez and running back Shonn Greene.

He'll do it after training camp starts, bringing Brett Favre aboard in August. He'll do it during the season, adding Braylon Edwards in October. He'll do it as a component of free agency, taking gambles on cornerback Antonio Cromartie and receiver Santonio Holmes in the spring.

Makes no difference to Tannenbaum.

"Opportunities come, and you just don't know when they're going to come along," Tannenbaum said. "We just take our sheet and say, 'Here are our needs. Here's the trade possibilities here, the restricted free agents here, the guys that got cut, and here are the UFAs that we can't touch. What's best for the Jets?

"That's our charge. That's our obligation. I love it. I draw everything from it and, hopefully, we take those opportunities."

Tannenbaum carries on like he's running a fantasy football team, and by the looks of the Jets' roster, that might not be too far removed from reality. He also has added highly decorated running back LaDainian Tomlinson and pass-rusher Jason Taylor through free agency in a bid to win the Super Bowl this season.

"Anything worth fighting for is going to require some risk," said Jets senior personnel executive Terry Bradway, who preceded Tannenbaum as GM. "Expectations are high.

"We feel like we've done a good job putting this team together. But it won't stop. Nobody's going to be fooled by getting to the AFC Championship game and think that we're OK."

The Jets were supposed to be handcuffed by the "final eight" plan, a mechanism put in place for the uncapped season to prevent teams that went deep into the playoffs from loading up rosters. Teams that reached the second round of the playoffs essentially had to lose an unrestricted free agent before they could sign one.

Taylor was the only acquisition that fell under that category. He joined the Jets after they lost kicker Jay Feely. The Jets collected the other players by working the phones and hammering out deals the old-fashioned way.

As the Jets did with Edwards last year, they found more risk-reward players who were available for less than market value. As a result, Cromartie and Holmes were added to the roster for a fifth-round pick this year and a third-round pick in 2011.

"You can play it right down the middle and swing nice and easy, or you can take a shot and swing hard," Bradway said. "But all the risks are calculated. In some cases, there's a risk-reward that we're aware of before we make a decision.

"People might look at it as fantasy football, but what really happens is a tremendous amount of research that goes into all these decisions. Mike is really good at gathering all that information, getting all the people pulled in the right direction and making the decision."

Tannenbaum surprised many last week by not making a splashy maneuver through the first three rounds of the draft.

But he made headlines Saturday, when the Jets cut perennial Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca and dealt running back Leon Washington, a Pro Bowl kick returner two seasons ago, to the Seattle Seahawks.

"There's a lot of ways to improve your football team," Bradway said, "and I think what he has done, with his vision, is to work at every day and see if something makes sense. There's a lot of scenarios we talk about that never come about, but it's very stimulating conversation."

One prominent opposing team official contacted for this story declined to be interviewed, but before hanging up the phone stressed Tannenbaum shouldn't be lauded as some sort of mastermind visionary behind the Jets' success.

The official, while expressing deep respect for Tannenbaum as an organizational manager, claimed more credit should be given to head coaches Eric Mangini (now with the Cleveland Browns) and Rex Ryan and chief college scout Joey Clinkscales. The official lauded them for pushing Tannenbaum to pursue the players that make up the team's core.

"Mike is willing to be aggressive, and he deserves credit for that," the official said, "but somebody has to point him. He's not a talent evaluator."

Even so, Tannenbaum's intrepidness and faith in the support staff with which he has surrounded himself allows the Jets to make moves other teams seem to shy away from.

It's not like the Jets had exclusive negotiating rights on Favre, Edwards, Holmes or Cromartie. Other front offices had the opportunity to make similar -- or even better -- deals, but chose not to.

"If you like the player, go get the player," Wolf said. "It seems pretty simple between the two of us talking about it, but a lot of people don't do that.

"Why not take a shot? If you think the guy is good, why not take a shot? What's the risk here? The only risk is the guy's not good. If you go out and get four guys and only two of them play, shoot, that's two more than another team has. Even one out of four isn't bad."

With so many offseason moves, there's plenty to discuss about the New York Jets. The question was raised on "1st and Ten" whether the Jets are better today than they were at the end of last season.

Skip Bayless, Ryan Stewart and Doug Stewart debate the moves and how they've helped or hurt.

All of the additions give off the sense of great improvement over last year, but interesting points are raised about LaDainian Tomlinson over Thomas Jones at running back, rookie Vladimir Ducasse over perennial Pro Bowler Alan Faneca and the decision to trade Leon Washington. Not mentioned was the decision to go with kicker Nick Folk over Jay Feely.

» NFC draft analysis: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Just once, I'd love to hear an NFL general manager lean into the microphone and admit he didn't get the players he wanted in the draft.

Alas, the moment the draft wraps up is the most optimistic time of the year. Every front office loves its new prospects. Fans hope every one of them will be a superstar.

In reality, the draft is a scattershot event. There will be more failures than successes, and we probably won't know for a couple years which teams truly did well over the past three days.

But the infusion of newcomers will have an immediate impact. It only takes one or two players -- Mark Sanchez, Shonn Greene or Jairus Byrd to name a few -- to make a difference, especially in a tightly contested division.

Here are some draft highlights from the AFC East:

Best move

The New England Patriots traded up two spots in the second round to outmaneuver the Baltimore Ravens and select Arizona tight end Rob Gronkowski with the 42nd pick.

Gronkowski is a first-round talent, but slipped because of medical concerns. He entered the draft a year early despite missing last season because of lower back surgery.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick wasn't concerned. He said the team's medical staff signed off on Gronkowski's back.

"We have a deal," Belichick said. "I don't diagnose the players and they don't call plays.

"He's a hard matchup for a defensive back. He's big, and he plays big, and he has a big frame. A lot of times he just boxes them out, and they stuff it in there to him, and he's just a hard guy to cover. He's a strong runner with the ball in his hands."

Riskiest move

The Gronkowski selection could be listed here because back problems can plague a physical athlete, but the biggest gamble was the Buffalo Bills' decision to take Clemson running back C.J. Spiller with the ninth overall pick.

Spiller very well could be a star for Buffalo. He better be. The Bills ignored several serious needs -- offensive tackle, nose tackle and quarterback among them -- and added Spiller to a backfield that already included a pair of 1,000-yard backs.

Who will get him the ball? Who will block for him?

The Bills passed on Iowa tackle Bryan Bulaga and Tennessee nose tackle Dan Williams, Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen twice and Texas quarterback Colt McCoy thrice.

Buffalo didn't pick an offensive tackle until the fifth round, taking Virginia Tech's Ed Wang at 140th overall -- a span of 429 picks league-wide since the last time Buffalo drafted a tackle.

Most surprising move

Thanks to an active offseason that featured several trades and free-agency signings, the New York Jets went into the draft with few glaring needs.

But they did have a couple. Analysts expected them to bolster an aging defensive line or add a safety.

The Jets chose to address stable positions, however, and also added players to their deepest positions.

Their first four picks were Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson (despite having Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie), UMass guard Vladimir Ducasse (before cutting Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca), USC running back Joe McKnight (despite having the No. 1 run offense) and fullback John Conner (with a pick acquired in a trade that sent Leon Washington to the Seattle Seahawks).

File it away

The Miami Dolphins drafted a pair of defenders within the first 40 picks, Penn State defensive lineman Jared Odrick and Utah edge-rusher Koa Misi. You would expect both of them to contribute right away.

A player taken much later also could find his way into the starting lineup. Hard-hitting Georgia safety Reshad Jones was projected by many to be a third-round draft pick. The Dolphins got him in the fifth.

The Dolphins have a major need at free safety. They cut last year's starter, Gibril Wilson. The only other options on the roster are Tyrone Culver (two career starts in three NFL seasons) and Chris Clemons (two starts last year as a rookie).

Leon Washington is a New York Jet no more.

The Jets on Saturday traded the running back and Pro Bowl return man along with a seventh-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for a fifth-round draft choice. The Jets used the pick on Kentucky fullback John Conner.

Washington was the subject of debate throughout his four seasons with the Jets. He was a flashy performer when given the opportunity. Fans wanted him to get the ball more.

Off the field, Washington's contract always seemed to be an issue. He missed voluntary workouts last offseason and showed up to training camp a day late before caving in. His agent, Alvin Keels, threatened holdouts.

Washington, a restricted free agent, didn't show up when the offseason conditioning program began this month and declined to sign his qualifying offer until the last possible moment.

Then there are the doubts about Washington's leg. He is returning from a gruesome compound fracture, and although Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum, head coach Rex Ryan and Keels all have insisted he will be ready by opening weekend, there are no guarantees a back who relies so heavily on cuts will be the same.

Washington's future with the Jets changed when they traded up to draft USC running back Joe McKnight in the fourth round. McKnight, like Washington, is a smaller back with speed who runs outside and can catch out of the backfield.

McKnight plus Shonn Greene plus LaDainian Tomlinson equaled too many names on the depth chart.

The New York Jets have what could be the best cornerback tandem in the NFL. So they drafted a cornerback.

They have arguably the best offensive line. So they drafted a guard.

They had the No. 1 rushing attack last year. So they drafted a running back.

Why do I have a feeling Marcus Buckingham's best-selling management book "Discover Your Strengths" is on a table somewhere in the Jets' front office?

For the second straight year, the Jets traded up to grab a running back, even though they already had one, drafting USC's Joe McKnight with the 14th selection of the fourth round.

McKnight joins a backfield that includes 2008 Doak Walker Award winner Shonn Greene, free-agent signee LaDainian Tomlinson and (theoretically) Leon Washington. They traded up to draft Greene last year even though Thomas Jones was coming off a fabulous season.

McKnight is a better outside runner with receiving skills. He rushed for 1,014 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 22 passes for 146 yards last season as a junior.

The Jets drafted Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson in the first round and named him the starting nickelback. They added UMass guard Vladimir Ducasse in the second round and reportedly will push nine-time Pro Bowler Alan Faneca out the door.