For all the fans out there begging and praying for a wide receiver….congratulations. Consider Braylon Edwards an early Christmas gift. I've been on the fence as to whether or not the Jets current receiving corps could get the job done, as the season progressed though, the potential benefits of a legit down field threat started to emerge.
The offensive line received a ton of criticism for not protecting Sanchez last Sunday. Defenses have been crowding the line of scrimmage, stacking 8 men in the box as seen in the Saints game. The addition of a WR like Braylon Edwards will hopefully keep that 8th man out and open up some room for our running backs. Rex’s “Ground & Pound” theory hasn't been effective thus far, hopefully this will change.
Braylon Edwards is fast and physical, a down-field threat that defenses will have to respect.
Jerricho Cotchery can benefit from this addition in many ways. With having to defend both Cotchery and Edwards, J.Co will be faced with easier match-ups and more room to make plays.
Dustin Keller will also benefit greatly. DK is often described as a “bulked-up WR” whose dangerous vertical speed and big-play ability makes him a weapon on offense, yet hasn't been used much in the past 2 weeks. Now with Braylon Edwards, we should see Keller lining up in the slot position creating a mismatch against safeties and LB’s more effectively.
As with anything else…..there’s always some bad to come with the good. Braylon Edwards is known for his “off-field incidents” as much as his on-field accomplishments. It seems as if Mike Tannenbaum and Woody Johnson aren't too concerned with last week’s altercation in which Edwards allegedly punched promoter Edward Givens, a friend of NBA star LeBron James. While he hasn't been charged with a crime, the league’s conduct policy states that discipline may be imposed for “the use or threat of violence." It appears that any potential suspension for this might not take place during the 2009 season.
Let’s just hope that the environment that Rex has created in the Jets locker room helps keep Braylon on the right track. The Jets roster has been diva-free…..( well unless you count Brett’s almost-diva ways!) …..let’s try to keep it like that! Like I said earlier on Twitter…I'm not too worried......I have a feeling Bart Scott will kick Braylon's a** if he gets outta line....”
Welcome to the team Braylon – make sure not to drop too many passes out there…..you don’t want to feel the wrath of angry Jets fans…..just ask Justin McCareins!
