The Reality of this Jets Roster

Oct. 8, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum walks on the sidelines before the game against the Houston Texans at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Mills/THE STAR-LEDGER via US PRESSWIRE

Here we are at the second half of the season. We know what this Jets team is. They have to win six of the next eight games to even sniff the playoffs. Even then, it might not be good enough. We all know what the Jets have to do to have a chance.

A lot of grief has been given to this guy to the right, GM Mike Tannenbaum. In the last couple of years, especially this one, he has been disturbingly silent at improving the Jets offense. In 2011, the Jets showed that they had a very vulnerable, and not very deep, offense. They had some holes that needed filling, and they were clear. Tannenbaum, however, either hasn’t address them, or addressed them very marginally. As such, fans are waiting around for the big move now, that will bring the Jets to another level. They are waiting for this big acquisition that will give them hope as we move through the second half of the year.

Unfortunately, here is the reality. That isn’t happening. This is your 2012 Jets roster.

It’s understandable to be wishing for a move. We see it in other sports. How often do we see a late trade in baseball, for example, that makes a huge difference for a team down the stretch? We see it all the time, that’s how often. Why not here? A hard salary cap, that’s why. For trades to be executed in the NFL, the money has to be matched up quite carefully in order to keep both teams within the salary cap guidelines. As such, we don’t see trades often in the NFL. Other than during the draft, you don’t see them happen. It’s really not that shocking that a trade didn’t happen, despite the fact that we ALL were hoping for one. Well, maybe some of us were hoping for one that other fans weren’t, but you know what I mean.

What about free agents? There are still some players out there. Why not a signing? To tell you the truth, I don’t see a signing, other than promoting someone from the practice squad. For one, signing of an impact player takes time to work in. Football is not like baseball, where a player can step right in and perform. A major impact wide receiver, no matter who he is, would need time to learn the playbook. Even if they were active for the first week they are signed, they would only know a handful of plays, so they wouldn’t be able to be in on every down. Secondly, they wouldn’t have instant chemistry with Mark Sanchez. It takes time to establish chemistry with your quarterback, and we all know that can take even more time when your quarterback is Mark Sanchez. A new addition to this offense wouldn’t make a real impact until the last quarter at the earliest.

Secondly, who are they going to sign? I know there are running backs out there like Joseph Addai. You’ll remember that I promoted his signing during the offseason. However, there has to be a reason why nobody is interested in him. Same thing with Tim Hightower. As I look over the free agents on the WR side, I don’t see a name that jumps out at me either. There is no name that jumps out as an “impact” move. Any move would be seen as a small, role player type move, like the move for Jason Hill was. The moves just aren’t there.

Whether we like it or not, this is our roster. The 2012 Jets are not going to go through a major change in season. The reality is, this is who we are moving forward with, whether we are happy about it or not.