If Preseason Promise Goes M.I.A., Jets Could Look More Like Paper Planes

On paper, the Jets are a force to be reckoned with. They've got talent, depth, and a mindset that is anything but timid. Aggressive off-season moves added talented newcomers to an already impressive roster. On paper, the Jets boast established and burgeoning success.

But the game isn't played on paper.

The Jets will be more like paper airplanes if autumn winds plunder summer's promise. After all, the autumn wind is a raider.

Even after only a few training camp sessions, it's tough not to jump onto the bandwagon of optimism. The receiving core has made some dazzling grabs, Sanchez says he's feeling great following off-season surgery, and Antonio "The Spider" Cromartie has drawn comparisons to... himself, in 2007 Pro Bowl form.

And yet, despite all this, it won't be until the regular season that we'll have our true answers to these lingering questions:

Will Antonio Cromartie be back to 2007 form, or at least close to it? Sure, Cromartie's impressed in practices and been Sanchez's main bugaboo, but is he really primed to return to 2007 form? Not many corners in this league are 6' 2" while still boasting his athleticism and speed. The corner back says he's happy to be back in a system built around man-to-man coverage, where he'll be able to engage receivers more frequently, an ability he said was downplayed in San Diego's more recent zone coverage schemes. But with more physicality in store and the need to break quickly out of a backpedal to lock onto receivers, will Cromartie's hip hold up? Cromartie's hip is supposedly a non-issue, but he has already had to sit a few reps out with hip-related "soreness." With Revis opposite him, and teams aware of his recent underproduction, expect Cromartie to be tested early and often. I'm looking for big things from The Spider this season, and I don't think I'll be disappointed.

Will Nick Folk make Feely's departure bittersweet, or just bitter? Excuse me for being fixated on the issue, but it's amazing just how whimsical the media can be. Nick Folk is officially off Rex Ryan's bad list, but do a few good practices really translate to proven reliability? Greg Buttle also hopped on the bandwagon, recently proclaiming: "I want to be put on record. Nick Folk is nothing to worry about." I have nothing but the utmost respect for Mr. Buttle, but I completely disagree with him writing this off as a non-issue. A few flawless (or near flawless) preseason games, and then I'll (cautiously) join the Nick Folk kool-aid party... after a few solid regular season games, I'll officially deem this "nothing to worry about." It's questionable to deem this a non-issue when we all know how the media and fanbase will react the second he misses a preseason or regular season gimme attempt. Nick Folk isn't off the hook just yet- as a matter of fact, he's nowhere near that point yet. When 2010 = 2007 for Folk, this issue can truly be put to rest.  

Can LaDanian Tomlinson emerge from shadows of his former self? Notice a common theme? For some Jets players, it's about rewinding the clock before moving forward. It certainly doesn't appear that the Jets will be expecting Tomlinson to carry the Jets running game, but that doesn't mean he won't be an important part of the offense. He gives Sanchez the quick outlet option that the sophomore quarterback really only had for the first six weeks of last year's season before Leon Washington went down with a gruesome compound leg fracture. With the physical Shonn Greene presumably getting touches ahead of him, it will also be interesting to see how Tomlinson fills in when Greene inevitably gets banged up. If Tomlinson can live up to even vestiges of his career's prime, the Jets could have a traumatizing tandem in their running game.

Let's hope paper doesn't fold in the regular season.

Stay tuned.