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The New York Jets would be probably be far more happy with crafting a currently relevant combination of personalities and players about two decades ago with the likes of Curtis Martin or even last decade when Bart Scott was in his prime — heck, last year when Darrelle Revis was still around.
Alas, its slim pickings when identifying stars from the 2013 incarnation of Gang Green. The Revis trade has helped usher in the future but in the short term deflates expectations for Jets fans yet further, from the average Joe to “Game of Thrones” author George R.R. Martin. The Rains of Salary Cap have finally hit the franchise in earnest, and rebuilding officially starts this year.
I know everyone and their grandparents is building their own Mt. Rushmore-type quartet for every franchise in sports this offseason, but I’m going to a pull twist on it I haven’t seen yet: only accomplishments over the past couple years will apply, in the effort create the most relevant set of four mountain-side faces as possible. So I’m crafting the Jets’ Mt. Rushmore to beat all Jets Mt. Rushmores: Whose face makes it in stone?
Nick Mangold: The best center of his generation.
Antonio Cromartie: The last vestige of a once-excellent pass defense, Cromartie stepped up in a huge way last season and leaves New York with a really good No. 1 CB post-Revis.
Geno Smith: Like I said with the Jets, slim pickings. D’Brickashaw Ferguson was in consideration here but I’m going with the face of the future, in Teddy Roosevelt’s spot for now.
Rex Ryan: Like it or not, when people think Jets it’s Ryan’s face first. It would be nice to “accidentally” lock him in the pantry during opening night of the draft, but he still remains truly valuable as one of the league’s premier defensive minds.
Thomas Emerick is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasEmerick, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
