Antonio Cromartie Heads to New York

I hate the Jets, so writing any update about how they just got better is like pulling my own teeth out but I figured we needed to pay attention to developments around the rest of the AFC East. For instance New England just offered Julius Peppers a contract, the Jets have now added a potential stalwart corner to go opposite Darrelle Revis (and now are at least rumored to be interested in Brandon Marshall) and the Bills… well I’m sure about any moment now someone from the Bills front office will roll over, lumber out of bed and see the post-it note on his bathroom mirror reminding him that the NFL free agency period started at midnight.

But in all seriousness, Antonio Cromartie may have just made one of the league’s best defenses into the absolute best defense in football. That hurts to write. Cromartie is a bit of a headcase, yes, he could very well get to the Jets facility, team up with Braylon Edwards and wreck the team’s chemistry. He has seven kids, all under six, by five women and will be just 26 in April (which is prolific on a Shawn Kemp sort of level). He has issues paying… anything. Fines, child support, speeding tickets, debts, you name it he’s been brought to court to handle it. There have been questions about his physicality and effort on the field as well.

And as much as I’d love to take that all and say he’s going to bust, I just can’t. It hurts to say this but I think the Jets just made a great deal that made them instantly better. And a person of such strong moral character belongs on the Jets. But I think ultimately, teamed with Revis he will be successful. Rex Ryan, for all his flaws, certainly seems to get his defenses to produce and play at the level he expects. And if Cromartie puts in the time and can stay out of trouble, he is one of the most physically gifted corners in football. He’s big, he’s fast and he’s two seasons removed from an all-pro 10 interception season.

Now, more than ever, Miami needs to address its receiver situation. The Jets now have two corners that are capable of shutting down a good receiver and Miami has… no good receivers. I’m not trying to play the semantics game, yes you could argue Miami has a few talented players at the position right now, but let me ask you this? Are any of them the type of guys who can consistently challenge NFL corners of that caliber? No. Case in point, the Jets just got better. It’s up to Miami to keep up the pace.