New Jets OC Tony Sparano believes in a power-running game (how long before he's uttering the words "Ground & Pound"?) and he emphasizes pass protection with the tight ends and running backs. In other words, he's not going to leave Wayne Hunter singled up against pass-rusher Jason Babin, as outgoing OC Brian Schottenheimer did last month in Philadelphia.
Sparano's philosophy should help QB Mark Sanchez, who needs the support of a strong running attack, but it remains to be seen whether he tweaks the passing game to suit Sanchez. People in the organization felt Schottenheimer tried to make Sanchez a pocket passer and never adjusted to his strengths -- play-action bootlegs, allowing him to throw on the run.
Look for Sparano to scale back the playbook. Schottenheimer ran a high-volume offense and it overwhelmed Sanchez at times, according to sources. Sanchez also needs a quarterback coach who can help him better understand pass coverages. Too often he doesn't know how to react when his first read is covered.
Once again, we're hearing that the Jets are going to go back to power football, so it would seem to hurt the value of Mark Sanchez and Santonio Holmes while boosting the upside of Shonn Greene. We wouldn't take this too seriously, however, as the Jets are going to have to throw the ball -- after all, it's a passing league.
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