Coles vital to Jets’ success

By Krupka  |   Friday, July 21, 2006  |  Comments( 2 )

New York Jets
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Plenty of time this offseason has been spent talking about the New York Jets' quarterback situation, most notably, about Chad Pennington and his ability or inability to stay healthy. This discussion has led to questions about backup Patrick Ramsey and rookie Kellen Clemens, and their capability (or lack thereof) to run the offense.

Lost in all of this is the Jets' pivotal player, a guy that will make any signalcaller better, and can shoulder a bulk of the offensive load by himself. Of course, I am referring to receiver Laveranues Coles.

Coles enjoyed success in his first stint with the Jets from 2000-2002. The Florida State product showed immediately in his rookie campaign that he was poised to become an upper-echelon receiver in the NFL. In the aforementioned rookie season, the receiver posted an impressive 16.8 yards per catch and one touchdown on 22 receptions.

By year two, things all seemed to come together for the budding star. He hauled in 59 catches for 868 yards and seven touchdowns.

Coming off the stellar sophomore campaign, a boatload of pressure fell on the shoulders of the 5-11, 193-pounder as expectations ballooned. Luckily for Jets fans and quarterback Chad Pennington, Coles didn't disappoint. He made numerous highlight reels, en route to 89 receptions for a career high 1,264 yards and five touchdowns. Had it not been for the shortage in touchdowns, a trip to Honolulu would have been in order. Instead, Coles was forced to watch the game from home, and in the offseason became a member of the Washington Redskins.

Primed for success with offensive guru Steve Spurrier at the helm in D.C., Coles was expected to be the poster boy for the "Fun 'N Gun" offense. With the Jets' current backup quarterback, Patrick Ramsey. starting in Washington at the time, Coles finally reached Pro Bowl status. He racked up another 80-catch season (82), another 1,200-yard season (1,204), and six touchdowns.

What could Coles do for an encore?

Although he failed to reach the 1,000-yard receiving plateau, he did post a career-high in receptions with 90, solidifying himself as an elite receiver. However, the Skins' offense sputtered all season long, leading to a career-low in touchdowns for Coles (one) despite all the catches he hauled in.

The Jets, very aware of their mistake to let Coles leave at the end of the '02 season, made amends and reacquired their former player in a trade for Santana Moss. While Moss does have game-breaking speed and is a terrific receiver in his own right, Coles is a better fit for the offense and like I previously stated, makes everyone around him better.

Memo to Pennington, Ramsey and Clemens: When you see No. 87, as former Jets receiver Keyshawn Johnson bluntly put it, "get him the damn ball."

Eric Krupka can be reached at ekrupka@realfootball365.com

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