Faceoff - WR Jerricho Cotchery, New York Jets

Posted 5/29, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Upside - by Chris Smith

One of the biggest surprises last season was the rise of Jerricho Cotchery as a legitimate weapon for the Jets and in fantasy football leagues. He finished the season with 82 receptions for 961 yards and 6 touchdowns and there are many reasons to expect him to advance this season.

Reasons for optimism

1. Cotchery becoming a team leader: One of the reasons that Cotchery has become such a huge part of the Jets offense is his spectacular, nonstop work ethic that has been inspirational amongst his teammates and coaches. QB Chad Pennington recently praised Cotchery in the media for his offseason work ethic and the great example he is setting.
2. All-around ability: Many players can run well, others have soft hands, some run great routes and others demonstrate good blocking ability. Cotchery is outstanding in all of those categories. He is earning the reputation as one of the better run blocking receivers in the NFL, has good quickness and really made improvements over the past few seasons in his route-running ability.
3. Determination and desire: Cotchery has the 'X' factor that so many coaches are searching for. He could have rested on his laurels after a breakout season in 2006. Instead he has worked even harder during this offseason to improve and become the go-to man in this offense.
4. Pennington has confidence in him: Cotchery has proven his value to Pennington who has nothing but great things to say on his fourth-year receiver. Cotchery hauled in 65.6% of the passes thrown his way in 2006.
5. Lack of competition at position: There is no question in New York who the top two receivers are. Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery are so far ahead of the other players at the position that there really is no competition for playing time. Cotchery is cemented in his role as at worst the 1b option in the passing attack.
6. Consistency throughout season: Cotchery caught at least four passes in twelve of the sixteen games of the 2006 season and scored in seven of the seventeen games (including the post-season).

In conclusion, Jerricho Cotchery is a player on the rise. His hard work, determination and desire to improve are obvious, and his work ethic is becoming motivational for his teammates. He has the confidence of his quarterback, no real competition for touches outside of Laveranues Coles and has no qualms about getting involved in run-blocking. He is more athletic than most fans realize, and his ceiling is significantly higher than the level he played at last season. He reminds me of Eric Moulds when he began to emerge in Buffalo back in 1998 with similar size, quickness and desire. There is no reason to expect numbers worse than a year ago and plenty of reasons to anticipate an improvement in 2007. Don't miss the boat on Cotchery as he will be considered one of the value picks for this year.

Downside - by Cecil Lammey

Jerricho Cotchery had a fantastic 2006 season. However, before you snag him early in your redraft leagues, let's take a closer look at the how and the why. Cotchery has really grown into a deep weapon for the Jets. Coming out of North Carolina State (and after following Torry Holt) many expected Cotchery to make the transition seamlessly. He has adequate size, but he plays larger than his physical stature would indicate. He has good hands but only average speed, and thus he could never be relied on as a true #1 WR in the NFL.

There is no doubt that Cotchery has the physical ability to be a solid #2 WR, but can his production be relied on to increase? Last season Jerricho made a great long distant target, with most of his receptions coming on third-down-and-seven or more. If Pennington threw it up for grabs, it was more than likely being targeted to Cotchery. In the last half of the season, his YPC did fall by over a yard as defenses were better prepared for the 1-2 punch of Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery.

Cotchery has been building a reputation as a hard worker and a team leader. Last March he was rewarded with a contract extension, and it seems as though he's going to be a long-term member of the New York Jets. One has to wonder if now, with extended contract in hand, if Jerricho will start to let off the gas a little bit. The NFL stands for "not for long" and Cotchery would be best served to stay on his current path of working hard on the practice field, in the weight room, and in film study.

The Jets running game in 2006 was sometimes nonexistent. This made the team rely on the passing game more than HC Eric Mangini wanted to. So, this offseason they traded for Bears starting RB Thomas Jones. Jones is a workhorse back that can carry the team on his back if need be. He is also a great receiver out of the backfield, and could cut in to the number of targets that Cotchery receives. With a solid running game, the Jets may also be in less 3rd and long situations. And remember, most of Cotchery's numbers came when the team was trying to pick up big yardage on third downs.

Touchdowns are what Cotchery needs to become a top 20 WR. With the team showing a re-dedication to the running game it looks as though Jerricho could've seen his career high in TD catches last season. He should still be a very important part of the Jet's passing game. However, his TDs may not live up to their stats from last year, and his yardage may be decreased by the presence of Thomas Jones.