Baker Getting No Respect from Local Media

  For my first blog entry I will write about one of the biggest issues for the New York Jets this off-season- the behavior of starting tight end Chris Baker. Baker, as most of you probably know, has complained to the team about his contract and has been a distraction all off-season. The situation is similar to last season's Pete Kendall fiasco. However recent New-York area media outlets seem to think Baker is in the wrong in this situation. Analysts on two different Sportsnet New York TV shows all agreed Baker does not deserve to be paid the money he wants. One went so far as to say he is the third-best tight end on the team. But while Baker is not as important to the team as Kendall was last season, he does have a key role in the offense.

  Baker claimed to the media that he is the third-highest paid tight end on the team but should be paid like a starter. Despite the Jets' additions this off-season, he seems correct in this assessment. Baker's numbers last season (according to NFL.com) put him 19th in the league in receptions and 18th in total yards. But much of this was because Baker had to stay in and block to support the porous offensive line. Plus this shoddy offensive line hurt Pennington and Clemens' production last season, and since they were always running for their lives they had little time to throw the ball to Baker when he was running routes. One telling statistic is first downs. 29 of Baker's 41 catches last season went for first downs, a 70.7 percent rate that is higher than Tony Gonzalez's, Jason Witten's, and Kellen Winslow II's. So when Baker was getting the ball he was helping the team move down the field.

  Meanwhile the two new tight ends the Jets brought in- Bubba Franks and rookie Dustin Keller- have potential to be good for the team. Franks is a former first-round pick who had 9 TDs in 2001 only to see his playing time diminish because of injuries. Last year he played eight games and finished with just 132 yards receiving. He is stilll thought of as a strong blocker, so this likely will be his primary role with the Jets. Franks can do well as a red-zone threat but until he stays consistently healthy he has to be considered a backup behind Baker. At the very least Baker has been more consistently healthy throughout his career.

  And then there's the rookie Keller. Some feel he will be the primary receiving tight end in the offense. But the Jets, I believe, will use him more like an extra receiver. There's a reason the Jets chose him when most thought they would take a receiver. They see him more as a receiver than a real tight end. Keller can tell everyone who'll listen that he's willing to learn blocking but the fact is that is not his strong suit. He'll act as a slot receiver more than anything else. Even if he does this and Franks becomes a blocking/red zone tight end, the Jets will still need another tight end to help get them down the field, as well as someone to be a tight end in two tight-end sets. Imagine Baker and Franks on the line and Keller lining up in the slot with Coles and Cotchery as the primary receivers. The offense actually scare people if a quarterback gets them the ball (which they should, given the improved O-Line this year).

  So despite what some in the media say, Baker is a key part of this team. He deserves to be paid as the starter until Franks proves he's regained his old form and Keller proves he's the real deal. Ultimately though I think the Jets will trade him, as he's already become too much of a distraction. I don't think this move would jeopardize the season as much as Pete Kendall's trade did last year, but it will hurt the team in the long run.