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.

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