Wow, that didn't take long. While they are still cleaning up the equipment fro NFL Scouting Combine in Indy and look to process the data acquired on the athletes that performed; just as NFL free agency gets underway in the NFL 2010 uncapped season, the NY Jets have taken the first shot across the bow of the NFL landscape with what could potentially be a blockbuster move.

The NY Jets have acquired cornerback Antonio Cromartie from the San Diego Chargers for a conditional 2011 third round draft pick. The pick could turn into a second round pick depending on Cromartie's playing time and performance.

Cromartie who has long been regarded as one of the very best "athletes" in the league has exceptional ‘ball skills' and was an All-Pro in 2007. "Velcro" will team-up with Darrelle Revis in the Jets' secondary, making them unquestionably the best cover cornerback tandem in the NFL.

Cromartie fell out of favor in San Diego because he wasn't a fit for the Chargers' zone defense. In New York, Cromartie will play in a lot of press coverage under Rex Ryan, which will allow him to better use his talents. He'll see a lot of action playing opposite "The Human Blanket" Darrelle Revis as teams will undoubtedly try to avoid throwing Revis' way.

If the Jets can somehow figure out a way to obtain an impact pass rusher (that won't be easy with the ‘Final Eight' restrictions placed on them), draft one or have someone step up with a big year, this defense could really be something special. They had the best statistical defense in the league the past year but let a few teams drive the field in crucial situations causing some to label them with "stats don't matter" if you can't stop a team in a big spot." This move could solve those problems and truly give the Jets unquestionably, the best defense in the league.

While this move certainly does seem like a great fit for the Jets it does come with some risk.

Race against the clock

Cromartie, 25, has had his share of legal troubles.

• He has dealt with at least five paternity suits; he has fathered seven children by several women.
• Cromartie had a bar patron claim that the cornerback hit him in the head with a champagne bottle hours after the team's victory at Denver last November however San Diego police later said there wasn't enough evidence to prove the claim.
• Cromartie was disciplined by Coach Norv Turner for breaking Chargers rules regarding tweeting from the team premises.

If Cromartie couldn't stay out of trouble in laid back sunny San Diego, how can the Jets expect him to behave here? We've seen what can happen to players with troubled backgrounds when the bright lights of NY hit them; see Plaxico Burress.

Rex Ryan respects his players and commands the same in return, so if Cromartie can stay out of trouble, the Jets might be able to work out a long-term contract with him as his contract expires after the 2010 season. Staying out of trouble however doesn't seem like it will be an easy task.

Here's my take on this. As far as I'm concerned, much like Burress, Cromartie is a ticking time bomb. If Rex Ryan can somehow keep him focused while on the field the Jets can in fact do just what the Giants did, reach the promise land prior to the bomb going off.

Realistically, it does seems inevitable that the bomb will go off, so it's now a race against the clock. Can Ryan get an entire trouble free year out of Cromartie? Probably, can he get two? Maybe. Three? There is not a snowball's chance in hell.......

I think the Jets feel that they can win and win now. Cromartie is a superior athlete who can really help the Jets on the field or any team for that matter if he's used correctly. My guess is that the Jets put him is a spot where he can excel this year and make a run for the Lombardi.

Whether the move works out or not (I do think it's worth the shot, he can be that good), no matter how many pick-six's he gets and regardless of how well he does, I think the Jets would be wise to let him walk after the 2010 season and let the bomb blow up in some other NFL city.

I think this is a great move however I do have one piece of advice for Rex Ryan and the Jets that they would be wise to take........ Don't put his locker next to Braylon Edwards...... - Mike Cardano

Mike is the founder of the Around the Horn Baseball Blog and the Extra Point Football Blog.

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