Ronnie Shumake - MVN - June 24, 2009

There is much talk about the many additions and changes with the team this year. Whether it's new head coach Rex Ryan, the free agent additions of Bart Scott, Lito Sheppard, Jim Leonhard, Larry Izzo, Donald Strickland, Howard Green, or draft picks Mark Sanchez, Shonn Greene or Matt Slauson. One player who seems to often go practically unnoticed or unmentioned is Marques Douglas.

As of an undrafted free agent entering into his tenth year in the league, Douglas is used to being overlooked. After being signed with Baltimore out of Howard in 1999, he has had stints with New Orleans, San Fransico, Tampa, and then returning to the Ravens last year via trade. Mostly used as a reserve, early on, he had a solid year in 2003 starting all 16 games and recording 61 tackles and 4.5sacks. This is actually a better year statistically than Kenyon Coleman's best year in his career thus far, which was his first with the Jets in 2007 (55 tackles, 1.5 sacks), who he replaces.

He was signed here in New York by Rex Ryan to, for the first time in his career, not be overlooked by his coaching staff and simply shuttled in to keep the starters fresh, but rather to lead the other players. What a lot of people don't realize is that aside from being a key DL player familiar with the system being implemented, he also was a big factor in the trade that got the team Mark Sanchez. Rex Ryan said in a quote earlier this year, "Signing him in the off-season kind of went under the radar, but it allowed us to make a trade to move [DE Kenyon] Coleman, a good football player. Would we have been able to make the trade if we never had the depth at defensive end, at safety? But we felt great about the depth we added, and we know Marques can play. This is the kind of player I want to surround myself with and bring in, guys who are passionate, love to play the game, prepare to play, and when the lights come on these guys really play great and elevate other players' games as well. Douglas is that kind of guy." I tend to see that as firstly, a glowing compliment of the work ethic, on field performance history and skill of Douglas. To a much lesser degree, a subtle knock of Coleman and S Abram Elam (naturally, as they were Mangini players who were let go and replaced with his players).

I feel that while many in the media and casual fans are overlooking him, this will be one of the players who plays a vital role in the Jets succes this year. While two years older than Coleman, he is a nasty, hardhat type, high motor player that will bring a more veteran presence on an established line. We all know that football is won in the trenches. No matter who is throwing the rock and who is catching it, this team will be led by the defensive play first and the offensive line setting up the running game second. To have a player on every level of the defense that is already familiar with the system is a smart move by Ryan and Mike Pettine. To have a smart player like this at the DL, is even bigger when factored in with how smart the other players they brought in are as well.

Source: http://mvn.com/thecockpit/2009/06/always-overlooked.html