QUARTERBACKS B Chad Pennington (17 TDs, 16 INTs) did an admirable job conducting the no-huddle offense and was fairly consistent, minus a few hiccup performances.

RUNNING BACKS C- The Jets opted for a committee deal with rookie Leon Washington (650 yards) leading the way. Cedric Houston rushed for 374 yards and Kevan Barlow ran for 370 yards. If the Jets are to move forward, they need a true feature back.

RECEIVERS B Laveranues Coles (91 catches) was su perb at times. Jerricho Cotchery (82 recep tions) was a standout complement to Coles. Justin McCareins, though losing his starting job to Cotchery, made some big catches.

TIGHT ENDS C Whenever the ball was thrown to Chris Baker (31 catches), he caught it. He’s a solid blocker, too. Sean Ryan (6 catches) also proved to be a solid blocker.

OFFENSIVE LINE C+ Pennington was sacked 30 times, and the team averaged 3.5 yards per carry, so the overall job was OK. But considering the Jets started two rookies – D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold – it was a pretty good season.

DEFENSIVE LINE C- Dewayne Robertson, who was supposed to be too small to play the nose, had a pretty good season with 62 tackles. DE Shaun Ellis had 58 tackles. The Jets finished 25th against the run, so that wasn’t a strength, either.

LINEBACKERS B- Bryan Thomas, moved here from the DL with the 3-4, was a revelation, recording a career-high 8½ sacks to go along with 77 tackles. Jonathan Vilma led the team with 116 tack les, but was short on impact plays.

SECONDARY C+ Though he was unjustly omitted from the Pro Bowl, S Kerry Rhodes had a breakout season. Fellow S Erik Coleman had 93 tackles and 4 INTs. CB Andre Dyson (4 INTs) was the team’s best cover man.

SPECIAL TEAMS B+ Justin Miller led the NFL with a 28.3-yard KO return average with 2 TDs and was the team’s only Pro Bowl player. Coverage was strong, allowing only 21.2 yards.

KICKING GAME B+ Mike Nugent started poorly, missing two FGs and a PAT in the season opener but was almost perfect from there. Punter Ben Graham had a strong season with a 44.2-yard gross average and a 37.8-yard net.

COACHING A- Eric Mangini struck a delicate balance be tween being a disciplinarian who strikes fear in his players and being somewhat of a players’ coach because of his ego-less style and dry sense of humor. He proved to be an incredibly prepared coach and a standout game-day tactician.