Consider this post the third and final installment of what we'll call our Gang Green Braggart Trilogy.
Part I: Geno Smith declares to the world that he's about to become a top-five quarterback, despite what we witnessed last season.
Part II: Dee Milliner shrugs off his uneven rookie campaign to call himself the best cornerback in all of football. For real.
And Part III, in which pass rusher Calvin Pace declares to the New York Daily News that Rex Ryan's defense will overtake Seattle's as the NFL's finest.
"(Compared to) the rest of the defenses in the NFL? (Expletive), man, we're the best," said Pace. "You ask anybody around the league, we're not the team you want to see coming in, even in a down year."
Yet another reminder that the games -- even preseason ones -- can't get here fast enough.
To be fair, Pace has a right to be confident in how Ryan develops and prepares his defense -- he's one of the game's top coaches on that side of the ball. But the Jets weren't even the top unit in the AFC East or their own state last season: The Buffalo Bills ranked higher and arguably house more overall talent.
We do love Gang Green's crop of young and aggressive defensive linemen, but the backend of this unit is questionable. Milliner, of all people, looms as the key variable for an uneven secondary that threatens to undo everything else Rex has put together.
There's hope in Florham Park, but it's definitely time for the Jets to clam up and start proving themselves against a living opponent.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" offers up team-by-team training camp previews of the NFC East and NFC West.
