Q: With Rex Ryan as the Jets new coach, the defense seems to be the emphasis for them this year. Do you think the Jets will improve much with a shaky offensive scheme?
— T.J. Hanway, Colorado Springs, Colo.

A: I am not sure what you mean by saying their offensive scheme is “shaky.”

I understand that over the past three years using the scheme, the Jets have finished 25th, 26th and 16th in the NFL in yards and 18th, 25th and 9th in points scored. But I’m not sure those numbers are reflecting the scheme more than the personnel.

The Jets probably won’t have a very good offense again in 2009 if they have Kellen Clemens as their starting quarterback and Jerricho Cotchery and Chansi Stuckey as their starting wide receivers. But I have a feeling this team is not done making moves.

Q: How much will the Redskins' defense improve with Albert Haynesworth on the team?
— Kevat Shah, Germantown, Md.

A: Free agents, even dominant players like Haynesworth, rarely have huge, immediate impacts on their new teams. It often takes them a year or so to acclimate to their new schemes, teammates and environments.

It is also possible Haynesworth will not be the player in Washington that he was in Tennessee. You can bet he will miss the coaching of Jim Washburn, who had a connection with Haynesworth that was special and rare.

Slideshow   10 to watch Gregg Rosenthal highlights the NFL games he can't wait to see in the 2009 season. more photos

And Haynesworth might not be as motivated now that he has been paid. Motivation has been an issue with Haynesworth in the past. So to answer your question, I would not expect a dramatic improvement in the Redskins defense this year.

Q: Now that the Bears have Cutler, who do you think they will draft with their second round pick? and do you think a WR will be drafted or will they go the free agency route?
— Sam, Ottawa, Ill.

A: There is a good chance the Bears will draft a receiver early, and sign a free agent. They might not sign a free agent until after the draft, however.

At that point, it is possible there will be some new names on the market. It is important that the player the Bears draft is NFL-ready. They don’t need a project because they have a quarterback and a team around him that is ready to win now. With that in mind, some possibilities for them in the second round would be Georgia’s Mohamed Massaquoi and Oklahoma’s Juaquin Iglesias.

Q: Do fines and suspensions effect salary caps?
— Rene Morales, Tucson, Ariz.

A: Fines have no bearing on the salary cap, but suspensions have an indirect effect. Teams don’t get a salary cap “refund” when a player is suspended, so they don’t have an extra cap space to pay a replacement player.

It’s the same concept with an injured player. When Tom Brady went on injured reserve early last season, the Patriots didn’t get more cap space to sign other players.