Monthly Archives: March 2005
If
you are unfortunate enough to have to listen to Mike & Mike on ESPN
radio, please do not believe the hype. I will believe Chris Mortensen
LONG before two idiots who need to fill hours and hours worth of radio
time with bad rumors. So, there is a chance Abraham might not be back,
and might play for the Browns, but not for Winslow.
From yesterday's ESPN 3PM ET chat w/Mort:
Billy (NY, NY): Mort,
Is there any truth to the rumor that the Jets are negotiating with the
Browns to trade John Abraham and their third and fifth round draft
picks for Kellen Winslow and their first round pick (number 3 overall)? I can't believe the Browns would do that.
Chris Mortensen: The
acceleration the Browns would take on their salary cap for Winslow make
this fairly non sensical. There is a chance Abraham could be traded and
the Browns could be interested, but not the way you just put it.
Proposed Jets Stadium
MSG / Cablevision's Proposal
Andrew Lynn, The Dolans' Lackey
MSG / Cablevision's Proposal
Hudson / MTA Railyards
Proposed 2012 Olympic Bowl
Proposed 2012 Olympic Plaza
Foxsports.com's most recent Mock Draft (8.0) picks the Jets to take Khalif Barnes,
OT from Washington with the 26th pick of the draft. As stated
yesterday. There are no Robert Gallery's this year, so the best Tackles
in the draft might fall to the end of the first round. From the Mock
Draft:
The Jets lost right tackle Kareem McKenzie as a
free agent and don't have his replacement on the roster. Barnes is the
fastest-rising prospect in the draft. He is experienced, having started
42 consecutive games at Washington. He also has a big frame (6-5�, 305)
to go with his terrific athleticism and speed. He needs to add some
bulk to be really effective in run blocking.
I have seen it all.
This is so rich, it HAS TO be fattening. Even though there is no tie to the Jets, I had to post this.
Apparently, it is alleged that top punter Todd Sauerbrun has been linked to steroids.
In
a release yesterday, the CBS News show said the players had
prescriptions for testosterone cream filled within two weeks of the
Panthers' appearance in the 2004 Super Bowl.Besides the cream,
which is banned by the NFL, Sauerbrun, a top punter and a native of
Setauket, N.Y., reportedly also obtained syringes and the injectable
steroid Stanozolol, also banned by the NFL.
A punter.
Let me repeat that, A PUNTER!!!!
And
to make this worse, this guy is a Pro-Bowler, and can boot the ball a
mile. Anyone else remember him talking crap to Gramattica? Hello…
ROID RAGE!
All I am saying, is if PUNTERS are using the stuff, GOD KNOWS what else is going on in the league…
The 2005 NFL Draft is only 24 days away.
For
the Jets, the big question is what are they going to do with their
first round pick? With glaring needs at a few positions, it is hard to
tell. So how do we figure it out?
First, let's assume the the
Jets will try to find a player with their first pick that can start
early in the season. Just look to last year. The Jets first pick, Jonathan Vilma (who
we all recognize as a clear leader and playmaker), was behind still
Cowart on the depth chart coming out of the pre-season, so nothing is a
guarantee.
Second, let's assume that the Jets not sign anyone
between here and the draft. If they do, we will consider it a bonus and
re-address the needs, but for now, we can only go with facts, and
speculating they might or might not sign a wily vet, or make a trade is
just conjecture, for this discussion, assume that the Jets will address
their needs through the draft. I think it makes sense to look at three
positions that will get filled with the first pick by Woody and the
Jets' Front Office, but please tell me if you think thatI am missing
out on something.
In Order of Importance:
- Cornerback
- When names like Ty Law are thrown around in connection with the Jets,
even lightly, it should give you a sense of how the Jets value corner
right now. With 4-5 different cornerbacks mentioned as possible first
rounders, the Jets can see the depth, would likely have at least 1 of
the 4-5 players available to them at #26. It can be argued that corner
is not a must right now. If the Jets were susceptible to long passes
last year, the Jets are still one injury away from having their corners
get their doors blown off. - Tight End -
Initially, I had ranked TE first due to the fact that only Chris Baker
remains. As our friend Bent has speculated, I hope the Jets see that
losing Becht and getting anyone else as the catching TE is addition by
subtraction. What gives me clues to this? Just look to the fact that
the Jets were interested in bringing in Ken Dilger, who even on his
last legs, I consider an upgrade.
With only one TE expected to go in the first round, this could be a
gamble for the Jets. Do they perceive Miller's value higher than the
rest? Or do they see that there will be plenty of options in the 2nd
and 3rd round? - Offensive Tackle – With
McKenzie gone, there is still a need at Tackle. There are few bright
stars at Tackle this year in the draft, so some of the best Tackles in
this class might fall to the Jets' spot. Early on, there were rumors of
moving Fabini to RT and signing a heavy hitter, which obviously didn't
happen. I am sure the Jets are looking to Heimerdinger for direction,
but I have not seen him enough to know what he values. Coming from
Shanahan University, you have to expect he puts a premium on lineman,
but at the same time, does Heimerdinger think he can find a diamond in
the rough?
This is a great idea from Tom Schaller of Bronczilla, and I hope he doesn't mind my stealing it…
Basically,
I am going to assess the Jets since the end of the season, and any
notable roster or coaching activity they have made. I won't rank the
Jets moves against any other teams like Tom, but against themselves and
the “zero mark” as whether Bradway & Company have been moving in
the right or wrong direction. Zero represents no positive of negative
net effect, where +10 would be a very successful offseason, while -10
would represent the opposite.
With a starting score of zero, the Jets will be given points ranging from -2 to +2 for moves they make during the off-season.
- Forced Resignation O.C. Paul Hackett – No more Least Coast Offense, fewer draw plays, the addition of gonads to the offense (+2)
- Naming of Mike Heimerdinger as O.C.
- In every way the opposite of Hackett. Not stuck to a particular
system or methodoly, Heimerdinger is known for using what tools he has
to his advantage. An O.C. who has been able to bring success to the
likes of Billy Volek and Drew Bennett. With some tools and time, this
could be a good thing. (+2) - Signed punter Micah Knorr – What can I say? We're discussing a punter, but we're not discussing Toby Gowin (+0)
- Loss of the Big Three
- McKenzie (-1), Ferguson (-.5) & LaMont Jordan (-2). These were
the guys that we all wanted to see the Jets keep, but knew they just
couldn't afford to. - Signed RB Derrick Blaylock
- Blaylock lost the backup job to PSU standout Larry Johnson, who
Vermeil has never even liked. Although Blaylock filled in at times, he
didn't do anything to impress me or his old coach. (+0) - Signed Giants' DL Lance Legree – Legree is not an upgrade over Ferguson, but I don't know if he has played enough to know what he is capable of. (+0)
- Coles / Moss Trade
- For the hassle, money, and less cap space that the Jets now have, I
don't know how much this move was worth it. In the long-term, the Jets
have (a hopefully injury free) wideout for the next few years that
apparently passed muster of the new Offensive Coordinator and his old
QB. (+1.5) - Signed QB Jay Fiedler – A fair
backup. No impending QB controversy here, but if Chad has more
injuries, don't expect Fiedler to go off for 400 yards… on the other
hand, maybe he can manage the clock (and the coach). Unlike our old
friend Quincy during the Ravens game. (+0) - Barry Gardner, LB
- Another guy in the Legree mold. Gardner has not been a starter, but
he will fill in when necessary, and has done his job when required to.
(+0) - No more Becht – Imagine if you will
you are the General Manager of an NFL Team. If you have a starting
Tight End, the “receiving” Tight End on your team, and he can only
manage 100 yards in a season where he wasn't injured… what would you
do? Yeah, that's what I thought. (+1) - Traded Sam Cowart for a 7th Rounder – I guess a 7th Rounder is better than a tackling sled or a bag of footballs. (+0.5)
- Jeb Putzier – This would have been a very quiet, but HUGE acquisition for the Jets. I am supremely disappointed this didn't work. (-0.5)
Jets Score as of 3/29/05: +3
“I
don't know what the opposite of the Midas touch is,” said Mayor
Bloomberg's press secretary, Ed Skyler, “but whatever it is, he has it.”
This
referring to the man that has had some far reaching effects on New York
Sports over the last few years. In New York Sports circles, this guy
has become the new Steinbrenner.
Read the rest of John Heyman's column at Newsday.com.
Actually, a similar post by my friend Jeff on www.celticsblog.com
last fall actually inspired me to start this site for Jets fans. Since
then, it has been a great ride and I thank every person who has been to
the site, especially if you have contributed through posting or
comments.
Given that we are in a dead spot when it comes to
football, I am very happy to see so many fellow Jets diehards still
reading this site. I appreciate that you let me post my thoughts
(sometimes sane, most times ludicrous) about the Jets who we all have
grown to love, even though they seemingly hurt us year after year, yet
we continue to come back, hoping against hope that this will be the
year.
In the process, I have learned that winning is important,
but so is character and pride. I have learned that I am not afraid to
say it:
My name is Brian, and I love the Jets.
Now to you, the silent majority.
In
the past 6 months, I've been paying attention. Through the wonders of
IP Address lookups and browser stats, I can tell how many people look
at the site and get some very general demographics. Since you are
generally hesitant to speak, I thought I would let you all know some
general information about each other:
-
Between
the keg stands and games of all-night beer-pong, collegians check the
site from schools like Rutgers, Columbia, Fordham, NYU & Stephens
Tech. “You're my boy blue!!!”(my advice is never leave college!) -
For
those of you out of school, shame on you for checking my site at
work!!! :D (Financial Institutions are the biggest slackers) -
The
majority of you are East Coasters (90%), but some of you have been
seeding Jets colonies elsewhere, like the Midwest, Nevada (put $20 on
the pass line for me), the UK (thanks Bent), and even Asia. -
Thank you to the sailors & soldiers. Come home safe!
-
More
and more are catching on to the new web site URL, but many folks are
still finding (or re-finding) us everyday by typing “ny jets blog” into
search engines like yahoo! and google. -
God bless the 24% of you Star Wars geeks rocking an “Internet Explorer Alternative.” (Firefox or Netscape).
-
Only one in fifty of you are graphic designers (2% MacOS)
I'm
sure you post all over the net on various message boards, and that is
great. My goal isn't to create an exclusive message board, but I would
like to see your thoughts and any information you find and have you
share it with us, too.
One more thing, when you do speak up, I
can tell that you know this team. Based on your comments, I can tell
that you live and breathe the Jets, like I do, so I take it as a huge
compliment that you continue to come back to the site.
All I can
say is thanks to all of you. I have come forward and announced my
allegiance to one nation under Weeb, will you do the same?
In a “what-What-WHAT?!?!” move, the Denver Broncos have signed able veteran Stephen Alexander
to a 3 year deal for only $4.2 million, putting the bug back in my ear
that the Broncos, who are scrapped for cap space will still look to
deal Jeb Putzier.
This is freaking huge! It could be that they
want to use more Double-TE sets, but there is no way that a team that
is strapped like the Broncoes are going to pay more than they have to
for a position where they have always managed to find able starters.
Please God, let him be a Jet in 2005…
I'm bored, let's play a game.
Restricting
ourselves to the AFC East, look around the division and find some bit
of news that could have good or bad outcomes for the Jets. Why just the
AFC East you may ask? Since the Jets will play 6 of their 16 games in
the AFC East, it stands to reason that this division will have the most
impact on the Jets' season end results.
Pick a topic and use the
comments to give us your reasoning why said topic could help or hurt
the Jets this season, you are welcome to use the same topic someone
else already has, just give different reasoning for your “Chain
Reaction.” Need a little help to find articles? Use SportsSpyder.
I will begin.
Team: Dolphins
Topic: Ricky's Return?
It
is clear that Saban wants to have a grinder to run the clock on
opponents and Williams did a great job while with the Phins. Williams
won't return, Saban will use him in the same role that Wannstedt did,
which is exactly why he left the team in the first place. The Dolphins
won't have Ricky back, but will get an solid RB through the draft. It
would be better for the Jets to have to deal with Williams, who has
clearly lost his edge than a hungry rookie like Cadillac Williams.
Jets' Chain Reaction = Negative
NFL panel OKs NY bid to host Super Bowl – San Jose Mercury News
Slow news day for the Jets is this is the only news out there…
New
York moved a step closer to getting the 2010 Super Bowl yesterday when
an NFL committee approved the Jets' bid to be the host of the game,
contingent on the fact that there will actually be a stadium to play the freaking game in.
John Clayton writes an in-depth piece about the looming Collective Bargaining Agreement showdown that could get ugly for the NFL starting in two years. John Clayton writes:
Tagliabue's
opening statements were pointed and direct. The NFL is rolling in
money, but the longer the league goes without resolving its future
labor issues, the greater the problems that lie ahead.If the
league goes into an uncapped year with these differences, expect chaos.
Competitive balance would fall apart. Threats of a work stoppage might
resume. The timing of this CBA extension is coming at a critical time.
