Monthly Archives: January 2006
With the Jets having changed in three key coaching postions with Mangini at HC, Sutton at DC (although there is nothing official listing on the Jets' site) and Schottenheimer at OC… what do you think of the “new look” Jets staff?
Obviously it is early to tell anything, but I do think that the staff will be afforded some continuity over the the next five years. With such a young Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator, the hope is they aren't waiting for the axe, or the next better thing.
It's clear that this is something that has proven to work well for a team like the Steelers. If Cowher wins the SuperBowl will continuity be the “next big thing” in football, like defense was when the Ravens won, or having a speedy offense was when the Rams won?
I think this squad has a lot of (cringe) potential, and I look forward to seeing what this team can acheive in the next few years.
Hubba hubba.
Word is out on Justin McCareins' mom… not only is she a former model with a Ph.D. in psychology AND a J.D. from Northwestern, but now her words are a part of a collaborative effort of NFL mothers, a book called “Moms Know Best.”
The book, contains a collection of family recipes, casual entertaining ideas, and a fun guide to football from mothers, who are also members of the Pro Football Players Moms’ Association (PFPMA) has published this book to serve charity. I can't seem to find any information about the book on their site, but I did learn that Georgia Westbrook (Brian's mother?) is the organization's Sergeant-At-Arms… not exactly sure what that means, or why a bunch of moms need a sergeant replete with weapns, but that has to be the coolest title.
The Jets have announced the signing of Brian Schottenheimer, the 32 year old son of the illustrious Marty Schottenheimer.
Young Schott has been the Chargers' QB Coach most recently and has helped to develop Drew Brees into his current splendor. The ESPN report states that he has a knack for understanding the passing game (as a former QB, one should hope).
It's an interesting hire, but again, another unproven talent at this level. At least this should all make for some interesting story lines…
“The circle is now complete. When I met you I was but the learner. Now, *I* am the master.” – Darth Vader
Want to know why the Heimerdinger thing took so long? Might have something to do with a turf war… Check what Peter King is hearing about the goings on inside the Jets' organization:
3. I think I would be very surprised if Jets GM Terry Bradway is still with the team a year from today. There's a turf war over who exactly has the power to hire and fire front-office personnel, and I hear Eric Mangini is winning.
(Tip o' the cap to AP)
I was unable to see the Senior Bowl last weekend, but was curious to know what people who saw the game thought of it.
I understand that the practices can be more imporant than the actual performances in the game, so please feel free to share any thoughts on the Senior Bowl (Week) here.
(EDITED)
So the Lions hired Henderson, and the Broncos hired Heimerdinger.
At this point, there is no news out of Hempstead on the offensive front, but I am guessing that someone will get the nod this week. Some of the names thrown around last week by the press:
- Pat Shurmur, Eagles' quarterbacks coach
- Chris Palmer, is in the works to be an assistant with Dallas
-
Mike Sheppard, former New Orleans OC
-
Brian Schottenheimer, San Diego's QB coach
We are coming down to the end here. In our clandestine meeting on the
Crimean Sea last week, Bent and Bassett met to discuss the future of the free
world, and the Jets. Like every good summit, the fun must end soon. With only
two groups left to look at, (DBs and ST) we are rounding out the week with a
little peek into the defensive backs today.
Have
fun.
Bassett: How
about the secondary? Law is obviously gone. Miller has been a rookie, but
looks solid moving forward. Will Barrett will be gone and will Strait ever get
to replace anyone, other than a nickel? Will the Jets need to sign a veteran
Free Agent at the spot Law vacates? As far as Safeties… the team is set. I
will be interested to see Maddox play some next year, if only the gunner on
special teams.
Bent: Agreed on
the safeties. This isn't a great unit, but between Celestin, Rhodes, Coleman
and Washington, we have enough decent players that this is not really a big need
area. Hopefully Maddox adds to that.
Bassett:
Right… Ed Reed or (ahem) Jon Lynch isn't lining up back there… but
it is a stable unit.
Bent:
Cornerwise, maybe we go again with a rookie from the draft. Cromartrie is a top
talent, but one with “issues” so he may slide. This scenario seems hard to
imagine, though with all the struggles Miller had at first. Thankfully, he does
now look like the real deal. I question whether Barrett will be gone, because
once you factor in his cap hit and sign a vet with free agent money; you
probably get just as good value from retaining him.
Bassett: Joy of
joys…
Bent: Barrett is
SOOOOO inconsistent though. He tends to rise to the challenge against
good players and get burned by lesser ones. Law's impact on this unit should
not be understated. He was a massive upgrade over Donnie. Hey, isn't Terrell
Buckley available? (My goodness – what were the Giants
thinking?)
Bassett: Yeah
that was terrible. Law kept this unit looking somewhat respectable… without
him; the defense would have been an utter shambles. I too think Barrett might
be back, but his play (down, down, down UP, down, down….) reminds me of our
old friend from last year… Mr. Tongue
Bent: MOUSEY? I
can't believe he never got a job elsewhere. That's a good call, actually. In
terms of run support, he was a bit Mousey-esque in the Pats game… I hope
Law's work doesn't make a dent in what should be a 3rd round UFA compensatory pick this year.
(You understand that now, right?)
Bassett: After
breaking out the graphing calculator, and getting a lobotomy, yeah I get it
now…
Dave Hutchinson reports that a source close to the Jets says Bradway and Mangini are seriously considering trading down and drafting Jay Cutler to groom him long term for the team.
I can't tell whether this is true or not, but let's just say I am a little skeptical. After Bradway joked about setting up a “sting operation” in a recent press conference, how sure can we be of anything coming from Hempstead these days? Maybe he really is disseminating information about players and stuff to different people to see what bubbles up.
If true it's an interesting play, certainly no one draft pick will save this team. It would just signal that the team is setting itself up for an imminent implosion.
Scout.com reports that the Jets might be a bit dejected by not getting Steve Farichild (I have a friend with the same name) and that Bradway was talking to a Hofstra coach about Willie Colon, a Senior Guard. Although scout.com reports that he is a hot commodity… I can't seem to find all that much information on the guy, but he is a I-AA player, so that should explain things some.
Churchill & FDR, Thatcher
& Reagan, Bush & Blair, and now… Bent & Bassett.
That's
right. In a clandestine meeting on the Crimean Sea last week, Bent and Bassett
met to discuss the future of the free world, and the Jets. Today we continue our
discussion of the defense by looking at the linbackers.
Have
fun.
Bassett: how about the Jets’ line
backing corps?
Bent: Vilma's pretty good! One more thing about the linemen… If we do
let Abe go, we may also be interested in one of the marquee pass rushers in the
draft. Mario Williams, Dumervil, Tapp,
etc. Thomas was awful in week one (who
wasn't) but turned it around towards the end of the year. Is he the answer at end? He might have to be.
Bassett: Yeah, pretty good, but with
only 169 tackles, not Pro-Bowl good though… (Ed: that, of course changed
yesterday)
Bent: Of course Vilma will be better if we add “the big
tackle.†Hopefully that makes him think
he has to play even better… with a chip (or should that be a
fry?) on his shoulder…
Bassett: I think that if the Jets get
Barton back, and keep him on the roster (cap $$ might be tough)… and with
Hobson coming on… the team will be well covered with their backups (Brown,
McClover) next year. If Barton stays,
this is one of the strengths of this team.
That is, unless the Jets move to a 3-4, then all bets are off.
Bent: Hobson is up and down, and Barton
might be a cap casualty. Maybe we go
after A.J. Hawk and make it the backbone of the defense. Brown is very reliable, but is he full time
starter material? We may be about to
find out. McClover was sorely missed in
my opinion, but mainly on Special Teams.
Bassett: Hobson had a decent year. true he was up and down… but 2004 was all
down, and according to some advanced stats I got from Football Outsiders, in
stop rate (a stat that measures effectiveness) Hobson (49%) ranked alongside
names like Keith Brooking, London Fletcher and Scott Fujita (48%). At the bottom of the heap, but not
horrendous.
Bent: We may add a rookie on day 2 for
depth, but this is probably an area that the Jets don't spend too much time on
in 2006.
Bassett: If they keep Barton, although
he has a big number, it's almost worth it rather than throw a whole other unit
completely in disarray.
Bent: Possibly. His number isn't *that* big. Then again, he isn't *that* good.
Bassett: But at least, if he is healthy, he is stable
at his position…
Bent: We certainly have bigger fish to
fry (or is it chip?).
Other Meeting of the
Minds Articles:
ST | LB | DB | DL
Michael Smith (not our friend, MDS) of ESPN.com makes some very good points about the minority candidate rule, and how things are progressing in the NFL.
Since Edwards was the only black coach to get a job from a vacancy this offseason, Smith focuses on Edwards' experience, and echoes a point that I made while this was all going down.
[The] fact is, Edwards landed the best job available, a borderline playoff team whose head coach retired. A lot of folks may not have liked it, but he left the Jets in search of security, knowing full well that another year or two like 2005 (4-12) might have meant the end of his career as an NFL head coach.
'nuff said.
So long Dinger, we hardly knew ye… cantankerous old buzzard…
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