Monthly Archives: June 2008
Woohoo! Finally, some actual on-the-field football action as the Jets have officially announced the schedule for the first week of training camp:
Thursday, July 24 – Two sessions (8:45 a.m. and 5:45 p.m.)
Friday, July 25 – One session (1:30 p.m.)
Saturday, July 26 – Two sessions (8:45 a.m. and 5:45 p.m.)
Sunday, July 27 – One session (1:30 p.m.)
Monday, July 28 – Two sessions (8:45 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. – both closed to the public)
Tuesday, July 29 – Two sessions (8:45 a.m. and 5:45 p.m.)
Wednesday, July 30 – One session (1:30 p.m.)
As we get closer, we’ll give you more details about what dates we’ll be out at camp. Hope to see you there!
I went out in search of some Jet-related material, which is no simple task at this time of the year. What I found ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous…
Brick (based on his size, agility and martial arts prowess) is the 2nd seed and Gholston faces a tough first round match-up in the KSK bracket of pain, as they try to decide which NFL player has the tools to be World Heavyweight Boxing Champ. Yup, it’s quiet over there too.
Pete Prisco leaves his Jets notes at home and makes a few other eyebrow raising picks as he tries to rank his Top 50 NFL players.
ESPN takes a look at the Jets and concludes that they are still facing questions at Quarterback. The words Captain and Obvious spring to mind.
Yahoo gets out their Big Board for all you fantasy fans. Amazingly there are no Jets in the top 50. Quel Surprise. (There are three in the top 100 and one honourable (sic) mention though).
And finally…Joe Klecko is an Eagles fan, thereby hurting his chances of getting into the TJB Hall of Fame.
Although I can’t find anything on the Jets’ website, Scout.com is reporting dates on the Jets training camp. This year, the Jets have set two separate dates for arrivals, one for the rookies, and one for the vets. Here are the dates as follows.
July 16th — Rookies report
July 23rd — Veterans report
Note that these are the report, not “first practice” dates. I can’t remember if Jets rookies have done this in the past under Mangini, but I wonder if it’s a function of Gholston having to stay away from so much of the work this spring. Stay tuned for more …
Newsday reports that hometown Jet D’Brickashaw Ferguson has started a charity to help Long Island students with scholarships.
Last night’s winners joined 17 other students from Uniondale, Baldwin, Hempstead and Roosevelt high schools to receive $30,000 in awards from the D’Brickashaw Ferguson Foundation. “I started this up because there was a need to give back to the town I grew up in,” said Ferguson, “and it’s a good feeling.”
Are the Jets still interested in Ty Law? It doesn’t seem to be the case, but it’s hard to know definitively, as he had visited with the team earlier this offseason, but past that, there haven’t seemed to been any serious offers made by any team.
With Justin Miller practicing with the first team, the Jets might think they’ve found their CB2 already.
Kevin Collazo was kind enough to send his thoughts in this week about what he expects from this season … enjoy.
Throughout the history of our beloved franchise, I think it’s safe to say that the good times have consistently been the recipients of the proverbial shake down, noogies, wedgies, and even embarrassing moments in front of the girl, by the bad. Turn the cheek.
Was the bar set too high thanks to 1969? After all, we know how the New York media, as well as it’s fan base, can fan the flames of a guarantee. We home into every single word, every possible meaning for it, and ultimately, every possible expectation from it. We do this to ourselves. Well, as we know in 1969, all of those things did come to fruition. Someone’s expectations were right on the money, but now- nearly 40 years later -the Jets are still trying to earn universal respect.
I’ll be the first to admit it. I thought last season’s team was would have lost 6 games at the most. Even though the Pete Kendall situation clearly took it’s toll on the line, this team was still far more talented than they showed. Unfortunately, injuries are always going to be an extremely large part of the game. Player contracts- from year to year- are handled in the most childish of ways by most of the players. They see the team losing games, then they look at the contract, and then they stop going all out for a win.
—A message to all those pampered multi-millionaires—
If you sign a contract for a set price, set length, and set stipulations, HONOR the contract. Enough of this holding out garbage. You’ll be far more respected, and it will only help your chances of winning when the team believes in you. Sticking to one’s word.. What a notion.
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Last year showed a lot of the aforementioned actions (or lack there of). Even through all of those barely viewable types of games, media hype, fanatic expectations, and even a slightly impressive game had us all thinking the team had turned the corner. Well, this year, I think it’s quite apparent where their expectations are. The additions are well known at this point. Almost every areas of need has been addressed, and the organization has not been reluctant to spend in order to put last year well behind them. A year which felt like a kick to gut, a smack in the face, and a broken heart all in one. They were the laughing stock of the AFC (Bengals character issues remain high on this list by the way), but no more. No need for guarantees. No need for media hype. The roster speaks volumes. The wounds from last year have calloused over. Now, this team is designed to perform. Now, this year is about respect.
We got some good responses from the AFC West junkie, and despite recent talk that I have been cheating my way into giving you an informative look at each division, the NFL Junkie Gate issue has been put to rest. Let’s do the AFC East.
And respectfully so, we start with the Patriots, who once again took home the division title, going undefeated last year. I noticed an interesting piece on NFL.com about Wes Welker who led the NFL in receptions last season as a Tom Brady ball catcher, and certainly played a utility, in the shadows type role in the Pats super bowl run. Welker says at a charity event at his old high school that “We’re on to bigger things now”. Well the only way things could get any bigger would mean the Pats winning a super bowl in 2008. I can easily see that happening if Moss and Brady do the same thing they did last year this year. I also like the younger addition at LB in Jerrod Mayo. It helps to have a young player for all the older guys to help out. Ongoing problems with Nick Kazcur and injuries to Stephen Neal this offseason tell me the team will have to be on its toes at offensive line this year.
The Jets, well do I really need to say anything here? Many players made big money this offseason and are now in Green and White. The team made these great additions, and this has obviously spurred many prognosticators to give them somewhere around nine wins this season. I just think too many people are being tricked by the additions, and as a result they are overlooking the glaring flaws in this team. There’s a QB competition that included Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens. I mean come on. Who would want any of them? That’s just my opinion about the whole thing.
The Miami Dolphins are still in rebuilding mode, and Bill Parcells is doing a very nice job of moving his team along the bumps and bruises that are a fire sale/start from scratch offseason. Jason Taylor aside, this team is a last place team right now, no question about it. I do like Ronnie Brown for the simple fact that he is basically coming into the same situation as he came into last season. And under those same circumstances, he rushed for 602 yards in the first 7 games of the season before tearing his ACL. He still will have a mediocre passer giving him the ball, this time it won’t be Trent Green. That’s about it, except no Chris Chambers. I still look for Brown to put up just a little less then that in the first half of the season. The team did sign Earnest Wilford, and this tells me that they were trying to get young, semi-talented guys to play in this offense in an effort to build a team from the ground up. I like it, but this team will still finish last.
Buffalo looks like it may get over the hump and make second place this year, after Trent Edwards started 10 games in his rookie season. J.P. Losman started the other 6 and both really looked adequate at best. However, RB Marshawn Lynch is the real deal, as in his rookie season he started thirteen games and posted just over 1100 yards, and scored seven times. This team has a durable WR in Lee Evans who caught over 50 balls for nearly 850 yards. These are all solid numbers, not eye popping, but solid. Once this team gets Losman or Edwards (I’d take any of them) to play quarterback for a whole season, then this team will come in second and win 9 or 10 games. This team is probably one with the least amount of problems right now, and that gives me good reason to think they can make second place this year.
The Patriots will win the division, but in a conference where the wild card is always up for grabs, look for the Bills to compete right down to the wire.
Madden ’09 has released their rankings for players. I can see how players would be offended on their rankings, but this is one of those things where it’s pretty subjective to determine just how just how much agility a certain player has in the NFL. A fact I’ve not been dissauded from since Devin Hester whined his way into getting 100 speed two years ago. Anyway, here’s some highlights:
Highest …
Overall: 96 Kerry Rhodes
Speed: 98 Justin Miller
Acceleration: 98 Justin Miller
Strength: 93 Kris Jenkins & Alan Faneca
Agility: 96 Justin Miller
Tackling: 94 David Harris
Morale: 100 Wayne Hunter
This is the best news for the Jets since OT Michael King was seven inches tall! Umm … so the highest single characteristic of any player on the team is Wayne Hunter’s morale? Wow, way to go Wayne. As Tom F. asked “does he throw a kegger every night of the season at his house or something?” Normally, I’d say yes, but it appears that Matt Leinart only got a 75 … so since he does throw keggers and use his own homemade beer bong every night, then no.
Oh yeah, and Chad Pennington is the most likely in Madden to get injured (65)…
Thanks to Tom F. and Dan C. for sending in the information!
In my weekly NFL Junky column, I will start by profiling every division, and who has the best chance to win. This week’s division is the AFC West.
The Chargers look to the retain the title this year after a solid season last year. Quarterback Philip Rivers and RB LaDainian Tomlinson look to be the leaders of this team, as they certainly were last season. LT rushed for nearly 1,500 yards last year in just over 300 carries, and 15 scores. The guy is a beast, and continues to roll over defensive lines all over football. Rivers is certainly growing into a mature passer, throwing for over twenty TDs for the second straight season. Still, the numbers dropped for 2006 to last year, and its quite evident in the amount of INTs thrown. 9 two years ago, and 15 last year. Still, I like Rivers because now he has some more threats to catch his throws, as he’ll be throwing to Chris Chambers who will be in his first full season in San Diego. I also love Vincent Jackson this year after what he did in the playoffs.
The Broncos look scary right now… for other teams that is. I think its Denver’s year to shine in 2008, with a new QB WR combo bursting on the scene in Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall. Marshall has gotten into a little bit of trouble with the law, but what WR doesn’t get into trouble with the law? Cutler played his first full season and was certainly intriguing to look at the numbers. 20 TD passes for nearly 3500 yards. As a young QB, 14 interceptions doesn’t surprise me, and that number will either go down or stay in the same area over the next 5 years or so if Cutler stays healthy. This guy is the real deal, as he finished in the top ten in yards and completions this past year. A big part of those numbers is Marshall, who finished in the top 5 in receptions, and the top 10 in total yards, and yards per game. The defense for this team needs some work, as the gang ranked 19th in total defense. The offense will work this year for the Broncos, but look for the defense to make some changes.
The Kansas City Chiefs are, and may be for a while a team that is on one of those downward spirals that it just can’t seem to get out of. The only glimmers of hope this season are how Glenn Dorsey performs, second year standout WR Dwayne Bowe not having a sophomore slump, and Tony Gonzalez being alive for his 100th birthday. The QB situation is turning into muddy waters for Brodie Croyle, as I see this being his first full year being used to things in the NFL, and we all know how long it’s been since a QB with that little experience get in a good season. Good luck to this team, they’ll need it.
The Raiders are being picked by many to get over the hump and win more then they lose this coming season. The pieces are in place, with JaMarcus Russell stepping into the starter’s role for his first full season, Darren McFadden leading the way in the backfield, and my mom’s best friend’s boyfriend helping out Ronald Curry at WR. My point exactly. This team has a little ways to go before I consider them a plus .500 football team. I mean I think people need to come back to reality and realize that even with McFadden, this team can’t magically win more then eight games. It takes time, especially for a team that has been this bad for this long.
The Chargers are definitely the best of the AFC West. However, this is the year that the Broncos pull it together with a young quarterback and a talented young WR. Expect Denver to make a run at the wild card in the AFC because the Jets aren’t ready yet (I know I’ll get shalacked on this site for saying that), the Jaguars need more depth at receiver, and I’m not sold on the Ravens QB situation or the Bengals with no defense.
Jane McManus, of the The Journal News, agreed to simulcast a post this week as I was out, on this blog, as well as her Jets blog. I wish she bore better news, as you’ll see in the team’s answer below. Apparently according to Jane, Cash Rules Everything Around Meadowlands…
The Giants will be charging season ticket holders a one-time fee of at least $1,000 to keep those tickets once the team moves to the new stadium, currently being constructed in East Rutherford, N.J. for the 2010 season. It’s called a Personal Seat License, and it’s becoming a popular way for NFL teams to finance new buildings.
So what does this mean for Jets season ticket holders? The Jets are splitting construction costs with the Giants 50/50, and they don’t have any magical way to finance the debt for the $1.6 billion stadium any better.
So Jets fans, get out the checkbooks.
“We are currently studying the use of PSLs as a financing option for the new stadium,” Jets spokesperson Bruce Speight read from a prepared statement today. “We recently sent a survey to our season-ticket holders to explore a range of seating options, pricing structures payment terms and amenities.”
So the results are mostly in, and the Jets plan to study them and then release a payment structure.
One thing is certain; those prices will rise. Currently the cheapest seat is $750 for the Jets, $800 for the Giants. Stadium expert Neil deMause, author of “Field of Schemes” said that new stadiums always mean more money, although given the recent success of the Giants they’ll be able to charge more.
“I imagine (the Jets) will have to use some kind of PSL but probably not the same,” deMause said. “They don’t have the 130,000 on the waiting list or the Super Bowl championship.”
In fact, the Jets had 10,500 people on the waiting list coming into this season. Those numbers mean that if a PSL is instituted, it may just be imposed on the better seats in the new 82,500-seat stadium. But given the costs and the debt, the Jets will have to ask fans to bear the costs of a shiny new seat.
One fan who got the survey was shocked by the prices being thrown around, “It’s tough to think about that when shelling out $5,000 for something that’s not tangible at the time.”
If not, there’s always the flat screen and DirecTV.
“There hasn’t been a stadium built in the last 20 years where the average ticket price didn’t go up,” deMause said.
Wow, you know there really is nothing out there when beat writers like Erik Boland of Newsday (E-Bola, as Bassett has christened him) is writing about a Jets outing to the Eisenhower Park driving range.
Things we now know:
- Vernon Gholtson is a lefty.
- Erik Ainge’s finger is doing better.
- Ainge also apparently knows something about using an open-faced club, a sand wedge. (Mmm … open-face club sandwich … ahhhhhh.)
- Nick Mangold likes to take his locks to the links.
- There is definitely nothing going on in Jets land this week.
E-Bola also manages to work a few other bits of semi-football related information, including Mangold’s take on the new additions (players and coaches) to the O-line mix.
I give Boland a lot of credit — although new to the Jets beat, he has made a concerted effort to cover the team as best he can in the off-season (he even “forced” himself to go to Flight Crew tryouts), as well as taking the time to read the comments in his blog and respond. (Gasp! Heresy among beat writers!) He also provided detailed non-Baker info during mini-camp.
Hmm . . . a beat reporter actually covering the team and reporting information rather than trying to create stories? What are the chances? Only a matter of time before someone at Newsday notices this (or one of the other beat reporters) and “straightens” him out.
As any of you who are actually swinging past this site in the dead of June know, this is the true nadir of the off-season. OTAs and mini-camp are over, and all the players and coaches have dispersed, vacationing everywhere from Sioux City to Cape Cod.
Simply, there ain’t much going on.
So now seems like like the perfect time as any to have some fun and share –
The Top 10 Reasons Why I Hate The Off-Season
10. It’s waaaaaaaayyyyy toooooo long! Seriously, why does the most popular sport in America have the shortest season, with only 16 games? Including preseason and playoffs, it starts at the end of July and for the most part, finishes at the end of January — six short months. Baseball starts in March, plays ten times more games and ends in November, which is at least eight months. Hockey goes from September to June (nine months) and plays 82 games, while the NBA, which just ended a week ago, plays about 1,001 boring games and starts up again next week. (Or so it seems.) I know there’s been talk about adding a game to the regular season at the expense of the preseason — how about adding two? There’s nothing going on in February anyway. If the XFL could play during that month, then why not the NFL?
