That this headline was even necessary is truly disappointing. Gary Myers is trolling Jets fans with a Peyton Manning-to-the-Jets argument, like bloggers masquerading as NFL scouts do in the offseason, and we’re taking the bait.

Peyton Manning to the Jets is an awful idea, and no convoluted logic can convince otherwise. It’s an asinine suggestion bred from the same womb of insanity where Manning as a 2011 MVP candidate flourished. It’s lazy, irresponsible, and unrealistic. We detest this opinion.

The bottom line is that, even if the Jets find a miracle on Sunday and back their way into the playoffs, they are not winning the Super Bowl this season as Ryan has so often guaranteed.

They need to shake things up offensively, and bringing in Manning for a season or two would do much more toward getting them to a Super Bowl than firing offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer would.

Here is where Jets fans are supposed to believe that Peyton Manning, a renowned postseason choke artist, holds the other half to Rex Ryan’s Super Bowl heart pendant. (More on Schottenheimer later.)

Myers would have readers believe that Manning, he of multiple NFL accolades and prolific regular-season passing performances, can easily achieve at 36 what he’s only accomplished once in his storied career. Just so we’re clear, we’re talking about Super Bowl wins.

The absolutely hilarious thing here is that Manning was dreadful en route to his only Super Bowl title. From the Wild Card round and into Super Bowl 41, Manning threw three touchdowns and seven picks while Adam Vinatieri and the Colts defense kept Indy afloat. Also, Rex Grossman happened.

Regardless, Manning’s only championship-winning year saw a 101.0 regular-season passer rating drop to 70.5 in January.

The Colts were not a Lombardi-collecting dynasty with a younger and healthier Manning in his prime. He won’t help the Jets now.

Oh, just for fun: As a rookie in 2009, Sanchez’s 63.9 regular-season passer rating soared to 92.7 in the playoffs; it jumped from 75.3 to 95.5 in 2010, as well.

*****

Before we continue, let’s step back into Myers’ column a bit and briefly batter this blip of a remark:

Eli’s big brother could also help the Jets in their obsession with not being the Giants’ little brother.

But on Sept. 7, Myers wrote in an article titled “Rex Ryan’s Jets are now the big brother of New York NFL football, overtaking Tom Coughlin’s Giants” (HOLY SEO!):

The Giants and Jets play at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 24. The real bragging rights argument won’t truly be settled unless the Jets and Giants meet in a Super Bowl.

Until then, it’s the Jets’ town, and they are the team to beat. And as Ryan said in his book: “Whether you like it or not, those are the facts.”

It’s that kind of flip-flopping in New York’s sports media that frustrates readers to no end.

For the sake of Myers’ September article, last weekend’s Jets-Giants game was inconsequential in determining true bragging rights — because it’s no Super Bowl. But in his argument for Peyton Manning, he invokes the tired “big brother vs. little brother” point of contention after trying to dismantle it three months ago.

We see what you’re doing there, Myers. Classic trolling.

*****

ONWARD!

Teaming Luck with Manning is an option for the Colts, but it would be uncomfortable for both of them – Archie Manning said so a couple of weeks ago. “I don’t think it’d necessarily be great for either one,” the elder Manning said.

First-round quarterbacks no longer sit on the bench for a couple of years. There’s a much better chance that the Colts get rid of Manning than pass on Luck.

Well, if Archie Manning said so…

According to Jason La Canfora, Colts owner Jim Irsay would like to have Manning and his heir on the roster, should business and health allow it. But never you mind that, Myers.

The Colts would be better served acquiring a veteran like Donovan McNabb to compete with Andrew Luck next summer. No need to keep Manning around as a veteran presence with that kind of tutelage in the open market.

Manning signed a new contract right after the lockout. The Colts must decide by March 9 — four days before the start of the 2012 league year — whether to pick up his $28 million option bonus, which is payable in $14 million installments on March 15 of 2013 and 2014. His base salary for 2012 is $7.4 million, meaning the Colts would owe him $35.4 million next year after paying him $26.4 million in 2011 while he sat on the sideline.

In an interview with Rich Eisen on Dec. 22, Irsay wasn’t troubled by the money matters, saying, “I don’t see that being an issue. I paid him $26 million this season and he didn’t play and I knew it was an iffy situation. If he’s healthy and he can play, he’ll be back here.”

Owner-speak is rarely law, and should never be interpreted as such, but the operative phrasing in Irsay’s comment is “if he’s healthy.”

We’re more inclined to run with that brand of honesty before Archie’s assessment. Otherwise, we’d all be calling for Joe Namath to be the next head coach.

Sarcasm aside and pure football at the forefront, the Jets would be unwise to stagger Sanchez’s growth for a questionable Manning. It really is that simple.

If Manning suffers a setback or is reinjured, the Jets could give the job back to Sanchez, who would provide valuable insurance.

Sanchez’s ego would take a major hit, but he was handed one of the premier jobs in the NFL after just 16 college starts and hasn’t earned the right for this to be a lifetime appointment.

Sanchez is due $8.5 million in 2012 in the fourth year of his five-year deal. I can’t see any team investing huge dollars in Manning because of concerns about his neck. There’s enough flexibility in the way teams structure contracts that the Jets could find a way to fit Manning and Sanchez under the salary cap.

Don’t you see why this is so crazy, now? You have to. That’s cake and eating it, too.

The Jets don’t need to squeeze two quarterback contracts under the cap next offseason. They need to monitor the right-tackle market, because Wayne Hunter could give up the sack that ends Sanchez’s career and Vlad Ducasse looks like an unfortunate whiff.

What impact could an immobile Peyton Manning have when Hunter gets bull rushed out of his cleats?

And then Tannenbaum needs to make a decision on Jim Leonhard and upgrade Eric Smith’s spot with a full-time playmaker. And if there’s time and money, the Jets need to look for linebacker help, inside and out.

Sanchez is still struggling with his accuracy, and is very likely rushing his reads to avoid being crushed when Hunter does his best speed-bump impression. But do not neglect the ineffectiveness of the Jets’ screen passes, Shonn Greene’s drops, or Santonio Holmes’s inconsistency for the sake of this absurd Manning idea.

And even before player personnel is even addressed, Tannenbaum needs to be absolutely honest about Schottenheimer — and move forward without him. Because if anyone knows how to plug a quarterback into a broken system, it’s him.

Adam Schein dissected Schottenheimer’s deficiencies on Dec. 28, and it’s hard to argue with him. (Truth be told, we’re not interested in debating Schein on the point, either.)

“It is inexcusable to throw the ball 60 times with Mark Sanchez,” Schein writes. Unless you’re in a shootout, it’s inexcusable to ever throw the ball that many times.

But remember this: in the summer of 2008, when Ryan was still in Baltimore, the Jets vehemently denied any interest in acquiring Brett Favre — until they were introducing him as their starting QB.

Also, remember this: in the winter of 2008, the Jets collapsed under Favre’s watch, missed the playoffs, and sent Gang Green into a new coaching regime. Not a strong way to cap the argument, Mr. Myers.

Like Favre was to Kellen Clemens, acquiring Manning would be an indictment on Sanchez and his future with the team. There is no coming back from that.

Acquiring Manning would be a step in the wrong direction with a quarterback who has struggled to beat the Jets’ nemesis in New England. It would handcuff the Jets from securing more talent around him. And, again, like Favre, it will mean nothing with Schottenheimer’s playbook.

We’re not rushing Manning’s retirement or saying he’s finished. He’ll likely be the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year after 2012, but it doesn’t need to happen in New York.

Sanchez needs to improve, but situations around him need to be addressed before justifying a quarterback change. He should be experienced enough now to absorb a new offensive system, should the Jets finally move on from Schotty this offseason; and Mike & Rex should know they can’t stand pat with stop-gap players when upgrades are necessary.

Numbers were calculated for a family of four, including ticket prices, parking, food, and souvenirs, resulting in a $427.42 average across the league. The Jets, however, come in a little more than $200 above the league average, estimated at a whopping $629.90 for a three-hour game.

A three-hour game. That the team might lose, effectively spoiling your day before venturing into a gridlocked parking lot. And it might rain, ruining that $17 cap and $85 jersey you bought. Or someone might spill their beer on you while celebrating a touchdown, making you stink.

Now, you can invest in a new television without explaining yourself. Just print this out and rub it in the faces of all who question your motives.

(Click for larger, clearer pic. For free!)

Strickland returns to the Jets after playimg one sseason with San Diego.

Cap tip to Bassett on this one.

Although David Harris has yet to receive similar acknowledgment for his production, the Jets do feel very strongly about Hitman Harris and his abilities. If Beason’s deal tops the market value, how far off will Harris’ numbers be? Will he meet or exceed Bart Scott’s six-year, $48M contract in 2009?

EDIT BY BENT: One huge difference here is the fact that Beason’s rookie deal had not yet expired. With one year left at $1.4m that makes the contract worth $51.4m over six years, an average rate of $8.5m, which puts Harris’ value just below that, where we figured it was all along.

Read the complete article here.

(Tip of the cap to Casey with TMZ.com for this story)

Read the full article here.

• A blog post by Lance Zierlien of the Houston Chronicle. According to Zierlien, the total revenue is now in play, including a $1 billion that currently goes directly to the owners. With that figure tossed in, according to Zierlien’s sources, the players would consider reducing their take of overall revenue from 59% to 51%
• Albert Breer’s twitter (NFL Network). Breer has been nearly bubbling over with almost-good news, including the recent “secret” meetings between the owners and players
• Eric Edholm at Pro Football Weekly‘s recent post. In it, he pointed to a number of looming dates-July 4, suggested by some on the NFL side as the last day an uninterrupted season could begin, and July 21, the date of an owners meeting in Chicago-that seem to suggest that if an agreement is coming, it’ll happen soon

Eric also pointed out that training camps typically begin towards the end of July, and given all that comes with missing camp, including possible damage to the relationship teams have with their host sights, there’s even more pressure to get things done.

Lastly, Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal stoked the fires of bloggers all over the internet with this tweet:

Then qualified his statement in his next tweet, saying it would take a few more weeks to hash out the details. Which would mean at least another month before a true deal could be signed.

So something’s happening, that we can say for sure.

According to Abraham, but with Herm Edwards and Woody Johnson. (He likes Rex!) Since his departure from New York, Abraham feels that he’s been unfairly painted as having abandoned the team (and its fan) when in reality, he wanted to stay here and felt like he was being mistreated. These tweets shed a little bit of light onto the acrimonious negotiations that surrounded Abraham’s free-agency dispute with the Jets, and it looks like in the end, it all came down to money (and respect):

The bitterness between Abraham and the team ran pretty deep. Getting slapped with the franchise tag two years in a row stung Abraham, who said that Herm “lied to me to my face” and told him that he’d always be a Jet. The franchise tag and unmet contract expectations suggested otherwise.

Abraham’s litany of Herm’s sins didn’t stop there. Following his DWI in October 2003, Abraham apparently feels that Herm didn’t do enough to shield him from the league and the media, and left him out in the open, looking like a “fool.”

Team interactions were not immune to this ill will. During his franchise year, Abraham claims that Laveranues Coles was the only fellow player who he was on speaking terms with, and that Woody Johnson didn’t say a single word to him.

And then there’s this:

All in all, it’s a whole lot of nastiness. And while it’s ugly, there’s a big ol’ silver lining to this that it’s nice to remember: in the 3-way trade that sent Abraham to the Falcons, the Jets ended up with a first-round 2006 draft pick, which they used to pick up Mangold, who’s been a rock for the team’s offensive line. The following year, they managed to snag Revis with the 14th overall pick. While the pass rush has never been the same, Revis has been a mainstay of the Ryan era, and will hopefully be a part of the Jets for a long time to come.

Thanks to Erik Manassy of Jets Twit for breaking this story.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t ignore this on TJB much longer. Jayson Braddock’s Mark Sanchez “takedown” at theXlog.com has buzzed a little on Jets forums and Twitter for the past day, and it’s so unbelievably bad, I had trouble figuring out where to begin.

Ultimately, I decided to nuke his opinion since the grammatical corrections would border condescending (and would be too much extra work). I’d like to keep it a little classy.

There are plenty of reasonable criticisms to make of Sanchez’s play since he’s been in the NFL. His completion percentages aren’t impressive, his field vision needs to improve, and he needs to adjust more quickly to unexpected defensive wrinkles. For optimistic Jets fans, it’s not a big deal because experience is the cure. For Braddock, hinging the future on Sanchez is absolutely hopeless.

The self-proclaimed NFL Scout simplified Sanchez’s two-year career, but not before wishing for more Peyton Manning-Tom Brady showdowns, making the all-too-easy Trent Dilfer comparison, and suggesting Brad Smith is a franchise quarterback in waiting.

Oh, and he also implied Sanchez is gay in the most clichéd ways imaginable. I hate incendiary journalism.

If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you already know that I feel the biggest weakness on the New York Jets team is at the most important position. I’ve written plenty of articles like the one making a case for the Jets to unload the bank for Peyton Manning.

That’s a terrible idea. Jets management is supposed to engage in a bidding war with the Colts to make Manning the highest-paid player in the league? And sacrifice the free-agent weapons Sanchez worked with in 2010?

Manning might make receivers like Pierre Garcon better, but you don’t “unload the bank” for a 35-year-old quarterback who won’t be in Canton as a Jet, and leave him with Jerricho Cotchery, Dustin Keller, and a receiving corp filled with lesser evils.

How great would it be for the world to see Manning vs. Brady twice a year for the next 5 or so years?

Once a year isn’t enough? Realistically, we could see them play twice a year — if either team survived long enough in the postseason. There are no more questions to answer with regard to this ballyhooed duel between future Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks. Do you value championships? Or do you value routinely prolific passing performances? That’s the black and white of a tired discussion.

If Braddock’s article wasn’t about Sanchez, I’d think this was written five years ago.

Either way, it seems like the world really needs a young, hotshot quarterback in a big city with bright lights to lead a team into the playoffs and dispatch both Manning and Brady from the postseason in back-to-back weeks. That might give lazy writers something new to discuss.

I think Sanchez should join the Broadway plays that he forces his teammates to go see. I’m sorry, I rather my quarterbacks take out the team to a bar and if a fight breaks out so be it. Maybe this makes me a meathead but I’ll take that rather than having NFL quarterbacks taking their teammates out on dates like in “Pretty Woman”. And it’s not only that I don’t like the fact he takes them there, I don’t like his feminine reactions when talking about the date.

Oh, what a dandy! He won’t even fight and risk getting arrested like a real man. I bet he spends hours trimming his beard. That pretty boy is better suited for endorsing phone companies, televisions, and sneakers — like… Peyton Manning. Next you’re going to seriously tell me he pats his teammates’ butts.

Seriously though, if Sanchez was a franchise quarterback, I would look past his patting on his teammate’s butt.

Well, damn. Even more seriously, I’m half tempted to stop this FJM-style post right here. I feel like I’m giving Braddock more credence by acknowledging him from this platform. It’s not even funny that a faux-NFL scout is pretending slaps to the ass are exclusive to the Jets’ Broadway-loving quarterback. This is worthy of an eye-roll only.

Sanchez’s supporters like to mention him playing in two consecutive AFC Championship games. My rebuttal, Trent eff’ing Dilfer won a Super Bowl.

SLAM! Except it’s tired and we expect more from an NFL Scout. (I’m really enjoying that title.)

Sanchez supporters don’t back him only because of two-consecutive AFC Championship appearances, but because of the performances he delivered en route to those games. His regular-season statistics are pedestrian, but Sanchez turned out remarkable performances in the postseason. Apparently, his 4-2 playoff record (all away games), nine passing touchdowns, and 94.1 QB rating in the postseason don’t hold enough merit.

Two things tie those last two sentences in well. The first thing is that neither one of the quarterbacks mentioned are better than backup QBs.

Just full of zingers, huh? But while we’re here: Dilfer, for all his unmistakable mediocrity, was pretty good that postseason. The defensively-dominant, run-first 2000 Ravens closed out the regular season on a seven-game win streak, but Dilfer took over a 5-3 squad and kept the offense from being one-dimensional in the playoffs with a few deep shots. Kerry J. Byrne from Sports Illustrated analyzed the stats that rebut Braddock’s rebuttal.

Dilfer finished the postseason with just 35 completions, but a 16.9-yard average for each of them. He also tossed three touchdowns and just one pick, good for an 83.7 passer rating. Peyton Manning, he is not — but they have the same amount of jewelry.

The second is Rex Ryan factored into both defenses. Ryan was the defensive line coach on the Ravens team that “Dilfer led to a Super Bowl” and he implemented the defense for the Jets that routinely set up Sanchez with great field position at a rate well above the league average.

Figured that might be a credit to Mike Westhoff’s direction of the special teams. But okay, I’ll let it stick.

If you are a Jets fan you are probably cursing at me right now saying “who the hell is this SOB bashing our QB?” Well, if you don’t trust a scout’s eye…

… With a roster of quarterbacks that consist of the wiener eating Mark Sanchez (referring to the hot dog eating instance during the game, I promise)…

Boom! Double entendre, son! This guy’s witty.

[The Jets] can either get someone via free agency to help win that championship while the window is open or they can give more touches to Mr. Excitement, Brad Smith.

Brad Smith is a weapon that is being drastically misused in New York. Every time he touches the ball, he’s an instant threat to “house it.” … Smith is often the fastest guy on the field for the Jets and they use that ability in the kickoff return game. But, outside of the return game, he averages less than 3 touches a game. It’s time for New York to become more creative.

Damn. He is serious. What Braddock would have the Jets do is become a professional pee-wee football squad and hinge all offensive success on Smith’s ability to routinely evade a blitz, or throw an accurate pass to one of the receivers running a short route from that formation. That’s foolish. So very foolish. Mainly because it’s predicated on the unreasonably biased notion that Sanchez is completely incompetent, which we know not to be true.

The Jets’ Wildcat often resulted in momentum-killing plays and rarely looked worth the risk. I was all for letting Smith toss the occasional pass, if only to snap the monotony of the two- to three-yard stumble behind a congested wall of blockers, but this is by no means a resolution. If the goal is to get your franchise quarterback comfortable — whether Braddock believes Sanchez is one, or not — you don’t kill any chance for him to establish a rhythm.

Would it hurt to take Sanchez out from under center more and sit him on the sideline? He would probably enjoy it and be able to eat something or catch up on the latest reviews of the newest Broadway play that all the girls are screaming about. While he’s getting his mani / pedi with the Jets logo on his nails for his red carpet premiere that night…

Still at it. This macho, chest-thumping ignorance Braddock keeps injecting into this article is more absurd than the premise. You’d think he discovered his 17-year-old sister ‘liked’ Mark Sanchez’s fan page on Facebook.

Smith, more than any of the other QBs that run the Wildcat can throw the ball (as evidenced by the above Sanchez/Smith passing comparison).

No, he really can’t. Smith’s opportunities to play QB in preseason games often featured erratic, inaccurate passes. And Michael Vick is upset now, too.

Smith should take snaps with Shonn Greene and Bilal Powell lined up behind him, but he should pass it almost as much as he runs (and that will actually help him when he does run it). … He can’t be any worse than Sanchez. The Jets could also give Smith more touches as the slot receiver, if Mark can get him the ball.

If only Mark didn’t waste so much time targeting Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, Cotchery, and Keller, he’d find Smith running money-play routes EVERY time!

For the record, I’m convinced Braddock wrote this pompous rant without realizing that Brad Smith is a free agent this offseason.

One thing is for sure, the Jets can’t just go into the season hoping to be one dimensional on offense and beat everyone with defense. There are three other teams in the AFC that drafted and got better this offseason and they’re also known for having a hard nose defense like the Jets:  Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and San Diego.  Their quarterbacks are Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, and Joe Flacco.

Not respectively, of course. Unless Flacco and Rivers swapped squads. Maybe this scout knows something we don’t?

Here are the 2010 key stats.

• Pittsburgh Steelers: #1 Scoring Defense  /  #1 Rush Defense   ( Jets will need great QB play to stand a chance)

You mean the same Steelers that won the game because the Jets failed to stop Rashard Mendenhall from racking up 95 of his 121 rushing yards in the first half?

That game was a 24-3 dismantling for the first 30 minutes, until Sanchez’s great QB play produced 233 yards, two second-half touchdowns and brought the Jets a touchdown away from a trip to the Super Bowl. It was the defense that allowed a 14-yard completion from Roethlisberger to Antonio Brown after the two-minute warning.

The Jets won’t be able to just beat teams with their running game and great defense.

Like they have.

If they don’t replace Sanchez with a free agent quarterback (which they won’t)…

Well, they better! Because Seneca Wallace, Matt Hasselbeck, Alex Smith, and Matt Leinart hold the keys to the future. The bidding wars might be too intense for those guys, though. Mike Tannenbaum’s contingency plan better include Billy Volek, Drew Stanton, and Tarvaris Jackson. Otherwise, Gang Green is Gang CREAMED.

…they’ll need to be more creative in the offensive attack, which means fueling up the Jets on Brad Smith. If Ryan holds Smith down to only three touches a game again this year, the Jets won’t get off the ground.

So, that’s really the point to take away from this entire article? Yet, it’s buried deep beneath layers of flat puns, homophobia, unwarranted arrogance, and poor writing.

Hat tip to S-Dubb at NYJetsFan.com for alerting me to this madness.

Well, general manager Mike Tannenbaum’s job will be a little easier when the NFL finally ends the lockout and officially re-opens for business.

The screen capture above, should the image not load, is a tweet from restricted free agent cornerback Antonio Cromartie declaring his intentions to remain with the Jets. He’s aligned his vision with Rex Ryan’s and intends to win a Super Bowl next season with Gang Green.

@A_Cromartie31
I’m going to b a JET. Like Rex say we will win the SB this year.

Sweet! Now, about that whole lockout and inactive collective-bargaining agreement situation. Oh, and Cromartie’s status as a restricted free agent still leaves this as unsettled as it was before the tweet.

There’s a lot to be accomplished between now and whenever then arrives.

Here’s some reaction from Cromartie’s agent regarding the sixth-year pro’s Twitter declaration:

In all seriousness, it’s good to know Cromartie is all-in when it comes to the Jets — even if he did sacrifice leverage in the negotiation process. It makes the turbulence of a pending free-agency period a little less treacherous when Tannenbaum knows he’s working to keep players who want to be part of the organization.

From a strategic standpoint, consistency is key. While that’s been the mantra among fans clamoring for receivers Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards to be retained on offense, the same argument holds true on the defensive side. Cromartie had his lapses in 2010, but he’s been the Jets’ best complement to All-Pro Darrelle Revis.