Category Archives: Opinion/Bent
NFL.com has a lot of great video content from the Jets in the past few days:
Pre WK 1 Can’t-Miss Play: Clowney TD
Pre WK 1: Mark Sanchez highlights
Warren Moon Breaking down Sanchez
Kerry Rhodes was on the line during SNY’s Wheelhouse on Thursday to discuss Jay Cutler, the QBs of the AFC East, Darrelle Revis, Bart Scott, and more. Click the link for the full interview. Video embedding is not being my friend right now.
Brian Custer: Who is more responsible for the Jets collapse last season: Brett Favre or Eric Mangini?
Kerry Rhodes: (laughing) Eric Mangini
Sounds like he’s restraining himself when it comes to Cutler, but I won’t hold that against him. The speculation is over and the Jets don’t play the Bears this season, so it’s really all a moot point right now. Thankfully he chose not to elaborate on the details. It simply doesn’t matter anymore.
Hearing Rhodes talk about Revis made me even happier that fans aren’t General Managers. I love all of my fellow Jets’ fans, but the idea of packaging the best corner in the NFL for the second best QB in his (weak) conference really cut me deep.
While every Jet fan in America (and overseas) will instantly remind me that looking ahead to the playoffs is a dangerous thing and invites bad karma, some analysis is in order for us to know who to root for in the coming few weeks.
Let’s start off with some things we would like to see. (more…)
For teams on the rise, there are games that have to be played and won before their full lessons can be understood. They are the games that teach the offensive coordinator the exact moment to run and the exact moment to pass. They teach the defensive coordinator the moments to play “prevent,” the moments to blitz the passer, the moments to put his unit in cover two. They teach the players, the exact moment to give everything they have, and the exact moment certain things matter most.
It’s one thing to understand these things on paper. It’s another thing to actually understand them in your gut. The New York Jets played one of those gut-check, statement games tonight, and they won it 34-31 in an overtime thriller in Foxboro. In so doing, coordinators, players and coaches, learned the things that only a game like this can teach: how to win. (more…)
Bent will be hosting a TJB Chat at 1PM ET today, so make sure to come back and join the gang for the fun! Bring your questions and thoughts about the Jets, and the game this weekend.
Jason K. who was the YouTube videographer of Favre’s practice lap, sent in some more videos. The one above is one of Favre getting one-hand intercepted by Rhodes … which E-Bola tells us more about here on his blog.
So the interception came about like this: Favre took the snap at about his 40, pumped and fired deep down the left sideline for David Clowney, who had separation. But Rhodes rotated over, cupped his right hand and made the one-handed pick. Rhodes told me after practice Favre sought him out to get the lowdown on exactly what Rhodes saw on the play.
Here’s some more vids from Jason.
- Brett Ratliff completes a pass.
- Favre completes a short pass to Brad Smith.
- Favre throws an intermediate pass to Laveranues Coles.
- Kellen Clemens had to run a lap.
- Favre warming up.
With everything going on today, you may have forgot: actual football is back, baby!
Well, almost — it’s the Jets and even though it’s an exhibition (which is about as exciting as the Browns logo), it’s still football. And as such, it’s still close enough to put the Thursday Top 10 out to pasture (big cheer from the crowd) and dust off TJB Scout for a new season.
Like the Jets, we’ll be getting back in shape for the regular season, trying out some new things over the next few weeks. Luckily, I won’t be competing for a roster spot (I think), so if there are some errors or missteps here, I won’t find myself on the blogger waiver wire tomorrow . . . hopefully.
So the Jets square off against the Brownies of Cleveland. Last December, the Browns beat the Jets 24-18 in a game that featured four Mike Nugent field goals and a late ugly, game-ending rushing TD by Jamal Lewis. I don’t expect to be much more exciting than that, but I can dream.
But hey, it is the Jets back in the saddle, playing against another team. Yippie ki yo ki yay!
Read on, mother–
(more…)
Favre has made his decision (maybe? he’s worse than a politician) and that decision doesn’t involve the Jets:
Brett Favre has decided he doesn’t want to play for the New York Jets and is seriously considering accepting the Green Bay Packers’ offer of about $20 million over 10 years to remain retired because he doesn’t think he’ll get his wish to play in the NFC North Division, according to a report on ESPN.com Thursday night.
…
“There isn’t a perfect solution to this, but Mark Murphy is at least trying,” Favre told ESPN’s Ed Werder via text message on Thursday night. “We know what they want and where I stand. His solution, although awkward and unsettling for most, may be the best in the end.”
Somewhere Chris Mortensen is crying for not being the recipient of this text message.
I know half are sad and half are cheering, but I hope this resolves the infatuation with Brett Favre for Jets fans. Hypothetically, even if Favre does wind up playing for the Jets do you really want him now? Is this decision final?
It’s hard to say, because nothing ever seems final with Brett, but it sounds like it’s over for the Jets, at the very least. I was nervous at the beginning of this process, and I have to say that I think although Favre is a great Quarterback, it’s best that the Jets won’t get him. It does concern me that Tannenbaum thought this move was necessary … but that’s a topic for another post …
Now that this is done, here’s who looks bad from my perspective:
1) Brett Favre — Everyone says he’s an indecisive person when it comes to awkward situations like this, and there’s no proof otherwise. He might be one of the NFL’s greatest Quarterbacks, but the past few years with his flirtation with retirement, then his insistence to return to the league have been comical. For all the gushing people do about his love of the game, he looks like a fool now because he wanted to play, but only for a certain division, which since the Packers are smart, aren’t going to let him play in over their dead body.
2) The Green Bay Packers — Basically, even though they wanted to move on from Brett, the airing of the laundry of forcing Favre out of the league, and then not helping him play elsewhere (even though he’s an idiot and only wanted to play in the NFC North) makes them look like an organization who would enjoy crushing a child’s dying wish.
3) The New York Jets — The Jets must have come to terms with Ted Thompson. But now, despite doing that, they look like the nerd who asks the head cheerleader to prom in front of everyone and gets shot down. You can’t blame the nerd for asking her out, but at the same time, some things are better left alone. Now Tannenbaum is going to have half a riotous fanbase who is pissed he couldn’t get the deal done, no matter how hard he tried. I respect that Tannenabum got a deal in place, but it really doesn’t matter because Brett has chosen that he doesn’t want to play outside the NFC North and that’s that. What’s worse, he has to have lost the trust of his Quarterbacks. How do you look Chad Pennington straight in the eye after this debacle?
Thank you to everyone who voted for TJB’s second annual Jetsies Awards, where you get to choose your favorites from the previous season. Over the course of the next week, we will be revealing to you who won what.
Francis Bacon once said that “by far the best proof is experience.”
We’re not sure what that means, but we do know that the best proof must belong to Rich Cimini, the Jets beatwriter for the Daily News for the Jets. Rich has been on the Jets beat since 1996 for “New York City’s Hometown Newspaper” and who wrote for Newsday on the Jets beat before that. With that in mind, it’s hardly surprising that Rich won the Jetsys for having the Best Beatwriters Blog, The Jets Stream, and for Best Beatwriter.
As great as Rich is, we’re concerned he might ask for another cash prize like last year at Day One of Training Camp. Anyone got some small bills I can borrow?
One more down, one more to go!
Word on the street is that Dustin Keller is reported to have signed with the team, no details are yet known about the deal. At this rate, the team should be able to focus on Gholston leading up to Thursday, so here’s to hoping the deal gets done before then.
I think Keller has the potential to be a special player and open up this offense, eventually becoming the #2 target on this team. All the same, give him time, it’s not all going to click in year one.
Hope he got a good signing bonus, that Land Rover of his doesn’t run on that hippie biofuel!
Update: Boland has this on his blog too.
Update 2: DB Jonathan Zenon has been released as well.
Mike Lombardi, former NFL Exec (and frequent guest on SNY, who by the way has an awesome blog of his own) spoke on Sirius’ NFL Radio recently and stated that “the Jets would be a good spot, they don’t have a quarterback” in relation to trying to acquire Brett Favre to play this fall.
No to split hairs, but they do have a quarterback, they just don’t know who it is yet, or how effective that quarterback will be this season. One would have to assume though that a better line and running game will improve whoever lines up behind Mangold, be it Favre or whoever takes snaps. I think though what Lombardi meant though is evident, they don’t have a franchise solidifying QB. But is Favre that person at this point in his career? Apparently all these shenanigans aren’t doing the Packers any favors, writes Peter King …
Favre is a great QB in some respects, but in my humble opinion, he can be a liability to teams (**cough cough** Giants playoff game **cough cough**) and to give up whatever it would take to get him (likely a high draft pick) I’m just not sure it’s the right step right now for a guy who might play just a few more years. If the Jets do try to acquire Favre, maybe there is something to the “win now” talk of the beat writers, but until I see them making moves for Favre, I just don’t think this would be a good move for the team.
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?
