Category Archives: Opinion/R in CT
To help celebrate TJB’s fifth anniversary, I thought I’d take a break from my website (officially sanctioned shameless plug) to join in the fun today. And since five is the number of the day, rather than trot out a full Top 10, here’s half of that — and not even on Thursday.
Here are –
The Top 5 Things That R in CT Has Learned From Reading TJB the Past Five Years
5. That TJB has changed the world! The passion and interest of non-traditional media — aka “blogs like TJB started by fans” — has dramatically changed how football is now covered. Five years ago, what you read in the paper from August to January — and then around the draft — is what you got online. But the fans’ interest in their teams, and the ability for guys like Bassett to create their own sites, and thus, find and share news (and eventually cover the teams) around-the-clock, year-round, has forced the mainstream media to follow suit. Every reporter now has his own blog, they give us blow-by-blow updates from hereto previously unreported activies such as mini camp and training camp, and work 12 months a year to keep up.
Sure, us fans had a part, but it was the bloggers like Bassett that have lead the charge.
Hey all –
The rain stopped and it was clear skies for the afternoon session here in Cortland, drawing a bigger and more enthusiastic crowd. The team practiced for about two hours in shells — helmets and shoulder pads with shorts.
If you want to see my pics from the morning session of the opening day of training camp, click here.
The afternoon images are after the jump …
Hey all –
Greetings again from what was a very soggy Cortland this morning. I took a bunch of pictures, although I admit right up front that I’m far from an expert, and only after I was done, did I realize that I didn’t really have my camera set right for an overcast and rainy day. Sorry!
Still, there should be enough here to give you an idea of what it was like here this morning, you know, aside from freaking wet. (The forecast is for better weather this afternoon.)
And let me just say the oddest thing about this compared to other camps was the QUIET! No music blaring, so we were able to hear the coaches and players pretty clearly, including when Brian Schottenheimer dropped an F-bomb after a fasle start penalty. Also heard players chirping “Run a lap!” after mistakes, although with Eric Mangini gone, there was no lap running.
Anyway, let’s get on to the images!
Hey everyone –
I got here to Cortland in one piece, and now I’m getting ready for camp tomorrow! A few things I thought I’d share with those planning on making the trek out here …
- Cortland is welcoming the Jets and their fans with their arms wide open! The whole town is Jets-centric at the moment — green-and-white banners are festooned from the light posts in downtown, there are Jets logos painted in traffic circles, and pretty much every business has some sort of “Welcome Jets Fans” sign or banner in front of it. In more than one business, employees are decked out in Jets jerseys and caps, and the Chamber of Commerce has printed nice Jets-themed fold-out flyers with all sorts of local attractions and restaurants. It’s a virtual Jets village here, and quite frankly, sort of puts Hempstead to shame. (In the words of ’80s hair band Cinderella — “Don’t know what you got, till it’s gone …”)
- From any direction you are coming, once you get off the highway, the way to SUNY Cortland is marked very clearly with large green-and-white “NY Jets Training Camp” signs pointing the way. I think I should mention that the main road in — Route 281 — is in the midst of being torn up, with lanes closed and lots of orange cones, so there’s a potential for traffic troubles. Give yourself a few extra minutes to get here.
- Speaking of traffic — apparently SUNY Cortland will be charging each car $5 to park, “to help defray costs.” By NFL rules, a team can’t charge fans to attend training camp, but I guess that doesn’t cover the host or parking. The fields and surrounding areas are already blocked off by security teams, so don’t think you’re going to be able to sneak in early!
- There seems to be lots of Jets fans here already — the real test will be what the crowds look like tomorrow morning, and if they are sustained throughout the duration of camp. I don’t doubt it may be heavy this weekend, then tapering off as the weeks pass.
Anyway, I hope that helps any of you on your way up here! If I think of or notice anything else, I’ll pass it along.
Hey all — R in CT here …
Like the rest of you, I’m absolutely stoked that the start of another NFL season is only hours away. As we sit here on the eve of training camp, I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve, with visions of the sugar plumped (aka Kris Jenkins) — sack-dancing in my head.
As a matter of fact, I’m so fired up for football, I’m actually going to be making the long trek out to Cortland to be there for both Friday sessions and the Saturday morning session. Yeah, I’m a football geek like that. Must’ve been all the pep talks by Rex Ryan!
Chances are as you’re reading this, I’m already making my way through upstate New York — of course with Damned Connecticut-inspired side trips to the see the Cardiff Giant and the grave of the Old Leather Man. (The cross-promoting never ends!) If everything goes to plan and I don’t get lost, I’ll get to Cortland tonight, be at training camp tomorrow morning, and have some photos and observations to post during the day.
In the meantime, here are –
The Top 10 Things I’m Looking Forward to Seeing At Training Camp
10. The punter battle — With all the other changes on the team, one thing that seems to stay the same is the team’s inability to find a consistently good punter. Or any punter, really. Ben Graham, Reggie Hodges, Toby Gowin, Dan Stryzinski, Matt Turk, Tommy Parks, Daniel Pope, Tom Tupa and Jeremy Kapinos have all had tours of duty as Jets punter this decade alone — 9 guys in 9 years! If Mike Westhoff is truly a special teams guru (as I think he is), shouldn’t this problem have been solved years ago? Let’s hope this is the year they find a keeper …
Hey gang! That’s right, like Reggie Hodges, I’m back yet again (at Bassett’s request), here to break up the summer blahs with one of my patented Thursday Top 10s.
On the eve of the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s landing on the moon – which some conspiracy theorists contend never happened – I thought I might take a look at some of the most famous conspiracy theories surrounding the Jets. (Especially since there ain’t much of anything else going on in the next few weeks.)
So adjust your tin foil hats, make sure the bunker is stocked and let’s have some fun with …
R in CT’s Top 10 Jets Conspiracy Theories
10. Led by the nefarious Hooded Claw, the Bilder-chick Group – aimed at global and NFL domination — has placed its Patriot agents into every American business entity, including GNC, and as such, was able to slip Calvin Pace a tainted nutritional supplement.
9. The sports media is run by a single, powerful entity who controls all the information and runs every sports news outlet, including ESPN, Pro Football Talk, The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated and Dead Spin, as well as the local New York tabloids – and thus, in reality, Mike Florio, Peter King, Len Pasquarelli, Vic Carucci, Rich Cimini, Dave Hutchinson and all the others are commanded by one shadowy, Jet-hating overlord, a twisted individual who employs every fiber of their being to keep as much negative light on the Jets as possible. And that person is …
That’s right, like Brandon Moore, The Thursday Top 10 has returned by popular demand! (Okay, Bassett personally requested it — so direct your venom at him!) For those who have tried to block it out or have no idea what I’m talking about, it’s something I did last year to break up the looong off-season — and have a little fun. I’m not back every single week, but like Vernon Gholston on defense, I may show up from time to time.
Like today!
Now although I’ve been occupied getting my new site Damned Connecticut up to speed [Bassett-approved shameless plug], and haven’t been posting as frequently, trust me when I say I’ve been following the team — and this beloved site — just as closely as ever. And I don’t know if it’s all the big changes or my own eagerness to put last season behind me, but I am already very excited for the upcoming season — only 185 days until kick off, baby!
But who’s counting right? Okay, we all are! Why? Because we all want Jets football back, and to that extent, here are —
The Top 10 Things I’m Already Looking Forward To
10. No more “Mangenius/Mangidiot” – I’ve made no bones about the fact that I was an Eric Mangini supporter — a local Connecticut boy who worked hard to make his way in the NFL, starting out as a lowly ball boy and making his way up to head coach of the NFL’s New York Jets by age 35. Objectively, it’s a nice story.
And I understand both sides of the debate about his coaching and leadership skills — the team was always prepared, avoided big mistakes, etc. vs. no passion on the sidelines, a lack of communication, etc.
What I absolutely never cared for, however, was the nickname he picked up in his first season: “Mangenius.” Unless you’re Albert Einstein or Weird Al Yankovic, being branded a genius usually turns out to be a burden (see Coyote, Wile E.). And when things go wrong — as they did in his forgettable second season — what started out as a compliment can change in a, well, New York minute.
Dear Santa,
Hey, it’s your old buddy R in CT. I know I haven’t written you in a while (thanks again for that 10-speed bike!) and this is your busiest night, but I thought I’d sent you a short missive on behalf of myself and my fellow Jets fans after that lump of coal we got in Seattle last Sunday.
Let me say first that game was one of the worst Xmas gifts I’ve ever gotten, with the exception of the half-raw brownies and book on organic gardening that the horrid woman in my office gave me a few years back (she didn’t even bother to remove the letter from the public relations firm addressed to her from inside the front cover — talk about a thoughtless re-gift!). That game was the toughest gut-punch I’ve had in a long time, and a devastating, maddening, soul-crushing loss. It was so upsetting that all this week, I couldn’t bear to read the papers, watch NFL-related programming, listen to sports radio or even read this beloved blog. I was so down, I couldn’t even muster the energy or focus to do my weekly “TJB Scout.” (Sorry — I know you enjoyed perusing it from time to time, mug of eggnog in hand, while making preparations for tonight’s flight.) I didn’t even post so much as a single comment this week.
But why, I asked myself. Why was I so distraught? And as I stewed in my own burning juices, I realized that I think a good part of it had to do with the anger, vitriol, venom and absolute hate it provoked my fellow fans. Stirred feverishly by the local media, it was particularly upsetting to me to see all the fans so upset, so vexed, so bitter and lashing out at anybody and anything — the players, the coaches, the owner, the front office, the Flight Crew ….
Can you feel it? After what seems like a bajillion years, we’re almost through the darkness and to the light that is the return of Jets football! Just one short week — 7 mere days — until the team is back on the field and getting ready for another season.
As Bassett has mentioned, TJB is planning on being out at Hofstra next Thursday (myself included), and as such, here are –
The Top 10 Things I’m Looking Forward to Seeing at Training Camp
10. The green-and-white clad fans eagerly cheering on the team. I know the media and NFL tend to forget, but none of this works without us! And one of the joys of training camp is that it’s a place teeming with boundless optimism and positive vibes, of truly devoted fans emerging from the long off-season slumber to see their heroes return to the gridiron and inspire with feats of athleticism. Like the old commercial, today everyone is 0-0, and hope springs eternal — and that sense of it being a fresh new season is nowhere more apparent than in the stands at Hofstra.
Okay, you might be thinking about the recently reunited Joey, Jordan, Jonathan, Danny and that irascible Donny, but I’m talking about recently acquired Jesse, Vernon, Calvin, Damien and that irascible Tony. Even though they’re hangin’ tough and taking it step by step, they got the right stuff — didn’t they blow your mind?!! Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!!!
Whoa, ’80s flashback there . . . sorry.
Now I was never a girl scout, but I did date a few former ones back in the day (even married one), and one thing I always remember — aside from their sweet, sweet cookies — is their motto: “Make new friends but keep the old; one is silver and the other is gold.”
Well, the Jets dumped some fool’s gold (McCareins, Clement, Clarke, et al) and then went out and struck a mother lode of silver this off-season! Or what they hope will be silver — some of it could turn out to be just a bunch of shiny worthless rocks. One way or another, the team will be depending on its new acquisitions, hoping that their collective impact will raise the team up from its 4-12 finish last season.
Individually, let’s look at –
The Top 10 New Additions to the Jets Who Should Have the Biggest Impact
(And No, When I Say “New Additions,” I Don’t Mean These Guys)
10. Dustin Keller. If Keller is the weapon he was at Purdue, he should create mismatches aplenty and provide a big downfield target. Ideally, that should help stretch the offense while freeing up the receivers and creating space for the running game. He’d be higher on the list if rookie receivers and tight ends didn’t traditionally struggle in their first year. If the Chris Baker situation gets resolved in such a manner that Baker is no longer a Jet, then Bubba Franks is 10a.
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?
All right, it’s the first week of June. The biggest prizes in free agency are gone, the draft is long over, OTAs are done and minicamp doesn’t get going until later today. Let’s go off the track a bit, throw the Top 10 to the wind and have some fun!
One of the things that has been rolling around with the rest of the marbles in the back of my mind is the recent announcement that Jake Gyllenhaal has been tapped to play Joe Willie Namath in a biopic of the beloved Jets icon. And I guess I can see it.
I just hope Jake can rock the fu manchu!
But, like with pretty much everything else, that got me to thinking: If they were going to make a movie of the entire history of the Jets, featuring some of the notable figures, who else might be cast in key roles? For instance, how about . . .
Weeb Ewbank – James Gandolfini. We know Gandolfini has had a lot of experience playing the leader of a tight-knit family from Jersey, why not a tight-knit green-and-white family from Jersey? Forgettaboutit! He’s perfect, and as we know (from TV, so it must be true), he’s already a fan of the Jets and “the Mangenius.”
Get the picture, so to speak? I figure the majority of the players in most recent times can play themselves (see Rhodes, Hollywood). So get Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Peter Jackson or Marty DiBergi on the phone, help yourself to some popcorn, some Twizzlers and a big slurpee, then sit back and enjoy my dream cast for The New York Jets: The Movie …. ROLL ‘EM!
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