56 replies to this topic

[kelly]

Patriots QB Tom Brady agreed to a three-year, $27 million contract extension on Monday (through 2017).

A few quick thoughts from a    Jets perspective:

1. CAP ROOM: The biggest impact on the Jets is that
it gives the Patriots salary-cap flexibility -- a total of $15 million
in cap relief in 2013 and 2014. This will allow them to re-sign their
own free agents and be active in the free-agent market.

The biggest beneficiary could be WR Wes Welker,
who is due to become an unrestricted free agent. Look for the Patriots
to make an immediate play to re-up with Welker. The Jets will have to
make sure they're strong at slot-corner, because it looks like Welker
will be catching passes from Brady for a few more years.

2. HOLD THE STATUE: This contract will give Jets
fans more reason to hate Brady. He's already being lionized for
accepting a less-than-market contract, hailed as team-first star in a
world of me-first divas. Spare me. While his annual average is certainly
below the league's highest-paid quarterbacks -- namely Drew Brees and Peyton Manning -- Brady won't be hurting at all.

If the early reports are correct, the entire deal is guaranteed.
Counting the final two years of his old contract, he'll make $60 million
over the next five years, according to NFL.com -- a stunning guarantee
for a quarterback who will be 40 when the deal expires. So let's hold
the parade.

3. THE REVIS FACTOR: Cynical Jets fans, no doubt, will try to spin this against Darrelle Revis.
If one of the greatest quarterbacks in history can take one for the
team, they will ask, why should Revis demand $16 million a year? Thing
is, it's apples and oranges. This is Brady's "retirement" contract; he's
already made a few big scores in his career. Revis still is in his
prime years; his next contract could be his last big bite at the apple.

4. JUST FOR GIGGLES: A year ago, the Jets gave their starting quarterback -- Mark Sanchez
-- a three-year extension for $40 million in "new" money. Brady gets
$27 million on a three-year extension. Feel free to discuss.

 

> http://espn.go.com/b...it-impacts-jets

[kelly]

NY Jets owner Woody Johnson needs to focus on leading organization from the top, not involving
himself in every single personnel decision


You look at the Jets as presently constructed — or reconstructed — and
wonder what kind of actual leadership comes from the top of the
organization. If any. Put it another way: John Mara didn’t need to hire a
head-hunter when it was time to replace the retiring Ernie Accorsi as
his general manager.   What kind of leadership has Woody Johnson brought to the Jets ?

Certainly not the type John Mara brings to the Giants or Robert Kraft to
the Patriots - the Jets' two chief rival organizations.

The Jets keep winning news cycles, boy do they, even in the offseason

seem to be much better at that lately than winning football games. So we
are talking plenty about Darrelle Revis these days, whether he stays or
goes. There is always plenty of talk about the coach, Rex Ryan, who
doesn’t just seem to have lost all that weight, but seems to keep
shrinking in front of our eyes.

 We have seen another change at general manager, Mike Tannenbaum out and
John Idzik in. Jets fans want to know if Idzik has the chops and the
game to make the Jets a real contender again, make them good enough to
consistently win MetLife Stadium from the Giants and start winning the
AFC East from the New England Patriots.

 We know about the ownership of those teams, the best in sports, the
Maras and Tisches with the Giants, Robert Kraft with the Patriots. But
all this time after Woody Johnson bought the Jets, what do Jets fans really know about their owner, other than he seems to be really sweet on Rex Ryan?

 I asked a big-time New York businessman, one who knows Woody Johnson
and knows the world of big-time New York sports, about Johnson on
Wednesday. The guy asked that his name not be used because he likes
Johnson.

“Woody’s smart,” he said. “But you don’t have to be around sports for
very long to understand that doesn’t make you a smart owner.”

 

 Then we were talking about the Giants, and how they have such a

specific brand, one with so much history, and about the Patriots, who
have probably had the most successful brand in the NFL over the past 20
years.

 

    I asked the guy about the Jets brand.

    “That’s the problem,” he said. “I’m not sure what their brand is. Do
you know what it is? And that starts at the top. It doesn’t mean Woody
should be making the personnel decisions. But ownership, in any
business, is about setting a tone for your operation, having a clear
vision and then trusting your people to execute it. And I just don’t see
that with the Jets.”

    Woody Johnson wants to win, wants to be involved, clearly was involved
when Ryan and Tannenbaum decided to move up in the first round of the
draft and go for Mark Sanchez. Clearly was involved in the wrong-headed
decision to bring Tim Tebow to the Jets. There was great jubilation at
the time, how the Jets had two quarterbacks! Now the Tebow trade turned
out to be such a stroke of genius that the Jets, at the present time,
effectively have no quarterbacks.

    Johnson’s Jets have made the playoffs under three different coaches,
three different general managers. So it is not as if Johnson has damaged
the Jets’ brand, whatever it is. But now, two seasons after the Jets
went to their second straight AFC Championship Game under the
Tannenbaum/Ryan regime, they are shopping the team’s best player, have
no quarterback, have a great big tattooed lame-duck coach.

 

Despite all the times they have made some kind of big splash, they don’t
just have trouble selling PSLs, they occasionally white-knuckle their
way into another sellout, and stay away from a dreaded local blackout.
Even after a year when the Giants fall apart in the second half of the
season and can’t make the playoffs as the defending Super Bowl
champions, the Jets find themselves as much the little brother as ever.

 

    Will Woody Johnson and Jets brass drop the ball again - this time with Darrelle Revis?
 

    And what is their first move after their 6-10 season, after a season
that only got worse after the embarrassment of Thanksgiving Night
against the Patriots? Johnson gives his coach a rousing vote of
confidence and says that Ryan gets to stay even after Mike Tannenbaum
was asked to leave, and then goes out and hires Idzik away from the
Seahawks, essentially starting all over again.

RELATED: DOWN ON THE CORNER: JETS BRASS SNUBS REVIS' AGENTS AT COMBINE

    Again, this is not to suggest that Johnson has wandered punch-drunk
through his ownership the way Ryan wandered punch-drunk through the last
two Decembers. The Jets have made the playoffs a total of six times
with Johnson as their owner. It is a lot more than the Mets have done in
that time, and a lot more than the Knicks have done over the last
decade.

    But forget for a moment about the decisions that must be made before
the start of next season: Who to draft; who the quarterback is going to
be, what to do about Revis. Go take another look at the decisions that
have been made since the second AFC Championship Game, and then wonder
if the Jets are starting to go the wrong way and fast, same as the Mets
did when they were a game away from the World Series six-and-a-half
years ago.

    You look at the Jets as presently constructed — or reconstructed — and
wonder what kind of actual leadership comes from the top of the
organization. If any. Put it another way: John Mara didn’t need to hire a
head-hunter when it was time to replace the retiring Ernie Accorsi as
his general manager. Woody Johnson has been at this long enough that he
should have known exactly who, and with what, he wanted to replace
Tannenbaum.

    When it was all over, it was Tannenbaum who graciously took the fall on
Tebow. But whatever he says, and whatever Johnson says, that trade
can’t possibly happen without Johnson’s endorsement. And if the owner of
the team didn’t endorse it and it happened anyway, whose fault is that?

    Whose team is it, anyway?

    Now the Jets try to come back from that, from the wreckage of last
season, with a compromised coach and a new general manager. Neither one
hired himself. Again: Maybe you think owners don’t matter. Try telling
that to fans of the Giants and the Patriots, the two teams against which
Woody Johnson’s Jets constantly measure themselves.

 

> http://www.nydailyne...ticle-1.1275635

 

[kelly]

Question ? Phone Rex, but where's Woody ?

 

 

Rex Ryan and GM John Idzik will face an angry mob Monday -- well, kinda.

They will hold a 1 p.m. conference call with season-ticket holders,
answering football questions. The Jets do this once or twice a year, a
PR move that lets the fan base hear the state of team directly from the
decision makers. Presumably, the calls will be screened, so it probably
won't get too down and dirty, but Jets fans aren't bashful and they
believe Ryan has some 'splaining to do.

But something will be missing : Woody Johnson.

The fans deserve to hear from the owner, who is dangling the Jets' best player -- Darrelle Revis
-- in trade talks. No matter how the Jets spin it, Johnson is the man
behind the Revis situation. He started telling people around him as far
back as January, including some of the GM candidates, he was deeply
concerned about the team's ability to sign Revis to a long-term deal and
that it should explore the possibility of a trade.The fans pay outrageous prices

for PSLs, and now they have a team that has gone south faster than the

Florida snowbirds. Soon they'll be asked to renew their season tickets,

knowing there's a chance their one true star player could be sent packing.

What say you, Mr. Johnson ?

Johnson hasn't addressed the media since the day he introduced Idzik
at a news conference in January, the day after the Revis rumors broke.
That day, Johnson mostly talked in circles, neither confirming nor
denying the trade speculation.I went back and checked Johnson's

comments from September, 2010,when the Jets signed Revis to a

four-year, $46 million contract following a long holdout. The owner

was asked if he envisioned Revis finishing his career as a Jet; even

then, he wasn't overflowing with optimism.

"We'd like him to be a Jet, but I guess it takes two to tango,"
Johnson said. "I'm happy we have him for four years, which is about the
average length of a NFL player's life in the NFL. That's a long time to
be together. That will be a total of seven years with Revis. What could
be better ?"

Why not another seven ?

 

That's the question he should be answering now.

 

> http://espn.go.com/b...ut-wheres-woody

[kelly]

Offseason Playbook : New York Jets

In a new offseason series, Insider takes an in-depth look at NFL

teams before free agency begins March 12. What is each team's philosophy
on offense and defense, biggest needs and one player who could make for
an ideal signing in free agency ?

Team philosophies

Offense -- This will be an interesting offense to watch as the season unfolds. We know
that Rex Ryan wanted to have a run-oriented offense a year ago to
complement his aggressive defense, but he did not have the personnel to
get it done. Under former coordinator Tony Sparano this offense seemed
to have little creativity and there was no flow to it. Ryan replaced
Sparano with ex-Eagles coach Marty Mornhinweg -- which is an interesting
choice because he is a West Coast proponent and Philadelphia's offense
was probably 60-40 in the pass-run ratio.

However, what a lot of people don't realize is that Mornhinweg likes
to run the ball a lot more than most West Coast offenses, so the Jets
will likely have more balance than expected. He will throw a lot of
underneath and crossing routes with occasional deep shots off
play-action and misdirection -- and screen plays will have a role in
this offense. But most importantly this will be a smarter,
assignment-oriented offense.

> http://espn.go.com/b...k-new-york-jets

[kelly]

Accuracy Is Overrated

> http://espn.go.com/n...clip?id=9030891

[kelly]

During his introductory news conference as general manager of the

New York Jets, John Idzik promised he would put together a competitive

team. Then, Idzik swiftly released veteran talents Calvin Pace, Bart Scott,

Eric Smith and now defensive tackle Sione Po'uha. Star cornerback

Darrelle Revis also could be on the move from New York via a trade.

What gives  ?

The harsh truth is it will be an extreme long shot for the Jets to
field a title contending team in 2013. New York must first go through a
long and painful rebuild. Idzik is simply doing his job by putting a
good face on the situation, but the reality is there's not much to look
forward to with this year's version of the Jets.

Po'uha is a good player and a solid leader in New York's locker room,

but he was overpaid by Jets' standards. Po'uha was reportedly due
$4.9 million next season. The Jets needed the cap room more considering
all the bad contracts they agreed to in the past.

New York must hit the bottom first before it gets back to the top,
and that process will take at least two years. Po'uha was simply a
victim of circumstance.

 

> http://espn.go.com/b...of-jets-rebuild

[kelly]

Quick thoughts on the Jets' decision to release longtime NT Sione Po'uha:
 

Sione Po'uha spent eight years with the Jets.

 

1. It stinks.
Po'uha is one of the most respected players in the locker room, and the
team will dearly miss his leadership. This could have an impact on the
young linemen, namely Quinton Coples and Muhammad Wilkerson, who

looks up to Po'uha. Clearly, the Jets expect Wilkerson to take on more of

a leadership role in his third year, even if Mike DeVito returns.

2. Why did the Jets do this ?

It came down to the AIS principle that triggers these types of moves :

Age. Injury. Salary. Po'uha is 34, coming off a season in which he

struggled with a bad back. Plus, he was due to make $4.9 million --

which would have become guaranteed Thursday if he were still on

the roster. The move creates $3.8 million in cap room.

3. The Jets can't possibly think Kenrick Ellis is ready to become a full-time player.
The former third-round pick has been slow to develop and is simply too
raw to anchor the defense. He played only 22 percent of the defensive
snaps last season. This tells me the Jets will be in the market for a
new nose tackle. The top interior lineman in the draft is Star Lotulelei
from Utah (Po'uha's alma mater), who could be available with the ninth
overall pick. This becomes a real possibility for the Jets.

4. Without Po'uha, the Jets have to increase their efforts to re-sign DeVito, another strong interior run defender.
If they let him hit the open market, he could end up signing with the
Bills, reunited with former Jets coordinator Mike Pettine. DeVito and
Po'uha are close friends. In essence, the Jets are trying to re-sign
DeVito with the money they saved from cutting Po'uha. What a business,
huh ?

 

> http://espn.go.com/b...ay-affect-draft

[kelly]

Will Dolphins add TE Dustin Keller ?

 

The Miami Dolphins, who entered free agency with more than $40 million in cap room, continue to be aggressive in Day 2 of free agency. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports Miami will host free-agent tight end Dustin Keller for a visit Wednesday.


Miami’s interest in Keller makes sense. The Dolphins lost starting tight end Anthony Fasano to the Kansas City Chiefs and whiffed on Jared Cook, who was the top-rated tight end in free agency and signed with the St. Louis Rams. Keller is the next best tight end for Miami’s West Coast scheme.

This would be a double bonus for the Dolphins: Not only does it fill
a big need for Miami, but it also dishes a blow to the division-rival New York Jets. The Jets would like to have Keller back next season but can't afford him due to a tight salary cap.

Keller has 241 career receptions and has been a reliable safety valve in New York for quarterback Mark Sanchez for five years. The Dolphins are checking to see Wednesday if Keller can do the same for second-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

 

> http://espn.go.com/b...e-dustin-keller

 

[kelly]

It was always wishful thinking for Rex Ryan to hope new general
manager John Idzik would make saving him one of his organizational goals
on top of fixing the team. But the parade of players exiting Florham
Park since free agency began Tuesday has painfully underscored how Rex's
lame-duck contract year is looking lamer by the hour.

Prepare yourself for more bad puns from the headline writers.

Today, the Rex-odus. Tomorrow, the Rex-orcism is coming.

Broadway Joe, meet the Broadway Schmoes.

It's hard to see how Ryan survives the purge of talent the New York
Jets are undergoing right now, even if there is a whole 2013 season to
play and months of roster moves yet to be made. Ryan has gone from a
Super Bowl-contending coach on arrival in 2009 to a space holder whom
the Jets might as well keep around to preside over a year of re-tooling
rather than pay him for doing nothing plus hire someone else.

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez had a quasi-legitimate beef about not

having many playmakers to rely on last season -- though if Sanchez is being

honest, he has to include himself. But look how depleted the Jets are now on

both sides of the ball. By Wednesday, there was a good chance tight end

Dustin Keller was about to sign elsewhere by the end of the day.

Brandon Moore and Pro Bowl safety LaRon Landry are expected to follow

Shonn Greene, Mike DeVito, Sione Pou'ha, Bart Scott, Calvin Pace, and

Eric Smith out the door.That's nine starters gone even before you dwell on

how the Darrelle Revis trade talks continue to percolate along, with just-fired

Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum weighing in from beyond the grave to say on the

NFL Network that the Jets should get a draft-pick haul like the Vikings just did for trading Percy Harvin to Seattle.

(Bet that little nugget went over well at Jets headquarters. So far
the rumored packages coming back to the Jets for Revis are nothing
approaching that. Last we checked, Harvin had two healthy ACLs; Revis,
just one.) And to offset all that bad news, the Jets present you with …

David Garrard, a 35-year-old who was out of the NFL the past two years.

The longer this goes on, the more the motto of the Jets' upcoming
season looks like "Thank god for Buffalo." Once again, the Bills look
like the pillow at the bottom of the elevator shaft the Jets are falling
down. It should be a fascinating battle between the two franchises to
see which stays out of the basement of the AFC East -- or AFC
cellar-at-large. The Bills just cut their own overpaid/underperforming
quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, to set up (for now, anyway) two divisional

duels between Sanchez and well-traveled Tarvaris Jackson.

 

Get your tickets now.

It's a drag to be so grim before the crocuses have even come up or
the NFL draft has rolled around, I know. But when it comes to the Jets,
the truth hurts. They didn't just lose talented players this week --
they also lost a ton of heart and soul, some of the best leaders and
grownups in their locker room. Once Revis goes, what they'll be left
with is a team led by, well … Sanchez, Santonio Holmes and Antonio Cromartie?
The flake-out potential is astronomical. And that includes the head
coach, who will probably throw himself on the floor if Idzik ignores his
pleas not to ship Revis.

 

It was always a gamble for the Jets to put win-now team together with a

just-drafted quarterback like Sanchez when Ryan first arrived. But the

Jets' Tannenbaum-Ryan-Woody Johnson brain trust deserves credit for

at least going for the Super-Bowl-or-bust dream as ambitiously as they

did and poking a sharp stick at the Patriots while they were at it.

 

It was fun while it lasted.

 

It also didn't work.

It didn't leave the Jets with many draft picks to replenish the
roster, or with a foundation built for the long haul. But the most
damaging thing of all -- aside from the salary-cap handcuffs it put them
in -- is how Sanchez's development has stalled. It used to be that
Heisman Trophy winners were snake-bitten when they made the leap to the
NFL, but who has been more cursed lately than ex-USC quarterbacks? (See
Sanchez, Matt Leinart, and Matt Cassel, with a de-valued Matt Barkley waiting

in the wings.)

As my colleague Rich Cimini has pointed out, the Jets could create a
ripple of interest by using their No. 9 pick in the draft on a
quarterback -- perhaps Geno Smith of West Virginia? -- and then hope he's

an instant sensation like Russell Wilson was for the Seahawks as a rookie.

 

But what are the chances of that ?

Idzik is smart to start over, even if part of the collateral damage
is Ryan looks like a dead coach walking and all those players who once
supposedly loved playing for him are rushing for the exits. So much for
being tethered to the Jets by the irresistible gravitational pull of
Rex's fabulous personality. His assistants jumped ship in droves this
offseason too.

 

All signs point to the Rex-odus leading to a Rex-orcism.

Kind of makes the "Hard Knocks" years look like the glory days.

 

> http://espn.go.com/n...ting-lamer-hour

[kelly]

... The bleeding stops

 

A little spin on the day what was :

1. NO NEWS, GOOD NEWS: For a change, the Jets didn't lose any players. TE Dustin Keller
completed an overnight trip with the Dolphins, but he left their
facility in the afternoon without a deal. Sources say the two sides will
stay in touch. I get the sense the Dolphins are wary of overpaying for
Keller, so they will continue to gauge interest in him. The market for
Keller isn't as robust as anticipated, and there's now some thought that
he could return to the Jets, perhaps on a one-year deal. Last season's
injuries hurt his value, but some team will get a tremendous bargain.

2. MONEY TALK: The contract numbers started to trickle in for the players that left the Jets. DT Mike DeVito (Chiefs) received a $6.2 million guarantee, S LaRon Landry (Colts) $11 million, RB Shonn Greene (Titans) $4.5 million and S Yeremiah Bell (Cards) $610,000. Total: $22.3 million, roughly equivalent to the guarantee in Santonio Holmes' last contract.

3. ON THE RECRUITING FRONT: Rams WR Brandon Gibson left the Jets without a deal and was headed to Miami to meet with Dolphins officials. Chargers OLB Antwan Barnes and Raiders RB Mike Goodson
arrived in the Florham Park area for visits. The Jets like all three
players, obviously, but it's clear that, based on deals Thursday around
the league, the money is drying up. You saw a lot of good players take
one-year deals. Such is life in a flat-cap era.

4. QUARTERBACK CLUB: There were some rumblings that Bears QB Jason Campbell was on the Jets' radar, but it's unlikely he will land with them, a source said. The name to watch is Cards QB Kevin Kolb, who probably will be released Friday.

5. PATRIOT GAMES: For the second straight day, we have Patriots' news in our recap. Former Jets RB/KR Leon Washington,
who played the last three seasons with the Seahawks, signed a one-year
deal with the Patriots. That has to sting true Jets fans. Another former
Jet, DE John Abraham,
is slated to visit with the Patriots, according to multiple reports.
Looks like Bill Belichick is trying to collect ex-Jets. Kind of ironic,
isn't it? He likes those "coach compensation" Jets. Two years ago, he
signed DE Shaun Ellis,
whom the Jets drafted in 2000 with the pick they received from the
Patriots for Belichick. In 2006, the Jets picked Washington with the
choice they received from the Chiefs for Herm Edwards.

 

> http://espn.go.com/b...-bleeding-stops

[kelly]

re some $/#'s :

 

~ ~  As expected, the restructuring of Santonio Holmes' contract
was made official today, according to league records. Holmes' base
salary was reduced to $7.5 million, or the amount of guaranteed money he
is owed in 2013.

The Jets also restructured the deal of Antonio Cromartie. Cromartie

was owed a $7 million base in 2013 and will now earn a base salary of
$840,000, league records show. The difference will likely be recouped in
bonuses and/or pushed into 2014.

Some other quick changes :

David Garrard is officially on a 1-year deal with a $1 million base
salary. According to Yahoo!, Garrard was also given a $100,000 signing
bonus.

Josh Mauga, who also signed a 1-year deal on Friday, is slated to make

$630,000 in base salary.

According to NYJetscap, a site that tracks changes in the team's
salary cap, the Jets are roughly $15.5 million under the cap for 2013.
The alteration to Cromartie saved $4.23 million in cap space and the
Holmes move saved roughly $3.5 million.

 

> http://www.nj.com/je...ls_for_ant.html

[kelly]

A week ago, Darrelle Revis was supposedly a goner. Now there are reports

that the Bucs' interest in him is cooling. So which is it ?

The word I'm getting from the NFL meetings in Phoenix is that Jets
GM John Idzik is in no rush to make a trade and that he's willing to let
it play out until after the draft. Why wait?

The Jets are on a long-term rebuilding plan, and Idzik apparently
isn't married to the idea of having immediate draft-pick compensation --
if he decides to move his best player, which is what many expect to
happen. He's telling people he'd be content to wait for 2014
compensation, when he could use an extra No. 1 pick (and maybe other
picks) to maneuver for a quarterback.

Of course, if the Bucs make him an offer he can't refuse, Idzik
would pull the trigger now. The sense, though, is that he'll let it play
out, waiting for Revis' surgically repaired knee to heal and perhaps
hoping another team enters the fray to create a bidding war.

The risk is that the Bucs will bow out and no other serious suitors will

step up. Broncos exec John Elway said Tuesday he has no interest in

trading for Revis, and the 49ers reportedly feel the same way -- two

teams linked to a potential trade.

Right now, it's all about the Bucs. Now, this twist: There are
rumblings the Bucs are frustrated by the slow-moving Jets and losing
interest, and that they're prepared to shift their focus to free-agent
CB Brent Grimes.

Brent Grimes ? Does anybody really believe the Bucs expect Grimes to
save their league-worst pass defense? He's not even close to a healthy
Revis. The way the cornerback market has plunged, the Bucs could sign
Grimes and trade for Revis. The Grimes stuff is just a well-placed leak in

an attempt to rattle the Jets.

League sources believe the Revis camp wants to get this done ASAP.
Revis knows the Bucs are willing to pay what he wants on a new contract
(or in the neighborhood) and he sees them as a team with potential. He'd
also be only a few hours from his home in South Florida. But, really,
it's about the money. If the Bucs pull out, will anybody else step up to
satisfy Revis ?

That's the fear for Revis. And, to a lesser extent, the Jets, too.

 

> http://espn.go.com/b...-to-make-a-deal

[kelly]

Jets coach Rex Ryan had some news Tuesday: He said the team isn't
actively shopping cornerback Darrelle Revis, this after months of
speculation that the Jets could enter a full rebuild mode and ship their
star out of town.But something else shocking happened here, too.

Ryan completed his transformation into the new, humble Ryan.

Ryan is a changed man at this year's NFL owners meetings in Arizona.
He is thinner, quieter and, most shockingly, subdued. He isn't spending
his time poolside telling anyone who will listen that his team is Super
Bowl-bound.

In fact, Ryan hasn't offered any hyperbole all week here. Listening
to him now, he sounds nothing like the brash guy he used to be.

To illustrate just how remarkable this change has been, here is a

guide to Ryan's newfound humility and change in tone.

• Revis

Ryan has flip-flopped on few players more than Revis. There is good
reason for that, since Revis bounces between unbeatable on the field to a
guy who complains about his contract a lot, and Ryan adjusts
accordingly.

But New Rex has relaxed the idea of trading Revis over the last month.

Feb 21: "I would say, could there be a trade? Yeah. Anybody could be
traded. But do I expect there to be a trade for Darrelle Revis? No. But
something could come up."

Will Rex Ryan (background) get to keep Darrelle Revis (right)?

Tuesday: "I know for a fact that we are not actively trying to trade Darrelle Revis."

• Mark Sanchez

Ryan usually has reserved his most over-the-top praise for Sanchez,
the quarterback who started his career with two straight AFC title-game
appearances but is known more now for entering the term "buttfumble"
into America's lexicon.

Ryan's tune on Sanchez has changed dramatically. He went from tales
of high-fiving in the draft room after taking him to decidedly less bold
projections.

2011: "When you talk about elite quarterbacks, I think he's an elite quarterback

because he wins the big games."

2012: "I think Mark's going to succeed. He'll find a way one way or the other."

Tuesday: Ryan said Sanchez will take the first snap of the team's minicamp

because "Yeah, whatever, somebody's got to take it."

• The Super Bowl

Ryan fell into a habit of saying his team would win it all. Those
predictions—a spring tradition—fell flat. This week, Ryan is only
predicting the Jets will do the best they can.

2010: "We believe we're going to win, so why wouldn't we say it?"

2011: "I guarantee we'll win it this year."

2012: We want what the Giants got. We want to win a Super Bowl."

Tuesday: "Guaranteeing that Super Bowl is always going to haunt me.

If I could ever have a do-over, that would be it."

• Tim Tebow

When the Jets acquired quarterback Tebow last year, Ryan, not
surprisingly, talked big about the possibilities. On Tuesday the new
Ryan spoke vaguely about how he was still on the roster.

2012: "He's a football player and that's what I keep wanting to put
out there. Let's not just look at him as a quarterback…he's smart,
athletic, tough, a great competitor."

Tuesday: "We'll see how the off-season plays out, but right now

Tim is on our roster."

• Himself

Historically, Ryan has loved telling everyone how much he loves
himself, his coaching abilities and his family's success. On Tuesday he
was a little less effusive in his self-praise, mostly because he was
fielding questions about his lame-duck status.

Since the Jets brought in a new general manager (John Idzik) this
year, there has been speculation that Ryan could be out if he doesn't
perform. Given a chance to defend himself on Tuesday, Ryan didn't really
take the bait and certainly didn't rekindle the cockiness of the old
Ryan.

2010: "I don't care if people don't like it or whatever (and say),
'Just shut up and win something.' I've won a lot more than that person
writing it. I can promise you that. I've been there."

2011: "I came here to win, to be looked at that way and to take over
not just this city, even though it's the city to take over, but also
this league."

Tuesday: "I never said it was going to be easy, but I'm excited about the challenges."

 

> http://online.wsj.co...SJ_topics_obama

[kelly]

Ryan's bravado doused with reality
Instead of making guarantees, Jets coach just trying to save once-promising job

 

It's not the tattoo, or the foot fetish video, or the flipping off of
fans at a sporting event. No, Rex Ryan's biggest regret, the singular
moment he would like to have back, is promising after consecutive trips
to the AFC title game that the New York Jets would win the Super Bowl in 2011.

"Guaranteeing that Super Bowl is always going to haunt me," Ryan said on
Tuesday. "If I could ever have a do-over, that would be it."

    
Boy, have there been things to do over, and given Ryan's brash past and
the perilous position he finds himself in, with a new general manager
and a team that lacks talent on both sides of the ball, there
undoubtedly will be more. Last season was bad. This season could be
worse, much worse. While Ryan put on a happy face Tuesday, he certainly
seems well aware of the position he is in as one of the most scrutinized
coaches in the biggest media market in the NFL, with a team that lacks a
legitimate starter at the most crucial position on the field.

    "I'm not afraid of my situation," Ryan said on Tuesday. "I'm looking forward to my situation."

    At least there is that.

    For Ryan, guaranteeing a Super Bowl is deservedly up there on his
regrets list. Drawing unnecessary attention to a task that is already
unbelievably stressful and hard does not qualify as the smartest
decision Ryan ever made. Doing it in a year where there was no
offseason, an NFL-imposed lockout, an abbreviated free-agent period and a
shortened training camp was even dumber, even if Ryan actually believed
it, which, knowing him, he did.

Rex Ryan's days of making guarantees are over, especially with Mark Sanchez still at QB.

    But dumber still was the decision to entrust the franchise -- and thus
Ryan's own job security and future -- to a quarterback who has such
obvious flaws. Ryan excelled his first two seasons by surrounding Mark Sanchez
with a better-than-average running game, playmakers at receiver and,
most importantly, the best defense in the league. The Jets won despite
Sanchez because they were fully committed to ground and pound and
because the defense was unbelievably talented.

    Now, they must win because of Sanchez with a defense that might be losing its best player -- Darrelle Revis.
Now, Ryan is in the precarious position of needing a middle-of-the-road
quarterback to succeed so that he can hang onto his job. Given
Sanchez's body of work through four seasons, it is impossible to see a
scenario in which he can lead the Jets out of the mess they find
themselves in.

    Sanchez as the hero? That's as likely as Ryan actually keeping his job beyond this season.

    Ryan certainly seems to recognize that.

    At the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix, Ryan was uncharacteristically
subdued. Sitting at a media breakfast with his coaching brethren from
the AFC, Ryan could plainly see three men who have achieved what he has
not. Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin, New England's Bill Belichick and
Baltimore's John Harbaugh never guaranteed a Super Bowl victory. They
never promised anything other than their teams would put forth effort
and be prepared. They never looked beyond the moment, because to do so
in this league is pure folly. Each day is too crucial. Steps cannot be
skipped.

     During an hour-long session, Ryan fielded question
after question about his future with the Jets, his quarterback, his new
general manager, John Idzik, and the fate of his team's best player.
Ryan seemed almost resigned to the outcome that befell Lovie Smith, who
went 10-6 in Chicago last season and still got fired by a general
manager who had only one season under his belt.

     General managers
typically like to hire their own guys. That's what Phil Emery did after
taking a year to evaluate Smith. He looked for any reason to fire Smith
-- and the fact the Bears did not make the playoffs gave him one -- and
then hired Marc Trestman as his head coach.

    Idzik certainly could do the same thing.

    "I really don't feel different this year than I do any year," Ryan
said. "I've approached this like it's a brand new beginning, because I
believe it is."

    Maybe so, but for the first time since drafting
Sanchez with the fifth overall pick in 2009, Ryan has brought in
competition for Sanchez. Ryan said that Sanchez will take the first snap
of the Jets' first minicamp practice, but beyond that, it will be an
open competition at the position. That 35-year-old David Garrard,
who hasn't thrown a pass in an NFL game in more than two years, is part
of the open competition tells you everything you need to know about how
the organization views Sanchez.

    He is not the answer.

    
Ryan likely isn't, either. It is a shame, because Ryan is a likeable
guy. He is a colorful personality in a sport that often lacks them. He
is brash and funny, entertaining and confident.

    Or at least he used to be.

    On Tuesday, someone asked Ryan if he thought the Jets had to make the
playoffs this season for him to retain his job. The question was
unthinkable two years ago, but this is where Ryan is now.

    "I'm not the guy to ask that question," Ryan said. "I know one thing: My goal
is always the same, and we know what that goal is. That's what I want
to do. I don't want to be average. I don't want to be whatever. I want
to be a champion. Whenever that time comes, that's what drives me."

    That was a statement, not a guarantee. No regrets, at least not anymore.

 

> http://espn.go.com/n...boisterous-past

 

[kelly]

Revis trade : A balancing act for Idzik

 

New Jets GM John Idzik wouldn't trade Darrelle Revis for nothing in

return in 2013, would he ? Remember the old marketing slogan for

Fram Oil Filters ? It went like this: "You can pay me now or you can

pay me later." It applies to the current impasse between the Jets and

Bucs in the Darrelle Revis trade talks.

The Bucs would likely deal their first- and second-round picks in
2014 for the star cornerback, but the Jets want this year's first-round
pick (13th overall), according to Peter King of SI.com. Therein lies

the stalemate.

So if you're the Jets, do you want to be paid now or later ?

The idea of having two first-round picks in 2014 is intriguing for a
few reasons. It's supposed to be a good quarterback draft, and the
extra pick would give them the ability to maneuver for a top
quarterback. New GM John Idzik has time on his side, and he can afford
to be patient with regard to the rebuilding of the Jets. He'd have four
picks in the top 64 -- his two, plus two from the Bucs. Problem is,
there's no certainty as to where those picks will be.

If the Bucs make the playoffs, the '14 picks will be in the bottom
portion of the round. How would you feel if the Jets traded their best
player for the 25th and 57th picks in the draft? Sure, it could go the
other way, too, but the chances of the Bucs stinking would be a lot less
with Revis in the lineup.

You can bet that's a concern for Idzik. The bigger concern should be
this: What kind of message does it send the fan base if the team gets
NOTHING for Revis in 2013? Take an elite cornerback (if healthy) out of
the lineup and replace him with ...

Sorry, folks, wait 'till next year.

The fans already are disgruntled after a 6-10 season. You give them
no hope for 2013 if the Revis picks are on a layaway plan. Chances are,
the Jets are looking at a long year anyway, but this is the NFL --
parity, baby -- and no team should kiss off an entire year. It's bad for
business and bad for morale. When the Jets traded Keyshawn Johnson

to the Bucs in 2000, they used the first-round picks on John Abraham

and Anthony Becht, both of whom contributed as rookies.

Imagine how Rex Ryan would feel if they get no '13 return for Revis.
Heck, he might not be around in 2014 to enjoy the fruits of the trade.
He's probably already depressed, knowing his beloved corner is headed
out of town. If he doesn't get a rookie pass rusher or a receiver out of
the deal, he might go apoplectic.

Clearly, the best solution is a compromise: Get some now, get some
later. Idzik should be in no rush to make a deal. The Bucs still will
have a gaping hole in their secondary a month from now, and their
bargaining position will be weaker than now.

 

> http://espn.go.com/b...g-act-for-idzik

 

 

[kelly]

Past draft misses at cornerback make Revis sensible for Bucs

 

In 2008, the Vikings justified sending a first-round and third-round

pick to Kansas City for defensive end Jared Allen by looking at Allen

as the first-round pick, and the third-round pick as insurance against

the first-round pick being a bust.
 

That same reasoning could be driving the Buccaneers’ interest in

cornerback Darrelle Revis. Regardless of the extra pick(s) needed to

get the deal done with theJets, Revis essentially would become Tampa’s

first-round pick, and theadditional picks would be the insurance against

Revis being a bust.

A couple of different dynamics apply in this case.  Revis has some
bust potential, via his surgically-repaired ACL.  And with the
implementation of a rookie wage scale that greatly reduces the money
paid to rookies, the money it will take to make Revis happy becomes
glaring (especially with the veteran market tanking recently, too).

But it still makes sense, given the team’s failed efforts in recent
years to find cornerbacks in the draft.  As Stephen F. Holder of the

Tampa Bay Times points out, 2008 first-rounder Aqib Talib and 2010

third-rounder Myron Lewis would have been the starting cornerbacks

this year.  Neither worked out.

Revis, given his knee, may not work out.  But his potential upside
coupled with the inherent downside of a draft pick makes a decision to
essentially make Revis the Bucs’ first-round pick a good idea.

 

> http://profootballta...sible-for-bucs/

[kelly]

Losing Darrelle Revis hasn't made Rex Ryan any less confident in his defense.

Just hours after trading the All-Pro cornerback to the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers, the New York Jets coach once again vowed the Jets will be
stout defensively in 2013.

"We will play great defense to the New York Jets'
standard. That is how I've approached it from the day I took this job, I
knew it would happen and I'm telling you it will happen again, we will
play great defense and continue to play great defense," Ryan said on a
conference call Sunday night.


 

Jets coach Rex Ryan says Sunday's trade will benefit both teams involved.

 

"That's not a slight to Darrelle Revis whatsoever. Darrelle Revis is a
tremendous player, he's been a tremendous player, and I think he'll
continue to be one as well."

Jets GM John Idzik said that Ryan was heavily involved in the
discussion about trading Revis, although Ryan added that he never
directly had a conversation with another team about Revis.

Ryan, who has coached Revis since 2009, has always been one of the
cornerback's biggest advocates, as Revis allowed Ryan to utilize his
blitz-heavy scheme.

In the three full seasons Ryan had Revis, as Revis missed most of
last year due to a torn ACL, the Jets defense ranked first, third and
fifth in yards allowed per game. Last season, the Jets finished eighth.

The coach didn't answer whether he believes this trade makes the
Jets better, saying how it's difficult to prognosticate and the Jets
don't even know what players they will get with the two draft picks they
receive in the deal. Ryan did say, though, he believes it helps both
teams.

"I think this, as in all good trades,will benefit both teams," Ryan
said. "I don't take back one word that I've ever said about Darrelle
Revis. I believe he is the best corner in football without question. But
make no mistake, as I mentioned the day I took the job five years ago,
we will play great defense and the standard we've set as the New York
Jets will not diminish."

If losing Revis isn't a hard enough challenge for Ryan to overcome,
the team also lost several other defensive starters and key players this
offseason. Safeties LaRon Landry and Yeremiah Bell, and defensive end

Mike DeVito left in free agency, while defensive tackle Sione Pouha,

linebacker Bart Scott and safety Eric Smith were all cut.

With two years left on his deal, and constant questions about his
job security, Ryan's perhaps going to have to do his best coaching job
yet to get this roster to outperform expectations. Owner Woody Johnson
has confidence in Ryan and expects the defense won't miss a beat without
Revis.

"I have a lot of confidence he's going to do what he says he's going
to do on defense for sure because he's done it every year he's been
here. I think he's a very, very good coach," Johnson said. "Also, he's
going to be given a lot of young players. We are going to pick up some
very, very good talent, I hope, in the draft. I think he'll make the
best use of it."

 

> http://espn.go.com/b...y-great-defense