Sheldon Richardson ~ ~ ~

[kelly]

Richardson Ready for Any Defensive Role

After Performing Admirably at OLB, Talented Defender Expected to Stay Up Front

The experiment at outside linebacker is over, but Sheldon Richardson is not bidding good riddance to his time on the outside.“I actually enjoyed it, you know. I didn’t get to make as many plays as I do inside,” Richardson said after a recent OTA. “You know, I’m forcing everything back inside. You see the development in Leo as I see in this offseason right now, so it helped him out a lot, but it also helped me out too. Humbling experience.”

 

Richardson, who racked up five sacks and 19 QB hurries in just 11 contests last season, is most likely done at linebacker. The Jets plan on using him predominantly back up front along the defensive line in a three-point stance rather than standing up on the outside.“We sure hope so,” said defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers when asked if Richardson had completed his service at OLB. “But in all fairness to him, I don’t think we give him a lot of credit for what we ask him to do —  to be a 300-pound defensive lineman to line up at Will linebacker for us and play it at a high level.”

 

The 6’3” Richardson said he actually played last season at 320 pounds. Although effective at that weight, he would like to play closer to the 300-pound mark next season. “I’m at 310 right now and want to play at 305, 300,” he said. “I want to come to camp at 300 and just put on some lean muscle and mass it all up.”The Jets will once again feature one of the most talented defensive fronts in football. Richardson is an athletic freak with rare physical traits, Muhammad Wilkerson is coming off a 12-sack campaign andLeonard Williams, a first-round selection who tallied 72 tackles as a rookie along with a team-high 32 QB hurries, is coming into his own as well.

 

“He is getting off blocks better, his pass rush is getting up there,” Richardson said of Williams. “But that comes with chemistry. That comes with the coordination of him and his defensive linemen. He’s talking a lot more, knowing what’s going on. When you’re a rookie, you want to go hit somebody so the game has slowed down in that way.”After NT Damon Harrison went crosstown to the Giants in free agency, the Jets responded with the signings of veterans Jarvis Jenkins and Steve McLendon. While the 26-year-old Jenkins, who tallied four sacks in 15 games for the Bears last season, will provide depth, McLendon is expected to line up at the nose in base looks.“He’s more of a non-talker,” Richardson said of McLendon. “He will talk to the D-linemen of course. Just a country boy, he’s chill, he’s laid back. He mentions what we do differently here and he says he just loves it here. He says they have everything here in the building for you, like massages on Fridays, that you would have to go outside the building for in Pittsburgh.”

 

Richardson won’t be going outside much in 2016. Just 25 with a non-stop motor, he is a unique talent who can wreak havoc on the inside in this defense.“Second year with the same coaches and coordinators, same system. Changed up a few things, but other than that I’m pretty sure we are going to be blitzing like we were,” he said. “Guys are just better in the system. We went from two-gapping to a one-gapping last year. And certain plays and formations we’ve got to two-gap in, but other than that it’s just up-the-field ball.”

>     http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-6/Richardson-Ready-for-Any-Defensive-Role/b05288d0-27f4-4127-a7bd-81357c1bbd3b

[PepPep]

Along with Richardson the Jets have: Veteran Depth. Mo coming back. L.Williams going into his second year. Young talent at the LB (Lee, Jenkins, Mauldin) position and an up-and-coming star safety in C.Pryor.  

The Jets defense will be SCARY this year.  

[Raideraholic]

35 minutes ago, PepPep said:

Along with Richardson the Jets have: Veteran Depth. Mo coming back. L.Williams going into his second year. Young talent at the LB (Lee, Jenkins, Mauldin) position and an up-and-coming star safety in C.Pryor.  

The Jets defense will be SCARY this year.  

The Jets defense will only be as scary as the pass rush they can apply on the Qb this year.     The outside Lb become much more consistent rushing the passer , and I will concur with you about Jet defense.   ( potential there).      

They don't get big jump in production from there outside lb's( pass rush), and their defense will be paper tigers.

Show me a defense that can get to the Qb consistently, and that is the defense that's going to get the attention of Qb's and offensive coordinators. 

[Jetdawgg]

The Jets DL and LB are primarily high draft choices. The DL is better man-to-man than the opponents OL. Easy to see why NE holds and face masks so much. The Jets over match teams upfront. 

[PepPep]

On 6/2/2016 at 11:56 AM, Raideraholic said:

The Jets defense will only be as scary as the pass rush they can apply on the Qb this year.     The outside Lb become much more consistent rushing the passer , and I will concur with you about Jet defense.   ( potential there).      

They don't get big jump in production from there outside lb's( pass rush), and their defense will be paper tigers.

Show me a defense that can get to the Qb consistently, and that is the defense that's going to get the attention of Qb's and offensive coordinators. 

Sure. And yes, they need a more consistent, more productive pass rush from the outside. And I'm excited about some of the guys they brought in (youth) to potentially fix that. But, for example, the past 2-3 years they have been awful in that department, and yet they were able to field a top 5, top 10 defense. So even without the pass rush from the outside, those paper tigers are pretty legit. Especially against the run. 

But like I said, this year in particular (and who knows, we will see) the defense looks to be scary.  

[nycdan]

Could our little Sheldon be growing up?

[joewilly12]

1 minute ago, nycdan said:

Could our little Sheldon be growing up?

Finally

[Ex-Rex]

On 6/2/2016 at 11:02 AM, PepPep said:

Along with Richardson the Jets have: Veteran Depth. Mo coming back. L.Williams going into his second year. Young talent at the LB (Lee, Jenkins, Mauldin) position and an up-and-coming star safety in C.Pryor.  

The Jets defense will be SCARY this year.  

I agree that the Jets defense will be very good, but Pryor is NOT an up and coming star IMO. He can't cover or tackle in space so that makes him a one dimensional in-the-box strong safety. Jets would have been better served drafting Kyle Fuller instead. I don't think Wilkerson will be a Jets beyond 2016 either.

[no psls]

5 hours ago, nycdan said:

Could our little Sheldon be growing up?

Sheldon is a bomb waiting to explode .

[Mike135]

4 minutes ago, no psls said:

Sheldon is a bomb waiting to explode .

Yeah, but in a good way right?

[no psls]

4 minutes ago, Mike135 said:

Yeah, but in a good way right?

No , bad ; very bad !!!!

[Mike135]

1 minute ago, no psls said:

No , bad ; very bad !!!!

Entirely possible.  Yet if he can grow up, I think he'll be better than Mo.

[PepPep]

On 6/3/2016 at 3:21 PM, Ex-Rex said:

I agree that the Jets defense will be very good, but Pryor is NOT an up and coming star IMO. He can't cover or tackle in space so that makes him a one dimensional in-the-box strong safety. Jets would have been better served drafting Kyle Fuller instead. I don't think Wilkerson will be a Jets beyond 2016 either.

I disagree. I think his coverage skills are underrated. He was solid covering last year when he had help, and his job rarely involves straight man coverage- he's usually the help guy. He's also able to break up passes by putting on timely hits cuz he's always around the ball.

Saying that he 'can't tackle in space' is somewhat of a blanket statement. Of course he can tackle in space, he just has a tendency to go for the big hit, which sometimes works against him if he doesn't take the right angle. He's still young and that is something he can continue to improve on. 

The reason he is a rising star at his position is b/c he is a play-maker. He puts on big hits, is always around the ball, and makes plays on the field. I clearly remember him being one of the guys who knocked the snot out of McCown as he went scrambling for the endzone, causing him to fumble the ball, which Cro recovered. That's 6 points he saved right there. In the Giants game, he came in as a help defender and broke up a deep TD pass to ODB, which would have tied the game. Beckham almost had it, if not for Pryor coming in. Those are just a couple examples. And I'm sure you have examples where he missed his assignment or missed tackles.

But the point is...Dude makes plays.

He's not a cover safety. He looked 10x better at his natural position this past season and I expect him to only get better with the added youth/speed on defense and as he continues to learn the NFL.  

[Sperm Edwards]

A 320-lb linebacker. His off-field stuff aside, I do have to hand it to Sheldon, though. A man with his size (and inexperience at the position) should last maybe 3 non-bullrushing plays out there - just on the practice field - before the idea is nixed as, "Eww. Cumberland just pwned Sheldon out there. Cumberland. OK, well we thought it was probably dumb anyway. So we tried it and now we know for sure." Surprised he was able to fake it for as long as he did.

And it's not like he got to practice it much either, missing the first month of the season and Bowles (understandably) having to give others his starter reps. A knucklehead, for sure, but he is just so freaking talented and has a crazy motor. Honestly, in particular after the drafting of Williams, he's got to be the reason the Jets haven't given Mo a serious offer in the $14-18M/yr range, good as Mo is in his own right, and at only 26 Mo's in the sweet spot of his playing prime to boot. That Sheldon's locked up for $3M this year and $8M next year probably only clinched it. So they're going to run a very expensive "let's see which one we keep" this year I guess.

[SenorGato]

If Sheldon Richardson poorly occupying a LB spot is keeping a Wilkerson/ Richardson debate open inside this org, then the Jets continue to be as horrendous as the hype.

[kelly]

Now that the Jets have given defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson a new five-year contract, we can begin examining the deal's implications. Remember, Wilkerson isn't the Jets' only talented young defensive lineman. They also have Leonard Williams and Sheldon Richardson. 

Williams was drafted just last year, so let's put him aside for now and turn our focus here to Richardson. He is entering the fourth year of his rookie contract, after being a first-round draft pick in 2013. The Jets have already exercised the fifth-year option on Richardson for 2017, as they did for Wilkerson in 2015. But as with Wilkerson last offseason, Richardson's contract talks will begin to heat up next offseason. 

Could the money Wilkerson got impact what Richardson will want? Absolutely.

Ex-Jets linebacker and current CBS analyst Bart Scott raised that very point Thursdayin an interview with NJ Advance Media. 

"Eventually, they're going to have to sign Richardson," Scott said. "They're going to end up paying more money for Sheldon. Sheldon is not going to give them a discount." But now, do they really have to sign Richardson? (More on that in a bit.) The maximum value of Wilkerson's deal is $86 million, including $54 million in guaranteed pay (which is the important number in any NFL contract). The Jets are giving Wilkerson $37 million fully guaranteed in 2016 and 2017 combined. 

The NFL's salary cap is expected to make a big jump next offseason, because of television revenue. So $54 million guaranteed in 2017 (and especially in 2018) isn't going to be the same as $54 million guaranteed in 2016. Keep that in mind for the future, as Richardson's contract talks heat up.It's also worth remembering that Richardson served a four-game marijuana suspension last season and will serve a one-game suspension this season for his high-speed police chase arrest last summer. The Jets need to be certain they can rely on him before they pay him big bucks. (Wilkerson has always been reliable.)This season — and how Williams and Richardson perform — will surely go a long way toward determining what the Jets will do with Richardson. Attempt to sign him next offseason or in 2018 (after franchise tagging him)? Let him play under the (relatively affordable) fifth-year option in 2017, and then tag and trade him? 

Williams' fifth-year option year won't come until 2019, after all. And now, Wilkerson is under contract with the Jets through 2020. So if Williams excels this season (or Richardson screws up again), and the Jets determine they can go with just Williams and Wilkerson, then maybe they'll take that route. So no, the Jets don't have to sign Richardson long-term. Williams falling into their lap in last year's draft gives the Jets some flexibility here. But if the Jets want to lock up Richardson long-term, he surely is going to come at a higher price than $54 million guaranteed, presuming he continues to play well. 

But for Friday, at least, Richardson was very happy to see his pal get paid : 

>    http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/07/muhammad_wilkersons_jets_contract_what_it_means_fo.html#incart_river_index

[flgreen]

Would love to see Richardson straighten out his act, and resign with the Jets next year.  Just have a hard time seeing it happen.  Richardson isn't going to give the Jets a "hometown discount". Even if he stays out of trouble,  he is going to demand every penny he can get.  The Jets will have way to much money invested  in the D-line to have a balanced team.

 

IMO the clock started ticking on Richarson's tenure with the Jets yesterday.  He'll be here this year, but I think he'll hit the trade block next season.   If no trade partner is found, he'll be here 2 more years 

[kelly]

On 6/3/2016 at 6:47 PM, no psls said:

No , bad ; very bad !!!!

well,.. he is kinda cute..i Luv that shirt on him   

[32EBoozer]

12 minutes ago, flgreen said:

Would love to see Richardson straighten out his act, and resign with the Jets next year.  Just have a hard time seeing it happen.  Richardson isn't going to give the Jets a "hometown discount". Even if he stays out of trouble,  he is going to demand every penny he can get.  The Jets will have way to much money invested  in the D-line to have a balanced team.

 

IMO the clock started ticking on Richarson's tenure with the Jets yesterday.  He'll be here this year, but I think he'll hit the trade block next season.   If no trade partner is found, he'll be here 2 more years 

The development of Deon Simon will also be interesting to watch. If he can become "Snacks-Lite" a line of Williams, Mo and Simon would be lethal enough to dangle Sheldon 

for a 1st next yr. I'm not sure if you can keep 3 similar players in Mo, Sheldon and Williams together for that kind of money.

[joewilly12]

Just now, 32EBoozer said:

The development of Deon Simon will also be interesting to watch. If he can become "Snacks-Lite" a line of Williams, Mo and Simon would be lethal enough to dangle Sheldon 

for a 1st next yr. I'm not sure if you can keep 3 similar players in Mo, Sheldon and Williams together for that kind of money.

Wasn't Deon Simon an OL converted to the DL doubt he ever plays on the same level as Sheldon Richardson

[32EBoozer]

Just now, joewilly12 said:

Wasn't Deon Simon an OL converted to the DL doubt he ever plays on the same level as Sheldon Richardson

We're not asking him to be Sheldon.... we're asking him to be Snacks.

That's what you want from a 320 lb. NT

[joewilly12]

Just now, 32EBoozer said:

We're not asking him to be Sheldon.... we're asking him to be Snacks.

That's what you want from a 320 lb. NT

Oh ok I misread your post

[PepPep]

25 minutes ago, flgreen said:

Would love to see Richardson straighten out his act, and resign with the Jets next year.  Just have a hard time seeing it happen.  Richardson isn't going to give the Jets a "hometown discount". Even if he stays out of trouble,  he is going to demand every penny he can get.  The Jets will have way to much money invested  in the D-line to have a balanced team.

 

IMO the clock started ticking on Richarson's tenure with the Jets yesterday.  He'll be here this year, but I think he'll hit the trade block next season.   If no trade partner is found, he'll be here 2 more years 

I think this depends on a number of different factors. When you look at the Jets D-line. Richardson and Wilk are the only highly paid players. Its very possible the Jets clear enough cap to sign Richardson long term. Williams still has a while before we have to sign him long term. Money can be moved around. Harris and Revis have big cap hits and the Jets could very well decide to move on from both. With Revis, there will be no dead money of he is cut or traded. It also depends on the QB situation. How much cap space will our QB be taking up? Who can/should the Jets re-structure, who should they cut? There's enough money to have Wilk and Richardson on the line. 2 highly paid players in the front 7 is not THAT much. Remember, Mauldin, Lee, Jenkins -our new LB corps- if they develop as expected will be cheap starters for a number of years.

Bottom line, we should not assume both Richardson and Wilk can't stay on the Jets long term. Sure, that much money invested in a D-line might be too much, but not when your LBs are cheap and your QB is not taking up a ton of cap.

[flgreen]

17 minutes ago, PepPep said:

I think this depends on a number of different factors. When you look at the Jets D-line. Richardson and Wilk are the only highly paid players. Its very possible the Jets clear enough cap to sign Richardson long term. Williams still has a while before we have to sign him long term. Money can be moved around. Harris and Revis have big cap hits and the Jets could very well decide to move on from both. With Revis, there will be no dead money of he is cut or traded. It also depends on the QB situation. How much cap space will our QB be taking up? Who can/should the Jets re-structure, who should they cut? There's enough money to have Wilk and Richardson on the line. 2 highly paid players in the front 7 is not THAT much. Remember, Mauldin, Lee, Jenkins -our new LB corps- if they develop as expected will be cheap starters for a number of years.

Bottom line, we should not assume both Richardson and Wilk can't stay on the Jets long term. Sure, that much money invested in a D-line might be too much, but not when your LBs are cheap and your QB is not taking up a ton of cap.

Well of course anything can happen to change the landscape.  For all we know Petty might turn into a Super Star QB, and be looking for a monster contract in 2 years.   But right now, looking at the Jets CURRENT situation, I have a hard time seeing  Richardson in their future plans.

[no psls]

3 hours ago, kelly said:

well,.. he is kinda cute..i Luv that shirt on him   

Now I know that you are a psycho chick !!!!!

[Ex-Rex]

On 6/2/2016 at 11:02 AM, PepPep said:

Along with Richardson the Jets have: Veteran Depth. Mo coming back. L.Williams going into his second year. Young talent at the LB (Lee, Jenkins, Mauldin) position and an up-and-coming star safety in C.Pryor.  

The Jets defense will be SCARY this year.  

I agree mostly, but again I say that Pryor is NOT going to be All Pro ever. He simply cannot tackle in space or cover deep. He is a one trick pony as an in-the-box strong safety and the pick would have been better used to take VT's CB Kyle Fuller. If you watch NFL Network at all you see Pryor being abused by Tyrod Taylor on a scramble that he nearly scores on. Pryor looks completely lost and "allows" himself to be blocked to the ground by a skinny WR who barely touches him. Pryor is not quite a bust, but he is more Kyle Wilson than Ronnie Lott.

[kelly]

• 
  Rich CiminiESPN Staff Writer

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The New York Jets open training camp July 27 at their year-round facility in Florham Park, New Jersey. Here’s a closer look at the Jets' camp, which wraps up on Aug. 24 :

~ ~  Summer of Sheldon, Part II : For the second straight year, defensive end Sheldon Richardson will go into camp facing a league suspension at the start of the regular season. But this time it's only one game, not four, so the Jets will take a different approach. Instead of demoting him and limiting his reps, as was the case last summer, they will give him a full camp. This will help his conditioning; Richardson admitted he was out of shape after last year's suspension.

rest of above article : 

> http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/61094/with-camp-approaching-jets-ryan-fitzpatrick-qb-drama-intensifies

[kelly]

Rich CiminiESPN Staff Writer 

Jets DE Sheldon Richardson was glad to see his buddy Mo Wilkerson land a five-year, $86 million contract before training camp. But he apparently thinks it should've been more. "I was happy for him, real happy for him," Richardson said. "Well-deserved. (He deserved) a little bit more, but that's just my opinion." He declined to elaborate. Richardson has two years left on his deal, and figures to be seeking "Mo" money at some point.

 

> http://www.espn.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets

[Beerfish]

I hope he has a great year so we can trade his butt after this year.  I view this guy as very talented but an ongoing problem and for sure not a key piece of the core.

[kelly]

Defensive end Sheldon Richardson was on the field for the first time in Jets training camp after an excused absence for a personal matter. He also talked to the media for the first time since being handed a one-game suspension to open the season for violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy, stemming from his 2015 arrest for driving his Bentley 143 mph.

"I’m happy to be back. It’s good to be out there, shaking out the rust a little bit," Richardson said.

He added that it was a relief to learn he would miss only one game instead of a four-game suspension, which he served to start last season after violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.Coach Todd Bowles said Richardson would work with the first unit until Week 1, when that week’s starter would have to get more reps.

rest of above article :

> http://www.northjersey.com/sports/football/richardson-works-with-first-unit-1.1638843

[kelly]

— Sheldon Richardson found out about Muhammad Wilkerson's contract extension via a text message from his dad. He then wasted no time phoning his buddy and Jets teammate to congratulate him. 

The two defensive ends have spent countless hours together over the last four years. Wilkerson earned every last penny of that $85 million deal. Richardson knows that.Seriously, you'd be hard-pressed to find a player more happy for Wilkerson than Richardson ... even if Wilkerson's new-found fortune means Richardson's Jets career could be coming to a close. 

"I don't know," Richardson told NJ Advance Media on Thursday. "I can't predict the future. We'll see." 

There's only so much money to go around, and with Wilkerson re-signed, the Jets have already designated gobs of it to the defensive line. Richardson is under contract with the team through this season and next. The Jets will need to make a decision on his future past 2017 shortly. If it was just Wilkerson and Richardson, the equation would be simple addition. Pay both, move on. But there's an X-Factor: Second-year pro Leonard Williams. 

Taken sixth in last year's draft, Williams gives the Jets a surplus of defensive ends. In a 4-3 defense, that's good. In a 3-4? Not so much. Prior to re-signing Wilkerson, many wondered if the Jets needed him with Richardson and Williams in tow. Now, things have flip-flopped. Those same critics are asking the same question about Richardson."We'll see when the time comes. This is the NFL. It's a business," Richardson said. "If I'm traded or whatever. If I'm gone, I'm gone. That's the way it works."

Drafted No. 13 by the Jets three years ago, Richardson, when on the field, is regarded as one of the better players at his position. He was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2013, a Pro Bowler in 2014. Richardson's brought the quarterback down 16.5 times in 43 career games.If he stays clean off the field — Richardson has served suspensions the last two years for violating league policies — he'll be deserving of a contract equal to or surpassing that of Wilkerson's. Countless teams will line up to sign him. Richardson hopes the Jets are among them.

But, when asked of a long-term future that involves himself, Williams and Wilkerson together, Richardson also said he's realistic."I'm a big believer in longevity," Richardson said. "But I'm also a believer in securing my own future, too. So, we'll see."

>      http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/08/sheldon_richardson_on_future_with_jets_well_see.html#incart_river_index
   

[kelly]

 -- Pepper Johnson is the wise, old teacher in the New York Jets' defensive-line room, and Sheldon Richardson is the formerly stubborn student who used to resist his coach's instruction.

It kind of sounds like a "Karate Kid" movie, doesn't it?

Johnson (Mr. Miyagi) introduced a new way of doing things last year, and Richardson (young Daniel LaRusso) couldn't understand why he needed to wax on, wax off. Or something like that.

And now he does.

"(I'm) a little more compliant this year," Richardson said Monday. "Last year, I was a little more hard-headed and I felt like my way worked."

We're talking about technical stuff here -- i.e. pass-rushing techniques, hand placement, etc. Richardson was successful in his first two seasons under Rex Ryan and popular defensive-line coach Karl Dunbar, which explains why he didn't immediately embrace some of Johnson's guidance.

"There was a little bit of that, and what we did worked," Richardson said. "Our record wasn't what we wanted it to be, but what we did in that defensive-line room worked."

Johnson won championships as a player and assistant coach, so he has plenty of knowledge. Even though they're only a few weeks into training camp, he already senses that Richardson is buying in."What I appreciate from him is that he's getting more confidence in me," said Johnson, known as a headstrong young player with the New York Giants in the 1980s. "He's asking me questions and he's kind of referring to me now more than what he did last year, (when he was) trying to get some things accomplished himself. I just try to relate to him that I'm here to help."

A stronger relationship can only be good for the Jets.

Richardson's talent is unquestioned. This year, he's in better shape and more motivated than 2015, when he was distracted by a four-game marijuana suspension and an offseason arrest that resulted in a one-game suspension to start this season. He described last season as a wake-up call; maybe it will be a turning point in his career.

Asked why he's trying to embrace the wisdom of Johnson, Richardson said simply, "I got my head right."

>      http://www.espn.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/62378/a-year-wiser-jets-dt-sheldon-richardson-embraces-coachs-wisdom

[kelly]

Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson will serve a one-game suspension to start the regular season, which makes it two years in a row that Richardson will miss the opening of the season because of league discipline.

Other than injury, those off-field issues represent the biggest obstacle to Richardson’s continued success on the field. Richardson seems to recognize that, telling reporters that he “got my head right” this offseason when asked about his maturity.

Words are one thing, but actions will tell the tale. One way that Richardson has tried to show a better approach has come in his dealings with defensive line coach Pepper Johnson. Richardson has been more open to Johnson’s coaching in their second season together.

“I’m a little more compliant this year,” Richardson said, via Newsday. “Last year, I was a little more hardheaded. I felt my way worked. I felt like I knew the system. We were trying new stuff, so I just was being hardheaded. That’s all.”

Richardson is signed through next season after the Jets exercised their fifth-year option on his contract and the size of the deal that will follow his rookie one will be determined in large part by how things play out over those two years. Buying in on the field while keeping things quiet off of it sounds like the best formula to making that deal a big one.

>        http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/08/23/sheldon-richardson-i-got-my-head-right-this-year/

[kelly]

Rich CiminiESPN Staff Writer 

It's not the most talked-about suspension in the NFL (that belongs to Tom Brady), but Jets DE Sheldon Richardson is about to begin a one-week ban. Starting Monday, he's prohibited from being at the team facility, per the rules of personal-conduct violations. He was allowed to be at the facility during last year's substance-abuse suspension. Richardson said he'll remain in the New Jersey area and will work out on his own. He's eligible to return on Sept. 12, the day after the opener. He will play in Week 2.

 

>     http://www.espn.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets

[kelly]

— Sheldon Richardson is never the most pleasant person the moments after a loss. The Jets' defensive end wears his heart on his sleeve, plays with constant fire and emotion, and takes each defeat as a personal shot. 

When he does talk, though, his words tend to carry weight. And in the aftermath of theJets' 31-13 defeat to the Steelers, Richardson appeared to drop quite an inside look into the state of the Jets. 

The question : Is everyone trying their hardest ? His answer :

"I don't know," he said. "That's for you all [the media] to decide."

It's unclear if Richardson's statement was an eye-raising choice of words, or simply the lineman accidentally making a headline when he didn't intend to. During the early portions of his press conference, Richardson channeled his inner Bill Belichick with a series of "We've got to prepare for Arizona" answers to any question asked.It wasn't until truly pressed that Richardson broke from his routine, saying he didn't want to answer any questions because the media was just trying to get him "to finger point." 

"We lost," Richardson said. "We lost as a team. It's that simple. We lost as a team. We didn't get there. We didn't cover. We didn't score. We didn't do a lot of stuff. We lost as a team."When several reporters tried to explain that their line of questioning was not an attempt to bait Richardson, and that Jet fans wanted to know how this team is going to bounce back, Richardson said: "I'm trying my hardest." He then responded with the "I don't know" when asked if all on the team are doing the same. 

If there are a few players on the field giving minimal effort, it would explain some of the struggles the defense has had this year. The Jets have allowed every quarterback they've played to finish with a rating over 100. They've allowed eight plays (most in NFL) of 40-plus yards.The line — despite being armed with the likes of Richardson, Muhammad Wilkerson and Leonard Williams — has just five sacks since Week 1. They've forced just four turnovers. They've allowed at least 23 points in every game this year. 

While quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick's downfall and head coach Todd Bowles' newfound ineptitude have stolen many back pages these last five weeks, the defense is arguably the the biggest reason for the team's struggles.And, unfortunately for the Jets, there isn't any clear-cut way for how to fix it. 

"We're preparing for Arizona," Richardson said. "On to the next one. That's all."

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