Sunday Notes: Geno Sends Mixed Message

[flgreen]

Sunday notes: Geno sends mixed message

May, 26, 2013
May 26

9:45

AM ET

By  Rich Cimini | ESPNNewYork.com
 

A check on the Jets and the rest of the NFL:

 

1. Geno and Jay-Z: If perception is reality, Geno Smith made life harder for himself by hiring Jay-Z's fledgling Roc Nation Sports agency to represent him. Fair or not, it sends the message that he's concerned about show biz and marketing. That's not a bad thing if you're Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, an established star who took the Jay-Z plunge, but Smith is a rookie with no guarantee he'll be the opening-day starter. He should focus on being a football player, not a brand, working hard to craft an image that conveys that message.

 

If Smith plays well for the Jets, it won't matter if Lindsay Lohan is his agent; no one would care. But if the former West Virginia star doesn't meet expectations, he'll leave himself open to criticism. Maybe he has thick skin and it won't matter. Or maybe he set himself up for a rude New York experience.

 

Considering the recent dings to his reputation, he should stay away from flashy. He should take the Mark Sanchez approach. After being drafted fifth overall in 2009, Sanchez and his reps decided to lay low for a year, turning down endorsement opportunities. Maybe Roc Nation will take a conservative approach with Smith; we'll see. He has a tremendous opportunity with the Jets. He should to pick it up in the classroom and worry about One Jets Drive, not Madison Avenue.

 

1.b. Protecting its turf: The NFLPA is investigating Jay-Z's role in Smith's recruitment by Roc Nation for a possible violation of the "runner" rule, NFL.com reported. By rule, non-agents (Jay-Z isn't certified) aren't allowed to recruit athletes for agencies. Kimberly Miale, a certified agent, was just hired by Roc Nation to rep Smith in contract negotiations. Jay-Z is so popular that his arrival in the business was bound to ruffle some feathers.

 

2. Glass half-full: Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg told me that Sanchez's "completion percentage and accuracy percentage have been sky high up to date." (In Mornhinweg's grading system, he considers them separate categories.) He told me that Wednesday afternoon -- after Sanchez's three-interception stinker in practice. I kid you not.

Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith Ed Mulholland/USA TODAY SportsGeno Smith should focus more on his QB competition with Mark Sanchez than endorsements.

3. Truth, Justice and the Jet Way: GM John Idzik is taking some heat for the way he's handling the Mike Goodson situation. When fringe players Cliff Harris and Claude Davis were arrested last month for possession of marijuana, in a car that included a loaded handgun (owned by a third party), they were cut immediately. Goodson was arrested on gun and drug charges, yet he remains on the team.

 

On Tuesday, he's expected to return to practice. Double standard? You bet. But does that make it wrong? No. Idzik is handling it the right way. His charge is to do what's in the best interest of the team. In this case, the best interest is served by allowing the legal process to play out. It makes no sense to cut a $2.3 million-a-year player to simply send a message. Bill Parcells always used to say all players aren't created equal. He was right.

 

4. Fantasy Island: Bucs GM Mark Dominik told the NFL Network that he started thinking about the possibility of a Darrelle Revis trade as soon as the star cornerback went down with a season-ending knee injury. "Because I knew what his contract situation was, and so when he hurt his knee, I thought, 'That’s going to be an out possibility,'" Dominik said. The handwriting was on the wall: The Jets-Revis relationship, already toxic, would never produce another contract, especially not with the complication of an injury.

 

5. Money matters: The Panthers last week signed first-round DT Star Lotulelei, the 14th overall pick, to a four-year, $9.604 million contract, fully guaranteed. Therefore, it shouldn't take much longer for the Jets to hammer out a deal with DT Sheldon Richardson, the 13th pick. Richardson, CB Dee Milliner (No. 9 overall) and Smith (No. 39) are their only unsigned draft picks.

 

6. Chasing a ghost: Funniest item of the week -- an unnamed Jets player allegedly telling another media outlet that 80 to 90 percent of the team doesn't want Sanchez as the starting quarterback. I didn't realize there were voting booths in the players' meeting rooms.

 

7. A Cup of Joe: I respect Joe Namath's opinion, but I have to disagree with his statement that the Jets didn't need to draft Smith. Tell me, what's wrong with a quarterback-needy team picking the best quarterback in the draft (by most accounts) in the second round? Key words: Second round, not first round. It won't be a significant investment -- about $5 million over four years. If Smith doesn't impress as a rookie, the Jets can turn around and select another quarterback in 2014.

 

8. Super-sized rookie: The Rams signed an undrafted free agent named Terrell Brown, a 6-foot-10, 403-yard offensive lineman Ole Miss. I'm dating myself here, but it brings back memories of Albert Goss, the Jets' 12th-round pick in 1988. He was 6-foot-7, 348 pounds, a defensive tackle from Jackson State. Actually, that was his draft weight; he was 365 when he showed up for training camp.

 

He was cut on the first day, as soon as he stepped off the scale. And so ended the career of Albert Goss.

 

9. Relax, coach: Someone needs to tell Tom Coughlin that OTA practices are voluntary. Commenting on Hakeem Nicks' absence the other day, the Giants' coach said, "He should be here. I expect everybody here."

 

10. May Day: Maybe you heard, the draft is moving to May 15-17 next year. To me, this is all about dollars. The month of May happens to be a TV sweeps month. Pushing it back three weeks also allows the NFL to dominate more of the sports calendar. Also imagine: Three more weeks of draft hype and over-analysis. Good thing Geno Smith came out this year.

[T0mShane]

If I'm a New York athlete, there is nothing keeping me from signing with Jay-Z. The access Jay has to every article of cool lifestyle sh*t--supermodels, cars, drugs, parties, clubs--is attractive enough by itself, but he also clearly knows how to manipulate very lucrative markets without exposing himself to failure. His handling of the Rocafella line of clothing was genius, for instance. He marketed it as expensive hip-hop gear, but sold it in KMart. That's hard to do. This isn't Master P here.

[spjets]

1. Geno and Jay-Z: If perception is reality, Geno Smith made life harder for himself by hiring Jay-Z's fledgling Roc Nation Sports agency to represent him. Fair or not, it sends the message that he's concerned about show biz and marketing. That's not a bad thing if you're Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, an established star who took the Jay-Z plunge, but Smith is a rookie with no guarantee he'll be the opening-day starter. He should focus on being a football player, not a brand, working hard to craft an image that conveys that message. quote]

great another Cam Newton....

[kelticwizard]

I wonder how many sports fans give a crap about what "message" is being sent by a player hiring an agency.

 

I also think it's kind of funny that Rich Cimini-one of the New York press hype artists-is writing purportedly objective analysis about how Geno Smith might not be handling the hype machine the right way. 

[flgreen]

Could care less who Smith uses as an agent, or if the NFLPA is upset about it.

 

What I did find interesting is that Marty is heavily defending Sanchez after the horrible open practice last week

[jetsjetsjetss]

i kinda care that geno picked roc nation. After firing his agent its what we expected oh jay z black qb in new york is totally gonna sign with him. I woulda rather him shock me and signed with a veteran well respected agent

[kelticwizard]

....What I did find interesting is that Marty is heavily defending Sanchez after the horrible open practice last week

 

I was wondering about that myself.

 

Did Marty work out Sanchez privately before these OTA's and like what he saw there?  Or is the OC basing his opinion on what he saw of Sanchez in the three interception workout?

 

Saying "Sanchez looked good except for the three interceptions in 12 passes" is a lot like asking, "Outside of that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?"

[flgreen]

I was wondering about that myself.

 

Did Marty work out Sanchez privately before these OTA's and like what he saw there?  Or is the OC basing his opinion on what he saw of Sanchez in the three interception workout?

 

Saying "Sanchez looked good except for the three interceptions in 12 passes" is a lot like asking, "Outside of that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?"

Well don't forget that the mini camp was what?  Four days?  The press only got to see one of them.   I don't know, but maybe Sanchez was playing lights out the other days.

[kelticwizard]

I didn't realize the press only got to see 1 out of a 4 day camp.   At least that makes some sense.

 

I was hoping to see Sanchez respond positively to a change in offense and change in Offensive Coordinator this year.  That 3 interception workout seemed to indicate he wasn't taking to the new setup, but if Marty is liking what he sees the rest of the minicamp, that holds out hope that things are turning for the better.

[flgreen]

I didn't realize the press only got to see 1 out of a 4 day camp.   At least that makes some sense.

 

I was hoping to see Sanchez respond positively to a change in offense and change in Offensive Coordinator this year.  That 3 interception workout seemed to indicate he wasn't taking to the new setup, but if Marty is liking what he sees the rest of the minicamp, that holds out hope that things are turning for the better.

I agree

 

I think the best thing for the Jets right now is for Sanchez to have a good year in the new O.  Then next year after seeing Smith in practice for a year, can make a more educated decision on what direction they want to go at QB 

 

Sanchez can't have another one of those days at the next mini camp though.  I could hear it in Rex's statement, he is on a rather short leash right now

[kelticwizard]

Let's face it-Sanchez is only on the team because of his contract.  But it isn't that unusual for QB's to turn it around their fourth or fifth years, we've seen it before quite a few times.

 

I'm hoping he returns to at least a form of competence.

[TnT]

IIIFFF Geno is successful, the media is going to be responsible for the major DICK he turns into...and rightfully so.

[New York Mick]

If he was white there wouldn't even be an article written about it.

But in the same respect if he didn't have a rep for acting like a punk (true or not) it also wouldn't be an issue.

Anyway, even though I think the pick was a waste and he's going to be awful. I hope the prick does well or it's 3 more years before we draft a number 1 QB.

[SayNoToDMC]

Rich Cimini

[SayNoToDMC]

If he was white there wouldn't even be an article written about it.

But in the same respect if he didn't have a rep for acting like a punk (true or not) it also wouldn't be an issue.

Anyway, even though I think the pick was a waste and he's going to be awful. I hope the prick does well or it's 3 more years before we draft a number 1 QB.

 

Would he have a rep for being a punk if he was white?

[shhwagah]

I was the first to comment on this piece on the ESPN boards. The mods removed it but I believe it went something like this:

 

"If perception is reality, Geno Smith made life harder for himself by hiring Jay-Z's fledgling Roc Nation Sports agency to represent him."

 

STFU, Cimini. If perception is reality then you are perceived as a terrible writer who talks sh*t about his coworkers and somehow cannot figure out how to use direct messages on Twitter properly. Oh, I'm sorry! That's if reality is reality.

 

Stop being such a tool and think for yourself.

 

The STFU was replaced by *&^% as soon as I posted it and the post was removed within 5 minutes. I stand by what I said.

[jetsjetsjetss]

Would he have a rep for being a punk if he was white?

 

yes

[SayNoToDMC]

yes

 

 

Nolan Nawrocki agrees, he has a black friend and his analysis wasn't racially fueled at all.

[New York Mick]

Would he have a rep for being a punk if he was white?

Yea, I think people in general are sick of players no matter what color acting like dickheads.

[Stonehands]

I think Geno got rid of his first agent because he felt like they were not giving him good advice and they did a poor job promoting him. As a NY athlete, he chose Jay Z's firm because of the NY connections with the media and marketing opportunities. I think it was a smart choice.

[jetsjetsjetss]

Nolan Nawrocki agrees, he has a black friend and his analysis wasn't racially fueled at all.

 

your trying to argue no white qb has been talked about for being a punk before???

 

nawrocki had ryan mallet right next to cam newton on his list of top character questions

[T0mShane]

your trying to argue no white qb has been talked about for being a punk before???

Ryan Mallett says wazzappppp

[jetsjetsjetss]

Ryan Mallett says wazzappppp

 

hahah i just posted that nawrocki said mallet has character issues right before he said cam newton does too

[SayNoToDMC]

Ryan Mallett says wazzappppp

 

He also became a consensus genius pick when Bill Bellichek took him. I've still yet to hear a single credible thing Geno Smith has actually done wrong other then having the misfortune of being drafted by the Jets.

[jetsjetsjetss]

He also became a consensus genius pick when Bill Bellichek took him. I've still yet to hear a single credible thing Geno Smith has actually done wrong other then having the misfortune of being drafted by the Jets.

 

thats changing the subject. Character concerns are not a race exclusive thing

 

and also its because if it works its genius if it doesnt your an idiot. Bellichek is normally right so thats why hes a genius for the pick.

[SayNoToDMC]

your trying to argue no white qb has been talked about for being a punk before???

 

nawrocki had ryan mallet right next to cam newton on his list of top character questions

 

Everyone knew Mallets issues and that Cam got kicked out of Florida but his attack on Newton was pretty personal, like talking about his "Fake Smile" and he admitted he never even met the kid. His scouting report on Geno talked about poor work ethic, not being committed or having a football IQ and this was another player he's never spent any time with. There are definitely holes in Geno Smiths game but none of them by almost all first hand accounts revolve around work ethic or IQ, what has he done "wrong" other then fire an agent that did a horrible job?

[kay_gee]

re: #1

 

oh go away. the "dings" to Smith's character have been created by the media and some anonymous NFL team employee (which you picked up a week late, by the way, Rich). everyone who's ever spent time with the guy says he's a hard, attentive worker.

 

re: #4

 

I tend to agree that Revis wasn't coming back, but to say the Jets relationship with him wasn't salvageable is BS, considering the new GM. Idzik was said to have good relationships with player agents. It wasn't Tanny helming the negotiations again. That said, now that he's gone...I won't miss the headache.

 

re: #9

 

CIRCUS! ...if it was the Jets Cimini would be yelling about clowns.

[jetsjetsjetss]

Everyone knew Mallets issues and that Cam got kicked out of Florida but his attack on Newton was pretty personal, like talking about his "Fake Smile" and he admitted he never even met the kid. His scouting report on Geno talked about poor work ethic, not being committed or having a football IQ and this was another player he's never spent any time with. There are definitely holes in Geno Smiths game but none of them by almost all first hand accounts revolve around work ethic or IQ, what has he done "wrong" other then fire an agent that did a horrible job?

 

oh idk what he did. But according to some he didnt interview well or wasnt attentive or something. All i know is he probably did something wrong falling to the 2nd

[SayNoToDMC]

oh idk what he did. But according to some he didnt interview well or wasnt attentive or something. All i know is he probably did something wrong falling to the 2nd

 

The second is where he honestly probably belonged talent wise, everyone was surprised me included just because you expect teams to reach for a QB(Bills still did). I'm thrilled we got him but he isn't an Andrew Luck type prospect, not by a long shot which is why unlike most here I'd also like to see them take their time before throwing him into the lineup

[kelticwizard]

Everybody agrees that this QB class was comparatively lean and that none of the prominent QB's would likely be first round selection most years.  As a result the QB's in the draft went all over the place.

 

Pre-draft the consensus was Geno Smith would go first and Nassib would go second.  The others were considered farther back, maybe late rounders.

 

Geno gets picked early in second, about where he would be if this was a normal QB year, and Nassib was fourth round.  The rest were late rounders.  The only big exception was Manuel-the rest of them went close to where they normally would go.

[stoicsentry]

thats changing the subject. Character concerns are not a race exclusive thing

 

and also its because if it works its genius if it doesnt your an idiot. Bellichek is normally right so thats why hes a genius for the pick.

 

He's not normally right though, that's just not true. Take a look at the organization's drafts during his reign, they haven't been that good at all. It's just that when you manage to land Tom Brady it's like winning the lotto - everything else gets taken care of by that 1 pick.

[Larz]

oh dick

 

why would a NYC QB want to go after endorsements ?  what a joke

 

and is it really a competition with sancherz ?  dude is a butt fumbler the entire organization wants on the sidelines

 

douche

[shhwagah]

Nolan Nawrocki invited me to his Memorial Day BBQ, so duh he's not racist. He did tell me not to bring my black friends though.

[The Crusher]

Yea, I think people in general are sick of players no matter what color acting like dickheads.

Pretty much. Well said.

[The Crusher]

your trying to argue no white qb has been talked about for being a punk before???

 

nawrocki had ryan mallet right next to cam newton on his list of top character questions

jim McMahon. Punk ass whiteboy.