Sheldon Richardson: 'I don't know' if all Jets are playing their hardest

[Integrity28]

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Sheldon Richardson: 'I don't know' if all Jets are playing their hardest

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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) walks off the field during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Jared Wickerham)

Joe Giglio | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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By Connor Hughes | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 
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on October 10, 2016 at 10:27 AM, updated October 10, 2016 at 10:30 AM

 

PITTSBURGH — 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. 

3 culprits for Jets loss to Steelers, including Todd Bowles and Brandon Marshall

When he does talk, though, his words tend to carry weight. And in the aftermath of the Jets' 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."

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If given the choice again, Todd Bowles would still punt on fourth down.

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."

Connor Hughes may be reached at chughes@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connor_J_Hughes. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook. 

 

Sigh.

[Bleedin Green]

While the defense is no doubt a mess, this article is simply doing exactly what Sheldon said they would do, and they were claiming they wouldn't.  It's basically an attempted non-response that they're trying to turn into a drama.  This defense is a sh*t-show right now, but Richardson is hardly unfolding some lockerroom nonsense here.  For what a dumbass he's been at times in the past, he wasn't praising himself in the midst of this or calling anyone out.  They sucked ass, and have all season.  That's pretty much the beginning and end of it.

[peebag]

well, duh.

[Integrity28]

4 minutes ago, Bleedin Green said:

While the defense is no doubt a mess, this article is simply doing exactly what Sheldon said they would do, and they were claiming they wouldn't.  It's basically an attempted non-response that they're trying to turn into a drama.  This defense is a sh*t-show right now, but Richardson is hardly unfolding some lockerroom nonsense here.  For what a dumbass he's been at times in the past, he wasn't praising himself in the midst of this or calling anyone out.  They sucked ass, and have all season.  That's pretty much the beginning and end of it.

Agreed, but it doesn't change the fact that heart-less football is still the signature of the Jets. I posted it not for drama, but to accentuate that this issue is bigger than coaches... it's been like this for over a decade.

[Bleedin Green]

Just now, Integrity28 said:

Agreed, but it doesn't change the fact that heart-less football is still the signature of the Jets. I posted it not for drama, but to accentuate that this issue is bigger than coaches... it's been like this for over a decade.

Oh yeah, completely agree.  I just kind of laughed to myself when I actually read the article trying to claim why it wouldn't do what it was in the middle of trying to do.  This situation as a complete mess no doubt, but the beat writers still try their damnedest to turn it into a soap opera whenever possible.

[Sperm Edwards]

6 minutes ago, Integrity28 said:

Agreed, but it doesn't change the fact that heart-less football is still the signature of the Jets. I posted it not for drama, but to accentuate that this issue is bigger than coaches... it's been like this for over a decade.

How can you say this with a straight face? Didn't you hear how awesome their practices were last week? 

[JoJoTownsell1]

Meh, they're playing hard on defense, the secondary is just not that good and the dline is vastly overrated. And the offense is doing the most it can with Fitz behind the wheel. That is the problem with this team. They need to address the real problems and not pretend it's an "effort" issue. They either need a franchise QB or 2010 Revis/Cro. 

If the Jets had played teams like the Bills/Fish/Rams/Niners/Ravens/Giants/COlts/Texans/TItans in the 1st 5 weeks they'd be 4-1 (worst case 3-2), but they played real teams that have better QBs. So they lost. Plain and simple. It has nothing to do with effort. 

Big Ben, Smith, WIlson and Dalton are all better than Fitz. So the Jets Defense needs to play GREAT football to win, but you can't play great football with a below average secondary, average Lbers (at best) and a very good, but not great Dline. 

[rex-n-effect]

Way to take what he said in the exact opposite manner. Perfect demonstration of sports media idiocy.

[peekskill68]

16 minutes ago, Integrity28 said:

Agreed, but it doesn't change the fact that heart-less football is still the signature of the Jets. I posted it not for drama, but to accentuate that this issue is bigger than coaches... it's been like this for over a decade.

I didn't see the effort yesterday as heartless as much as I saw a keystone cops routine trying to handle assignments. To your point tho, both Mo and Pryor seemed invisible out there...

[Adoni Beast]

In any team sport, when things are tough you expect your "strongest" players or unit will step up and carry the team a bit. They defensive line to me is more disappointing than the secondary. 

I think almost all of us during the off season thought our secondary and oline were our biggesr concerns. Oline has been a pleasant surprise and secondary has been worse than expected. But a GOOD defensive line makes for a better secondary. They haven't done s.hit. 

I've been embarrassed watching three first rounders getting nothing. No pressure, no impact plays. They are gutless. Leonard Williams is our hope for a great player, but I hope we trade Sheldon, and Wilkerson better pick it up or hes cut bair after second year of his deal. 

Absolutely gutless ! Again a Jets team with absolutely no brains or balls.

[RevisIsland610]

8 minutes ago, JoJoTownsell1 said:

Meh, they're playing hard on defense, the secondary is just not that good and the dline is vastly overrated. And the offense is doing the most it can with Fitz behind the wheel. That is the problem with this team. They need to address the real problems and not pretend it's an "effort" issue. They either need a franchise QB or 2010 Revis/Cro. 

If the Jets had played teams like the Bills/Fish/Rams/Niners/Ravens/Giants/COlts/Texans/TItans in the 1st 5 weeks they'd be 4-1 (worst case 3-2), but they played real teams that have better QBs. So they lost. Plain and simple. It has nothing to do with effort. 

Big Ben, Smith, WIlson and Dalton are all better than Fitz. So the Jets Defense needs to play GREAT football to win, but you can't play great football with a below average secondary, average Lbers (at best) and a very good, but not great Dline. 

The jets defense has played like trash against every team they have played including the Bills. What makes you think they would be 4-1 or 3-2 against some of those lesser teams you mentioned? This team hasn't been just bad its been downright awful. There is a good chance they would be 2-3 or 1-4 no matter who they played. They have been that bad.

[Ex-Rex]

I have said it quite a few times already but I will say it again. CALVIN PRYOR HAS GOT TO GO. If Marcus Williams was in man coverage against the guy that beat him for the 72 yard score then that is a brainless call by Bowles / Rodgers. I don't think he was, I think Pryor was supposed to be deep and once again was too slow and took a bad angle. The Steelers WR was mentioned in pre game talk about being one of the fastest men in the league so I doubt that Bowles put Williams on an island against him. Pryor simply is no damn good and the rush isn't getting there because in this league the QB's get rid of the ball too quick for the rush to get there. I sincerely hope Bowles gets a grip on his assistant coaches, especially Gailey and get them on the right track. Gailey has completely forgotten about the run game and that is inexcusable with a back like Forte in house.

[T0mShane]

 

[T0mShane]

OH ITS LIT

[BigRy56]

Sheldon really doesn't have a future on this team and frankly, the defense has always performed better without him. He's an awesome talent but he doesn't seem to mesh well with what the Jets want to do.

[BurnleyJet]

2 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

 

Ouch, Every week they lose this gets worse. If true and not the usual Manish Pot stirring, then Bowles is gone. Discipline is Paramount.

[Tinstar]

Just like the Jets had to bring back a certain QB because of expectations and accountability, certain players had to be on this year's roster for the same reason .

[T0mShane]

12 minutes ago, BurnleyJet said:

Ouch, Every week they lose this gets worse. If true and not the usual Manish Pot stirring, then Bowles is gone. Discipline is Paramount.

Everyone seems to think it's indirect reference to Mo, but I'm guessing Revis.

[Sperm Edwards]

4 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

 

Wow. I know he's a tool and a troll, but this time he isn't toolishly trolling Idzik. 

Cool game to play: what jerseys do enough fans have, that would elicit this tweet? Marshall, Wilkerson, Decker, Mangold, Revis. Other jerseys with current player names would be too sporadic at this point to bother bringing him/them up this way (Williams, Lee, Forte, Fitz, Pryor, Richardson). 

[Tinstar]

I took away from that tweet what I have always maintain . Because we really do not know what's going on behind the practice doors and the meeting halls, we can't really make concrete statements as facts .

[T0mShane]

1 minute ago, Sperm Edwards said:

Wow. I know he's a tool and a troll, but this time he isn't toolishly trolling Idzik. 

Cool game to play: what jerseys do enough fans have, that would elicit this tweet? Marshall, Wilkerson, Decker, Mangold, Revis. Other jerseys with current player names would be too sporadic at this point to bother bringing him/them up this way (Williams, Lee, Forte, Fitz, Pryor, Richardson). 

I'd almost bet the house it's Revis. The dude is an all-timer and he's been bounced out of two locker rooms and the Pats (even though they wanted him back) didn't seem all that torn up to lose him. That said, consensus seems to be pointing to Mo. Taken in conjunction with Sheldon's comments, it makes sense. 

[August]

Manish is talking about Mo. He seems to have an axe to grind with him for whatever reason. 

[Sperm Edwards]

Just now, T0mShane said:

I'd almost bet the house it's Revis. The dude is an all-timer and he's been bounced out of two locker rooms and the Pats (even though they wanted him back) didn't seem all that torn up to lose him. That said, consensus seems to be pointing to Mo. Taken in conjunction with Sheldon's comments, it makes sense. 

I had a longer reply but this was my thought as well. Since it's still on my clipboard, here's what I cut:

• My money says Revis. The only thing that clouds this is it was tweeted after a game Revis missed. But I can see a scenario where a player misses a game and then finds fault with those that did poorly in his absence (i.e. giving Marcus Williams and/or Skrine hard times for poor play, and maybe there's some added resentment there because the team went with them instead of bringing back his buddy Cromartie). None of this is substantiated, but a lot of people have his jersey and, well, I could just see it from him.
• From everything I've heard, Mo supposedly as sweet as grandma's apple pie off the field. 
• Marshall seems like a good team guy & my guess is most complaints about him are related to his drops, not being a tool in the locker room.
• Decker? I guess it could be him sticking up for his BFF Fitz and making an ass of himself doing so, but I doubt it.
• Mangold. Could be, even though he got knocked out of the game. Love him as a player but I think there were some slight rumors he can be kind of a dick. He's my #2 suspect after Revis, though a distant 2nd. Like my imaginary scenario with Revis, he and Ferguson were very tight and he could be resentful of other tackles taking his roster spot. 

[Kleckineau]

Holy crap 20 games into this regime and the pitch forks and torchs are out and marching towards their door.

Cant say it isnt justified. This Jets sh!tfest has become just like death and taxes.

[joewilly12]

Todd Bowles has lost this team. 

[Sperm Edwards]

4 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

I'd almost bet the house it's Revis. The dude is an all-timer and he's been bounced out of two locker rooms and the Pats (even though they wanted him back) didn't seem all that torn up to lose him. That said, consensus seems to be pointing to Mo. Taken in conjunction with Sheldon's comments, it makes sense. 

I thought that a little bit initially (Mo), but the tweet was more about the locker room stuff than on the field itself. It's in a thread about on-field performance, but Manish didn't tweet it to this thread; you just happened to put it here.

Anyway it's a fun game to play, since nothing else is fun about being a Jets spectator.

[joewilly12]

1 minute ago, Sperm Edwards said:

I thought that a little bit initially (Mo), but the tweet was more about the locker room stuff than on the field itself. It's in a thread about on-field performance, but Manish didn't tweet it to this thread; you just happened to put it here.

Anyway it's a fun game to play, since nothing else is fun about being a Jets spectator.

I paid for the Kotite 1-15 season nowhere near what season ticket holders are paying now. Wake up Woody Johnson we need and want change. 

[whodeawhodat]

37 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

 

WTF is this????

[T0mShane]

3 minutes ago, Sperm Edwards said:

I had a longer reply but this was my thought as well. Since it's still on my clipboard, here's what I cut:

• My money says Revis. The only thing that clouds this is it was tweeted after a game Revis missed. But I can see a scenario where a player misses a game and then finds fault with those that did poorly in his absence (i.e. giving Marcus Williams and/or Skrine hard times for poor play, and maybe there's some added resentment there because the team went with them instead of bringing back his buddy Cromartie). None of this is substantiated, but a lot of people have his jersey and, well, I could just see it from him.
• From everything I've heard, Mo supposedly as sweet as grandma's apple pie off the field. 
• Marshall seems like a good team guy & my guess is most complaints about him are related to his drops, not being a tool in the locker room.
• Decker? I guess it could be him sticking up for his BFF Fitz and making an ass of himself doing so, but I doubt it.
• Mangold. Could be, even though he got knocked out of the game. Love him as a player but I think there were some slight rumors he can be kind of a dick. He's my #2 suspect after Revis, though a distant 2nd. Like my imaginary scenario with Revis, he and Ferguson were very tight and he could be resentful of other tackles taking his roster spot. 

All plausible, but remember about Mo: Bowles "suspended" him last year for stepping out of line and that story kinda died. Collision Low Crossers covered how Mo was a dog at Temple, so there's at least a little history there. But I can see it being Revis because 1. He's toast; 2. He's been hung out to dry by the coaches; 3. Manish shredded him this week. 

 

The other possibility is that there are a bunch of outspoken individuals in that room from both sides of the political spectrum, we're in the midst of a brutal, xenophobic campaign, and Manish is of Indian descent. A lot of elements there that could lead to some ugliness.

[whodeawhodat]

If sheldon wasnt in a semi contract year, we would get the truth out of him.  

[hawk]

36 minutes ago, BigRy56 said:

Sheldon really doesn't have a future on this team and frankly, the defense has always performed better without him. He's an awesome talent but he doesn't seem to mesh well with what the Jets want to do.

That is on the coach.  You put your best players in a position to accentuate their abilities, not limit them.  I don't believe anyone on here was scouting Richardson as a linebacker.  

[Sperm Edwards]

Just now, T0mShane said:

All plausible, but remember about Mo: Bowles "suspended" him last year for stepping out of line and that story kinda died. Collision Low Crossers covered how Mo was a dog at Temple, so there's at least a little history there. But I can see it being Revis because 1. He's toast; 2. He's been hung out to dry by the coaches; 3. Manish shredded him this week. 

 

The other possibility is that there are a bunch of outspoken individuals in that room from both sides of the political spectrum, we're in the midst of a brutal, xenophobic campaign, and Manish is of Indian descent. A lot of elements there that could lead to some ugliness.

The last comment maybe. I wasn't thinking of that. But then I'd still more or less keep it narrowed down to the players I mentioned. There just aren't enough of anyone else's jerseys.

I did forget about the suspension, but that was for being late to a meeting. Allegedly.

[Bleedin Green]

My guess is it's Tanner Purdum.  Guy just thinks he's better than the whole damn team.  Hear he's starting to poison the mind of Lachlan Edwards too.  While it's tough not to understand the legitimacy of their respective opinions, they need to be bigger than that.

[SAR I]

1 hour ago, rex-n-effect said:

Way to take what he said in the exact opposite manner. Perfect demonstration of sports media idiocy.

BREAKING:

SOURCES CONFIRM DARRELE REVIS WAS SENT TO NEW YORK BY ROBERT KRAFT TO TANK THE SEASON AS REVENGE FOR THE ERIC MANGINI SPYGATE AFFAIR.  ONCE CUT BY NEW YORK HE WILL BE IMMEDIATELY SIGNED BY NEW ENGLAND FOR SHORT MONEY AS A SAFETY.

SAR I

[joewilly12]

1 minute ago, SAR I said:

BREAKING:

SOURCES CONFIRM DARRELE REVIS WAS SENT TO NEW YORK BY ROBERT KRAFT TO TANK THE SEASON AS REVENGE FOR THE ERIC MANGINI SPYGATE AFFAIR.  ONCE CUT BY NEW YORK HE WILL BE IMMEDIATELY SIGNED BY NEW ENGLAND FOR SHORT MONEY AS A SAFETY.

SAR I

Tank what season?  We had no season with Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starting QB and a MORON of a head coach. 

LIES