Cottrell on Cro: Tremendous athlete

[Bruce Banner]

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/jets/2010/03/cottrell-on-cro-tremendous-ath.html

Tying up some loose ends on Day 1 of free agency:

1. Spoke to former Chargers and Jets defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell, always one of the good guys in football. Cottrell coached CB Antonio Cromartie in 2007, when he dominated the league with 10 interceptions and a Pro Bowl berth.

"He's one of the top five athletes in the league," Cottrell said. "He's a tremendous, tremendous athlete. I think he could be one of the top wide receivers if he wanted to be. He runs so well with the ball in his hands."

I asked Cottrell if he thinks the Jets got good value in the trade.

"I think it's a good trade," said Cottrell, who was unceremoniously fired during the '08 season by the Chargers. "Let's put it this way: After the 2007 season, when he had 10 interceptions, what was his value then? Pretty damn high." He thinks Cromartie has matured and can get back to that level.

Cottrell said he received a call today from JoJo Wooden, one of Mike Tannenbaum's key assistants. Wooden wanted to pick Cottrell's brain on Cromartie, specifically what type of coaching he responds to. Cottrell thinks Cromartie will enjoy playing for Ryan, known as a player-friendly coach.

Cottrell didn't want to bad mouth his old team, but let's be honest: Cromartie started to go downhill when Cottrell was fired. Cottrell mixed up his coverages, sprinkling man-to-man and zone. After he left, the Chargers became a zone team, and that didn't sit well with Cromartie.

2. In a conference call today, Tannenbaum didn't provide any specifics on why they released Thomas Jones. He mentioned "skill" and "budget," saying there are tough judgment calls even though it's an uncapped year. He didn't rule out re-signing Jones, but he downplayed that possibility, mentioning that Jones already has other options.

3. Mr. T acknowledged they will have to add a veteran running back to replace Jones. Good luck finding a quality back for under $5.8 million this year.

4. Tannenbaum said they almost certainly would've had to take a corner with the 29th pick if they hadn't made the trade for Cromartie. He still wants another corner, but now they can focus on defensive end or edge rusher with that first pick.

5. I asked Tannenbaum if S Kerry Rhodes will get his $2 million roster bonus next week, remaining on the team. His reply: "We expect Kerry to be here unless something changes." And I expect to break 80 unless I don't.

[Bruce Banner]

If all this talk about Cromartie playing better in man to man and the Chargers playing too much zone is true than this could be one of the best trades of the last few years. Looking forward to watching the games next year and finding out.

[SenorGato]

Alright, next should be the anonymous quote "Kerry Rhodes really was a P*ssy" article. J-E-T-S!!