New York Jets Cut Corners in Acquiring Corner

So, now we find out that one game short of the Super Bowl is the moral evacuation point for the New York Jets when it comes to the formation of their roster.  Flush with the excitement of their improbable run to the AFC Championship game and desperate to fill a new stadium through a PSL extortion campaign, Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum has his eye on the prize; and, seemingly, nothing else.

His first big splash of the off season was to acquire Antonio Cromartie, former first round pick and Pro Bowl cornerback, from the Chargers.  The idea of pairing Cromartie, the San Diego record holder for interceptions in a season, with Darrelle Revis, the game’s best, gave Tannenbaum the impetus to ignore the personal baggage Cromartie brings east.  Gang Green’s new defensive back has been a busy young man; fathering seven children with six women in five states; all by the age of twenty five.  With at least one paternity suit pending, the Jets felt it necessary to advance Cromartie $500K of his 2010 salary in order for him to satisfy delinquent child support payments.  They can only hope he doesn’t start dating before training camp begins.

Then, perhaps attempting to balance the miscreants on each side of the ball, Tannenbaum swooped in and grabbed wide receiver Santonio Holmes from the Steelers for a song.  Despite the fact that Holmes was the hero and MVP of Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl victory just two years ago, he became available after a March incident in which he allegedly threw a glass at a woman in a nightclub; cutting her above the eye. Then, after a Twitter comment critical of Holmes, he told the follower to “kill urself” and later Tweeted that it was time to “wake and bake”, a reference to smoking pot in the morning.

Holmes is no stranger to marijuana, having been arrested for possession in 2008.  He’s also been arrested, in 2006, on charges of domestic violence and will be suspended for the first four games of this season for an unspecified violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.  But, again, talent was the trump card and, after Pittsburgh had had enough, Tannenbaum surrendered just a paltry fifth round pick for the troubled Steeler; pairing him with Braylon Edwards, himself acquired amidst legal woes last year.

On the surface, these moves might be justified by reasoning that the Jets are on the cusp of a championship.  In reality, however, they’re little more than a .500 team that got hot at the right time; edging two playoff opponents that missed a total of five field goals. Their postseason appearance, itself, was achieved on the heels of a virtual forfeit by the Indianapolis Colts. The vaunted defense, pride and joy of Head Coach Rex Ryan, failed to stop fourth quarter drives by playoff outsiders Jacksonville and Atlanta during a regular season stretch that produced six losses in seven games. Quarterback Mark Sanchez was the league’s lowest rated starter at season’s end and has yet to begin running after off-season knee surgery while RB Thomas Jones and OG Alan Faneca, each a Pro Bowler as well as a respected team leader, were released.

Owner Woody Johnson, along with Tannenbaum, has sworn his belief that Big Rexy is enough of a “people person” to pull all of these new and questionable personalities together and unite them toward a common goal.  Best of luck to Coach Ryan, then, on that front.  However, even if this is, finally, the group that earns a Lombardi Trophy, won’t it be more than a little tainted that it was won by players no one wants to root for?

New York Jets Suddenly Not “Same Old”

This time it was different.  The Jets loss to the Colts in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game just didn’t feel as bad as the litany of playoff debacles that have dotted the team’s history.  There was no fumble on the opening kickoff or a roughing the passer call with a win virtually sealed.  There was neither mud nor A.J. Duhe.  The Head Coach was not so frightened as to forget that a quarterback sack stops the clock or paranoid enough to claim that he received a crank phone call from Al Davis.  Even the blown lead was different; surrendered not to turnovers, as was the case at Mile High Stadium in ’98, but to a good, old fashioned, butt-kicking at the hands of one of the greatest to ever play his position.  What felt so different was that, this time, the other guys were just better.

Peyton Manning took everything the Jets and Rex Ryan could throw at him over most of the first half.  He was sacked a few times, hit a few more and even stood up at the goal line.  But, once he’d seen the Jets’ entire repertoire and figured it out as only he can, Manning began to methodically pick them apart.  That the Jets shut down All-Pro receivers Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark mattered little to the league MVP as he simply turned to Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie in order to send Gang Green home.  Each had a touchdown and numerous catches of pinpoint passes with Jet defenders draped all over them.  You got the feeling that Indy could pull a couple of athletic looking guys out of the stands and Manning would find a way to get them the ball.  Late in the game, CBS posted a graphic that was a testament to Manning’s greatness.  In the four playoff games that saw two Colt receivers gain 100 yards, as Garcon and Collie did, Indianapolis was 4-0.  Amazingly, Manning had accomplished the feat with eight different receivers.  On this day, the better man won.

Difficult as I may find it to be optimistic about the Jets, there is every reason to view this season as a starting point for bigger and better things.  In 1986, as the Giants ran over the rest of the league on their way to their first Super Bowl title, many players cited the previous year’s playoff loss to Chicago as the starting point of their championship run.  In losing to the best team in the league, they had gained an insight as to how far they had to go to be the best.   These Jets may have had the same epiphany. The postseason provided invaluable experience to Mark Sanchez, Shonn Greene emerged as a potential star and Darrelle Revis established himself as the best defender in the game.  The core of the team is made up of young studs; all with less than five years experience, the Patriots looked old, slow, injured and disinterested on the road and in the playoffs and, through Rex Ryan, they finally have an identity.  More importantly, they’ve seen how good the best is and what it will take to beat them.  The Jets have a chance to be one of the elite teams in the league for a few years; something that could rarely, if ever, be said about them before.  That may be a tough concept for seasoned fans to swallow considering how often they’ve had their hopes dashed in the past.  It certainly is for me. However, even the most cynical fan has to agree, these weren’t the “Same Old Jets”.

Brett Favre Throws Another One Away

The most unbelievable thing I’ve heard in a long time came from Brett Favre, just minutes after throwing another Super Bowl trip to the other team.  Asked why he didn’t simply run the ball at the end of the NFC Championship tilt in New Orleans and allow the Vikes to set up a field goal, Favre said he didn’t even know how many yards he needed.  Twenty years in the league and he didn’t know?  C’mon, Brett. That’s a play that gets a rookie chewed out in his first training camp.  He didn’t need any yards, actually, as Ryan Longwell would have attempted the game winner even if Favre had taken a knee on the third down play.  Instead, he mindlessly threw a floater across the field and sent the Saints to Miami.  Worse, with their wounds still fresh, the Minnesota faithful now have to deal with the off season retirement dance that the self-centered Favre has made so famous.  Yeah, this one’s going to leave a mark.

Holy Sheets! New York Mets Lose Out On Another Pitcher

While there are many Mets fans ready to picket Omar Minaya’s office at CitiField over the team’s failure to bring in a pitcher this winter, it’s worth noting that the same type of hysteria led to the terrible contract given to Oliver Perez last year. Lack of depth in the starting rotation is certainly the Mets biggest problem but, an acquisition just for acquisition’s sake is not the answer.  Once John Lackey signed with Boston, the prudent plan was patience.  Joel Pineiro is, most likely, a product of Dave Duncan’s Kool-Aid in St. Louis as he struggled mightily before becoming a Card. Jon Garland is the type of high ERA/low strikeout guy already populating the roster and Ben Sheets is too risky at $10 million, even for just a year.  The fact is, Kelvim Escobar, signed early in the off season and returning from elbow surgery, is no more of a risk than any of these guys but with a much bigger upside.  Once Escobar was on board, Sheets was too expensive.  I’m as pessimistic about the Amazins’ staff as anyone, but can’t see the logic in paying up for guys likely to provide little, if any, improvement over those already in the fold.

“Got a Feeling 21 is Gonna Be A Good Year…”

Happy 21st Birthday to one of my all-time favorite athletes, Danny Mayrose.

Things went better than expected last week for the star of Ryno Rife Sports Handicappers.  He may not have won any money, but he did manage to break even on this season’s first venture into the world of pro football.  Gil, having assured us he’d confer with his wife, Jill, returns this week to give his two cents on who we might be watching two weeks from now in Super Bowl XLIV.

New Orleans -3 1/2 over Minnesota- When you take away the obligatory three points usually granted a home team, this one looks too close to call.  Both teams dominated their first round opponents after stumbling through the month of December.  I’m going with New Orleans here because I’m buying into Reggie Bush.  His performance last week brought back memories of his Heisman days at USC and served to make Drew Brees and his receivers that much more dangerous.  Strangely, he could be the best runner in the game as Brett Favre’s “me first” attitude has neutralized Adrian Peterson over the last two months.  Who’d a thunk AP would go eight weeks without a 100 yard game?  Look for New Orleans to go up early and then feast on Favre as he starts slinging the ball to anyone on the field.

New York + 7 1/2 over Indianapolis- How can I jump off the Rex Ryan bandwagon now?  This oversized Pied Piper has convinced players and fans alike that his team belongs in the Super Bowl.  As with San Diego, Gang Green matches up with an offense that can’t run the ball effectively and will have to deal with the loss of its best receiver; courtesy of Darrelle Revis.  Unlike San Diego, however, the Jets will have difficulty getting their different defensive packages on the field because of the Colts’ no huddle offense.  Then there’s the small problem of stopping Peyton Manning.  I agree with the many that see this contest as a close one so, I expect Indy to come out on top.  I mean, really, who picks against Manning in a close game?  That said, I think 7 1/2 points is too wide a margin.

Enjoy the games.

Football Gods Still Smiling On New York Jets

Shonn Greene had just crossed the goal line at the end of a bruising fifty-one yard run that had given the Jets a stunning 17-7 lead over San Diego with seven minutes left in their Divisional Round playoff game on Sunday.  As Greene was being mobbed by his teammates and my sons and I were jumping all over the living room, the phone rang.  It was my dad, a well-meaning yet naive Giant fan, calling to congratulate us on a big win.  I picked up the phone, horrified, and said, “Are you crazy?  You can’t call me now.  Do you have any idea how much disaster the Jets can pack into seven minutes?”  And, sure enough, Rex Ryan immediately suffered his only brain cramp of the day; electing to squib the kickoff and hand the ball to the Chargers on the New York side of the field.  There wasn’t a fan over thirty that didn’t believe we were about to be treated to another Jet horror show.

It was then, however, that Gang Green entered the Bizarro World, one where the opponent melts down and the good guys triumph.  Instead of Mark Gastineau roughing the passer, it was Vincent Jackson kicking the challenge flag.  While he may have looked like Doug Brien, it was actually Nate Kaeding, the league’s best kicker, who doomed the Chargers with two missed field goals.  And, finally, Norv Turner’s tragic decision to on-side kick with two minutes remaining was right out of Joe Walton’s coaching manual.  As Jets fans, we’d seen each of these gaffes before but, always, they were committed by our side.  Had the football gods decided we’d finally had enough?  Maybe.  But it’s very possible that the smash mouth brand of football being played by the Jets is exactly the style that brings about such good fortune.  Whatever it is, you have to admit they rate somewhat more of a puncher’s chance against Peyton Manning and Co. this week.

There’s no arguing that, since a Week 15 loss to the Falcons, Lady Luck has been wearing green.  The ton of help necessary to make the playoffs was provided by a multitude of teams.  The first round matchup with the Bengals was the best they could’ve drawn, as was San Diego in the second round.  Their cause has been aided immensely by five missed field goals over the first two games and, much like their matchup with the Chargers, they’ll face a team in Indianapolis with an inferior running game.  Could it be that the stars have finally aligned in their favor?   I don’t know.  But, as long as they continue to dominate their opponent with the league’s best ground attack and the NFL‘s top defensive unit forces the Colts off their game plan, their Super Bowl trip to Miami will have nothing to do with luck.  Though, just in case, I’ll be wearing the same clothes I wore the last two weeks.

Can Someone Buy That Coach A Watch?
It happens every week yet, as a seasoned Professor of Football, I haven’t ever been able to understand it.  The idea that a Head Coach watching his opponent drive down the field for a game tying or winning score at the end of a game, will staunchly refuse to call any of his timeouts to save some time for his team to come back.   Maybe it’s a macho thing; not wanting to show weakness or a lack of confidence in the defense.  Maybe it’s wishful thinking, hoping against hope that time will run out before the other guys score or maybe it’s just that, after a long day on the gridiron, the coach is just hungry and doesn’t want to delay his post game meal any longer. (This practice is not limited to the NFL, mind you, because I’ve seen this in Pee Wee football.) No matter what explanation is given, it only serves to mask the actual one: stupidity.

The latest example came on Monday when Rex Ryan decided he had a little extra room in his suitcase for the two timeouts he took home to New York after the Dolphins pulled out a last second victory over the Jets.  Miami scored the go ahead TD with just six seconds on the clock, no time at all for Mark Sanchez to do anything about the deficit.  Had Big Rexy chosen to stop the clock, however, the rookie signal caller may have had as much as a minute left.  Ryan’s post game explanation was baffling, as he declared his belief that his defenders would stop the Dolphins short of the goal line; something they had managed but once in a fourth quarter that saw them surrender three TD’s.  Was Rex at the concession stand for those drives?  The rookie head coach did redeem himself on Tuesday, however, in admitting that he’d do it differently next time.  Unfortunately, even if Ryan converts, a hundred other coaches will refuse to acknowledge the oncoming train.

Fantasy Football News and Notes
Lions  WR Calvin Johnson has missed a few practices this week with what might be a sprained knee and is questionable for Sunday.  Expect him to play… Look for the Cardinals to work RB Beanie Wells into a more pivotal role… WR Miles Austin and Jeremy Maclin were the most added players this week on CBSSportsline… A torn meniscus will keep Raider RB Darren McFadden out of this week’s game… New England WR Wes Welker has not participated in a full practice this week as he battles a knee problem… QB Eli Manning will start on Sunday for the Giants in New Orleans… RB LaDainian Tomlinson returns to the Chargers’ lineup Monday night…

Fantasy Football Stars
Although he might belong on the Sleepers list based on last week’s abysmal performance, Tampa Bay’s Cadillac Williams lands here due to the Bucs’ schedule.  They’ll face Carolina this week, ranked 30th in the league against the rush… Aaron Rodgers gave his owners two 300 YD games last year vs. the Lions and there’s no reason to expect anything less this week…The Cardinals’ passing game is as good as its pass defense is bad; good news for owners of Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck, who’ll face the beleaguered Arizona secondary this week.

Fantasy Football Stiffs
Jets WR Jericho Cotchery is still troubled by a hamstring injury and will be a game time decision on Sunday. In the same situation last week, he failed to fire… Browns’ RB Jerome Harrison was the hot pickup last week off of his performance vs. Cincinnati.  He managed just 21 YDS last week against a porous Buffalo defense and doesn’t figure to fare better this week in Pittsburgh… Saints’ TE Jeremy Shockey has been popping off all week as he preps to face his old mates.  Shockey has never been one to perform well under pressure and the Giants won’t want to let him.  Two catches. Tops.

Fantasy Football Sleepers
Denver RB Knowshon Moreno got his feet wet last week with his first career start.  Look for a big week from the rookie as he faces the Chargers; ranked 27th in the NFL against the run… Jets QB Mark Sanchez apologized to TE Dustin keller for not throwing to him Monday night. Keller should make up for it this week in Buffalo… As bad as the Cards’ pass defense has been, Seahawk WR Nate Burleson should be licking his chops this week.

Fantasy Football Slippers
Rashard Mandenhall has been a godsend to many owners since stepping in for Willie Parker in Pittsburgh.  His touches will be cut this week, however as Parker returns from a toe injury… The Eagles plan to work LeSean McCoy into a rotation with Rb Brian Westbrook; bad news for Westbrook owners… Tennessee RB Chris Johnson managed just 34 YDS last week against the colts and will have a tough time this week vs. New England, especially if the Titans continue to play from behind.