Browns Sign Delhomme, trade Brady Quinn to Broncos for Fullback Hills and two draft picks.
By Bill Chachkes for Football Reporters Online
The Brady Quinn experiment in Cleveland is dead.
QB Brady Quinn's career in Cleveland Ohio is no officially over. Quinn was traded Sunday to the Denver Broncos, who now have 4 QB's on their roster.
This is a great trade for both teams. The Browns get a veteran QB who needs a fresh start, plus a skill player who can add depth in Peyton Hillis, plus two draft picks, A 6th rounder in 2011(assuming there is a draft in 2011), and a conditional 2012 pick. The Broncos get another QB to add to the Mix in Brady Quinn, who never attained the status he and Browns fans, and team management expected. Even after Quinn won the starting job last year, it wasn't enough, he was benched just 10 quarters into his assignment for Derek Anderson. At least Brady will finally get a fair shot to be an NFL QB now. Cleveland also released Derek Anderson and brought Seneca Wallace over from Seattle, and signed veteran tight end Ben Watson early this week.
Can you see Quinn as the starter in Denver? I can, as soon as Kyle Orton starts Looking like the bad version of Brett Farve Jr. again. They also have Chris Simms and Tom Brandstater on the roster, so expect one of those two will be gone and the other to be the third stringer. Quinn will have to earn the starting job over Orton.
Tra
Sunday, March 14, 2010
The L.T. Hype Machine is coming at ya Jets Fans
The L.T. Hype Machine is coming at ya Jets Fans-by Dr. Bill Chachkes-Managing Partner-Football Reporters Online
Here is a news flash: the Jets will have at least two running backs next season. Yup. One of them will be La Dainian Tomlinson. Even if his agent Tom Condon said he is "negotiating" with both the Jets and The Vikings, the word on the street is "if you have to leave the warmth of San Diego to keep making money, whose money would you rather take? Ziggy Wilf's or Woody Johnson's?"
Odds are "L.T." will be in Green and White shortly, and not Purple and Gold. Lets put yourself in L.T.'s shoes for a moment. 2009 was the least productive season in your pro career, You gained only 730 yards rushing, and in fact, it was the first year you ever gained less then 1100 yards. Your now thirty years old, and you know you are not a "lead" back any more, but a complimentary back at best. Why go to a team with a lot of other aging veterans when you could stay in your conference and be in the media capital of the planet instead of the city of the ice age?
Lets break it down further: Go to a team with a hot "young" coaching staff and a second year QB on the rise? Or a team with a QB who is getting ready to collect social security? The team with young running backs to play with? Or the team whose only other star plays the same position as you and spends 1/3rd of his game check on new sneakers each week?
We know the NY Jets need to constantly grab the headlines because it makes them feel relevant in the sports section each week. this is the signing, like last week's addition of DB antonio Cromartie, that keeps them in the news, which is where they need to stay. They also need to capitalize on their fantastic season, and the fact that no one expected them to play the Colts in the conference title game, In fact, many people still feel the Jets should have been playing in the Super Bowl.
Condon is just saying "we're talking with both teams" to "manage the Media Hype" and keep the spin within his control. He's a smart agent and that what any smart agent would do. L.T. won't win games for the Jets by himself, but they can pay him a short term deal now instead of Drafting a big name back who won't be there when they pick in the late first round anyway.
The Jets also need to sell the rest of their "luxury" personal shylock licenses in the new stadium and Tomlinson helps them do that. Sell tickets, expensive ones, and quickly.
Update: as of 8:30 Pm eastern, several outlets are reporting that Tomlinson has signed a 2 year deal with the Jets. The Daily News is reporting his deal is worth 5.2 million dollars for the two years, and can rise to 5.7 million with incentives. His agent Tom Condon told the AP "He wanted to go a team that he thought had a chance to compete for the championship," "He wanted to go somehwere where he had a chance to have a significant role, and so with the Jets he also was going to be very familiar with the offensive system."
Here is a news flash: the Jets will have at least two running backs next season. Yup. One of them will be La Dainian Tomlinson. Even if his agent Tom Condon said he is "negotiating" with both the Jets and The Vikings, the word on the street is "if you have to leave the warmth of San Diego to keep making money, whose money would you rather take? Ziggy Wilf's or Woody Johnson's?"
Odds are "L.T." will be in Green and White shortly, and not Purple and Gold. Lets put yourself in L.T.'s shoes for a moment. 2009 was the least productive season in your pro career, You gained only 730 yards rushing, and in fact, it was the first year you ever gained less then 1100 yards. Your now thirty years old, and you know you are not a "lead" back any more, but a complimentary back at best. Why go to a team with a lot of other aging veterans when you could stay in your conference and be in the media capital of the planet instead of the city of the ice age?
Lets break it down further: Go to a team with a hot "young" coaching staff and a second year QB on the rise? Or a team with a QB who is getting ready to collect social security? The team with young running backs to play with? Or the team whose only other star plays the same position as you and spends 1/3rd of his game check on new sneakers each week?
We know the NY Jets need to constantly grab the headlines because it makes them feel relevant in the sports section each week. this is the signing, like last week's addition of DB antonio Cromartie, that keeps them in the news, which is where they need to stay. They also need to capitalize on their fantastic season, and the fact that no one expected them to play the Colts in the conference title game, In fact, many people still feel the Jets should have been playing in the Super Bowl.
Condon is just saying "we're talking with both teams" to "manage the Media Hype" and keep the spin within his control. He's a smart agent and that what any smart agent would do. L.T. won't win games for the Jets by himself, but they can pay him a short term deal now instead of Drafting a big name back who won't be there when they pick in the late first round anyway.
The Jets also need to sell the rest of their "luxury" personal shylock licenses in the new stadium and Tomlinson helps them do that. Sell tickets, expensive ones, and quickly.
Update: as of 8:30 Pm eastern, several outlets are reporting that Tomlinson has signed a 2 year deal with the Jets. The Daily News is reporting his deal is worth 5.2 million dollars for the two years, and can rise to 5.7 million with incentives. His agent Tom Condon told the AP "He wanted to go a team that he thought had a chance to compete for the championship," "He wanted to go somehwere where he had a chance to have a significant role, and so with the Jets he also was going to be very familiar with the offensive system."
A Tale of Time, Place, Persona
A Tale of Time, Place, Persona
By J[The Gambler] Gamble for Football Reporters Online
Donte Stallworth drove drunk and killed a man. Plaxico Burress brought a loaded gun into a strip club and shot himself. They are both top notch receivers and even bigger idiots, so lets talk numbers.
Stallworth was suspended for 1 season, served 30-days of a potential 15-year sentence in a Miami jail, and upon return, was rewarded with a $900,000 contract by the Baltimore Ravens.
Burress rots in a New York prison, already once denied early release, enroute to completing a 2-year prison stint.
Is one crime dumber than the other ? No. Is one crime more egregious than the other. Yes. But in this tale of time, place and persona, the crimes don’t equate with the times. That’s what intrigues me about the two cases. There is nothing legally to suggest that the outcomes should have been that drastically different. Yes, NY gun laws are very strict, but the only celebrities who traditionally get jailed for possessing handguns in NYC, are rappers. You know how dangerous those suburban English majors can be.
On the surface, it appears that one guy got lucky and one guy got shafted. Sort of. But Plaxico never had a shot. [No pun intended] He got caught up in political chess with a billionaire Mayor, whose main platform is promoting an image of being a Pitbull on gun laws and crime.
Seizing the moment, Mayor Bloomberg went on TV and assured the viewing public that Plax would be convicted to the fullest extent of the law and wouldn’t get treated any different because he was a Super Bowl hero and celebrity. [Well if that aint a reason to show some leniency, then I don’t know what the hell happened to the New York I was raised in] With those irreversible words, Bloomberg violated every ethical standard in existence and single-handedly put a nail in Plax’s football coffin. His lawyer wife couldn’t help him. His money couldn’t help him. The Giants couldn’t help him. The mayor wouldn’t.
I can’t help but to think that despite Burress’ fame with the Giants, his reputation as an arrogant player who broke team rules, and felt he was only held accountable on Sundays, helped fuel the backlash of his foolish actions. Bloomberg knew he had Burress dead to rights. Plax became the perfect tool for The Mayor – who was still under fire for extending term limits for himself without a public vote –to use to divert attention and strengthen his vow to rid NYC of illegal concealed weapons carriers.
As soon as Bloomberg spoke out, he sullied any chance Plax had for a fair trial. No late game heroics in this massacre. It is rare that a mayor will offer totally subjective opinion on an open case. He doesn’t even practice this newfound zest with the most hardened mob figures. So it was very odd that he chose to single out an NFL player – who admitted he carried the gun out of fear. It takes a lot for a man to admit that.
But now these players – so similar – sit on opposite ends of the opportunity spectrum. Stallworth has already started rebuilding his career and image with the Ravens. Plaxico is still clad in prison greens, getting locked down to the sound of steel doors clanging and clicking, instead of catching clutch passes for an NFL contender. He is a faceless, nameless number at this point, with no influence and no chance to proactively rebuild his image, talk to kids, his family or mend broken business relationships.
It’s funny, one unnamed Giant, who I spoke with following the Plaxico incident said, “They are treating him like he killed somebody.” No, Stallworth killed somebody. But he is the one back in the league, just a short year later. And truth be told, it was probably much easier to give Stallworth, generally known as a good character “team” guy, a break. Plaxico, in all of his brashness and defiance of team rules, messed around in the wrong town. Partisan politics are hot right now. If you are a celebrity athlete in NYC, especially a minority, and you are caught in a high-profile situation that can be damaging to the city’s rep or used by high-ranking officials for personal political gain, then don’t expect to be treated with kit gloves because you caught a TD in the Super Bowl.
Plaxico’s crime wasn’t egregious. It lacked intelligence. It Borderlined on buffoonery. When he shot himself trying to grab the gun from slipping down the leg inside of his oversized pants, that was classic stupid. It was embarrassing as hell. But it sure as hell wasn’t DUI vehicular manslaughter. It was however an illegal action, committed in the wrong climate. History is strange like that. It’s results often dictated by time, place and persona. It can be forgiving, as it seems to have been to Stallworth. For Plax it will show the tragic fall of a legend.
Time, place and persona means a lot. Not just in the NFL, but in life. This is a classic example. Stallworth murdered a person. Plax murdered the destiny of a Giants dynasty. Never mess with a New Yorkers' football.
By J[The Gambler] Gamble for Football Reporters Online
Donte Stallworth drove drunk and killed a man. Plaxico Burress brought a loaded gun into a strip club and shot himself. They are both top notch receivers and even bigger idiots, so lets talk numbers.
Stallworth was suspended for 1 season, served 30-days of a potential 15-year sentence in a Miami jail, and upon return, was rewarded with a $900,000 contract by the Baltimore Ravens.
Burress rots in a New York prison, already once denied early release, enroute to completing a 2-year prison stint.
Is one crime dumber than the other ? No. Is one crime more egregious than the other. Yes. But in this tale of time, place and persona, the crimes don’t equate with the times. That’s what intrigues me about the two cases. There is nothing legally to suggest that the outcomes should have been that drastically different. Yes, NY gun laws are very strict, but the only celebrities who traditionally get jailed for possessing handguns in NYC, are rappers. You know how dangerous those suburban English majors can be.
On the surface, it appears that one guy got lucky and one guy got shafted. Sort of. But Plaxico never had a shot. [No pun intended] He got caught up in political chess with a billionaire Mayor, whose main platform is promoting an image of being a Pitbull on gun laws and crime.
Seizing the moment, Mayor Bloomberg went on TV and assured the viewing public that Plax would be convicted to the fullest extent of the law and wouldn’t get treated any different because he was a Super Bowl hero and celebrity. [Well if that aint a reason to show some leniency, then I don’t know what the hell happened to the New York I was raised in] With those irreversible words, Bloomberg violated every ethical standard in existence and single-handedly put a nail in Plax’s football coffin. His lawyer wife couldn’t help him. His money couldn’t help him. The Giants couldn’t help him. The mayor wouldn’t.
I can’t help but to think that despite Burress’ fame with the Giants, his reputation as an arrogant player who broke team rules, and felt he was only held accountable on Sundays, helped fuel the backlash of his foolish actions. Bloomberg knew he had Burress dead to rights. Plax became the perfect tool for The Mayor – who was still under fire for extending term limits for himself without a public vote –to use to divert attention and strengthen his vow to rid NYC of illegal concealed weapons carriers.
As soon as Bloomberg spoke out, he sullied any chance Plax had for a fair trial. No late game heroics in this massacre. It is rare that a mayor will offer totally subjective opinion on an open case. He doesn’t even practice this newfound zest with the most hardened mob figures. So it was very odd that he chose to single out an NFL player – who admitted he carried the gun out of fear. It takes a lot for a man to admit that.
But now these players – so similar – sit on opposite ends of the opportunity spectrum. Stallworth has already started rebuilding his career and image with the Ravens. Plaxico is still clad in prison greens, getting locked down to the sound of steel doors clanging and clicking, instead of catching clutch passes for an NFL contender. He is a faceless, nameless number at this point, with no influence and no chance to proactively rebuild his image, talk to kids, his family or mend broken business relationships.
It’s funny, one unnamed Giant, who I spoke with following the Plaxico incident said, “They are treating him like he killed somebody.” No, Stallworth killed somebody. But he is the one back in the league, just a short year later. And truth be told, it was probably much easier to give Stallworth, generally known as a good character “team” guy, a break. Plaxico, in all of his brashness and defiance of team rules, messed around in the wrong town. Partisan politics are hot right now. If you are a celebrity athlete in NYC, especially a minority, and you are caught in a high-profile situation that can be damaging to the city’s rep or used by high-ranking officials for personal political gain, then don’t expect to be treated with kit gloves because you caught a TD in the Super Bowl.
Plaxico’s crime wasn’t egregious. It lacked intelligence. It Borderlined on buffoonery. When he shot himself trying to grab the gun from slipping down the leg inside of his oversized pants, that was classic stupid. It was embarrassing as hell. But it sure as hell wasn’t DUI vehicular manslaughter. It was however an illegal action, committed in the wrong climate. History is strange like that. It’s results often dictated by time, place and persona. It can be forgiving, as it seems to have been to Stallworth. For Plax it will show the tragic fall of a legend.
Time, place and persona means a lot. Not just in the NFL, but in life. This is a classic example. Stallworth murdered a person. Plax murdered the destiny of a Giants dynasty. Never mess with a New Yorkers' football.
Time Ticking On Big Ben
Time Ticking On Big Ben
By J [The Gambler] Gamble for Football Reporters Online
Since Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger were all taken in the first-round of the 2004 NFL draft -- and then made auspicious splashes as young QB's in the league -- naturally the ongoing debate has been about which team picked the best QB. Three guys were just vehemently arguing the point in the pizza shop by my crib about a month ago.
They mentioned how every year one QB seems to nudge ahead, only to be outdone by the other the following season. All three quarterbacks have been All Pro’s and are considered Franchise pigskin slingers.
Big Ben has two chips. He came out of the shoot with a big-body and big arm, and an awesome defensive-minded , veteran team behind him. He managed the Pittsburgh offense to a Super Bowl [the youngest to do so at age 23]. Then he followed that up later with another championship and a more refined passing game. Manning has one, playing on the biggest stage in the football world, under the intense media pressure and bright lights of New York. He completed one of the most improbable passes in NFL Super Bowl history in defeating the previously undefeated and heavily -favored Patriots. Peyton’s little brother has carved quite a niche for himself as a clutch QB, known for dramatic 4th-quarter drives.
Rivers became a starter in 2006 and has come very close to achieving greatness himself. He seemed as if he was on his way to his first Super Bowl this past season, before being rocked by an over-achieving Jets squad hungry for playoff blood. Despite being traded away by the Giants for Manning, Rivers is considered by many to be the most talented of the three. But his lack of chips leaves him at No. 3 in most people’s debates.
All the guys at Vinnie’s pizza shop had valid points, and it used to be one of the most frequent and provocative arguments in sports... Notice I say used to. As of a few days ago, Eli Manning has ascended to the top of that QB class without throwing a pass or even suiting up. Roethlisberger was implicated in his second sexual assault accusation in two years. The first one was in July 2009 in Nevada, in his hotel, during a celebrity golf tournament. Kobe Style. The second was on March 5 in a Georgia nightclub. Pac Man Jones style.
A civil suit is pending in the first case. This time he needed to retain a hot-shot lawyer -- Ed Garland, of T.I. arsenal and Ray Lewis murder-trial fame – hinting that these charges of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old girl, may become criminal, and he won’t be able to breeze through by making it rain ones. Pac Man Jones style.
While Big Ben has been a superstar force on the field for the Steelers, he has fizzled as a role model and the face of the NFL’s most distinguished franchise. Regardless of guilt, the mere accusations and patterns of aggressive sexual behavior sheds a negative light on The Steelers franchise and brings uneccessary negative publicity to a legendary and classy Rooney family.
With the blink of an eye, the smoke began to clear on which team made the best long-term choice for QB. While Big Ben has managed to nearly kill himself , mutilating his bike and his brain by crashing without a helmet , which obviously led to his brain freeze in these two sex suits against him, Eli has been the Pilar of the community. He is happily married and does not indulge in juvenile, risky and borderline illegal behavior. He is a good character guy and someone your kids can pattern their lifestyle after.
So the people who argued Manning and Big Ben were running neck and neck, should have Eli sitting comfortably atop that QB class now. At least until Rivers wins a chip or this too passes for Ben “Teflon” Roethlisberger.
This latest fiasco has got to sicken the city of Pittsburgh. You pay Big Ben the mega bucks to be a leader and represent your team with class and dignity on and off the field. Many of us have to learn that the hard way. Being guilty isn’t always about whether or not you did it. Sometimes you can get caught up in bull because your pattern of behavior was just abrasive, stupid and immature.
And as Michael Vick sadly learned, being a franchise QB requires on and off the field discipline. As a player you trade the ability to do things normal people do for the opportunity to pop pads and make millions.
Eli Manning doesn’t have the arm or fortunate Sunday weather conditions that Rivers enjoys. He doesn’t have as many Super Bowls or TD passes as Big Ben. He’s not even the best QB in his family. But he is the epitome of a complete “Franchise Quarterback”. And that’s not up for debate.
By J [The Gambler] Gamble for Football Reporters Online
Since Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger were all taken in the first-round of the 2004 NFL draft -- and then made auspicious splashes as young QB's in the league -- naturally the ongoing debate has been about which team picked the best QB. Three guys were just vehemently arguing the point in the pizza shop by my crib about a month ago.
They mentioned how every year one QB seems to nudge ahead, only to be outdone by the other the following season. All three quarterbacks have been All Pro’s and are considered Franchise pigskin slingers.
Big Ben has two chips. He came out of the shoot with a big-body and big arm, and an awesome defensive-minded , veteran team behind him. He managed the Pittsburgh offense to a Super Bowl [the youngest to do so at age 23]. Then he followed that up later with another championship and a more refined passing game. Manning has one, playing on the biggest stage in the football world, under the intense media pressure and bright lights of New York. He completed one of the most improbable passes in NFL Super Bowl history in defeating the previously undefeated and heavily -favored Patriots. Peyton’s little brother has carved quite a niche for himself as a clutch QB, known for dramatic 4th-quarter drives.
Rivers became a starter in 2006 and has come very close to achieving greatness himself. He seemed as if he was on his way to his first Super Bowl this past season, before being rocked by an over-achieving Jets squad hungry for playoff blood. Despite being traded away by the Giants for Manning, Rivers is considered by many to be the most talented of the three. But his lack of chips leaves him at No. 3 in most people’s debates.
All the guys at Vinnie’s pizza shop had valid points, and it used to be one of the most frequent and provocative arguments in sports... Notice I say used to. As of a few days ago, Eli Manning has ascended to the top of that QB class without throwing a pass or even suiting up. Roethlisberger was implicated in his second sexual assault accusation in two years. The first one was in July 2009 in Nevada, in his hotel, during a celebrity golf tournament. Kobe Style. The second was on March 5 in a Georgia nightclub. Pac Man Jones style.
A civil suit is pending in the first case. This time he needed to retain a hot-shot lawyer -- Ed Garland, of T.I. arsenal and Ray Lewis murder-trial fame – hinting that these charges of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old girl, may become criminal, and he won’t be able to breeze through by making it rain ones. Pac Man Jones style.
While Big Ben has been a superstar force on the field for the Steelers, he has fizzled as a role model and the face of the NFL’s most distinguished franchise. Regardless of guilt, the mere accusations and patterns of aggressive sexual behavior sheds a negative light on The Steelers franchise and brings uneccessary negative publicity to a legendary and classy Rooney family.
With the blink of an eye, the smoke began to clear on which team made the best long-term choice for QB. While Big Ben has managed to nearly kill himself , mutilating his bike and his brain by crashing without a helmet , which obviously led to his brain freeze in these two sex suits against him, Eli has been the Pilar of the community. He is happily married and does not indulge in juvenile, risky and borderline illegal behavior. He is a good character guy and someone your kids can pattern their lifestyle after.
So the people who argued Manning and Big Ben were running neck and neck, should have Eli sitting comfortably atop that QB class now. At least until Rivers wins a chip or this too passes for Ben “Teflon” Roethlisberger.
This latest fiasco has got to sicken the city of Pittsburgh. You pay Big Ben the mega bucks to be a leader and represent your team with class and dignity on and off the field. Many of us have to learn that the hard way. Being guilty isn’t always about whether or not you did it. Sometimes you can get caught up in bull because your pattern of behavior was just abrasive, stupid and immature.
And as Michael Vick sadly learned, being a franchise QB requires on and off the field discipline. As a player you trade the ability to do things normal people do for the opportunity to pop pads and make millions.
Eli Manning doesn’t have the arm or fortunate Sunday weather conditions that Rivers enjoys. He doesn’t have as many Super Bowls or TD passes as Big Ben. He’s not even the best QB in his family. But he is the epitome of a complete “Franchise Quarterback”. And that’s not up for debate.
Jets get Cromartie and Ship Rhodes to Arizona as the RB Saga Heats Up
Jets get Cromartie and Ship Rhodes to Arizona as the RB Saga Heats Up
by TJ Rosenthal for Football Reporters Online
The New York Jets bolstered their secondary on the outside while leaving room for perhaps a hard hitting missile on the back end. On Thursday at 11pm, one hour before the start of free agency, they acquired Antonio Cromartie for a 3rd round pick in 2011 that could become a 2nd rounder.. Days later the Jets then dealt Kerry Rhodes to the Cardinals for a fourth rounder in 2010 and a seventh rounder in 2011.. Cromartie comes from San Diego where his ten interceptions in 2007 gave way to a drop in production and anger from Bolt fans regarding his drop in numbers and run stopping ability. Cromartie's fall out West will be symbolized by his purpoted lack of effort in tackling Shonn Greene during the Jet rookie's 53 yard gallop to paydirt that sealed the Jets 17-14 AFC divsional round win in January.
The deal is for one year at 1.7 million, with 500,000 of it coming in the form of a signing bonus. This to pay off child support for the seven children Cromartie has fathered with six different women in five states. Busy guy. Hopefully a fresh start and a return to a more aggressive in your face press coverage style will help Cromartie once again become one of the top defensive playmakers in the NFL. Cromartie failed to enjoy current defensive coordinator Ron Rivera's sit back and wait system, a system that risked less as the Bolts high powered offense averaged 28 points a game in 2009.
Gone is Jet free safety Kerry Rhodes. Only days prior, GM Mike Tannenbaum proclaimed that Rhodes would return to the Jets, barring any major turn of events. I guess a middle and a late round pick were enough to change Tanny's mind. The truth is, Rhodes was probably the guy Rex Ryan referred to at season's end when he said he wanted nobody that "stuck out like a sore thumb" to return. Rhodes, a former 4th round pick of the Jets four years back, was once compared to Ed Redd by Ryan but struggled in 2009. Rhodes did help out with some big plays down the stretch after being benched late in the season. The Jets may be looking to acquire a free safety more in the way of a hard hitting type.
How about University of Tennessee safety Eric Berry? He was arguably the top safety (Berry's highlight reel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-PG04d4-sI) in college, and is slated to go in the top five of this years NFL draft in April. Don't put it past Tannenbaum to make his way up the draft board as he did with the selection of QB Mark Sanchez last year. Other draft options appear to include USC's Taylor Mays, slated to go late in the first round. Some question Mays' footwork as a potential issue to be wary of. The Jets currently have the 29th pick. Jet CB Donald Strickland's name has been thrown around as a potential replacement as well.
Thomas Jones who rushed for 1402 yards and 14 TDs for the number one rushing Jets is now a Chief. Unwilling to pay Jones his 3.3 million bonus due for 2010, the Jets released Jones on Friday. He signed a two year 5 million dollar deal with KC today that will pay him three mil in 2010 while including a 500,000 dollar incentives package. Expect Jones to split carries with Jamaal Charles, the speedy back who tore it up for the Chiefs late in the season. Jones was slated to become the ten carry short yardage hammer behind Shonn Greene and the Jets didn't want to pay 5.8 million for Jones in 2010 for the limited role. Potential replacements include unrestricted free agent Larry Johnson, Mike Bell, "play me or trade me" bruiser Tennessee's Lendale White, Quinton Ganther and perhaps Ladanian Tomlinson, who appears headed to the Vikings as Chester Taylors replacement. Taylor is now in Chicago.
Leon Washington has spoken to former Jets running backs coach and current 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye about the situation out West. No contact has been made yet with their fornt office according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Rumors also have the Pats as interested in Washington. It would hard on Jet fans to lose both Jones and Washington especially if the Pats are involved. Hopefully the Jets will match an offer for Leon, especially if one comes from Foxboro.
Another player worth watching now is former Carolina QB Jake Delhomme. The one time face of the Panthers was released to make way for QB Matt Moore. Delhomme fell out of favor the past two seasons and in his final 12 games with the club, threw 23 interceptions. The hard nosed gritty Delhomme has developed an ever growing carelessness with the ball reminiscent of Vinny Testaverde prior to the 1998 season when Bill Parcells got a hold of him. Testaverde then enjoyed his best year in the NFL throwing 29 TDs with only 7 ints.
Discipline can be taught to some. Heart and passion can't. With the backup QB market shrinking, the Jets might want to look at a guy who has been to the Super Bowl, and needs simply to put a halt to the growing number of exorbinant mistakes he's made recently. Many of those picks albeit while playing for a team often trailing late in games, with only one true weapon in WR Steve Smith. The backup QB position, currently held by the shaky Kellen Clemens, has to be upgraded by Tannenbaum. Otherwise the Jets will run the risk of a major drop in altitude should Sanchez miss any extensive time in 2010 due to injury.
For a team that sees itself on the brink of something Super, they can ill afford to overlook this potential danger zone. A scenario that bit the Super bowl contending Jets in 1999 when Testaverde went down for the season in week one before former Notre Dame star Rick Mirer then failed to pick up the slack. It was a season lost and an opportunity that the Parcells Jets never obtained again. Hopefully a lesson learned for the Rex Ryan Jets as they head into their own Super Bowl contending future. Futures built out of windows that close fast for teams that aren't careful in the department of small details.
follow TJ Rosenthal on twitter@ thejetreport
* Here's the link to the controversial Shonn Greene TD vs SD. Cromartie wears 31 for the Chargers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edUCQAQ_mB0
by TJ Rosenthal for Football Reporters Online
The New York Jets bolstered their secondary on the outside while leaving room for perhaps a hard hitting missile on the back end. On Thursday at 11pm, one hour before the start of free agency, they acquired Antonio Cromartie for a 3rd round pick in 2011 that could become a 2nd rounder.. Days later the Jets then dealt Kerry Rhodes to the Cardinals for a fourth rounder in 2010 and a seventh rounder in 2011.. Cromartie comes from San Diego where his ten interceptions in 2007 gave way to a drop in production and anger from Bolt fans regarding his drop in numbers and run stopping ability. Cromartie's fall out West will be symbolized by his purpoted lack of effort in tackling Shonn Greene during the Jet rookie's 53 yard gallop to paydirt that sealed the Jets 17-14 AFC divsional round win in January.
The deal is for one year at 1.7 million, with 500,000 of it coming in the form of a signing bonus. This to pay off child support for the seven children Cromartie has fathered with six different women in five states. Busy guy. Hopefully a fresh start and a return to a more aggressive in your face press coverage style will help Cromartie once again become one of the top defensive playmakers in the NFL. Cromartie failed to enjoy current defensive coordinator Ron Rivera's sit back and wait system, a system that risked less as the Bolts high powered offense averaged 28 points a game in 2009.
Gone is Jet free safety Kerry Rhodes. Only days prior, GM Mike Tannenbaum proclaimed that Rhodes would return to the Jets, barring any major turn of events. I guess a middle and a late round pick were enough to change Tanny's mind. The truth is, Rhodes was probably the guy Rex Ryan referred to at season's end when he said he wanted nobody that "stuck out like a sore thumb" to return. Rhodes, a former 4th round pick of the Jets four years back, was once compared to Ed Redd by Ryan but struggled in 2009. Rhodes did help out with some big plays down the stretch after being benched late in the season. The Jets may be looking to acquire a free safety more in the way of a hard hitting type.
How about University of Tennessee safety Eric Berry? He was arguably the top safety (Berry's highlight reel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-PG04d4-sI) in college, and is slated to go in the top five of this years NFL draft in April. Don't put it past Tannenbaum to make his way up the draft board as he did with the selection of QB Mark Sanchez last year. Other draft options appear to include USC's Taylor Mays, slated to go late in the first round. Some question Mays' footwork as a potential issue to be wary of. The Jets currently have the 29th pick. Jet CB Donald Strickland's name has been thrown around as a potential replacement as well.
Thomas Jones who rushed for 1402 yards and 14 TDs for the number one rushing Jets is now a Chief. Unwilling to pay Jones his 3.3 million bonus due for 2010, the Jets released Jones on Friday. He signed a two year 5 million dollar deal with KC today that will pay him three mil in 2010 while including a 500,000 dollar incentives package. Expect Jones to split carries with Jamaal Charles, the speedy back who tore it up for the Chiefs late in the season. Jones was slated to become the ten carry short yardage hammer behind Shonn Greene and the Jets didn't want to pay 5.8 million for Jones in 2010 for the limited role. Potential replacements include unrestricted free agent Larry Johnson, Mike Bell, "play me or trade me" bruiser Tennessee's Lendale White, Quinton Ganther and perhaps Ladanian Tomlinson, who appears headed to the Vikings as Chester Taylors replacement. Taylor is now in Chicago.
Leon Washington has spoken to former Jets running backs coach and current 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye about the situation out West. No contact has been made yet with their fornt office according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Rumors also have the Pats as interested in Washington. It would hard on Jet fans to lose both Jones and Washington especially if the Pats are involved. Hopefully the Jets will match an offer for Leon, especially if one comes from Foxboro.
Another player worth watching now is former Carolina QB Jake Delhomme. The one time face of the Panthers was released to make way for QB Matt Moore. Delhomme fell out of favor the past two seasons and in his final 12 games with the club, threw 23 interceptions. The hard nosed gritty Delhomme has developed an ever growing carelessness with the ball reminiscent of Vinny Testaverde prior to the 1998 season when Bill Parcells got a hold of him. Testaverde then enjoyed his best year in the NFL throwing 29 TDs with only 7 ints.
Discipline can be taught to some. Heart and passion can't. With the backup QB market shrinking, the Jets might want to look at a guy who has been to the Super Bowl, and needs simply to put a halt to the growing number of exorbinant mistakes he's made recently. Many of those picks albeit while playing for a team often trailing late in games, with only one true weapon in WR Steve Smith. The backup QB position, currently held by the shaky Kellen Clemens, has to be upgraded by Tannenbaum. Otherwise the Jets will run the risk of a major drop in altitude should Sanchez miss any extensive time in 2010 due to injury.
For a team that sees itself on the brink of something Super, they can ill afford to overlook this potential danger zone. A scenario that bit the Super bowl contending Jets in 1999 when Testaverde went down for the season in week one before former Notre Dame star Rick Mirer then failed to pick up the slack. It was a season lost and an opportunity that the Parcells Jets never obtained again. Hopefully a lesson learned for the Rex Ryan Jets as they head into their own Super Bowl contending future. Futures built out of windows that close fast for teams that aren't careful in the department of small details.
follow TJ Rosenthal on twitter@ thejetreport
* Here's the link to the controversial Shonn Greene TD vs SD. Cromartie wears 31 for the Chargers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edUCQAQ_mB0
