Quick-takes of Friday's Jets Headlines

This Friday brought with it quite a few Jets headlines, and the media was once again abuzz with newly infused drama. Probably the biggest news of the day was that the brain trust duo of Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum has received contract extensions which will keep them together until at least 2014 (barring any startling fall from grace). It really is amazing what one marquee trade and a surprise playoff run can do for you in the eyes of this league, or at least in the eyes of Woody Johnson.

The media, of course, jumped on this news to add fuel to the Revis Island fire, questioning if Revis would feel slighted by the money that was doled out in a direction other than his own. Although I typically stay away from off-field hubbub, I will say that I personally think this and other recent team signings will have little to no influence on Revis’ decision of whether or not to hold out. The factor with the most weight will be whether or not the Jets are making an attempt in earnest to renegotiate his contract, even if that means a one-year “band-aid deal” to essentially give him decent money (with some significant guarantees) for this upcoming season, and then try to come up with a long-term resolution once the NFL labor situation is figured out. This seems like the best way to go for the Jets, who have a little more than 24 hours to at least prevent a Revis hold out and subsequent media maelstrom. More importantly though, this type of deal would help appease Revis for the year, give him some well-deserved money, and still give the hesitant and reluctant Jets a chance to have a clearer picture of the labor situation before offering any blockbuster bonuses. Of course, it’s still much easier said than done. The good news is that after a Friday afternoon in which the Jets’ discussions with Revis’ agent were as plentiful as Bills Super Bowl rings, the Jets finally resumed negotiations a little less than four hours ago. (Though one has to wonder whether this is a legitimate attempt to come up with some resolutions, or just a stunt to curry Revis’ favor and prevent a hold out. Hopefully, this is an earnest attempt at a resolution, and Revis recognizes it as such.)

Laveranues Coles also signed with the team today (the terms remain undisclosed), with the Jets faithful hoping that the third time’s a charm… at least for the first four weeks of the season. Coles will probably only see serious playing time (as the third receiver) during Santonio Holmes’ suspension (and will likely be cut afterwards), and although I’ve got no issues with the Jets bringing back the player who is fourth all-time in receptions for this franchise, it does raise an interesting question: do the Jets lack confidence in the versatile Brad “X Factor” Smith as being able to temporary fill the third receiver role? Certainly, the young man has a lot on his plate, but I’ll have to disagree with Rich Cimini’s sentiment that it would be asking too much of him to play in 20-30 snaps per game. Smith definitely has a lot of playbook jargon whizzing around in his head right now, but the kid is an intelligent fast-learner who already knows the playbook well and, in my opinion, could be a great third receiver. Where does all this leave David Clowney? The Jets still seem to think that the 25-year-old NY native’s dazzling pre-season play won’t transition quickly enough to regular season play, at least not yet. Look for Clowney to have a few breakout plays this regular season if the Jets can work him into some four-receiver sets…or else. He’s a skilled player who could be quickly forgotten if he can’t fill any voids this regular season.

If anyone’s chomping at the bit to see where everything with the J-E-T-S label ends up, it’s HBO’s Ross Greenburg, director of “Hard Knocks,” who is anticipating millions of excited viewers. With all the media hype and intriguing subplots, who could argue with him? One less serious subplot comes by way of three men’s off-season efforts to stave off their large appetites; Rex Ryan, Damien Woody, and Kris Jenkins combined (a scary thought) weigh half a ton, and are looking to each slim down a bit. Woody recently discussed his efforts along with his anticipation of “Hard Knocks,” more specifically his anticipation of “all the clowns” that millions of viewers will have inside access to. I’ll take Woody, the dark-horse, to win the weight-loss competition. (The winner will have a donation made in his name to a charity of his choice.)  

Speaking of all this speaking, it’s quite the feat for anyone on the Jets to not be speaking. David Harris has done just that, however, and kept quite mum while in the midst of his own contract renegotiations. Kudos to this true class act that might help counter-balance some of the loudmouths in the Jets’ chemistry experiment. Training camp will be a great time to see just how the experiment is shaping up, and with Rex Ryan as the head chemist, we’re in for quite a ride.

Stay tuned.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

For me, today was the day to start up this blog. Not because three of the core four are still trying to settle contract issues with the Jets, not because Jenkins is trimming down to 365 pounds by imitating the Cookie Monster, and not because the Jets have recently made exploratory phone calls to the codeine-sipping Jamarcus Russell and the team-ripping Terrell Owens.

Today was the day to start up this blog because it's only a few days away. What, you ask? Sam Spence's poignant melodies in the back of your head. The Mondays when your body's at work but your head's already counting down until 7:00PM EST. The hope that it will be SOJ no more. It's Football. The aforementioned headliners were nice off-season snacks for us Jets fanatics to nibble on for the past few months, but now it's time to reel in the big, pigskin steak in all its glory. Training camp is finally here, and we can breathe a sigh of relief that soon the focus will be on the X's and O's and on-field headlines rather than Jenkins' belly and Rex Ryan's mouth- then again, those two things will probably both remain quite prominent, and HBO certainly isn't complaining.

So, what's on the plate for the New York Jets? In case you've been caught under a rock for the past few months, quite a lot- and certainly no shortage of hype. Many football pundits have labeled the Jets' modus operandi this coming season as "Super Bowl-or-bust." With so many headline moves and 1-year deals (not to mention a potential 2011 lockout), it's certainly hard to deny a sense of urgency. The Jets certainly don't seem to be practicing any patience when it comes to looking for a ring- coaches and players alike have their eyes on the prize and aren't afraid to say so. (With all the open talk about "playoffs" and "Super Bowl," one has to wonder if the ghost of 2006 Eric Mangini is cringing somewhere.) And so the time is now, and last year's post-AFC Championship mutters of "next season" are officially hopes of "this season."

So, what to talk about? Well, how about the top concerns for the Jets that the media has under-reported. The media doesn't overlook much, but this is what I've got marked down as my top three concerns the Jets will be facing that the media hasn't yet beaten to death: 

3) How will the Jets passing attack fare in the midst of new faces and new roles? There certainly hasn't been a lack of hype surrounding the acquisition of Santonio Holmes, and the media has kept on eye on Braylon Edwards as well (who can hopefully avoid some big drops this season). The spotlight could potentially shine brightest, however, on Jerricho Cotchery, who always seems to fly under the radar in the off-season. Cotchery will have to be extremely versatile this season, and will probably face a mid-season switch from the flanker (Z) position to the slot position, assuming Holmes can shake the cobwebs from his four week suspension. For me, this is more of an opportunity than a concern, as Cotchery seems best-fit for this role if Edwards can shift to the flanker (where he's been getting reps) and Holmes successfully takes the helm at wide-out. Cotchery is a quick, powerful runner, who is sure-handed and certainly isn't a stranger to the YAC. He and Dustin Keller could be two powerful inside receiving forces for the Jets with the ability to split out wide as well. And don't think I've forgotten about Brad "X Factor" Smith; he seems like a good filler while Holmes is serving his suspension. With Schottenheimer's creative offensive scheme, he could remain a force even after Holmes returns. Don't be surprised if he has a solid year in terms of receiving (or returning, or running, or commanding the Wildcat Offense).

Oh, and Laveranues Coles might be headed back for a third stint with the Jets.

2) What in the world would the Jets do if Sanchez goes down? I wanted to avoid this question, but it needs to be addressed. This is an under-the-radar concern, but not if it becomes a reality. And my, oh my, what a situation that would be. With the recent signing of Mark Brunell, all indications seem to be that the 39-year-old mentor will serve as Sanchez's backup and teacher. According to a Daily News poll conducted earlier this off-season, many of the Jets starters prefer Clemens to Brunell to guide the team should anything happen to Sanchez. Quite frankly, I'm on the players' side for this one. I understand the reasons for signing Brunell, but if Sanchez goes down I'd rather have Clemens leading this team. Many have pointed to Clemens' less-than-dazzling performances when starting for the Jets; he's a lackluster 4-5-0 as a starter in his four seasons in the league (with one win coming last season against the Bucs), but he's usually been asked to manage most of these games rather than go out and win them through the air. The counterargument is of course that should the Jets need a QB backup to go in for a few games and win through the air (which is unlikely with the Jets power running game), Brunell boasts a reputation of stinginess when it comes to sharing the ball with defenses- he's averaged only one interception per 43 attempts in 151 total games as a starter. He's certainly got the experience, but the younger Clemens, who has only one less start (9) than Brunell (10) in the past four seasons actually has outperformed Brunell (3-7-0) record-wise in the past four years, and still appeals to me as the better go-to should this team need to win important games sans Sanchez for an extended time. Nonetheless, the Jets seem to be leaning towards letting go of Clemens or trading him away to a team needing a backup. It will be interesting to see how the Jets handle these two (and the other three potential QBs on the roster - Ainge, O'Connell, and Smith) come game-time in the preseason.     

1) Nick Folk? I know, probably not what you expected at the Number 1 spot. This doesn't seem to be as big a topic as it should be and perhaps will become. The Jets' kicking game - namely field goals - could be a huge factor this season, especially if the Jets are going to be playing smash-mouth football while leaning on their defense to win the tight games. Maybe I'm making too much of the situation, but Doug O'Brien, Nate Kaeding, or John Carney would probably tell you otherwise. The Jets were 1-5 in games decided by five points or less last season, and 0-3 in those games decided by three points or less. And that was with the reliable veteran Jay Feely as kicker. Allow me to digress. The Jets, in what began as seeming stubbornness on the Jets part to raise Feely's pay, ended up letting go of the Feely after signing Nick Folk, jettisoned by the Cowboys following his shaky year. Feely went 30-for-36 during last year's regular season (83.3% successful) and set a Jets franchise record in the process, knocking down 24 consecutive field goals. Call me crazy, but this guy was also a part of the nucleus of last year's team, a heart-and-soul type competitor (who, by the way, logged four tackles last season on kickoffs). Now, cross-reference this with Nick Folk's season last year: 18-for-28 (64.3%). Hopefully, he can return to 2007 (Pro Bowl) or 2008 form, when he went 26-for-31 (83.9%) and 20-for-22 (90.9%), respectively. The Jets may be knotted up in quite a few close games this season, and the Jets kicker will need to come through in the clutch. Folk will have to prove himself in the training camp and preseason games, and continue to be sure-footed in the regular season. If not, he may be booed out of town very quickly, especially when, not if, there are games on the line.

Stay tuned.