Review of Preseason game 1 - Jets vs Giants posted by Paul Stengel

In the first game in the new meadowlands stadium the Giants defeated the Jets 31-16.  The problem for the Giants is that the final score of the first preseason game is not always the most important measuring stick for a team’s performance.  In the first half the Giants starters were outhustled and outplayed by the Jets starters.  The Jets played a more physical game, they sustained longer drives, ran the ball effectively, stopped the Giants on the ground (Bradshaw and Jacobs netted only a yard on the ground), and even bloodied Eli Manning.  Manning’s first half injury was one of the scarier moments for Giants fans.  He had his helmet knocked off and cut his head on a Jets player’s facemask.  Manning received 12 stitches for the gash on his forehead, though he said after the game that he could have returned if the Giants needed him. 

There were positives for the Giants from this game.  Undrafted rookie receiver Victor Cruz caught three touchdowns and had 145 receiving yards in the second half alone.  Backup quarterbacks Jim Sorgi and Rhett Bomar led productive scoring drives.  The Giants first round draft pick Jason Pierre Paul sacked Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez on an athletic move in the first half.  Also, the Giants free agent safety acquisition Antrel Rolle intercepted Sanchez on the first defensive series of the game. 

Say "Goodbye" to Football as We Know it posted by Amari Harris

Top of the morning to you sports fans!

The sun has yet to rise in the east, but your favorite sports junkie is up early getting in his fix.  I have no idea why I am up at 5:00 in the morning on a Saturday, but I felt it was appropriate to share my insomnia with whoever else might be up at the crack of dawn. 

One explanation for my apparent restlessness may be the fact that I missed a plethora of preseason football this evening and instead decided to make it a “Redbox night” and watch Death at a Funeral.  I know this seems blasphemous for a football addict like myself, but even I’m beginning to have less patience with these horrible preseason games.  And how could I pass up to watch Martin Lawrence, Chris Rock, and Tracy Morgan all on the same screen?  (Actually, it wouldn’t have been that hard to pass up this movie but that’s another blog.) 

These preseason games have been quite dreadful and you can’t really learn much about the teams unless they really suck (ahem…Bills).  You can get an idea of what individuals bring to the table, but the game plans are all backwards, and the execution is nauseating after the 1st quarter.  It’s just bad football. 

When the league initially proposed reducing the preseason to two games instead of four, I was up in arms.  How could they take away from the sanctity of the game?  The exhibition season is so important for the futures of young up and coming players and coaching evaluations.  Veteran players need the preseason to fine tune their skills and prepare their bodies for the physical grind of a 16-game season.  It just didn’t make sense to me.  I could understand why the casual fan would want to get rid of these “meaningless games” but the great football minds of the world want to do away with two whole preseason games?  But now I can see why.  Four games is way too long of a preseason.  I’m sick of watching this crap after one week. And no, it has nothing to do with the fact that my beloved Cowboys have yet to score and offensive touchdown and both the Redskins and Eagles lit up the scoreboard last night.  You just don’t need a full four games to figure out what players’ roles on a team are going to be.  Everything is constantly changing during the season anyway so why even pretend that the preseason somehow sets the blueprint for how your team will look in December?

Fear of Falling posted by Randolph Charlotin

Patriot fans know there are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and Bill Belichick will trade down during the draft.

It’s not just a pattern; it’s as reliable as the seasons, the sun rising, and celebrity controversies.

While we’ve grown to accept these trades, that doesn’t mean we enjoy learning the Pats traded down again. We’d like to see New England trade up to get a player they want. We’ve only seen it once when they drafted TE Daniel Graham in 2002.

With 12 selections in this year’s draft, eight are potential trade chips, as the four compensatory picks can not be traded. That’s still plenty to work with to be aggressive in the draft. We’d like to see a New York Jets-like approach to get the best players instead of bringing in a dozen players, half with a realistic chance of making the roster.

We will never know exactly what happens in New England’s war room and how they reach the decision to trade down. But based on past drafts, it is possible the player they desired was taken just picks before the Patriots were on the clock. With the targeted player gone, New England opted to trade down. That should give them more reason to go after who they want instead of hoping the cards fall just right.

There’s been three times a player that I was hoping would fall to the Pats was selected before New England’s turn. Each time, when it was the Patriots’ turn, they traded down. It can simply be coincidence, but I can’t help thinking there was a correlation:

Pittsburg Steelers Santonio Holmes Traded to New York Jets posted by Somsak Bounchareune

2009 Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes was traded to the New York Jets for a fifth round pick in this year’s draft. Holmes spent his first four years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and had one year left in his contract.

Holmes, who will be suspend for the first four games of the season due to a league violation, will provide another weapon for the Jets QB Mark Sanchez along with last years trade acquisition Braylon Edwards.Continue reading "Pittsburg Steelers Santonio Holmes ..."

Which New Jet / Former Charger Was Worse in 2009: LT2 or Cromartie posted by Mike Dussault

My obsession with Pro Football Focus continues...

Cromartie only had 2 good games in 2009, with a total season ranking of -5.5. But that still wasn't bad enough to beat Tomlinson who had only 1 good game in 2009 and came in with a total season ranking of -10.8. Although Cromartie did play a little worse in the Chargers playoff loss, maybe that's why they signed him first? Wait, what?

FWIW Thomas Jones came in with a season ranking of -11.3, so maybe LT2 really actually was an upgrade?

I remain unimpressed with the Jets offseason despite all the hype they're receiving. Solid additions but this isn't 2006 (LT2) or 2007 (Cromartie).

Miami Dolphin's Unrestriced Free Agent Jason Taylor leaves New York Unsigned posted by Somsak Bounchareune

What is Gary Wichard thinking? He is Jason Taylor’s agent and the person who convinced the 13-year veteran to head up to New York and talk to the Jets. Taylor, who is well known for his bitterness towards the Jets, has yet to be resigned by the Miami Dolphins but has made it known that he wants to stay with the team he has spent the majority of his career with. Miami’s General Manager, Jeffery Ireland, has said that the team won’t make a move to resign Taylor till after the upcoming draft.

Taylor return back to Miami unsigned despite the warm welcome he received from current Jets players while visiting with them during a voluntary team workout. The Dolphins-Jets rivalry is one of the few in the NFL that has lasted for decades and to have a vetted player like Taylor change teams would not sit well with the fans in Miami.Continue reading "Miami Dolphin's Unrestriced Free ..."

And on the 4th Day of Free Agency the Jets & Dolphins Apparently Passed the Patriots.... posted by Mike Dussault

Free Agency just started on Friday, and the Jets and Dolphins have both made significant moves while the Patriots have stuck to signing their own guys, and it's become a popular article around the interwebs whether these moves have dethroned New England as the AFC East favorites.

First of all, Miami and New York should be doing whatever they can do to pass the Patriots this year. No one realized it heading into last year but 2009 was the year Bill Belichick had to begin rebuilding his defense. He realized it at the end of training camp and unloaded Richard Seymour to Oakland. But the Patriots are well suited for the rebuild that is ahead of them.

Jerod Mayo and Vince Wilfork will be the centerpieces of the new defense. And will 4 picks in the first two rounds of this years draft, as well as 2 1st-rounders in next years, the Patriots are in position to add a lot of quality players in the next two seasons. Meaning if you're going to beat the Patriots you better do it now before all this talent is added and begins to gel.

That being said, while Miami and New York both added potential playmakers to their respective defenses, their offenses (the things that would exploit a young/inexperienced Patriot defense) remain fairly unthreatening. Not to say they aren't respectable but the loss of Thomas Jones for the Jets shouldn't be minimized, nor should Miami's continued lack of a dangerous passing game.

So let's all take a deep breath, there are still alot of Free Agents out there, mid-level veterans like those that the first Patriots dynasty were built on. We're clearly a long ways away from how the rosters will look on opening day, and there are still plenty of additions and subtractions for every team.

On March 4, the New York Jets managed to get closer to playing in Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011 posted by Colin Linneweber

The New York Jets acquired San Diego Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2011 draft Thursday evening. 

In order to make room for Cromartie, the Jets released disappointing cornerback Lito Sheppard. 

Cromartie, 25, who the Chargers selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft out of Florida State University, was an All-Pro selection in 2007. 

At his best, Cromartie is an elite shutdown corner who can easily blanket any receiver in the league with his blazing speed. 

Unfortunately for Jets fans, Cromartie is also a pathetic tackler who has more personal issues than Lindsay Lohan. 

Cromartie reportedly has fathered seven children in five different states and he has been named in a minimum of five paternity suits. 

The former Seminole standout signed a five-year contract worth $7.35 million with the Chargers after he was drafted. 

Therefore, Cromartie is entering the final season of his rookie contract and the Jets have been clear that they have zero desire to extend his deal before next season. 

Cromartie’s precarious contract situation should make him highly motivated to thrive for the Jets this coming autumn. 

Seriously, the guy is legally obligated to feed kids that reside all over our great nation. 

Coupled with 2009 First-Team All-Pro Darrelle Revis, the Jets should have the most formidable cornerback tandem in the NFL. 

If Revis and Cromartie are able to stifle their opponents passing game, Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan should have a ball devising even more aggressive blitz packages than he usually does. 

Hours Away posted by Randolph Charlotin

With less than five hours before free agency begins, let me get a few thoughts out of my mind:

Be sure to sign the Leigh Bodden thank-you card. He’s not coming back. He’s the second-best corner back available in free agency after Houston’s Dunta Robinson. It shouldn’t take him long to find an offer that he can’t pass up. His gamble to sign a one year deal with a promise from the Patriots that they wouldn’t franchise him will pay off. He erased his years with Detroit, including the 0-16 season, from everyone’s mind. Wish you luck at your next career stop, Leigh, as long as it’s not with an AFC East team.

Want to know what’s the value of LB Adalius Thomas? None. It’s not that there aren’t any teams that want him, but no team will make a trade offer for a guy they know the Pats want to dump. They know the divorce is coming, so they’ll wait until New England cuts him and sign Thomas without giving up compensation. One of those teams rumored to be interested in Thomas as a free agent is the New York Jets, where Thomas would be reunited with his former defensive coordinator, Jets head coach Rex Ryan. Guess which two games Thomas circles on his calendar if he matriculates to the Jets?

If that happens, the Pats should take the Jets’ Thomas. The Jets recently cut RB Thomas Jones to save money. New York says they want to re-sign him, but New England should swoop in and steal him away. I’d like him better than Fred Taylor because Jones is younger (31 to Taylor’s 34) and Thomas has been more durable. He missed just three games since 2004 to Taylor’s 22 games. I’m also concerned about the aging backfield, with Laurence Maroney the only RB younger than 30. Taylor and Sammy Morris (four last year, 17 since signing with the Pats in 2007) both missed games. Because the coaching staff won’t utilize BenJarvus Green-Ellis, he isn’t part of the conversation.

A Closer Look at Adalius Thomas in the Buffalo Bills Game posted by Mike Dussault

When Adalius Thomas went on the radio airwaves a couple weeks ago he shed just a little light on what exactly went wrong with him and the Patriots in 2009. Apparently it all started after the first game of the season, the home opener against the Buffalo Bills, which saw the Tom Brady pull of the greatest fourth quarter comeback of his career. Thomas said that Coach Belichick met with him after the game to express that his play was substandard and from there things went down hill fast.

Thomas seemed to disagree with Belichick's assessment, and said that the tape was out there for anyone who wanted to see how he performed. I had saved the game on my DVR (because I was there and I'm a nerd like that) so I went back and watched every defensive play, watching only Thomas to see what it was about AD's play that drew Bill Belichick's ire.

Now, disclaimer, I am not Bill Belichick. I wasn't watching film in the womb. But I would consider myself a fairly knowledgeable Xs and Os fan, who's favorite show is NFL Playbook and who's personal hero outside the Hoodie is Mike Mayock.

I was pretty surprised to find that Thomas actually played pretty well in the first half (again, all of this is in my opinion). First of all, he never came off the field... a stark contrast to later in the season when he was solely used as a run stopping OLB. He was solid in setting the edge, and got some pressure.

It was in the 3rd quarter where Thomas seemed to start losing steam. The Bills had the ball, facing a 3rd and 1, with the Patriots in a nickel defense. Terrell Owens ran an underneath route and Thomas failed to stay with him resulting in a 27-yard gain ( LOWLIGHT HERE), which then led to. Okay Thomas covering TO is not exactly a favorable match-up for the Pats, and it seemed like Thomas was anticipating a draw up the middle, but still, the result was a 1st down for Buffalo.

Vick to start final preseason game (AP)

Michael Vick will start Philadelphia's final preseason game because the Eagles are resting their starters. Coach Andy Reid says Vick will play the first half against the New York Jets on Thursday night. Rookie Mike Kafka is slated to play the second half. Kevin Kolb will be on the sideline. Vick, a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback with Atlanta, hasn't started since Dec. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Jets cut Kevin O'Connell (The National Football Post)

The New York Jets cut quarterback Kevin O'Connell today, placing him on waivers. The former New England... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Adalius Thomas likely to be signed by Jets after first game (The National Football Post)

If veteran free agent outside linebacker Adalius Thomas does join the New York Jets, it won't be until... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Bengals cut Jeanty, Nelson on PUP list (AP)

The Cincinnati Bengals have released fifth-year linebacker Rashad Jeanty, who broke his left leg on the opening kickoff in January's playoff loss to the New York Jets. The Bengals said Monday that Jeanty was waived in the failed physical category, while second-year safety Tom Nelson went on the physically unable to perform list. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Redskins beat up on Sanchez, Jets

Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets' offense sputtered again. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL