Bill Belichick had asked his players not to respond to the verbal jabs that Jets head coach Rex Ryan and his players were taking at the Patriots. But apparently Wes Welker couldn’t help himself.
Welker was obviously poking fun at the Rex Ryan foot-fetish story with his barrage of foot references in the above press conference. I thought it was rather humorous, although you knew the Jets weren’t going to stand idle and not respond.
“With Wes Welker, well, I think this is a huge rivalry type game and anything goes. I can take it,” Ryan said Friday. “I’m not going to discuss it, but I can take it.”
“Be very careful what you say about our coach. His days in a uniform will be numbered. Put it like that.” Scott’s ties to Rex Ryan go beyond New York. The two were part of the Baltimore Ravens organization previously.
Nick Mangold’s response (also from FOX Boston):
Offensive lineman Nick Mangold took a different approach to responding to Welker’s press conference, trying to fight humor with humor. Mangold Tweeted , “Wes Welker is a great player. He’s really taken advantage of watching film. If we don’t keep a Spy on him, he could really open the Gate.”
This is exactly why Belichick didn’t want any of his players to respond to the Jets’ antics.
Darrelle Revis is a damn fine corner – the best in the league maybe. He’s also vital to the Jets’ success this season and he’s arguably the most important piece of Rex Ryan’s defense.
He has also only played one season (that being one, as in – only one) of elite ball, which is why the $162 million over 10 years that he’s asking the Jets to give him is absolutely ridiculous on many levels. (The $162 million figure comes from Newsday’s Bob Glauber.)
The Jets can’t fiscally give into Revis’ contract demands without sacrificing other areas of their team. They have an entire roster to consider – not just one player, a cornerback no less. Not to undermine the importance of the cornerback position, but quarterback is the only spot where a team should break the bank in order to sign or re-sign a player.
Last time I checked, Revis doesn’t throw the football.
Granted, the $162 million figure that Glauber is reporting may be off. After all, the $162 million asking price hasn’t come out of Revis’ mouth; we’re just going off of what Glauber is reporting.
Then again, Revis isn’t in camp and we’re only two and a half weeks away from the start of the regular season. The Jets have reportedly already offered $122 million (in a down economy, mind you) over 10 seasons and Revis has yet to sign. If he’s insane enough to turn down $122 million, then chances are he’s insane enough to ask for $162 million.
So much for the notion that the Jets don’t take care of their own.
On Wednesday, New York agreed to terms with left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson on a six-year, $60 million extension, which also includes $34.8 million in guarantees. Da Brick will receive $73.6 million over the next either years, which exceeds the five-year, $57 million deal that the Dolphins gave former No. 1 overall pick Jake Long.
Along with Long and Cleveland’s Joe Thomas, Ferguson is among the best left tackles in the league and it was vital for the Jets to keep him in New York. But while fans can sleep a little easier tonight knowing that Ferguson will be around for a long time, GM Mike Tannenbaum still has plenty of work cut out for him.
Cornerback Darrelle Revis, center Nick Mangold and linebacker David Harris are all still seeking extensions themselves. Tannenbaum will likely turn to Revis next, seeing as how the cornerback will probably receive the richest contract in Jets history (at least on a per year basis).
Whether or not new deals are on their way for Revis, Mangold and/or Harris, it’s nice to see that the player who didn’t openly complain to the media got paid first. Ferguson has been a total professional this entire offseason and he was just handsomely rewarded for it. Maybe Revis should take some notes.
There’s a secret that most good fantasy football owners don’t want you to know: Knowing how good (or how bad) an offensive line is could be the difference between you making the playoffs in your league, and winning the whole damn thing.
The bottom line is that the offensive line is the key to whether or not an offense is going to be successful in any given season. They’re the reason why guys like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brews are able to rack up terrific passing yards year in and year out, and why Brandon Jacobs, Michael Turner and Adrian Peterson continue to be solid fantasy backs. So knowing which O-lines are quality and which act like revolving doors to their team’s backfield will give you an edge on draft day.
Below is a ranking of the top five best lines, the top five most improved lines and the top five worst lines in the NFL heading into the ’09 season. Use these rankings as a tool to help you make better decisions on draft day and to also aid you when you’re stuck between a couple of players in later rounds.
Granted, we’re not advocating bumping certain players to the top of your pre-draft rankings just based on these rankings. The Lions offensive line is the worst in football, but if Kevin Smith is there for the taking in the 5th round, by all means jump on him. This article is purely meant to be a helpful aid; obviously you still have to use solid judgment on draft day.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher, who rejected a chance to become head coach of the Browns last weekend, is not going to interview for the head coaching position of the New York Jets, according to multiple sources.
Cowher, according to a source, has been contacted by the Jets. Although he is interested in the Jets job, he told the team he would not be a candidate because he would like to bring in his own personnel director. Jets owner Woody Johnson plans to keep Mike Tannenbaum as his general manager after firing Eric Mangini as head coach Monday.
With Tannenbaum as the general manager, Cowher is willing to pass on the Jets opportunity, stay in broadcasting for another year and wait to return to coaching in 2010.
Cowher has told friends the Jets job interested him for several reasons. First, Cowher would love to coach in the New York market. Second, two of his daughters are either going to school or working in the New York-New Jersey area.
Cowher does plan to coach in 2010. In 2009, though, he was only willing to return if every situation was right for him. He wanted to have a two-year break from coaching to be with family and recharge.
I think several hundred Jet fans just dove head first off the Hudson Bridge.
Maybe Johnson can convince Tannenbaum to take another position within the front office and then give Cowher complete control. Although to be fair, Tennenbaum has landed D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Nick Mangold and Leon Washington in recent drafts, so he’s not a complete dud as a general manager. (Of course his latest first round pick, Vernon Gholston, looks like a complete bust considering he was inactive for most of the season because he can’t learn the playbook.)
The Jets will probably wind up with one of the hot coordinators considering they already have a GM. Like Cowher, one would think that Marty Schottenheimer would want complete control as well, so I bet he passes on the Jets too if offered the position.
