Tag: Thomas Jones (Page 3 of 6)

      Jets name Mark Sanchez starting quarterback

      August 26, 2009 /

      Even following his rough outing in the Jets’ second preseason game on Monday night, head coach Rex Ryan named rookie Mark Sanchez the team’s starting quarterback.

      From FoxSports.com:

      Despite a rough start against the Ravens in his last preseason game, Sanchez never lost his cool and battled back. The team has been impressed with his command of the huddle and the offense. Sources say the team has been impressed with how much he has not looked like a rookie. Drafted out of USC, Sanchez has gone 6-of-12 in two preseason games, with one touchdown pass and one interception.

      Clemens, in his fourth season, is 9-of-14 for 84 yards in the preseason. He also has one score and one pick. Entering his fourth season with the Jets after being a second-round pick in 2006, Clemens also had a solid but unspectacular camp, but threw 12 interceptions compared to the rookie’s five.

      I’m sure Ryan would have wanted a better performance out of Sanchez on Monday night before he made his decision official, but it’s not like Clemens did anything this summer to merit the job, so why delay the announcement?

      The good news for Sanchez is that the Jets offensive line is solid. They also have a trio of backs in Leon Washington, Thomas Jones and rookie Shonn Greene that are more than capable of taking some of the pressure off Sanchez in his first year.

      The bad news is that the Jets aren’t giving Sanchez a lot to work with in terms of receivers. Jerricho Cotchery is underrated and has been a consistent, productive receiver throughout his career. But he’s not a player that will keep defensive coordinators up at night and after him, the Jets will rely heavily on the inexperienced crop of Chansi Stuckey, David Clowney and Brad Smith.

      If Sanchez continues to show the poise he did on Monday night when things weren’t going his way, he should do fine. That’s not to say that he’ll have a Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco-type rookie year and lead the Jets to the playoffs, but success can’t always measured in whether or not a quarterback can get his team to the postseason. (Especially if said quarterback is a rookie.)

      Don’t go crazy on draft day and pick Sanchez in the middle rounds. He’s a rookie QB, and they’re notoriously undependable in fantasy circles, especially with all the depth available in leagues that only start one QB. It probably would have been better for the Jets WRs (especially Cotchery) if Clemens had won the job, as the two had shown a nice rapport in the past. Sanchez will no doubt have his ups and downs, so that means the Jets receivers are likely to as well.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Jets shopping Thomas Jones?

      August 12, 2009 /

      The National Football Post is reporting that the Jets are gauging interest in running back Thomas Jones, but the Newark Star-Ledger and New York Daily News dispute that report.

      A rumor on nationalfootballpost.com that the Jets are shopping veteran running back Thomas Jones to an NFC West team is not true, according to a person with knowledge of the club’s plans. That person spoke on the condition of anonymity because he’s not authorized to speak on the matter publicly.

      Jones, the defending AFC rushing champ, is unhappy with his contract and missed most of the team’s offseason workouts. He’s scheduled to earn $900,000 this season in the third year of a four-year, $20 million contract.

      The Jets seem content with going into the season with Jones, Leon Washington and Shonn Greene on their depth chart and seeing who emerges from the pile. Jones doesn’t become a free agent until 2011, so it’ll be interesting to see what the Jets do after the season if Greene (who is a rookie this year) flashes some potential.

      I would assume that the future of the Jets’ backfield is Washington and Greene, although the team isn’t going to part with Jones until they see Greene in live action.

      NFL

      NFL Training Camp Notes: Russell reports out of shape

      July 30, 2009 /

      Oakland Raiders:
      – Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell admitted that he reported to camp “a little heavy.” Hey JaMarcus, I know Jeff Garcia doesn’t look like much but he’s gunning for your job and I highly doubt he reported to camp “a little heavy.”

      – The Raiders agreed to terms with rookie first round pick Darrius Heyward-Bey on a five-year contract. Now he can get busy on trying to make Al Davis look good for taking him instead of Michael Crabtree with the seventh overall pick in April’s draft.

      Michael Vick:
      – Free agent Michael Vick told the AP that he is getting close to deciding on a team to sign with. It’s unclear at this point if Vick meant an NFL team, or a flag football team in the Newport News, Virginia area.

      New York Jets:
      – Running back Thomas Jones reported to training camp on time despite skipping voluntary OTA sessions this spring. While this certainly doesn’t mean Jones is happy about his situation in New York, it appears that he’ll be in a Jets uniform this season and will be one leg of a tripod that also includes Leon Washington and Shonn Greene.

      – Speaking of Washington, the New York Daily News confirms that the Jets are close to finalizing a contract extension with the running back.

      New England Patriots:
      – As expected, Tom Brady participated in the Pats’ first training camp practice on Thursday and will avoid going on the PUP list at the start of the season. He did practice with a brace on his left knee, but he’ll more than likely will be sporting that for the rest of his career.

      Kansas City Chiefs:
      – Larry Johnson is apparently thrilled to be staying in Kansas City and will report to training camp on time Friday. Maybe Johnson and the Chiefs can burry the hatchet in training camp and have a successful marriage this season.

      Baltimore Ravens:
      – The Black Birds signed rookie offensive tackle Michael Oher to a five-year, $13.795 million contract with $7.8 million in guarantees. Oher was a steal at No. 23, but he’ll need to work on his run blocking skills at the next level.

      NFL

      2009 fantasy football is coming soon—a look back at 2008 RBs

      June 13, 2009 /

      So you still want to draft a running back with your number one pick after we crunched the numbers to find that quarterbacks have become equally or more valuable in fantasy football? Well, I can’t blame anyone that goes the traditional route here, especially with guys like Michael Turner and Adrian Peterson looking like legitimate #1 picks. Here are last season’s Top 10 running backs in fantasy points, keeping in mind that this is based on my league, and stats vary from league to league:

      1. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers—I know some players take a few years to develop, but I live in Tennessee and saw Williams play on TV a lot when he was with Memphis. I drafted him in 2006 because I knew what not everyone knew—his upside was tremendous. Of course, he had 501 yards and a TD that year. But once DeShaun Foster was gone, Williams exploded, and last year racked up 1639 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns. Potential realized, and there’s more where that came from despite Jonathan Stewart sharing the load.

      2. Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons—Turner “The Burner” finally got out from under LT’s shadow in San Diego and showed with his new team that he can be a #1 RB—in a big, big way. In fact, Turner out-rushed LT by almost 600 yards. Take that, AJ Smith.

      3. Thomas Jones, New York Jets—Jones had a big year, with 1519 total yards and 15 scores. But something tells me to expect a substantial drop-off this year. I mean, this is the same guy who scored 1 rushing TD in 2007.

      4. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears—A rookie in 2008, Forte was a pleasant surprise and was basically the Bears’ entire offense. Now they have Jay Cutler at QB, which could mean just a bit less focus on the running game. Still, it’s the Bears, and plus Forte is just as valuable a receiver as he is a runner. Don’t expect a re-run of 2008 (1715 yards and 12 total touchdowns) but don’t expect a crappy season either.

      5. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings—He may be frequently injured but AP is about as explosive as any player in the NFL. In fact, he may be what everyone expected Reggie Bush to be. Who? Yeah, I know. Anyway, Peterson had 1885 all-purpose yards but only 10 TDs. This season, I’m looking for 2400 yards from scrimmage and 15-20 scores. I can feel it.

      6. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles—Off-season surgery is either going to hamper Westbrook or make him better. I’ll still take a Brian Westbrook at 70% than, say, a Willis McGahee at 100%. When Westbook is on the field (1338 total yards, 54 catches, 14 total TDs in ‘08), he’s fantasy money.

      7. Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants—Jacobs seemed to perform best when he shared carries with Derrick Ward, who is now in Tampa. Jacobs will still share carries, but with Ahmad Bradshaw. Jacobs had his second straight 1000-yard season (Ward also topped 1000 yards) with 15 touchdowns, and there is no reason to believe he’ll fall short of that in ’09. Well, unless the injury bug bites again.

      8. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers—I’m still sick about drafting LT #1 last season in my league. I know that having the top pick doesn’t happen too often, and this guy just killed my season and probably everyone else’s that picked him first or second.
      I mean, 1536 yards from scrimmage and 12 scores is not bad, but consider LT’s 2006 season—2323 overall yards and 31 TDs. Last year, LT was more like Thomas Jones in a good year.

      9. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars—Streaky yes, but a solid player who can run and catch passes effectively. MJD had 824 rushing yards, and 62 receptions for 565 with 14 total touchdowns. With Fred Taylor in New England, expect those numbers to jump this season.

      10. LenDale White, Tennessee Titans—This guy was the touchdown bogart for Chris Johnson, with only 773 yards but 15 scores. Should we expect an encore? It’s hard to say, but Jeff Fisher is definitely a creature of habit.

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Football, Happy Hour, NFL

      Will the Jets trade Thomas Jones?

      June 9, 2009 /

      One of the more interesting and underlining storylines brewing in the NFL these days is the current one between the Jets and running back Thomas Jones, who is unhappy about his contract situation and who already skipped the first two months of the team’s OTA sessions.

      Jones did report to the team’s OTAs last Wednesday, although some believe that was only because the Jets promised him that they’d try to trade him this summer if he showed up. He’s set to make $1 million in 2009, but no money in the remaining two years of his contract is guaranteed and that’s why he wants a new deal.

      The Jets are in a tough spot because running back Leon Washington is also peeved about his contract situation, too. The team did draft Iowa running back Shonn Greene in April, but the Jets can’t afford to lose both Jones and Washington, leaving Greene (a rookie) as their full-time back.

      Personally, I don’t blame the Jets for not caving into Jones’ demands. They paid him $13 million over the last two years and really only got one season of service out of him after he rushed for only 1,119 yards on 310 carries and one touchdown in 2007. He did bounce back last year, amassing 1,312 yards on 290 carries (4.5 YPC) and 15 total TDs, but one good season is hardly worth demanding a new contract, especially considering that he turns 31 in August.

      If the Jets don’t want to pay Jones, they’re probably going to have to trade him. He’s not going to play without a guaranteed contract and they still have to figure out what they’re going to do with Washington. The key might be Greene; if he proves this summer that he can handle being the team’s early down back, the Jets could make Washington happy and trade Jones. (Assuming they have a suitor for Jones, of course.)

      The Jets could do far worse than a duo of Greene and Washington, assuming Greene is up for the challenge as a rookie and they meet Washington’s contract demands (whatever they may be).

      NFL

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