How Quickly Things Turn

Last Sunday, we were treated to exactly what the hype was supposed to be about.

The Jets set aside their myriad of distractions long enough to whip New England 28-14, demonstrating for the fanbase just what the 2010 version of the Jets is capable of for the rest of the season. Since the Tom Brady era began in Foxboro nine years ago, there hasn't been a whole lot of success for the Jets. The victories we've managed over that period were normally of the three or seven point variety and more a product of good fortune than good football.

Last Sunday was a different story. Play after play during the second half, the Jets offense moved the ball up and down the field, through the accuracy of Mark Sanchez (21 for 30, 3 TD) and the fresh legs of Greene and LT (136 yards on the ground). Meanwhile, the defense held Brady and company scoreless in the second half without the injured Darrelle Revis. Brady made multiple mistakes, failing to sustain anything useful for the last 30 minutes while sporting Matt Dillon's haircut from My Bodyguard. Not a very good day for Boston.

What was interesting about the defense's effort in the second half was how galvanized the effort was, especially the pass defense. After having to listen to the local and national media question the ability of the defense to operate at an optimal level without Revis during the whole preseason, the entire unit played with a chip on their shoulder, as if to prove that no one piece is greater than the whole.

Also, Revis, who gave up a highlight reel TD to Randy Moss on his last play of the game, showed a revealing bit about his character in that moment. As Moss hauled in Brady's throw with one-handed flair, Revis reached down and grabbed his hamstring, as if clinging to a ready-made excuse for his failure. In the postgame, Rex Ryan said that Revis was expecting help over the top on the post route, so the TD wasn't entirely his fault, but I thought it was interesting that Revis was so prepared with a visual cue for an excuse. It reminded me of the made-for-TV match race between Donovan Bailey and Michael Johnson after the 1996 Olympics. When Johnson couldn't catch Bailey on the turn, he grimaced in pain. The fragile ego at work, I would assume.

But, I digress.

After the misery of the Monday night against the Ravens, the big performance couldn't have come at a better time. LaDainian Tomlinson has looked like a second year back. Running with purpose and enthusiasm, he has earned the lion's share of the touches in the first 2 weeks, and been a steal so far. Mark Sanchez proved to the coaching staff that he can make throws and must be trusted with the gameplan. In Week 1, the only opportunities that Sanchez had to throw were in obvious passing situations, which is when the defense is most prepared to defend the pass. Against the Pats, the Jet's brain trust decided to give Sanchez chances to throw on first and second down, and Dustin Keller found enough soft spots in Cover 2 to rack up a career-high 115 yards.

The powers that be at the NFL league office love to schedule the Jets next opponent, the divisional rival Miami Dolphins, for national television when the Jets come to town. That's unfortunate for the Jets, because the Miami "fans" are as fair-weather as they come. If this game is a 1 pm Sunday game, then the stands would be half-filled with Jets fans. Since the game is a national TV night game, the crappy Dolphin fanbase will show up, giving their team a much-needed boost. The Jets should be flying high coming into the game, but Braylon Edwards took care of that shit in mid-week.

I hate what's been happening with the Jets, as I've mentioned numerous times. I want to see good football, and I think the whole sideshow element to the team does us no good. Braylon Edwards has been a fairly solid addition prior to his DUI this week, working hard in the meeting room, and not being overly critical when the ball didn't find him on Sunday. With his irresponsible crap this week, he has essentially ensured he won't be offered a long-term deal following this season. I don't know why any player would risk his financial future and his chance to be relevant historically with a solid franchise. The money is green wherever you go, but you don't have many chances to play for a successful franchise. With the core the Jets have in place, they have a chance to contend for the next several years. It makes you wonder what's going through his head. If the Jets lay an egg on Sunday night in Miami, he will catch the blame.

We've lost 3 straight to the Dolphins, and a victory in Week 3 won't just snap that streak. A victory will give the Jets early control of the division, and give both of the potential threats for divisional supremacy in the East a wake-up call as to which team truly is the team to beat.

It will be interesting to see how the whole organization responds to this latest unrest. All it takes is a solid effort on the field against Miami to get the public's mind off of the sideshow and back onto one of the teams to beat in 2010.

Over Before It Started?

I had a bit of a rough time with my prognostications last weekend, so I may refrain from too many predictions for the time being, which I'm sure all of you will understand. Unfortunately for the Jets growing fan base, I didn't corner the market on disappointment.

The Jets suffered one of the most lopsided one-point losses in the history of organized sports on Monday night. From the start of the game, they never seriously mounted an offensive threat, or demonstrated an ability to play disciplined football. Like John Madden said, in response to his team's relaxed dress code back in the 70's, "You can wear a coat and tie on your way to the stadium, but, no matter how you look, if you jump offsides on 3rd and 3, you're an undisciplined football player." The Jets racked up 14 penalties on Monday night. Antonio Cromartie and Kyle Wilson were the worst offenders, as Wilson looked overmatched at times, while Cromartie seemed to lose his sense of where he was on the field anytime he had to turn and chase the route.

As for the offense, the Jets treated Mark Sanchez like he was an explosive that they were afraid might detonate at any time. Despite the fact that the Ravens secondary had been decimated by injuries, Jets OC Brian Schottenheimer never put Sanchez in a position to test Baltimore downfield. The whole fanbase watched Sanchez make poor decisions with the football last year, and the coaching staff has stressed that they won't place the same pressure on Sanchez to be successful downfield to win games.

The problem is, of course, you can't allow the defense to only defend a small section of the field and hope to be successful. The defense has to respect your ability to test them vertically. Also, the book on Baltimore has always been that you're not going to make a living making high-percentage throws on their defense. You need to go deep and get the big play in order to score points. Second year RB Shonn Greene lost a key fumble in the second quarter and never had another carry. Apparently, the Jet coaching staff, after a rash of preseason fumbles, made a deal with the skill position players that if they fumbled in any game, they were coming out of the game. So, the Jets best running back was pulled in the second quarter after coughing one up.

After all, we're so dripping with talent to the extent that we can afford to have our best players sit, just to prove a point.

The worst part of the whole experience was watching the Jets larger-than-life head coach, the bombastic Rex Ryan, shrink before our eyes on the sidelines. I've been following this franchise so closely over the last 34 years that it would appear to an outsider that my life depended on it. I've watched quite a few head coaches come and go, but none of them have had quite the same effect that Ryan has had, especially in so short a time span.

If you look through the pantheon of sports legends on the New York landscape, there seems to be a special place for the silent, classy, consistent professional, the Joe DiMaggio/Derek Jeter type. The kind of guy who shows up to work every day and does his job, supports his teammates, leads by example, and plays his best when the big money is on the table. Even our hot dog types like Joe Namath became beloved because, when the stakes were the highest, they came up with the best performance.

The worst sin you can commit to a New York sports fan is to talk big and not be able to back it up. Rex Ryan spent 8 months predicting Super Bowl level success to whoever would listen, placing the bull's-eye directly on the Jets back when it came time to lace them up in September. In all actuality, no one who understands football on the most basic level, especially someone who is both a fan of the team and a realist, would overstate who the Jets were prior to the season.

The Jets went 9-7 last year, finishing at 11-8 after the postseason run. We were handed a late season win in Indianapolis when Jim Caldwell decided to pull Peyton Manning and the rest of the Colts starters in the third quarter of Week 16. We also threw several games away last year, including home games against Buffalo, Miami, and Atlanta. We could have easily won any one, or all three of those games. When all was said and done, the record we finished with was the record we deserved. We won a couple we should have lost, and lost a couple we should have won.

Coming into this season, there was every reason to believe we'd be improved, but certainly no reason to claim that we were the best team in football, especially when we had proved nothing yet in 2010, except a distinct talent at drawing attention to ourselves. I have no issue with demonstrating your confidence in the team, especially if your the head coach. But, if you don't believe it and you say it anyway, you're not only a fool, but you think we're all fools, too.

Rex Ryan proved it the other night. With a 4th and 1 on the Baltimore 10-yard line in the first half, he elected to kick a field goal rather than try to gain a yard on the ground. He essentially said to his team, "I know you can't gain a yard when you have to." The entire game, he and his coaching staff demonstrated no confidence in his offense to make plays, choosing to go three and out rather than take even the smallest risk in order to score touchdowns.

Again, Rex Ryan is within his rights as head coach to play conservatively and minimize risk. But, don't spend the whole offseason telling me and the rest of the NFL how great you are when you don't even believe it yourself. When it was nut-cutting time, you coached scared. At this point, you should probably shut up. The fastest way to get run out of town in New York is to talk large and not be able to back it up. After 4 decades of humiliation, the Jet fan base won't suffer fools gladly. From perusing the New York Jets fan message boards, the young fans love the bravado and think Rex Ryan is undoing the "Same Old Jets" defeatism of the past. But, if he runs his mouth for months and then runs and punts his way to 6-10, he'll be on the first plane out of town in no time.

There's plenty of time to right the ship, 15 regular season games to be exact. It begins this Sunday afternoon at 4:15 against the fucking Patriots. If I have to watch Tom Brady with his Justin Bieber haircut running up and down the field, I'm going to want to break my own TV. If the Jets can get a win and the Dolphins lose against the Vikings, everything will be even in the AFC East, and we can start over again. However, if the Jets take the pipe against New England, they'll be two games down and 0-1 in the division.

Things can unravel pretty quickly in the NFL, Rex. Time to put up or shut up.

Like Christmas Morning

I've always enjoyed the opening day of the season. The league office, sensing that there are millions like me, has made the opening weekend a special weekend, with a Thursday night game featuring the defending champs at home, and a Monday night doubleheader. The opening tilt of this year's Monday night doubleheader features the Jets and the Baltimore Ravens.

Normally, I temper my expectations for the Jets, knowing that what I see on opening day will go a long way towards determining what to expect for the coming season. Who wins or loses is not necessarily that important. What's more important are general things you take away from the game, thinks like...can we run the ball on third and short? Can we protect the passer up the middle? When we blitz, do our corners look overmatched? Can our QB make good decisions in obvious passing situations? The answers to these questions will go a long way towards determining the long-term success of any team, certainly more than whether or not your team wins their first game.

The Ravens are a tough matchup for the Jets, mostly because their defense is a carbon copy of ours, which makes sense given that Rex Ryan was running their defense for several years before joining our organization. The Ravens have added some receivers through free agency and trades, they have a outstanding young RB in Ray Rice, and a developing young QB in Joe Flacco. Sound familiar?

The Jets are in much better shape than they were several weeks ago now that Darrelle Revis has been paid to his liking and has joined the team. For the uninitiated, Revis is probably the most important piece on our defense. Most defenses take their best cornerback and place him on the offense's second best receiver, then double-team the offense's best receiver with a corner and a safety over the top. Revis is so solid in coverage that he can single team the other team's best WR and take him out of the game, which allows the Jets to play zone defense on the other side of the field, and free up other defensive backs for the overload blitzes that have become Rex Ryan's calling card.

Before Revis came back, I had started to believe that the pundits might be right, that the Jets might be a 6-10 or 7-9 team. With Revis back, as long as Sanchez avoids mistakes and continues to improve, the Jets should be a 10-win team at least. I wouldn't be surprised if they got off to a slow start and were hovering around .500 at midseason, but I expect them to be one of the best team's in the league by January, the proverbial team that no one wants to play in the postseason. If we can get there, that is.

As for the local team, I think the Carolina Panthers are going to be better than most people expect, and I expect them to play well and win today. First of all, their opponent today, the New York Giants, are still a mess on defense. Provided that the Panthers are fully healthy up front, they should be able to control the line of scrimmage and control the clock. The Panthers lack playmakers on defense besides the excellent Jon Beason, but John Fox knows how to coach team defense, and the Panthers should block and tackle well enough to win 9 or 10 games this year.

Whatever your plans today, enjoy the wings and copious amounts of cheese in various forms, and, more importantly, enjoy the next 5 or so months of pro football. Given the present labor situation, next year's offseason may be longer than normal.

Also, sometime during the season, I hope to launch my NFL history project using whatifsports.com. I'm having a hard time finding the time (as you may have guessed after witnessing my non-prolific posting style as of late), but once I crank it up, it's going to be totally hot. Especially if you're into stats simulation (and I know that you are!). I hope to have a recap of what we've learned today sometime this evening. Enjoy the action!

The Latest

Sorry about the long delay between posts, but I've been preoccupied with real-life over the last few weeks to the point that I haven't had time for pro football or MMA or just about anything else.

Over the last few weeks, we've seen the training camp and the preseason crawl by with little to focus on. For the Jets, the Revis hold-out saga continues with little in the way of concrete information about a resolution. Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlinshaw made news on Sunday when he claimed that "credible sources" had informed him that Revis would be reporting to camp by Wednesday, and that a new deal was imminent, but no one has been able to confirm that story and Cowlinshaw looks like a fool at this point, at best.

As for what's taking place on the field, the Jets first-team defense has looked pretty solid, and it looks like the secondary is adjusting to life without Revis. The defensive starters gave up one big play against the Giants, and smacked the Carolina Panthers' starters last Saturday night.

The offense is a different story. We have yet to demonstrate we can run the ball with the same effectiveness we did last season, and I have been thoroughly unimpressed with Mark Sanchez thus far. Like most Jet fans, I really want Sanchez to excel, and I'm looking for any proof that he's showing the improvement necessary to legitimately make the 2010 squad contenders down the road. However, I'm still seeing a young QB with happy feet in the pocket, a guy who forces the ball in the middle of the field, and a terrible ballhandler.

Ballhandling is one of the most underrated skills of a good quarterback. When your QB drops into play-action, he should have the ability to freeze the secondary in the middle of the field. He doesn't have to be a Houdini who makes the free safety take several steps in the wrong direction while faking out the cameraman (like Chad Pennington did when he was at his best), but it shouldn't be obvious to a guy on his couch (like me) that it's a fake before he even reaches the tailback. A good QB should look the same on a seven-step drop, whether it's run or play-action. Sanchez looks like he's anxious as can be, like he wants to score 4 touchdowns on each throw. Perhaps Brian Schottenheimer should slip him a sedative before Friday night's tilt against the Redskins to calm his ass down.

I'm not hung up on the numbers Sanchez puts up in the preseason, I just want to see the development in action on the field, the type of development that experience should bring. And I'm still waiting, by and large. Regardless of what happens with Revis, the Sanchez issue controls the Jets' destiny this season. If he doesn't progress significantly, no defense will be strong enough to make us legit contenders.

At least we had some good news this week, as the Jets made Nick Mangold the highest-paid center in the league, giving him roughly $55 million for 7 years. Mangold is our best lineman, and is headed to Canton if he can keep up the pace he's established as a young player. He is also a true leader, a guy who was in the walk year of his deal, yet came to camp because he knew his presence would help whoever won the left guard competition in camp. He took the responsibility that a leader must shoulder, putting the needs of the team before his immediate financial gain. If Mangold isn't one of your favorite Jets, he damn well should be.

Are you listening, Darrelle?

UFC 117: A day of reckoning for lay and pray

I'm finally well rested after a long night at the bar, where me and a few hundred of my closest friends witnessed one of the most dramatic finishes in the history of MMA. The pay-per-view broadcast had six fights.

Roy Nelson vs. Junior Dos Santos

Roy Nelson is a former winner of The Ultimate Fighter who had ridden consecutive first round finishes to last night's bout for a title shot. Dos Santos is a devastating striker who has finished most everyone he's fought. Nelson's claim to fame is his huge belly, which he uses when he has top position to wear down whoever he's fighting. The belly makes him look like an oaf, which causes him to receive less respect than he deserves as a legit contender.

Dos Santos controlled this fight with superior striking from the start, and stayed aware of keeping the fight standing. Nelson seemed content to trade once he couldn't get a takedown, and paid a stiff price. He was pounded for 15 minutes in a lopsided decision. I wish Nelson would lose the 60 lbs. he would need to drop down to light heavyweight. It's bad for the sport that a guy who doesn't take fitness very seriously can rise this high in the rankings. If he cared enough to drop the weight, no one at 205 would want to face him. He's that skilled.

As for Dos Santos, he had a solid gameplan and worked it nicely. He gets the winner of Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez for the belt. Whoever he winds up facing will not want to trade with him.

Matt Hughes vs. Ricardo Almeida

As great as Matt Hughes has been for as long as he's been great, I must confess that I'm not much of a fan. He's a great fighter, but his performances on The Ultimate Fighter as coach left me feeling like he's a bit of a meathead. Suffice it to say that when he gets beat, I typically don't shed tears.

His match with Almeida, the BJJ black belt, looked like it may be interesting on paper, as Almeida was looking for revenge for Hughes victory over Renzo Gracie back in April. Hughes dropped Almeida with a left hook, then slapped on an anaconda choke from an unusual position until Almeida was out cold. Easy win for Hughes.

What's next for Hughes? At 36, you have to wonder where he goes from this fight. This win puts him back in the conversation at 170, but I'm not sure he can beat anyone in the top 5, which leaves him either as a gatekeeper for the division, or he can continue to beat on other old guys in MMA, whichever he prefers.

I'd like to see him fight Jon Fitch.

Clay Guida vs. Rafael dos Anjos

Speaking of gatekeepers, I've always felt that Clay Guida was the perfect gatekeeper at 155. If you can't beat him, you're not a legit contender. No one in MMA comes with the pace and energy of Guida, so if you're not prepared for him, he will overwhelm you. It's almost impossible to look like the aggressor against him.

Dos Anjos looked good for 2 rounds, scoring with some impressive feet, but the fight was still very close when Guida took him down in the third and dos Anjos tapped seconds later, claiming an injury to his jaw. Apparently, Guida had landed a punch in the first round that did the damage that led to the submission.

Guida legitimately believes that he is improving and will eventually rise to the level of contender and champion. But, while his recent record has been stellar, I need to see more victories against elite guys at 155 before I would give him a title shot. Guida is beloved by the UFC fan base, so his success is a good thing for Dana White and company.

He also has kept his long hair, which my wife says makes him look like Captain Caveman, which she repeats with the requisite call whenever he appears in the octagon, vibrato included.

Stefan Struve vs. Christian Morecraft

Since there were some early finishes early in the card, the UFC went to their normal practice of replaying a fight from earlier in the night, which is usually a highlight reel KO or a crazy finish. This one did not disappoint.

One of the great things about MMA is that a fighter can win every second of a fight in completely dominating fashion, make one mistake, and get beat. This happens so often that it's not necessarily surprising, but it never fails to disappoint. In the first round of this fight, Struve was dominated so completely that the doctors almost stepped in after the first round. Struve had several officials, referee Herb Dean, and several doctors analyzing his gigantic bottom lip, which looked like a cross between a swollen inner tube and Mush Mouth from Fat Albert.

Both fighters began the second round throwing bombs, but a right-left-right from Struve dropped Morecraft, and Struve ponced on him with further punishment until the fight was stopped. Spectacular stuff. The bar erupted. Maybe the most fun moment of the night for the whole place.

Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves

This fight was a rematch of a June 2006 fight that Fitch won easily, and this fight was almost exactly the same. Alves didn't make weight, failing to lose an additional half pound, which speaks volumes about what a difficult cut this must have been for him. This was easily the most boring fight of the night, as Fitch would take Alves down, then try everything he could to keep him there, which is like watching paint dry.

This style of fighting is commonly known as "lay and pray". Lay and pray is most often used by fighters with a wrestling background who recognize that their best chance of success is to take their opponent down, then control their posture with superior wrestling skills.

I enjoy every aspect of MMA, and watching two great ground guys mix it up can be as exciting as any highlight reel knockout. But, if you lay on your opponent and don't improve your position, you should be stood back up. When a fighter is attempting a lay and pray strategy, he will try to demonstrate to the ref that he is still working effectively with all kinds of pitty-pat striking that does nothing to hurt the opponent or finish the fight (foreshadowing!). Anyone who has followed the UFC knows that Dana White can not stand that shit. He wants to see fights finished.

Fitch won the battle, but may be losing the war. White was non-committal about giving Fitch another title shot with GSP after last night. How can you blame him? The crowd booed their way through all 15 minutes, and there's no reason to believe that Fitch would have a better chance at beating St. Pierre than the last time, when he was hammered for 25 minutes.

Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva

By now, if you've been near a television in the last 24 hours, you've seen what will go down as one of the great fights and finishes in the history of MMA. Sonnen has spent the better part of the last 3 months ripping Anderson Silva to anyone who would listen to him, boldly stating that he would take Silva down and pound on him for 25 minutes.

To anyone who has watched Anderson Silva destroy everything in his path for the last four years, all of this babbling from Sonnen sounded ridiculous. Silva hasn't just been winning, he's severely hurt almost everyone he's fought to the extent that they're not the same fighter afterwards.

Chael Sonnen was not kidding. He caught Silva with a straight right hand early in the first round, then proceeded to win the next 23 minutes of the fight, mostly with a combination of dominant positioning and submission avoidance. Sonnen landed a tremendous amount of strikes, an MMA-record amount, if you are to believe Yahoo sports. While any contact from hands can be considered a strike, the majority of this fight consisted of Sonnen laying on Silva, trying to convince the referee that he was being effective enough to avoid being stood back up, where Silva is dominant. There were so many pitty-pat strikes that much of Sonnen's offense elicited laughter from the assorted throng at the bar where we were watching the fight.

Towards the end of the fourth round, a flurry of elbows from Silva opened up a nasty cut on Sonnen's eyebrow, and, even though Sonnen was far ahead, he looked far worse than Silva when they went to the final round. Sonnen was so far ahead at the start of the fifth round than Silva needed a finish to keep the belt. Silva finally was able to land a significant enough elbow from the bottom to slide his legs into a triangle choke. When Sonnen adjusted for the triangle, he gave his arm up, which Silva gladly locked onto, forcing a tap and keeping his belt.

Unfortunately for Sonnen, his MMA experience has been like Groundhog Day. He has been submitted so often from a dominant position that it's almost expected at this point. An MMA promotion can go a long time and not get a fight like last night, so one would expect Silva-Sonnen 2 within six months. For Anderson Silva, he earned a respect and admiration in victory that wouldn't have come without the public seeing him as less than invincible. At age 35, we may have already seen the best he has to offer.

I would imagine we will see the Sonnen rematch, a fight with Vitor Belfort, and possibly one with Jake Shields before Silva hangs it up. The longest win streak in the history of the UFC survived for a while longer. And the UFC continues to deliver in ways that most other sports, even combat sports, can not.

On my way to watch UFC 117

Sometime tonight or early tomorrow I will have a recap of tonight's festivities in Oakland, where the highly irritating Chael Sonnen tries to become champ in a loaded card at UFC 117. I'm on my way out to watch. Until then...

Training Camp begins...without Revis?

By all accounts, it appears that Darrelle Revis intends to miss the start of training camp, risking the $20 million in guarantees he has left on his current deal. With the premier of Hard Knocks less than 2 weeks away, this storyline is sure to dominate the show.

I have a confession to make...I fucking hate talking about contracts. They are the easily the most boring aspect of pro sports. I don't know who is right in this scenario, and I don't care. The facts (or as close as I can estimate) are that, from the Jets' point of view, Revis held out for a deal his rookie year, and now that his base pay is low for this season (which he wanted, a front-loaded deal), he wants more money. He has three years left on a deal that he wanted so badly, he held out for it. And now it's not good enough.

From Revis' point of view, he's set to make a base salary of $1 million a year, and, since he's the best player on the best defense, he deserves to make more than the highest-paid player at his position, who makes about $15 million a season. After witnessing the horrifying injury that former Jet Leon Washington suffered last year, it doesn't serve Revis to perform for such a low amount of money, with no further guarantees. Plus, GM Mike Tannenbaum promised him a new deal, and if the Jets can't guarantee the new contract against injury and skill (which they can't within the rules set in place in the absence of a cap), then they need to pay him a lump sum to keep him happy.

Can the Jets do that? Sure, they can pay him a lump sum bonus to try to make him happy, but I doubt they will. Owner Woody Johnson and Tannenbaum don't want to set a precedent with the other Jets who are unhappy, and they feel like if Revis can do this to them now, what happens if the team wins a championship? Can't the whole team hold them hostage the same way?

The 400 lb. gorilla in the room is the Jets cash flow position currently. There is plenty of speculation that the Jets currently lack the resources to pay a lump sum to Revis, given the fact that they've just built an enormous new stadium and have yet to sell all of the PSLs that they thought would go like hotcakes. Perhaps there isn't enough in the till to fork over a huge bonus currently.

Where do I stand? Normally I'm on the side of the player in situations like this, since they assume so much risk just lacing them up every week. I think Revis is picking the wrong time to make this stand, and he's going to do irreparable damage with a portion of the fan base that wants players to honor their contracts, regardless. All I care about is the well being of the team. If Revis does anything to screw this season up, I'll be pissed, and I won't be alone.

I'm not like most football fans my age (and younger). Most of the fans in my age group are going to spend countless hours over the next few weeks analyzing every preview magazine and website they can get their hands on for an edge in their fantasy football draft, which will happen sometime in the next month.

I don't play fantasy football.

In fact, the idea of rooting for the Bears' third WR to have over 55 yards receiving this week so I can win a "matchup" with another couch potato doesn't interest me in the least, and runs contrary to everything that football is supposed to be about. I could just see myself having to draft Wes Welker or Brandon Marshall, or another skill position player on a rival team, then rooting for that player to perform, against the best interests of the Jets.

I don't need fantasy football to make the game more interesting to me. I almost feel bad for the guys (and girls) that do. There is plenty happening every Sunday in the fall to hold your interest if you like football without having to play make-believe GM with 9 other people.

Because I give my full attention to a real team as opposed to a fantasy team, perhaps I have more invested in this situation than most. If it goes bad, as it has before, there is no rooting interest in place to take my mind off of the disappointment.

I hope Revis shows up for camp today at 5:30 pm, so he's not technically a hold-out, but I'm not holding my breath. Like most Jet fans, I just hope the situation works itself out before it becomes yet another distraction for the 2010 team.

RIP Jack Tatum

There was sad news earlier this week as Raider legend Jack Tatum passed away from a heart attack at age 61. Tatum had worked for the NFL in recent years as part of the "fashion police", the group comprised mostly of ex-NFL players who enforce the uniform dress code on Sundays, which results in fines against players who don't conform to standards.

Tatum is mostly known for his hit on Patriot WR Darryl Stingley in 1978 that left Stingley paralyzed for the rest of his life. Although the hit was clean and there were no fines or suspensions as a result of the hit, Tatum became synonymous with violence in pro football, and was never given the consideration he should have received for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In Tatum's autobiography, They Call Me Assassin, Tatum told a story of being turned away at the hospital when he went to visit Stingley after the incident, and never returning. To this day, many of Stingley's teammates are still angry with Tatum. Ex-Patriot QB Steve Grogan even went on the radio to blast Tatum this week (classy!).

The young fan of today's NFL has a tendency to overrate today's player, while ignoring the contributions of past greats to the game. Jack Tatum is never going to receive the credit he deserves as one of the best free safeties of the seventies, and well as a cornerstone of one the best franchises of that period. The seventies Raider teams were excellent in the secondary, and Tatum had as much to do with that as anyone else, including Hall of Fame CB Willie Brown.

It's not easy to be remembered for your worst moment, no matter what it is. I'll always try to remember Tatum as a devastating hitter and a winner.

Ryan and Tannenbaum extended...Revis talks begin again

More good news from Jets HQ yesterday as Woody Johnson signed head coach Rex Ryan to a 2-year extension and re-signed GM Mike Tannenbaum to a 5-year contract, which means that the brain trust of the franchise is under contract until 2014. In addition, the Jets have once again started negotiating with their best player, CB Darrelle Revis, on a new contract. If the Jets and Revis are unable to come to terms on a long term deal before the start of training camp tomorrow, the hope is that they can increase the $1 million base salary that he is to receive this season as a stop-gap measure until after the season. Hopefully, a new deal or an increased base salary for this season will satisfy Revis enough to bring him to training camp on time.

It's an unusual time to be a Jets fan, if for no other reason than the fact that some portion of the fan base is typically dissatisfied with the front office. In my three decades of following the team, only the brief reign of Bill Parcells in the late nineties provided the same piece of mind. You can make a pretty good argument that the fan base feels better now than we did then, only because there was always the feeling that Parcells was only going to be with the club for a minute (which was fairly accurate, as he recorded 3 years as coach and 4 as GM).

Parcells was like the sports equivalent of your first pretty girlfriend, meaning that he was fun to call your own, but it was only a matter of time before he got a better offer and left you. Since he left New York after the 2000 season, he had a similar tryst with the Cowboys before settling in Miami. I don't think any Jets fan feels like the Ryan/Tannenbaum combo is going to leave for another team. They have both shown a commitment to make the organization a place that players want to play and coaches want to coach, a dream destination. They have the full confidence of the fan base, for the foreseeable future.

The Media Finds A Narrative

Sports is truly the toy department of life. Anyone who is fortunate enough to find their livelihood from the world of sports should understand this right off the bat.

Sports media is just like the media at large, only that they are fortunate enough to be covering events that don't carry the same gravity as terrorism, or war, or our crumbling infrastructure. We shouldn't seem surprised when the same pitfalls occur in sports media as occur in the media at large.

One of the most popular trends in the news media today is for a storyline to be created, then parroted by all of the other voices in media. The most expensive undertaking for a news organization is investigation, because it requires significant overhead, and because it often doesn't yield results. Both government and corporations have found that they can publish news releases and have the media reprint them verbatim, because it's cheap and easy.

Once one news organization has constructed a perspective, you will find other news organizations copying that perspective. Why? Well, what's easier than taking someone else's idea and trying to make it your own? It's the new national pastime.

What does this have to do with the Jets? The popular refrain over the last few days is that the Jets have a little too much hype and a few too many questionable character guys to succeed. This was actually the narrative I was expecting, and I would imagine that Rex Ryan and company should have been expecting the same thing. In a 24-hour timeframe several days ago, there was the Mike Lombardi Kentucky analogy, followed by a Colin Cowherd show where he wasn't "buying" the Jets, followed by Bill Simmons saying that this season had "6-10 disappointment written all over it."

Being a sports fan in 2010 means that you must maintain an uneasy alliance with ESPN, for better or worse. Whether you like it or not, the ESPN brand is omnipresent, and simply getting sports news and programming requires you to be exposed to however they want to spin the sports world to you. Too often, both their on-air and online talent takes their exposure as something of an endorsement. Colin Cowherd actually encourages groupthink (are you in the herd?). Bill Simmons has taken his regional bias and made a cottage industry out of it.

As a sports fan, as long as you take these talking hair-dos for what they are, they are relatively harmless. Cowherd and Simmons are possessed of no special knowledge about sports above the level of a fan. As a matter of fact, I'm still waiting for any bit of expertise about anything from Cowherd. At least Bill Simmons has some grasp of the NBA salary cap for the purpose of transactions. Neither one is going to give you an actual "football" reason as to why they have an opinion about your team. Simmons is normally just left with comedy, telling us that the reason that Peyton Manning doesn't succeed is because of a face he's making. I wish I was kidding.

I don't blame these guys. Most sports fans would like to be compensated for the endless hours we spend engrossed in our interests. You're only a fool if you expect any of these personalities to provide you with an actual insight, which they're not capable of. Mike Lombardi should do better, though. He's an actual ex-front office employee. He should be able to provide me with a "football" reason as to why the Jets won't succeed in 2010. If I want a strained analogy about Kentucky basketball, I'll read Bill Simmons or listen to Colin Cowherd. And, trust me, I don't want a strained analogy, and neither do a lot of fans like me. We know enough football to handle the truth, even if the personalities in the media don't.

The fact of the matter is, most of the Jets fans I read online haven't put all of their eggs in the 2010 basket. The Jets have a solid core of talent around age 25 (Mark Sanchez, Shonn Greene, Nick Mangold, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, David Harris, Darrelle Revis, etc.) and if the moves that GM Mike Tannenbaum made in the offseason don't pan out, this team will be built for the next few years as well. There's no need to panic. I've been waiting for thirty-three years, and if I have to wait one or two more, I think I'll live.

We're #4! We're #4! We're #4!

The NFL Network has been counting down the 32 teams from #32 to #1 over the last month, devoting about a 10-minute segment on their nightly show, Total Access Live. This ranking was determined by a vote of the fans, so it's more of a gauge of how the rest of the football-viewing public views your team. As we progressed through the league's teams starting at #32, I expected the Jets to be considered a top 10 team through a combination of how we finished the season and the acquisitions that were made to improve the club.

The Jets finished 2009 at 9-7. Down the stretch in December and January, they played their best football of the season, and were also fortunate to close the season with two opponents that didn't share the same incentive to perform. The Colts rested their starters in the 3rd quarter of their game with the Jets, and the Jets rallied from behind to win. The Bengals followed with a half-hearted effort the following week, and the Jets rode the momentum all the way to the AFC Title game.

So, there's reason enough to be excited by my team's prospects for 2010. The fans of the NFL Network agreed and ranked the Jets at #4 entering 2010. For the teams within several spots of the Jets, the experts on set provided clear football-based reasons why they agreed or disagreed with the fan assessments.

But, when the Jets were up, the NFL Network's Michael Lombardi and Solomon Wilcots spent the 10-minute segment blasting the Jets selection. Both of these "insiders" claimed that there are too many character risks on the Jets team, too many guys with a "me-first" attitude that won't buy in to the team message when it's time to lace them up.

Lombardi wrote, "New York Jets: If Denver reminds me of Butler University, then the Jets remind me of the University of Kentucky. The Jets, like the Wildcats, are extremely talented, with many different egos who might only play together for one year and have the potential to explode at any point during the season. Jets coach Rex Ryan and Kentucky coach John Calipari might not look the same, but they both are master motivators and recruiters who don't mind handling an eclectic collection of players. The question you must ask yourself about the Jets is the same one you ask about Kentucky when you fill out the office pool in March -- can they get past the Sweet 16? I never have Kentucky in my Final Four, so I cannot put the Jets there."

While I don't begrudge Lombardi his opinion on the Jets, I beg to differ with his methodology. The Kentucky analogy is strained, simply because while the acquisitions the Jets made in the offseason may be around for only one season for cap reasons, there really isn't much of a question as to whether or not the guys the Jets signed can actually play. What will determine future success in the NFL for new Jets like Antonio Cromartie and Santonio Holmes are not the numbers they put up, but rather how well they fit into the team concepts the Jets have developed under Rex Ryan.

And Mike Tannenbaum understands that completely.

The Jets risked very little to get Cromartie, Holmes, or vets like Ladainian Tomlinson and Jason Taylor. As a rule, it isn't the risks your team takes, but rather the price they have to pay for the risk. There's a reason why most teams shy away from top-10 draft picks. If you swing and miss at the top of the draft, the price you pay for that miss is tremendous, as you now have a huge contract on your books and you're getting very little in value for your money. Tannenbaum knew that he could go after the pieces he required, and, if the pieces didn't pan out, the Jets weren't stuck with a big contract or a missing high value draft pick.

If the Jets have a successful year, win 10+games and make a deep run in January (and hopefully February), and Holmes, Cromartie, and the rest of the acquisitions are productive players, then all of the new Jets will reap the financial reward, regardless of the individual numbers. Taylor and Tomlinson only need to be efficient, neither is being called upon to play full-time, or carry the load at their position. Cromarite and Holmes only need to fit in, stay out of trouble, and play like the rest of the league knows they can. I'm sorry, I don't see how these goals run contrary to the goals of the team at large.

From my seat, as objectively as I am capable of being about my beloved Jets, the front office took a 9-7 team that made a run and significantly upgraded several positions at very little risk. The only positions that the Jets turned over that may under-perform are left guard and kicker.

Letting Jay Feely go was necessary for the Taylor signing, as the Jets had to give up a free agent to sign one thanks to the "Final Four" rules the league adopted for the offseason. Nick Folk is a question mark, but if Taylor is productive in this scheme, the front office has done the right thing. As for Alan Faneca, his pass production was slipping quickly, so it's misleading to simply refer to past Pro Bowl appearances. If second-round pick Vladimir Ducasse performs well quickly, left guard won't be thought of as a downgraded position.

The rest of the moves the front office has made are significant upgrades. The normal caveat for health aside, the Jets should be a much better team in 2010. The coaching staff, especially Rex Ryan, welcome the pressure of expectations according to all of the media exposure they've courted in the offseason.

Anyone who has followed the Jets for any length of time is fully aware of the myriad of disappointments inflicted upon the fan base, but I think, at least if the fan sites are indicative of our collective mind set, we all feel pretty good about our chances. The players report this weekend for training camp. I think we're ready.

Camp Franchez

If the 2010 season turns out the way I hope it does, I plan to combine the words "Sanchez" and "franchise" in as many irritating ways as possible. The good news for the Jets this week was that their young quarterback, Mark Sanchez, has paid to fly all of the skill position players to California to work on the passing game. Sanchez had offseason knee surgery and missed all of the team's minicamps, which means he missed valuable time working with his receiving corps in the offseason.

If this was 1975 and the Jets had a 6 to 8 week training camp, it wouldn't matter as much as it does in the 2 week camp world of 2010. Sanchez obviously felt the team would be better served by getting in this extra work. Although Sanchez looked awful at times last year, I am confident that he's the right guy for this team, now and into the future.

I also can't help but feel great about having my team's young QB, who is fast becoming a darling of Page Six and the back page, also be one of the team's hardest workers and most conscientious players. It's not easy playing in New York for a young guy, especially when he's going to make the mistakes that every young player at his position makes. Sanchez took a lot of heat during the regular season, but he was poised in the postseason and played his best football. His regular season numbers were poor, but most of the mistakes came in a few games. He threw 15 of his 20 interceptions in just 4 games, spacing the other 5 picks over the remaining 11 games (he missed a game due to injury).

Sanchez has said that he'd like to keep his interception total in the single digits. If he accomplishes that goal and plays 16 games, the Jets will be in excellent shape in 2010.

RIP Sheppard and Steinbrenner

Unlike most fans of the New York Mets, I am not a Yankee hater. In fact, ever since I left New York City in 2001, I find myself pulling for the Yanks if the Mets aren't involved. I know this is blasphemy to most Mets fans, but so be it. I like it when my town gets to celebrate, especially after all it's been through.

I have always enjoyed taking trips to Yankee Stadium, because of the history of the place (the old place) and because baseball is really enjoyable in person and amazingly boring in every other form. Anyone who had the opportunity to visit Yankee Stadium prior to 2007 left remembering the voice of the public address announcer, Bob Sheppard. Sheppard died last Sunday at the age of 99. He will be missed by anyone who enjoyed the element of class he added to Yankee games, especially when there was little else classy about the South Bronx during much of his tenure. In an age of PA announcers who engage in a relentless act of self promotion (think Stu Scott on crystal meth and cappuccino), there was something haunting and beautiful about, "Now batting...the shortstop...#2...Derek...Jeter...#2". Just simple and straightforward.

Apparently Sheppard enjoyed reading books between hitters and sprinting for the exits once the Chairman of the Board started letting everyone know about the city that doesn't sleep. I would think he's the most famous speech teacher ever at St. John's.

As for The Boss, has anyone ever had such a perception transformation at the end of their life, outside of Ebenezer Scrooge? Just think how different George Steinbrenner's obituary would have read if he had died in 1995 instead of 2010. Luckily for him, he finally figured out how to handle the baseball side of his operation towards the end of his life, and, as a result, is remembered much more for who he became, rather than for who he was.

Steinbrenner exists as Exhibit A to one of the most true maxims you will ever hear, which is that no one wants to tell the rich guy to shut up. Steinbrenner purchased the Yankees in 1973 for about $8 million, and began running them almost instantly as if his hair was on fire. He had the mentality and background of a football coach, and never seemed to come to terms with losing, which is awfully hard for a sport where the best teams lose about 60 times a year. He arrived just in time to exploit the new free agency rules, and within 4 seasons had the Yanks in the World Series again after more than a decade out of contention.

His main problem at the beginning of his tenure is that he seemed to think he knew everything there was to know about baseball, and that he could buy a championship at any time without building the necessary foundation for success. The great Roger Angell once said (and I'm totally paraphrasing) that when he went to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees in the 80s, he felt like he wasn't watching the Yankee players on the field, but rather Steinbrenner's shadow, hovering over everything.

After his 3-year banishment from baseball for hiring a gambler to dig up dirt about Dave Winfield, he came back to the Bronx and embarked on a period of success that is as impressive as any other today in sports. The Yankees have won 5 championships in the last 15 years, the franchise is worth about $1.5 billion, and they're in a position to contend ad infinitum. The main reason for this (outside of the pure dollars) is that he finally realized that perhaps he should let his baseball people run the baseball team. Easy as pie.

I've always felt that any fan of a New York team secretly wishes that his sport operated under baseball's financial rules, where you can spend until your heart's content. New Yorkers pay more taxes, more for a loaf of bread, have to deal with endless traffic and congestion...why shouldn't we enjoy a built-in advantage of a big market when we have to pay the price in so many other ways? I wouldn't feel that a Super Bowl trophy would be less legitimate if we didn't have to deal with a salary cap, or if we actually got to take advantage of the fact that we have one of the wealthiest owners in sports. It hasn't cheapened the Yankees titles, why would it cheapen ours?

I recognize that the NFL's brand of all-for-one, one-for-all is better for the long term health of the game, but the Jets fan in me hates it. Just being honest, baby.

Anyway, I think most sports fans would have enjoyed having Steinbrenner in charge, if only because he always put winning first, no matter the cost. As a fan, you can't ask for anything more than that, knowing that the guy in charge is not looking purely at the bottom line, and wants to win as much as you do.

Luckily for Yankee fans, Hank Steinbrenner seems to have the same priorities as his father. And luckily for New York sports fans, he seems to enjoy owning the back pages of the tabloids and suffers from the same lack of a filter when addressing the media. So, the future should be interesting enough for both of us.

The Future Champion at 170

Although only 9 years old, Antares Porter of the Tang Soo Do Karate School has exhibited the quickness, form, and heart of a rare few in the world of martial arts. Porter is dedicated to the mastery of his craft, both as sport and art as he quickly rises through the ranks at his local school.

Those in the know see superstardom for this young student, as he is on pace to contend for belts in the UFC by 2025. Everyone who witnessed his display in his most recent testing session agrees that there is a lot to look forward to from this young phenom in the near future.

A Final Word on The Decision

It's nice to be back sleeping in my own bed after 8 days away from home. I believe that the air mattress was created for people who are less than 100 lbs.

I'm glad, now that the whole LeBron debacle has ended, we can put the NBA to rest for the next several months. In the words of the brilliant and funny Jason Washington, when considering the NBA once the football season ends, "Is this what we're reduced to?"

When you take a step back from the LeBron situation, it begins to make a lot more sense, and, when you consider LeBron's career path, his decision is a clear window into who he is as a pro and as a person.

Few people in the history of sports (or any other endeavor, for that matter) have led as charmed an existence as the self-proclaimed "Chosen One". LeBron has been one of the most famous basketball players in the country since he was a junior in high school, when he petitioned the NBA to be draft eligible before he had graduated high school. He has been celebrated as a superior player to all of his peers, and many of the legends of the game, even before he had an opportunity to develop. James was embraced as someone who combined the best parts of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, someone who could create his own shot from anywhere on the floor, but also possessed the court vision to make everyone around him better.

To give LeBron full credit, he is one of the best athletes I've ever seen, and, in my opinion, the best athlete in the history of the NBA. The only combination of size and speed that I would compare to LeBron would be Bo Jackson, who also was in the category of "force of nature". Because LeBron came to the NBA fresh out of high school to a terrible Cleveland team, any hiccup in his development was excusable. The most familiar refrain for LeBron was, "When he develops a mid-range game, look out!" It was almost an after thought that he would care enough about his legacy as a player to become as great as possible. Once Cleveland put the players around him, James would start to win titles, and there would be no stopping him.

A funny thing happened on the way to immortality. LeBron never produced the titles or developed the varied offensive game necessary to win in the postseason. When the chips were down, LeBron had to barrel to the basket hoping to draw fouls, or pass off to less talented teammates and hope they produced. After flaming out in six games to the Celtics in 2010, LeBron James got a taste of something different.

Criticism. Lots of it.

LeBron had spent 7 years as emcee of his own sideshow with the Cavs, immune from the normal pressures of other athletes. He would choreograph elaborate skits for his teammates to perform before the game, always letting the crowd know that it was about fun to him. When he was booed in the second half of his poor performance in Game 5 of the Boston series, for the first time as a pro, he was being held responsible for what he wasn't, which was an outstanding athlete, but far from a complete player.

The Cavs front office went out of their way to make LeBron and his loyal entourage as comfortable as possible. This meant constructing their practice facility as close to James' residence as possible, employing some of his friends within the organization, and acquiescing anytime they had another opportunity to prove to him how important he was. It's been a charmed life in Cleveland for LeBron. Cleveland invested in LeBron, hoping it would pay off with championships. Part of getting the perks of stardom is shouldering the responsibility when it goes bad. If LeBron's choice revealed anything, it was that he really doesn't want any part of that responsibility.

LeBron's a free agent, meaning that he's earned the right to go wherever he pleases. This is part of the collective bargaining agreement that his predecessors earned, and I don't begrudge him his choice. I always felt that Chicago was the best fit for LeBron. The Bulls need someone like LeBron, they have all of the other pieces to win it all. What they need is an alpha male besides their point guard, the outstanding Derrick Rose. But, choosing Chicago (or New York, New Jersey, or anyplace else) would have meant taking responsibility for success or failure. And LeBron wants no part of that responsibility.

Choosing Miami meant that LeBron could play second banana to Miami's BMOC, Dwayne Wade. Wade owns Miami, already a champion from the 2006 Heat. Whatever the new crew in Miami accomplishes, LeBron will have one less than Wade. And he's fine with that. We're used to our NBA greats wanting their own team, so when it gets to be nut-cutting time, there's no doubt as to who's in charge. James' decision is such a departure from that way of thinking. Maybe future players in this position will go the same route. Whatever he achieves in Miami, it will go with the caveat of choosing to be Dwayne Wade's backup dancer, so he will never get to the level of a Jordan, or even a Kobe. And that's OK. Not everyone is meant to be "King".

As to how this relates to Darrelle Revis, Will Leitch had a great article about how the whole ESPN show about LeBron made him feel stupid to be a sports fan, and a lot of what he had to say rings true for me. It was funny to hear Revis' rumored threat to hold-out a few days ago (since denied, by the way), and the reaction of fans to that threat on fan sites like theganggreen.com. Whether the fans knew it or not, the ones that root for both the Jets and the Knicks seemed browbeaten enough that they no longer gave a shit. There were several that said, "Fuck him, we can get 2 first rounders for him." All it takes are a few disappointments and fans begin to wonder why we bother in the first place. The players don't share the feelings we do, as much as we'd like them to.

Anyway, this should be it for the NBA for awhile, thankfully. David Stern got what he deserved when he chose to promote the player and not the game, which is a sport made up almost entirely of divas. With each new autumn comes more of a team game, whether it's football or fútbol. It will be here soon enough.

The last day

The last day of my vacation is upon me, and I am taking every last opportunity to catch as many waves as possible. A little later today I plan to weigh in a final note on LeBron LeBreaking the hearts of Cleveland, and a possible Revis hold-out, and how the two may even be connected, at least in the hearts and minds of New York sports fans. Until then, here's a little sign you encounter as you enter Mexico. Enjoy your Saturday afternoon!

More LeBron

Our long national nightmare will end this evening as it appears that LeBron is going to LeCop out and choose Miami, thereby making him the world's most famous second banana to D. Wade. Taking this path will ensure that he will always be a rung below Wade, so having the largest brand in the NBA must not be that important to him. I'm still not even sure that LeBron/Wade/Bosh and 9 guys from the YMCA are the team to beat next year in the NBA.

As for all my snarkery, should James choose the Knicks, all bets are off, and LeBron becomes the greatest player of all time. EVER!

One down, three to go

The Jets took the first step towards handling their most serious contract issues yesterday by signing D'Brickashaw Ferguson to a six-year, $60 million extension. The new deal features $34.8 million in guarantees, which is a record total for an offensive lineman.

Ferguson is one of the four Jets who are most mentioned for new deals this offseason. I am a firm believer that one of the most important aspects of successful offense in the NFL is offensive line continuity. Every assignment that an O-line has is a group assignment, and the familiarity of having the same five guys up front year after year is a comfort few teams can afford in the modern era. While the left tackle position isn't as important as it was in the days of mostly seven-step drops while the defense was always lining up their best pass rusher at right end (the QBs blind side if he's right handed), it's still the most important position on the offensive line, and Ferguson has established himself as one of the top 5 (or so) tackles in the league.

As to why Ferguson was first, instead of Mangold or Harris (or even Revis), I would imagine it has something to do with how well the market is established for left tackles. If the Jets had their way, Revis would have been first, especially since he's been the squeaky wheel this offseason. But, given the uncertainty of the collective bargaining agreement and Revis' willingness to wait until he's bowled over with a huge offer, Revis may wind up playing the waiting game for the dollars he feels he deserves.

If I were a betting man, I would think that Mangold would be next. Mangold may already be the league's best center, and he's shown a willingness to discuss his contract situation openly. From a PR perspective, signing Mangold quickly would further demonstrate the front office's willingness to spend to ensure future success.

I don't want to wish the summer away (especially considering some of the waves I've caught the last few days), but I wish we were kicking the season off tomorrow. This is easily the most anxious I've been to see a new Jets team since 1999. We need not revisit how that turned out.

Drama King

This just in...LeBron James has announced that he will reveal his new team in a primetime special on ESPN beginning at 9 pm EST on Thursday. The star-studded show will feature a swimsuit competition for the prospective GMs and a rose presentation to close the show, with the winning suitor getting a special pink rose and the reward of having James' entourage run the team for the next 5 years. Be sure to tune in !!!!

What Would Revis Do?

In an offseason full of roster turnover and great expectations, perhaps the biggest story of the offseason for the Jets has been the ongoing contract negotiations for Darrelle Revis.

The Jets moved up to take Darrelle Revis in the 2007 NFL draft, and he has become the cornerstone of the best defense in football in just 3 seasons. Revis allows the Jets to play man-to-man on the best receivers in the game, while freeing up the rest of the secondary to play zone coverage on the other side of the field. There are several corners in the NFL who have this ability, however, none of them cover the other team's best receiver exclusively (most remain on one side of the field), and no one has had the kind of success that Revis enjoyed in 2009, at least since the rules have changed to penalize virtually all incidental contact as illegal contact.

If the Jets are at fault, it's that they promised Revis a new deal, then spent the better part of a year telling anyone and everyone that Revis was the best defensive player in football. When Revis came to collect, he wasn't going to settle for less money than Oakland Raider CB Nnamdi Asomugha, even if Asomugha's deal from the Crypt Keeper (the nearly-fossilized Al Davis) was ridiculous (3 years, approximately $45 million). Revis hasn't seemed willing to compromise off of his desire to be the highest paid corner in the game, even though the Jets face potential problems re-signing many of their key guys (C Nick Mangold, LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson, and MLB David Harris, to name a few), and with no idea if there will be a salary cap in 2011, and what that cap would be if there is one in place. Also, there is 3 years remaining on the contract Revis signed coming out of college, a contract he held out for 3 years ago.

Like most conflicts that involve money, there is plenty of blame to go around. Hopefully, both Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum have learned a lesson about how to discuss their own players to the media. If you run around telling anyone who will listen just how special your players are, there's probably a pretty good chance that player is going to use those words against you in re-negotiation. From Revis' perspective, he may want to take into account his teammates who are in the last year of an expiring deal in this situation. I know that football is every man for himself 99 times out of 100 when you are bargaining for a deal, but the Jets have a chance to contend with their core group for years to come, and if any of the other potential free agents have to leave New York so that Revis can stay, well, let's just say that the fans will remember just how selfish he chooses to be.

I don't think you would be able to find any Jet fans who want to see Revis in a different uniform as long as he's in the NFL. He has a chance to be the best player in the history of the franchise if he's able to maintain what he's started with New York. There are still financial incentives available to players in the largest media market, incentives that are exclusive to the tri-state area. Just ask any former champion from a New York City team how much income they are able to generate after they hang it up as part of the sports history of the city.

As far as the New York's front office is concerned, they must handle this deal the right way, because it will have long term ramifications if they blow it. The Jets are already fighting the perception that their word isn't worth anything, as several ex-Jets who were promised deals from the front office were left with nothing, namely Chris Baker and Pete Kendall. The Jets fan base wants to see the kind of commitment from their front office that serious contenders undertake every year, especially right after requiring PSL money from a large portion of their season ticket holders to help finance their new stadium. Hopefully, this contract situation will be resolved before the start of the season. A slow start in September has a tendency to bring unresolved contract issues back into the media. With a fair share of distractions already on the agenda for 2010, beginning with the Hard Knocks series on HBO, the Jets can ill afford anything else that can disrupt their plans for a deep run in January.