Details Matter

By now I am sure many of you have heard about the incident with the New York Jets where a very attractive female reporter, Ines Sainz was said to have been harassed by the players and in at least one instance assisted in their shenanigans by a coach or coaches. There have been a bunch of stories written about the incident itself and if that wasn't enough there was the whole Clinton Portis "foot in mouth" moment that also drew a lot of attention.

Both incidents have sparked quite a few debates about what is appropriate or inappropriate when it comes to women in the NFL locker rooms reporting on the sport. But here is something that has been bugging me ever since I saw the first reports of the initial incidents on twitter, it doesn't seem that we really know exactly what happened that day at the Jets facility.

Oh there have been many many reports on what happened. But what did they actually tell us? Maybe the one part of the story that is consistent is that some footballs were thrown to players in Sainz's direction so that they could get a better look. But even that reporting has been muddled as some portray it as the players getting really close to Sainz and perhaps even making contact with her while others say they were just close to her. I will get to Sainz's own account later on which it seems most people have paid the lowest amount of attention to. But for now lets stay focused on the reports.

So maybe the players made contact with her, maybe they didn't. If they did then obviously they not only harassed her but by definition also assaulted her. But what if they didn't make physical contact? What if they on came maybe within arms length or maybe even further? Does that qualify as harassment? Decidedly dumb yes, but is it something you would find highly objectionable just on its face?

Hold that thought.

The part of this story that bugged me the most was that from the get go it was inferred that players verbally harassed Sainz in some kind of a sexual manner. But then nobody ever came out and reported what these players had allegedly said. Here's a sample.

Jets head coach Rex Ryan, one of his assistants and some of the team's players are being probed for unsportsman like conduct against a sexy female reporter after they allegedly pestered her with goofy, on-field antics and locker-room catcalls.

NY Post

Ines Sainz, who works for the Mexican network, said she was uncomfortable Saturday in the Jets' locker room, where a few players let loose with some catcalls as she waited with two male co-workers to interview quarterback Mark Sanchez, who is of Mexican descent.

The AP

Later, in the locker room, Mexico’s hottest sports reporter found herself the object of catcalls.

FoxSports

And once Sainz was in the locker room, the players allegedly ogled her, and some used inappropriate language.

ESPN

So reportedly there were "cat calls" and or "inappropriate language" directed at Sainz. But you can search high and low and you won't find any reports on what those cat calls or the inappropriate language consisted off. The closest you get is the report that Jets nosetackle Kris Jenkins yelled "This is our locker room!" but that is about it.

I am definitely not saying that the cat calls or inappropriate language didn't happen. I don't know because I wasn't there. But its very curious to me that nobody has come forth with the details of what was said with as big as this story has become.

Now maybe its just me but I actually think this is a big part of the story. Were players trying to humiliate Sainz? Were they trying to flirt with her? Propositioning her? Totally disrespecting her both as a woman and a journalist?

Or for that matter where they even talking to her at all?

Here's the thing, Ines Sainz says she didn't hear anything.

Yep, you heard me right. She said she didn't hear anything.

But don't take my word for her, listen to her in her own words.



Allow me to state, for the record, that the host was a certified asshole to Ms Sainz about her outfit and I don't condone that at all.

But what she said in the interview makes a hell of a lot of difference to me. First and foremost, she wasn't the person who made the complain. Instead some other journalist did. And because the New York Post was the first out of the gate with the story it likely was reported by them and they obviously don't have the best reputation for honesty. Secondly Ms Sainz says she did not feel harassed or hear any cat calls.

But she did say in the interview that she didn't hear everything said about her - and apparently several other members of the media took the interactions much more seriously. She added perhaps they heard something she hadn't.

“I was surprised to wake up on Sunday and have a call from the NFL , saying that they wanted to talk to me about what had happened at the Jets; and I asked… what happened?" Sainz told TV Azteca.

Think about that last line for a moment. She was so unconcerned with whatever happened at the practice just the previous day that she had no clue what the NFL people were talking about when they called her. And by the end of the interview she puts any responsibility for the story being a story at all to her "colleagues" in the media that reported the incident and who heard a bunch of things she evidently didn't.

So what I would love is for those folks who reported the incident to come out and tell everyone what was said. I don't have any tolerance for guys being assholes towards women but at the same time there has to be some evidence that somebody actually WAS being an asshole toward this woman. She doesn't seem to think they were harassing her so its time for the folks who did to stand up and put them on blast.

And if they can't do that then somebody needs to recant. As I said to some well meaning folks on twitter I'm just not going to be moved to outrage if the only thing the players did was catch a few footballs close to her area. I have seen the pictures of what she had on and while it wouldn't justify someone harassing her, if you are a man with any life left in you I would think you would be hard pressed not to at least sneak a few peeks.

But if that is truly all that happened what exactly am I supposed to be outraged about? And for that matter why are there investigations now initiated by the NFL? Was it the smartest thing in the world to throw footballs close by Ms Sainz? Absolutely not. Would I expect anybody to qualify that in and of itself as harassment? Absolutely not.

Especially when the person who was having footballs thrown their way DIDN'T take it as harassment.

I assume that this story will die off pretty soon or at least that's my hope. I say that its my hope because I don't like seeing negative stories about the NFL making the headlines and at this point I don't think there is much else to the story. But if people are going to keep reporting on the story and making the allegation that something inappropriate was said, then in my opinion they should dig deep enough to find out exact quotations. If not this story never should have reached the magnitude that it did even from he very start.

The Worm's About To Turn On Revis

It always amuses me the way fans back NFL ownership in contract disputes.  They always talk about the sanctity of contracts even though NFL owners can tear them up or trade them away at any moment.  They talk about character but only when the conversation involves the player.  They talk about loyalty from the player but business decisions from ownership.

Its just amazing to me to hear the abject hypocrisy at times. 

I know most of these same folks want to be paid what they are worth at their jobs.  I also know when they don't, most of them send out resumes to try to get another job where they WILL get paid what they are worth.  But NFL players don't have that luxury.  Free agency isn't really all that free.  See once they sign on to the dotted line we are at the mercy of ownership.  At any given time, even when they are hurt, ownership can decide their services are no longer wanted or needed and cut them.  But when a guy has gone above and beyond a contract ownership doesn't have to do anything except demand that they keep playing for the pay they signed on for.

Just about the only recourse for NFL players is to hold out and show the team how much they need him.  Now holding out doesn't always work out, but what else can a player really do to compel a team to do the right thing?

Not much.

And don't hold your breath waiting on teams to do the right thing without any pressure.  That's not how most rich guys got rich in the first place.

Which brings me to the case of Darrelle Revis, he of "Revis Island".  Last year Revis had one of the most dominating seasons from a defensive back that the NFL has ever seen.  Week after week he was matched up on the opposing team's leading receiver and he just every one of them down.  Many people, including his head coach and GM felt he should have been awarded the Defensive MVP in fact for his performance.

And he's scheduled to make $1 million dollars this year.

Now I understand that for most people $1 million dollars is a lot of money.  But in the world of starting cornerbacks in the NFL, especially the top ones, its relative chump change.

Of course I understand that he also got a signing bonus as a rookie so that $1 million is actually more than that averaged out.  But still, a guy with those kinds of skills should be makinig more than that.  Period.  If you don't agree then you can probably stop reading because this is something that should be universally recognized as the truth.

Up until this point most fans HAVE agreed with that assessment.  In fact I bet if you asked, before yesterday that is, if Revis should get a raise the overwhelming response would be a resounding yes.  But yesterday changed things.  It shouldn't have but it did.  And its all so predictable.

What happenned yesterday?

Well the Jets' owner Woody Johnson along with their GM Mike Tannenbaum, in what looked like a scripted interview, proclaimed that with Revis' contract demands they didn't see him playing for the Jets this year.

And you could hear the collective pearl clutching of fans in the north east. 

So now today I've noticed, particularly on twitter, Jets fans slowly but surely turning on Revis.  He's starting to be described as "selfish" or "dumb" or "crazy".  All because he wants to be paid what he's worth.

But the rationale is the part that gets me the most.  These fans are mad most of all because of how much Revis brings to the team.  I saw one guy state that the Jets will contend with the Superbowl with Revis but might not win 8 games without him.

Well, uhm, isn't that MORE of a reason to pay the man?

I mean if a guy mean's that much of a difference between whether you have a team contending for the chip and a team struggling to get into the playoffs that's a tangible example of just how much the guy is worth. 

But the big bad owner got up and said Revis was asking for too much so fans must now pummel him with disparaging remarks.

The truth is Woody Johnson himself is probably somewhere sweating right now hoping that the fans WILL turn on Revis and pressure him to get back into camp and settle for whatever they offer him.

Why?

Well because this Jets team was built essentially for a one year run at the Lombardi trophy.  Think about it, with next season in limbo do you really see guys like Jason Taylor and LaDainian Tomlinson being around in 2012 to vie for a championship? 

I don't.

And keep in mind that several Jets players will be up for new contracts after this season even aside from Revis.  Some will get paid, but some will have to go elsewhere for a new contract.That means by the time football comes back this team will look significantly different than it does today.  And understand this about the Jets' owner, Woody Johnson wants a Superbowl ring in the worst way.  He has spent quite a bit of money on big time free agents over the years whether people paid attention before now or not trying to get it.  And I believe if he is pressured to do so he will spend a lot more money to pay Revis if he is compelled to do so.

But only if he's compelled to do so. Because like I said the Johnson family as well as any other NFL owners didn't get rich by just handing out money on a platter.

So the best tool Mr. Johnson has right now is fan sentiment.  Players make business decisions when it comes to their contract but nobody likes to turn on SportsCenter and hear talking heads and fans ragging on them.  Nobody wants to look like the a hole in a contract dispute.  And most guys realize that your marketing opportunities to help create income outside your contract are slim and none once you get labeled a "bad guy".

But Revis isn't any more of a bad guy than all of you are out there who send out those resumes.  He just wants to be paid the going rate for a guy of his caliber.  So its my hope that the fans aren't swayed this time.  That they look at the big picture and realize that as much baby oil and band aids as they have bought over the years, Mr Johnson can afford to pay Revis what he's worth.  That they understand that the little press conference yesterday was all about manipulating them and that they refuse to fall for it.

Unfortunately I doubt any of that will happen.

Which is probably bad news for Revis.

Cha Ching!!!

Think Donald Penn is paying attention to this?

The New York Jets' contract logjam cleared up some Wednesday, when the team reached agreement on a colossal six-year, $60 million contract extension with offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, according to league sources.

Ferguson had two years remaining on his initial contract, so he now will be tied to the Jets for eight years and $73.6 million.

The guaranteed money is $34.8 million, a new record for an offensive lineman, surpassing the $30 million in guaranteed money that the Miami Dolphins gave No. 1 overall pick Jake Long. Ferguson's deal will be signed Thursday and he will be under contract through 2017. The deal also ties Ferguson with Long for the highest average salary for an offensive lineman.

Its important to note that Ferguson made his first Pro Bowl last year so he's only been there once. Its also worth pointing out that with the Jets having drafted a first round quarterback last year who they want to be the face of the franchise much like what we did in Tampa, they saw the importance of locking down the guy who is going to be protecting his backside.

Now I am not sure about this but I have heard that Donald Penn wasn't asking for anywhere near what Ferguson got. But the longer the Bucs keep messing around, the more left tackles break the bank, the higher his asking price will go I'm sure.

Its time to quit hiding behind the lack of a CBA and Penn's weight issues and pay the man. If nothing else it shows the rest of the team you are serious about winning and that you really are committed to your own good players

On Santonio Holmes

So Santonio Holmes gets traded on Sunday to the Jets for a 5th rounder and the next day quite a few people in the Tampa Bay area started complaining about the Buccaneers not trading for him first. I started to kind of just let it go but I think its best if I make my own personal feelings known on the issue.

First off I am not one of these people who look down their knows at others, or at least I try not to be. So for me its not like I would totally dismiss trading for a guy who had problems. But I will say this, I support the Bucs not trading for Santonio Holmes in this situation. The thing of it is is that over the years Holmes has gotten into trouble repeatedly and he has repeated some of the same mistakes. For instance he got arrested for marijuana possession a few years back, then just last week he got on his twitter and announced to his followers and the world that it was time to "wake and bake" and damn near on the same day word comes out that he is about to serve a 4 game suspension for a violation of the drug policy. That's what you call a pattern.

Do people deserve second chances?

Of course.

Do we have to be the team to be the ones giving Holmes a 4th or 5th chance?

Absolutely not.

If you are looking at it strictly from a business standpoint, why would Coach Morris or Mark Dominick trade for a guy they know is going to miss the first 4 games next year when the truth is if we don't have a decent record after 4 games their jobs might be in jeopardy? Hell by the time Holmes would have touched the field for us their fates might have already been sealed.

Now I fully acknowledge that Holmes is an excellent player but I feel like trading for him right now with the state of our team being as it is would be silly even if it only took a 5th round pick. Its like asking for a PR nightmare.

You may ask well whats the difference between Holmes's situation and Brandon Marshall? Id say pretty much everything. Although Marshall has been in trouble in the past he hasn't been in any off the field trouble lately. He isn't facing a suspension and he would be available from day one. And real talk he is a level above Holmes in my opinion anyway. People have compared Marshall to TO but in my opinion he's TO with much better hands.

There are other reasons that the Bucs really COULDN'T trade for Holmes anyway. First off after they let Antonio Bryant leave via free agency the Bucs tried relentlessly to spin it as a move brought on by Bryant's bad attitude. Unfortunately a lot of fans bought that particular line of bullshit and started really heaping smears on him that I don't think he deserved. I saw on more than one forum fans calling AB a scumbag etc. So how then could the Bucs justify bringing in a guy who has even MORE problems?

Not only that but the Bucs have put SOOOO much focus on their draft up to this point and to hear them tell it every single pick from the 1st rounder to the 7th rounder is going to be a starter and a future all star...or so they hope. And keep in mind that the supposed depth of this draft is the reasoning behind why the Bucs haven't been active in free agency...allegedly. So in that situation a 5th rounder isn't really a fifth rounder anymore. Instead its the potential steal of the draft, a guy who could have gone 1st round in any other year blah blah blah. So for the Bucs to give up said 5th round pick they would have again had to go back and contradict what they have been saying all along. And of course couldn't have that could we?

Last but not least Mike Tomlin and Raheem Morris are very close and there is no doubt in my mind that they at least had a conversation about Holmes and I would kind of lean toward believing whatever was said in that conversation convinced the Coach Morris that it wasn't worth it.

Now we have our share of knuckleheads on the team true enough but we drafted most of them. The truth is the last time we brought in a guy with a questionable background it didn't work out so well for us. Can you say David Boston? And I know people will throw Jeremy Stevens into the mix but the thing to remember is that when he was signed nobody really knew about the rape allegations against him. Instead what we knew about were his run ins with the law over drinking and driving. And it turns out that he ended up serving a suspension after he got here for those issues. Not exactly the kind of thing that would be encouraging the brass to go out and get Holmes.

And please keep in mind that this is a guy who had been in trouble with weed before, got in trouble again this time to earn his 4 game suspension. Who REALLY believes 100% that he won't get in trouble again and get suspended for the whole year?

Not many rational people I suspect.

You know the saying, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. My addition is fool me three times and I'm getting fired.

Its worth noting finally that Holmes will be on the last year of his contract this year. Considering he would be missing a quarter of the season and then be a free agent would it really make sense to trade for him when its obvious you can't sign him right off the bat to a long term deal but on the other hand if you wait till after the season you may lose him to the highest bidder?

Again I think not.

Now the Jets are in a totally different situation than we are. Under Rex Ryan its apparent that they have a win now attitude and they are all about bringing in guys via trade or free agency to accomplish that goal and they will evidently worry about the future later. Now maybe that works for them but its certainly not the approach that the Bucs have been preaching all offseason.

In summary regardless of the ultimate reason why, I think the Bucs were wise to pass on Santonio Holmes.

Just my opinion.

Bucs Vs Jets Vlog: Tight Ends Killed Us In The Running Game

I said last week that I might do a vlog for this game and so here it is. I am going to tell you what other people won't or can't say, our tight ends are killing us in the running game. That is a personel problem, and a coaching problem. Check out the video and let me know what you think...

Bull Rush

My latest Bull Rush post is up over at joebucsfan. Check it out and leave a comment.

A Quick Note On The Bucs Game Today

You have one team with a rookie quarterback that just threw 5 interceptions last week. You have another team with a young quarterback who has been the backup all year. One team decides to run the ball no matter what. Another team decides to line up in shotgun and throw the ball around.

Which team do you think was the Bucs?

The Jets ran the ball 42 times. Let that sink in for a minute.

FORTY TWO MUTHAFUCKIN TIMES

Out of those 42 times they had 2 big runs totally 58 yards. You take those two runs away and they ran the ball 40 times for 117 yards for a 2.9 average. They weren't ripping the our defense with the run. In point of fact for most of the day our defense kicked their ass on the run. And the Jets are ranked number one in rushing offense in the whole NFL. But they didn't give a damn. They knew that it was hot and that their quarterback isn't that good. So they decided they would run the ball, not turn it over, and keep our defense on the field for as much of the game as they could.

The Bucs on the other hand evidently thought they had the second coming of Joe Montana as they decided to start off the game in shotgun and throw the ball with Josh Freeman. The interception to start off the game deep in our own territory evidently did nothing to dissuade them from chunking it all over the field. And that's how they end up throwing the ball 33 times, having Freeman scramble 4 other times and get him sacked 3 other times. Add it all up and their offensive coordinator, Greg Olsen, called at least 40 passes with a rookie quarterback who just threw 5 picks last week and facing the number one pass defense in all of the NFL.

Oh and we ran the ball all of 20 times. I believe I pointed out last week that we passed it twice as much as we ran it that game too.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is not rocket science. If it were there would be a lot fewer coaches in the NFL. When you have a young quarterback and your defense is playing well and ESPECIALLY if you are playing in warm weather, weather that the Jets were unaccustomed to, YOU RUN THE MUTHAFUCKING BALL. And I don't mean run it on first down and then maybe throw it if you don't get much. I mean you commit to running the ball on first and second down and hell maybe even if its 3rd and medium you run it then too. That is what football is all about.

What its not about is selling out your defense and keeping them on the field all got damn day just so you can showcase your new toy to the detriment of the team overall. I don't know how anybody on the offensive staff can even look any of the defensive coaches or players in the face after this game.

Now ultimately this falls on the head coach though. Raheem Morris may not call the offensive plays but he for damn sure hears them in his head phones. Well its time to start vetoing a bunch of this bullshit. I remember when the know nothing assholes in this town on the radio and elsewhere used to knock Coach Dungy because we ran the ball so much and we were "boring" on offense. Well you go back and look at our record in December, especially our home record. We beat teams into submission with our running game in this Florida heat and they didn't want to come down here and see us. I saw defenders for other teams literally quit after trying to tackle Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn for 3 quarters.

That's what wins ball games. All this Mickey Mouse throwing just for the sake of throwing bullshit is how you get beat.

Now maybe nobody on the offensive staff really gives a damn anymore. Maybe for them the games are just glorified practices where they can experiment and wait to get the first pick in the draft. I don't really believe that, but for the people who do I can understand why. What I do know is that they owe the defense a big ass apology for the product they put on the field today. I am sick and tired of watching bad football and what we are doing on offense with our game plan is fucking offensive.

I will say this much, watch the game today wouldn't make me feel any sense of comfort that anybody on the offensive staff has a fucking clue of what they are doing. And that's AFTER the debacle last week. Take that how you will.

Live Blogging The Bucs Vs Jets Week 14

Kerry Rhodes Channels Latrell Sprewell

I don't think any real sports fan has ever forgotten Latrell Sprewell's quote in 2004 when he turned down a 3 year $21 million dollar contract extension from the Minnesota Timberwolves:

"I have a family to feed"

Yeah, $21 million, who could possibly eat off that?

Well we now have a new contender for Sprewell's throne for most financially out of touch pro player.

The guy's name is Kerry Rhodes and he fancies himself a model and an actor while his day job is formerly starting safety for the New York Jets.

I say formerly because he has just been demoted by first year head coach Rex Ryan. The same Rex Ryan who had been the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens. The same Rex Ryan who had favorably compared Rhodes to his all world safety in Baltimore, Ed Reed, prior to the season starting.

Having watched Rhodes play all year I was only surprised that it took this long to bench him. The guy had become a liability on defense and he didn't look very brave on some of his tackling opportunities.

Now I am not saying that his modeling or acting had anything to do with his fall off in play, but I will say this. I never was a fan of guys doing too much during the season. There is plenty of time in the off season to pursue other interests, ball to you fall, go back to school, whatever a guy might want to do. But when the season is going on I liked to know that guys were singularly focused on winning games. And I just don't know how you can give that kind of commitment if every Tuesday you are chasing other dreams.

But I digress.

This article on Rhodes' benching is pretty much predictable right until you get to his quote at the end justifying his modeling and acting pursuits.

"If I can't have a living and do what I want to do besides football, maybe they should pay my bills," said Rhodes, who will make close to $10 million this season. "I have to think of my career outside football. Football is not forever."

Yeah Kerry Rhodes, with unemployment over 10% in this country and people losing their homes everyday, I am sure all of those Jets fans are gonna be REALLY sympathetic to you needing more than the almost $10 million dollars you are making in this year alone so you can "pay your bills".

To call that a dumbass statement would be an insult to dumbass statements.

If that really is Kerry Rhodes' mentality then some how I doubt he will ever be the player that some folks thought he might become. He certainly has taken several steps back this season.

But who knows, maybe he will be the next Denzel.

And perhaps then he will never again have to worry about covering that pesky light bill.

It is what it is.

The Physicality Of The Miami Dolphins Wildcat

Many sports pundits have gotten it wrong about what makes the Miami Dolphins' Wildcat formation so effective. The reason, in my opinion, is because they listen to ex offensive players tell them how its all about the misdirection which "confuses" the defense. The problem is most ex offensive players including, and often times especially, quarterbacks have no clue about how defenses work and what makes defenses break down.

Now to be sure the Wildcat plays have an element of misdirection to them, but this isn't like an old school triple option or Wing T offense. For the most part on defense your keys will still take you to the ball regardless of the formation. The question then is when you are in position will you make the play?

You may have noticed that with all of the success the Dolphins have had over the last year or so with their Wildcat plays that many other teams, on the college and pro level, are copying them. You may have also noticed that none of these copy cats in the NFL are having nearly the success that the Dolphins are with their package. There is a reason for that and its obvious. Its not that the Dolphins are better at hiding where they are going with the ball. The difference is that the Dolphins have the perfect personnel for a Wildcat package and most other teams don't.

Last night was a great example about what I mean by perfect personnel. The Dolphins faced a Jets defense that had been playing lights out the first four weeks of the season. The Jets are big, fast and physical on defense and they will blitz from anywhere on the field. But the problem is that the the Dolphins not only make you have to be disciplined in your gaps when they run their Wildcat package, they also make you tackle a big strong back usually one on one, even when you are in good position.

The Jets' defense actually aided and abetted the Dolphins several times last night. On Miami's most successful plays out of Wildcat the Jets had players in pretty good position who either got out of their gap or simply did not make the tackle. And that goes back to the Dolphins having the perfect personnel. When you think about the Arkansas Razorbacks running the Wildcat defense a couple of years ago, what you remember is that they had two good running backs running that offense. Darren McFadden usually played Ronnie Brown's role and Felix Jones had the role Ricky Williams now occupies. Both of those guys were also strong physical backs who were also fast and elusive just like the Dolphins' tandem.

The Dolphins also have a very physical offensive line and their fullback will straight up knock your block off. Several times last night the Jets tried to fill their gap responsibilities and got rooted the hell out of there in an embarrassing fashion. Maybe most humiliating for the Jets' defense was the fact that in the second half they actually subbed out a cornerback for a defensive lineman or linebacker in anticipation of the Wildcat package and STILL got smashed up front.

Again this had nothing to do with not knowing where the ball was going and everything to do with losing their gap discipline. Sometimes they lost it because of trying to do somebody else's job, but many times the lost it because they just got pounded.

Now I for one am a big fan of the Wildcat offense so this isn't coming from a position of hating on it. I am just being real about why it is effective particularly when it comes to how Miami runs it. It not because its some kinda mysterious magical super secret package that makes steam come out of defenders' heads. No, its because the way they run it puts pressure on every guy on the defense to stay disciplined and make the play when its their turn to make it. Other teams that don't have two strong, fast running backs (see also the Eagles with Mike Vick) and a physical offensive line will never get the kind of production that Miami does because their personnel simply won't allow for it. And that almost in and of itself should be enough to show you that its not about the scheme confusing the defense but about the personnel in the scheme maximizing its potential. And honestly trying to make it seem like its all about confusing the defense disrespects how well the Dolphins are blocking people up front.

It is what it is.

The Jets Just Got Scarier

I know most people will focus on the Braylon Edwards trade today in talking about the New York Jets, but the most important story for that team is the return of Calvin Pace in my opinion. Pace was one of their big free agent aquisition last year and the guy did not dissappoint. He had 5 forced fumbles to go along with 7 sacks after collecting 6.5 sacks the year before. And keep in mind that the Jets defense didn't come close to blitzing as much in 2008 as they are on pace to do this year. I imagine they Pace should be fresh as hell too after having the first four weeks of serving a suspension for taking a ban substance and this is the part of the year when most guys start having a hard time rolling out of bed in the morning. As good as the Jets' defense has been playing just imagine if he had been out there with them. Some of those many pressures they have put on the quarterback would probably have come home as sacks. As a fan of defense I gotta say that I am really excited to see what they can do the rest of the season.

Wide Receiver News

The first news of the morning is that former Texas Tech wideout Michael Crabtree, who had supposedly threatened to sit out the season, signed with the San Francisco 49ers. I actually had the under on this one anyway. I figured the combination of the 49ers having a good start to the season along with not having any money coming in nor having a training table to eat at for free would make Crabtree blink and evidently it did since he got the same deal he pretty much could have gotten a couple of months ago.

The other news is that the Cleveland Browns have shipped off wideout Braylon Edwards to the New York Jets for two players and some picks. Now as much as Braylon probably deserved to get shit canned for his repeated violations of team and league policy including his recent fight with a Lebron James associate, let there be no mistake this move GREATLY improves the Jets' chances of not only making the playoffs but getting close to a championship this year. I know people will focus on his drops but one thing is for sure, when this guy is on there isn't a corner in the league who can check him. Besides that, he can work on his hands in NY but you can't coach his size and speed. He will give Mark Sanchez another big athletic target in the redzone also. I wouldn't expect a Randy Moss level rejuvenation of his career (seriously who else could pull that off anyway?) but barring injury I can just about guarantee that Edwards will help a pretty good Jets team approach greatness this year.

One last thing to remember is that as Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator, Jets head coach Rex Ryan had to face Braylon Edwards twice a year. Don't think for one second that this didn't play a role in the trade.

If I am wrong, please make sure to call me out on it later.

Two Thoughts On the Patriots/Jets Game

First let me talk about the Patriots' defense. A lot of people are rightly concerned about their defense after seeing the Buffalo Bills run up and down the field on them Monday night. I have to say I share their concern. Now unfortunately some kind of way my DVR went crazy on me so I don't have the advantage of having seen the game twice, but watching it live there were some obvious problems with what the Pats were trying to do. The biggest problem I see is that they are trying to have their defensive line play in their 4-3 just like they did in their 3-4, the interior linemen at least. That means both defensive tackles are two gapping instead of playing a one gap defense.

Now I am about to get in the weeds a little here but I will try to be clear about what I am trying to say. In a 3-4 defense part of the reason why the two defensive ends and nose tackle can two gap and get away with it is spacing. In general on early downs they are never more than a gap away from the each other presnap so after the snap even if they get blocked then they are still usually only a gap and a half away from the next guy. This makes it easier for the two middle linebackers to cover their backs. But when you have both defensive tackles trying to two gap in a 4-3 you pretty much start out with them being a gap and a half away from each other. Not only that but they also only have one middle linebacker now to cover for them. The reason the Bills were able to gash them on the run was because their linebackers had no clue which gaps would be open nor where their defensive tackles were going to fit. For that reason at times there were gaps that simply wet unfilled and the Bills running backs took advantage.

The most curious thing about this development to me was that I figured after the Patriots traded Richard Seymour that they would actually go back to playing a base 3-4. This was prior to the game of course and before Jerod Mayo got hurt but my thing is they now have one less top notch defensive lineman but they still are stocked at linebacker, why not go back to what you have been doing so well for years now? Not only that but with the Bills basically advertising all preseason that they would be in no huddle a lot this year it made more sense to me to have more linebackers in the game who would be in the kind of shape that it would take to go against a no huddle offense instead of having more defensive linemen.

Bill Belicheck obviously didn't see it that way as they stuck with their 4-3 for the first game. But I have to wonder if they might revert back now against a division opponent who has a top notch running game after seeing the results from Monday. I mean honestly, in my opinion, they only have two ways of fixing their run defense. Either they coach the defensive tackles to play in one gap even if they play heavy into the guards or go back to the 3-4 defense. I think going back to what gave them 3 Superbowl rings is probably the best way to go but again that's just my personal opinion.


The second thing I want to talk about is the Jets' blitzing defense against the Patriots passing offense. Now although Tom Brady put up big numbers on Monday, I was troubled by something that I noticed. And it wasn't him favoring his knee which Ron Jaworski seems to be obsessed with. No the thing that I noticed was something I also noticed at the tail end of the Patriots' Superbowl run and especially in the Superbowl. Tom Brady has lost some of his nerve.

What do I mean by that? Well if you go back and look at the early part of 2007, the year Brady shattered the NFL record with 50 passing touchdowns, he attacked defenses down the field with a vengence in every single game. Most of the time those throws went to Randy Moss and it did not matter if he was double covered or even in a few cases triple covered, Brady was going to give him a chance to make a play on the ball. The outcome was generally good because if there is one guy I would ever want in the NFL making a play on the ball in the air its Moss. However right before the playoffs started and during the playoffs culminating in the Superbowl loss, Brady seemed to revert back to textbook quarterback play where he started allowing the defense to dictate where he threw the ball.

Because what he is doing now is truly what coaches coach quarterbacks to do, not many commentators are going to end up saying anything about it. But in the process he is turning one of the most dynamic players in the game in Moss into not much more than a possession receiver. If I am a defensive coordinator I now know that if I show even a semblance of double coverage on Moss that Brad is going away from him. And that gives all the advantage in the world to secondary guys for the other team.

The Jets however are an agressive, nasty, blitzing team and that means they will be showing a lot of single high safety. I am sure the will still double Moss on occasion but they will do it with a whole lot of camoflauge. Ironically because of this the Jets may well find themselves on the wrong side of an asskicking. See the Bills had a pretty good scheme against the Patriots on Monday whereby no matter what they were doing they still made it look as if they had Moss doubled. So Brady just threw the ball underneath and didn't really take any shots down the field. But if the Jets have a gameplan similar to what they did against the Texans the are going to give Brady the green light to go up top early and often. And if they do all you are going to hear is "INCOMING!!!"

Now I know most commentators will focus on the way the blitzes will affect Brady and the offensive line but generally the teams that actually bother Brady are those who can rush with just a four man line. When teams bring blitzes he can usually identify which receiver will have a one on one match up or if he will be able to push it down field. So all I am saying is pay attention to the times the Jets blitz this week and how much Brady makes the play with a big play downfield to Moss. As an alternative he may go downtown to Joey Galloway too who will definitely end up with the better match up of cornerbacks usually when teams blitz and he still has the wheels to get open on the deep balls.