The confident N.Y. Jets were talking a good game this season. And at 3-0, they were backing it up. But during the past three weeks, they’ve failed to back up that talk with three straight defeats. After yesterday’s 16-13 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills, it will be even harder to keep that swagger because it was announced that four-time Pro Bowl nose tackle Kris Jenkins will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee.
This is a devastating loss for the Jets’ defensive line. They certainly won’t be able to replace Kris with Sione …read more

The Cleveland Browns have traded disgruntled receiver Braylon Edwards to the N.Y. Jets for receiver Chansi Stuckey, linebacker Jason Trusnik and two undisclosed Draft picks. Terms of the deal were not known at the time of this post. Braylon is signed through 2009, so I don’t know whether he’ll be getting a new deal. And if there isn’t an extension to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, he will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2010.
It’s been a season of turmoil for the Braylon (and the entire Browns organization, for that matter)—who never realized his full potential in Cleveland. In four …read more

It’s one thing to talk trash all week. It’s quite another to actually back up that talk. The N.Y. Jets proved today just how confident a football team they are by backing up a week of brash verbiage by beating arch rival New England 16-9. During the week of prep for this game, Jets head coach Rex Ryan said he wasn’t going to “kiss Bill Belichick’s rings.” And defensive back Kerry Rhodes said he wanted to “embarrass” New England.
Afterward, coach Ryan continued with a confident demeanor:
“The Patriots are a hell of a football team. I just thought we were the …read more

N.Y. Jets head coach Rex Ryan named rookie Mark Sanchez their starting quarterback for the 2009 season this morning at a press conference. Mark will begin his journey as the Jets starting QB on September 13 at Houston. I’m not surprised by this decision. A lot was made of Mark’s less-than-perfect performance (3-of-8 passing for 43 yards with a touchdown and interception) in Monday night’s preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. But he made some good throws, too. Make no mistake. There are going to be growing pains. The Jets would be pretty naive to think there won’t be interceptions …read more

The NFL suspended N.Y. Jets linebacker Calvin Pace four games without pay today for violating the league’s Policy on Performing Enhancing Substances. Calvin will miss the first four games of the 2009 regular season. So, he will see his first action October 12 against Miami.
Apparently Calvin took an over-the-counter dietary supplement that contained a substance that he didn’t know violated the league’s policy. Which, of course, was a big mistake. As an NFL player, if you are considering taking any supplement, you should first clear it with your team’s head trainer. Let that qualified professional examine the product and give …read more

N.Y. Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez won’t really have to get used to being the center of attention. He had plenty of practice as the starting QB for the USC Trojans the past season-and-a-half. But every move he makes is going to be held under a microscope by the New York media. So, he’d better be prepared for the best and the worst.
The best, for Mark, would be a GQ pictorial that came out earlier this week. Today’s minicamp practice was leaning toward the worst. Working with the Jets second team offense, Mark struggled with 7-on-7, red zone and two-minute drills. …read more

Brett Favre was given his requested release from the N.Y. Jets yesterday, thus officially removing him from the team’s roster and making him an eligible free agent once again. Well, sort of. This is where it gets a little complicated. Or, at least I can help make it complicated. It’s what I do.
In a statement released by his agent Bus Cook, Brett said:
“Nothing has changed. At this time, I am retired and have no intention of returning to football.”
Hmmm. Naturally, the part of his statement that reads “at this time” intrigues those of us who want to see Brett play some …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
N.Y. Jets new head coach Rex Ryan is trying to bring as many of his former Baltimore Ravens defenders as he can with him to the Big Apple. First it was linebacker Bart Scott. Today, the Jets signed free agent safety/ kick returner/ punt returner (and former Ravens starting strong safety) Jim Leonhard to a three-year deal. Coach Ryan was excited:
“He’s a smart player that can get guys lined up in the secondary and was one of the best tacklers on that Ravens defense. He’s always around the ball, brings everything he has on every …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
Free agent linebacker Bart Scott (Baltimore Ravens) followed his former defensive coordinator Rex Ryan to New York and is now a member of the Jets. Bart (aka “Madbacker”) signed a six-year, $48 million deal where he’ll make $27 million during the first three years of the contract. He emphasized how important coach Ryan has been to his career:
“It is an honor to come here and start a new chapter of my career with the New York Jets. What made the decision easier for me are the people in the organization and my familiarity with the …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
N.Y. Jets fans are not going to be happy with this news. The New England Patriots signed free agent tight end Chris Baker today. The Jets released Chris earlier this month with good reason — they didn’t want to pay him a $9 million option bonus payment that was coming due early next month. Chris is a fine player and has tremendous potential as a tight end in this league, but I wouldn’t want to pay him $9 million, either. He had good numbers in 2007 (41 catches) but tapered off last season with the …read more