Thats why you don't SHARE a goddamn stadium...

The NY Giants will play the inaugural game in the new "Giants Stadium". Big shocker! The league held a secret coin toss and supposedly the Giants won. Our owner Woody Johnson is livid... and I hope he can't sleep for weeks. Yes you idiot, you just spent 800 million of your money to build the new Giants stadium! Hope you are happy with the arrangement now. I have been criticizing this whole thing for four years, and it took until today for Woody to realize this was a massive mistake. Over a month ago I posted my opinion on this whole debacle and made it clear that I have no intentions of paying for tickets on any regular basis anymore ( Last Months Post ).

There are some things I would share. If we went on a picnic together, I would feel very comfortable about sharing my ham sandwich with you. I'd tare it in half, and because I am such a good hearted generous person, I would even give you the larger half. It wouldn't bother me.... because the freaking sandwich didn't cost me 800 million dollars. Also, you wouldn't care which half you got either... because I didn't charge you tens of thousands of dollars for a PSL to sit on the picnic blanket! You don't share stadiums... and thats all I have to say. Enjoy being second best to the Giants for another 30 years Woody. I can't wait until we win the Superbowl and we don't get the home opener the following season because the Giants win a magic coin toss again. LOL, you are a brilliant man Mr. Johnson.

Oh, and BTW... Ladanian Tomlinson is a NY Jet. Wow, Ronnie Lott, Boomer Esiason and Brett Favre must be worried that they might each get bumped down a notch on the all-time "Most washed up vet to ever sign a contract with the Jets" list. LT made my "5 most Hated Players (active) list" last year ( 5 losers ). He simply has no heart. He peaked in 2006 and it's been downhill from there. The big question is: why dump an old 1400 yard rusher for an old 700 yard rusher? The answer is obvious. To make headlines and to sell seats and jerseys. No one cares about Thomas Jones, his own mother probably doesn't watch his games. Everyone has heard of LT. Thats the whole equation.

Best case scenario... Greene stays healthy, Washington makes a comeback and LT gets paid a bunch of cash to watch and occasionally catch a few passes out of the backfield. He could be useful in pressure situations and in the post season if he stays healthy. There is no substitute for experience and Greene is still very green (hardy har har). LT is saying all the right stuff... he wants to win a championship... he is OK with being a role player... his production dropped last year because of a weak O-line and a pass happy offense. If he is stays in the background he could be helpful I guess.

Worst case scenario... Greene goes down early, maybe even pre-season. Washington is a shell of his former self. We turn to LT and Chauncey Washington to lead our running attack. LT averages 2.7 yards per carry and Chancey sets the all-time single season fumble record. We go 6-10 and draft a RB with our #1 pick in 2011. Also, all of our 2011 home games are blacked out because NO ONE wants to pay for tickets to see another "re-building" Jets team at the new Giants Stadium.

Stop trying to make headlines and start landing us some real impact players Mr. T. I must say that I am shocked that there is still no official name for the new stadium only months before it's opening. I expect another war between Woody and the Mara's... that Woody will lose. Can't wait until our first game at 'Gifford Filed". LOL

Rumors...

Rumor #1: The San Francisco 49ers and interested in Leon Washington. Why any team would want to give up a second round pick for a change of pace back/ return specialist is beyond me. If they make him any kind of offer there is no question that we don't match it. We simply walk away with the second rounder as compensation. This is a really deep draft, a second rounder is priceless. That being said, if Leon didn't suffer that major injury week 7, I would probably be singing a different tune, and Leon would have probably been protected with a 1st round tenure.

Rumor #2: The Jets are interested in Laveranues Coles. I just don't see it. If Coles were to sign with us he would have to take a minimum contract and would most likely be #3 on the depth chart... at best. I know three things about Coles. 1) He plays with a lot of heart. 2) He s motivated by $$$$$ 3) He has an over inflated ego and thinks he is the Jerry Rice of the NY Jets. Being #3, and playing for chump change just don't seem like a realistic possibility. I also think he would be a cancer in the locker room. If we struggle early he will throw Mark and Rex under the bus in a NY minute.

Rumor #3: The Jets are going to make Ladanian Tomlinson an offer he can't refuse. Of coarse we will have him for a visit. I don't think there is any serious interest here. I will say this... If Mr. T wants him, he will land him. I think he would be a waste of time. He has hit the wall big time, and I feel that Shotty would feel pressure to have him on the field for way too many snaps. Greene and a healthy Washington are the perfect one two punch. If we wanted an old washed up RB to "mentor" Greene we should have just kept Jones.

Rumor #4: Rex and our defensive coaches stripped Rhodes of his leadership role because they liked their own guys (Scott and Leonhard) more. I guess thats why they didn't let guys like Jenkins, Harris and Revis lead the way. Harris remained as our starting ILB even after we gave that absurd contract to Scott, Rex referred to Big Jenks as our unquestioned emotional leader and called Revs the best corner he has ever seen... ever. Rhode was stripped and finally traded because football means very little to him. I applaud our coaches for calling him out and making him pay for his actions with his job. Keep crying Kerry... wait another year or so and see what it's like to see our team win the Lombardi while you watch the game from your sofa.

On a slightly disappointing note Marques Murrell signed with the Pats today. Sorry to see him go, thought he had some nice upside. We also signed some nobody safety from the Browns. Brodney Pool is a concussion case and is no better than Eric Smith o Dwight Lowery. Another interesting move today was made by the Raiders. They dumped DT Gerard Warren. He's 31 years old 6'4" tall and about 340 lbs. He has over 30 sacks in his 9 year career. I see no reason we couldn't land him here. He would be great insurance for Jenkins.

QB carousel... TJ signs with KC... and Jared Odrick

Mark Sanchez is our franchise QB, but in my opinion the 2nd most important roster spot on any NFL squad is the back-up QB. This position gets sooooo overlooked. Currently we have Kevin O'Connell, Kellen Clemens and Eric Ainge all trying to land the coveted #2 spot. I know absolutely nothing about O'Connell and I know too much about Clemens. I'd dump them both and make a move for recently released Brown's QB Derek Anderson. He has a history with Braylon Edwards and it was only a few short years ago that they set the AFC ablaze and both made the probowl. If Sanchez (who has already shown he is injury prone) were to go down for any length of time, I think Anderson would be able to take the reigns with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. Sanchez, Anderson and Ainge would make me feel very confident heading into 2010.

Thomas Jones has signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. I am so glad he didn't land in chowderville. KC has made it clear from their very first press release that Jones will back up Jamaal Charles. The Chiefs know they have something special in the 23 year old HB out of Texas. I highlighted him as one of my players to watch last year at this time ( Teams and players to watch in 2009 ). The Chiefs new headcoach and GM didn't have the balls to start him on opening day and it took them 7 games to finally give him that chance. He ended up starting only 10 games and still put up over 1500 all purpose yards including a blistering final four games punctuated by a 259 yard rushing performance week 17. Jones and Charles should do very well together in Arrowhead.

Finally I will make a quick observation regarding Jared Odrick the pass rusher from Penn Sate. He's 6'5" 305lbs and has a devastating burst off the ball. I am not a fan of his off the field issues and he has some serious work to do with his overall technique. He really will struggle against the monster tackles in the NFL. I am sticking with my pick Jerry Hughes with the #29 overall pick. However, I have a feeling Mr. T will try to trade up. I am sure Rex is drooling over the prospect of landing Ndamukong Suh out of Nebraska and Tannenbaum just likes to make a splash. He could play a role much like Haloti Ngata in Baltimore. His name is KONG.... perfect for a D-linemen.

The end of the Rhodes...

I think Kerry Rhodes is a lazy, pre-madonna, attention whore and a overrated excuse for a football player. I have made that no secret over the past 6 months. I think I am so passionate about this player because of how his career began. He was a forth round pick who started from day one. He has an awesome skill set and a nose for the ball. I only own two Jets jerseys... #24 and #25. Up until 2009 I admired this young player and felt he was the future of our defense. And then something horrible happened... he started reading his own press.

He was spending more time on the red carpet and at photo shoots than in the gym, the practice field or the film room. He was so sloppy this year that it made me sick. Football is not a top priority for this washed up former Jet. He simply doesn't deserve to wear the green and white. I hope a clear message has been sent through this organization from the top to the bottom. What you did in the past is history, it's all about what you produce today.

We have an excellent stable of young motivated players. Guys like Mangold, Harris, Sanchez, Revis, Lowery, Washington, Cotchery and Leonhard are our foundation. You can tell by their actions on the field that football is their passion. The main player I hope this impacts directly is #17 Braylon Edwards. His BFF Kerry has been banished to the hot, sandy tundra that is Arizona. He was dumped for a 4th round pick, which is the equivalent of the Jets donating an old used car to charity just to get rid of the eye sore.

Our defense is the dream destination for any defender that likes to attack the ball and hit people. That is what draws every safety and linebacker to football from day one. As the game gets more safisticated sometimes they can lose sight of that. Players love Rex and his system because he treats them like men and lets them play the game the way it should be played... with a calculated ferocity!

Rhodes had every NFL saftey's dream job and a nice fat 25 million dollar deal to go with it. Now he is yesterdays news. WAKE UP BRAYLON! You have the chance to emerge as one of the leagues top 5 WR's and win a Superbowl in NYC. Don't waste this once in a lifetime chance. That goes for every player on our roster: Sell out 100%... treat every game like it could be your last... make plays when it counts... stay one step ahead of your opponent mentally... deliver every week... and remember... confidence always wins!

Pass Rushers... trade scenarios and the draft

After the big trade to land the troubled CB Antonio Cromartie from San Diego it is really clear what positions we need to address in the next two months. Our pass rush is the obvious #1 priority... but we have a few other holes to fill as well.

I like the idea of rotating Braylon Edwards, 'Cotch-diesel' and #16 Brad Smith as our 3 receivers. They are all dynamic and can play the the one, two or slot positions. With the #29 pick of the second round I would target a young WR.

Here's an interesting young man who will most likely be available in that spot. Mardy Gilyard from Cincinatti. He's 6'0" tall 187lbs. He racked up nearly 1200 yards and 11TD's in 2009. Here's a little highlight reel:

We also need another blocking TE who can catch the ball when needed. Chris Baker and Ben Watson were both released from New England... either one would work out fine. Remember, we are talking about the #2 TE who would probably see 15 or so snaps a game.

I would also like to see us start bringing in some more young talent for our O-line depth chart. We have no picks in the 3rd or 4th rounds so we would have to take some shots later in the draft. I would have no problem dumping Kerry Rhodes for a 2nd round pick or a combo of the 3rd and 4th. We need to start thinking about depth and replacing the 3rd and 4th rounders we gave up for Sheppard and Edwards. I would love to see what Mr. T and our front office would do with a full 7 round draft.

Now for the pass rush. With our first round pick (I am going backwards here, I know) I like the OLB from TCU Jerry Hughes. He's 6'2" 255lbs, benched 225 26 times at the combine and ran a 4.59 40 yard dash. 16 tackles for a loss and over 10 sacks in 2009. He is powerful, and has an unstoppable motor. Here's a highlight reel:

I would also like to see a straight up trade consisting of Richard Seymour of the Raiders for Kerry Rhodes. Normally this would be absurd considering the Raiders gave up a 1st rounder to land Seymour in the first place. But, Oakland has become the land of the absurd... so why not try and fleece them?

If thats not a reality I would make a move for a straight up trade of Rhodes (damn, I might entertain the idea of trading him for a washing machine next LOL) for Calaius Campbell DE.. Arizona Cardinals. He is a physical freak and I wanted the Jets to draft him a few years ago. His rookie year was lack luster but last year he started to blossom. 6'8" 300lbs and he runs like a deer. He had 7 sacks last season and started making noise late in the regular season and playoffs. 2010 should be his break out year... like I always say "buy low".

We will need another RB to fill out our backfield of Greene and Washington. I have a feeling Jones may be back sooner rather than later. I won't really address that until he signs somewhere else.

One last note: An interesting DT who has become available is Maake Kemoeatu formerly of the Ravens and Carolina. 6'5" 350lbs... coming off an injury. Might be a nice pick up for reasonable money. As I see it, the "final eight rules" are not holding us back at all.

Antonio Cromartie

A.C. is now a NY Jet. He is an extremely gifted athlete, and playing the #2 CB spot opposite #24 may do wonders for his career. In 07' he had a career year with 10 INT's. If we find a way to pressure the QB better this season A.C. could easily be joining Revis in Hawaii (yes, the 2010 pro bowl will back in paradise). It is already being said that we have the best pair of corners in the NFL.

I understand why this trade makes sense. We gave up a 3rd round pick for a young dynamic player who was the #19 overall pick only a few years ago. We feasibly have the top CB from the 06' draft and certainly have the best CB from the 07' draft. This would seem like a fool proof formula for success.

Here's another stat... Cromartie may have over 15 children with almost as many different mothers. Thats more than just gross. That shows no character, no impulse control... and simply puts up the kind of flag I wouldn't be able to ignore if I was Mike Tannenbaum. He has a ton of off the field issues, and considering the current state of our defensive line, I think Mr. T should be shoring up the trenches and trying to acquire some pass rushers.

Our defensive scheme with the proper DE's and OLB's would be unstoppable and players like Lowery or Strickland could play opposite Revis and excel. If Cromartie puts up double digit picks and lives up to his potential I will be a happy fan.

I just feel it is much more likely he will spend more time on the back page of the NY Post because of sex scandals and suspensions than because of his game changing plays.

TJ and Lito are goners... what about #25?

Thomas Jones is soon to be released, and Lito Sheppard's grand legacy with the Jets can be capsulized in three words: One and done. I won't waste much time on Lito because he is simply not worth much more than a sentence or two... he was simply a waste of a roster spot and a draft pick.

As for Jones, he gave us 3 seasons. Year one was a pretty big disappointment. Our GM went out and put together an awesome offensive line. In year two Jones was running behind 4 former first round draft picks and one of the best FB's (Richardson) of this generation. He also had a the QB who holds every major passing record behind center. He put up 1300 yards... lets be real, there are probably at least two dozen backs currently in the NFL that could have put up those numbers given the circumstances. Last year he still had the elite O-line and our his main competition for touches (Leon Washington) went down with season ending injury week 7. So, he put up good numbers again.

He completely ran out of gas in the post season and our fresh young rookie Greene stepped in and simply took his job. When #23 went down in the AFC Championship game Jets fans everywhere knew we were sunk. Jones will be 32 by opening day of the up coming season. Considering the uncapped season that is ahead of us I would have probably held on to Jones like I have said before. But, releasing him is not absurd. Some Jets player was quoted on fannation.com (Sports Illustrated) "I think you should reward players for performance, you dump him (TJ) but you give Gholston another chance?".

Ok, first off... players who release statements on the condition of anonymity are cowards. This isn't the witness protection program. Secondly, this player has obviously never heard of a thing called 'age'. 32 year old RB's are not in demand. Young physical freaks like Vernon Gholston are overpaid all over the NFL, and there is no way to tell if they will ever live up to the hype. We gave up a 3rd round pick for TJ and we got a few good years out of him. On the other hand, Gholston cost us the #6 overall pick 2 years ago. No team uses a pick like that on a player and doesn't give him at least 3 seasons to see if he can make an impact.

Tomlinson and Westbrook are also unemployed and frankly they are both much more dynamic backs when compared to TJ. The Jets dumped Jones because he made it clear he wasn't going to renegotiate his contract, and we can be virtually sure he wasn't showing up at camp without an extension. He would have been an over paid distraction, and now he is out of our hair. The Patriots may snatch him up, but I think his agent (Drew Rosenhaus) has done him a major disservice. He should have worked it out so Jones could have stayed. Jones was well liked by his teammates and coaches, he would have been the starter week 1, he won't find a better O-line to run behind anywhere else... and now he is the 3rd best back on the market.

Two other players who will most likely be gone very soon are Kerry Rhodes and Bryan Thomas. That being said... don't toss out your Thomas jerseys yet. Apparently Adalius Thomas may be released by the Patriots and I am pretty sure if that happens he will be wearing green and white next season. I think that he would be a good addition to our squad... he still has at least one or two good seasons in him. The only thing that worries me is the GM from Baltimore and Belichick, who I consider to be two of the best minds in this business, both let him walk. I will be watching this story as it develops.

As for #25 and #99, I don't see them being released. They both have some trade value, and combined I think they could easily score us a 2nd or 3rd round pick. We desperately need some more picks in this years draft considering the ones that were given away for Sheppard and Edwards. If Adalius signs with us Bryan becomes expendable.

One final thought.... back to the afore mentioned Vernon Gholston. If Adalius Thomas, Calvin Pace, Bart Scott, and David Harris are on our roster (and healthy) in 2010 it's almost impossible to see how Vern will get on the field. He will have a bunch of impactful, savvy veteran LB's ahead of him on the depth chart, and some very inexpensive, hungry 'up and comers' breathing down his kneck (Marques Murrell and Jamaal Westerman). I still have hope, but things aren't looking good in Gholston-ville.