Jets offer tenders to Holmes, Cromartie; LT to return

The New York Jets came up short in their 2nd consecutive AFC Championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and enter the upcoming NFL season with several roster questions. The Jets are built to win now (actually two years ago) and they have been bringing in veterans to help accomplish their goal/guarantee of a Super Bowl championship.

The Jason Taylor experiment appears to be over at least for now as they released the future Hall of Famer as well as oft-injured Pro-Bowler Kris Jenkins. The Jets also released 1st round bust Vernon Gholston and aging tackle, Damien Woody. With clear intent to clear some salary, there was great speculation on which of the many big name free agents the Jets would target to return for the upcoming year.

The New York Post has reported that the Jets have offered a first round tender to Santonio Holmes and Antonio Cromartie. If they choose to sign the tender, any team that wishes to sign them would be forced to surrender a 1st and a 3rd pick to the Jets in exchange for the players. Brad Smith also received a 2nd round tender offer.

Ultimately, these tender offers could become irrelevant due to the expiration of the current CBA and it is unclear what the new rules will be in the event of a lockout and/or under the new CBA if and when it is signed. But what this does tell us is that the Jets place significant value on Holmes and Cromartie and have essentially given notice that Braylon Edwards is not a priority.

The big questions in the offseason for the Jets surrounded the big name free agents in Holmes, Cromartie, Tomlinson, and Braylon Edwards. Braylon Edwards is clearly at the bottom of their “to-do list” as other outlets have reported that the Jets plan to bring Tomlinson back next season.

Tomlinson is set to make $2.4 Million next season and had a relatively productive season alongside Shonn Greene. LT slowed significantly in the second half of the season and was nowhere to be found in the AFC championship game (where have we seen that before?).

While the Jets have their hands full in trying to resign their big name free agents, they would be well served to pick up another solid RB in free agency (if and when they are able) or the draft.

Cromartie & Hasselbeck “kiss and make up”

 

You may remember the war of words between Seattle Seahawks QB Matthew Hasselbeck and New York Jets CB (for now anyways) Antonio Cromartie a few weeks back. Cromartie, as is the norm, was experiencing some diarrhea of the mouth and was speaking out against the players union as it relates to the current labor strife. Hasselbeck took a shot at Cromartie on his twitter and then deleted the following tweet:

“Somebody ask Cromartie if he knows what CBA stands for.”

Cromartie, of course, responded in a way only he can:

Well, based on Cromartie’s twitter feed over the weekend, he and Hasselbeck appear to have kissed and made up. Cromartie posted the following comment and picture showing the two spending some quality time together:

I don’t know about you, but those look like some forced, fake smiles! I would be that someone from the union got ahold of these two and talked them into “kissing & making up” to help the union appear to have a united front as they approach the end of the current CBA on March 3rd.

Cromartie calls both sides of NFL labor dispute A-Holes

 

Just a couple weeks removed from referring to Patriots QB Tom Brady as an A-Hole and following the Jets elimination from the playoffs at the hands of the Steelers, Antonio Cromartie is back at it once again. According to the New York Times, Cromartie had this to say about the current CBA negotiations:

“You’ve got our head union reps acting like an (expletive), and they got their guys acting like them (expletive).”

“They need to get their (expletive) together and get it done.”

“You don’t get no information about nothing from the union or owners. To tell you the truth, they need to get their minds together and get this (expletive) done and stop complaining about money. Money ain’t nothing.”

Despite his comments about money being “nothing”, Cromartie also said, “you’re basically dealing with people’s livelihoods.”

Look, I agree with him that both sides need to stop with the public negotiations and posturing and get this done, but Cromartie really needs to think about staying quiet for a while. Not only did he run his mouth incessantly about Tom Brady and Hines Ward, but now he’s calling out the people who represent his best interests in the CBA negotiations.

Cromartie will be a free agent next season and there has been much speculation over whether the Jets will attempt to re-sign him. I was personally shocked that they signed him in the first place given his awful and embarassing performance against the Jets in last year’s playoff game. Many believe the Jets will make a move for Nnamdi Asomugha which would make Cromartie expendable.

Is there now a bounty on Wes Welker’s head?

In response to the week long trash talk event, Wes Welker came up with the most original, clever, hilarious, and obviously light-hearted response earlier in the week. He took subtle shots at Rex Ryan’s foot fetish by referencing toes, feet, foot, foot soldiers, etc. multiple times during his media session the other day. Pretty hilarious if you ask me.

But not if you ask Bart Scott. Scott, the Jets linebacker and extension of Rex Ryan as they both have nearly the same personality, was none too pleased. In fact, when asked about it by Newsday reporters he offered this:

“I’ll tell you what, Be very careful what you say about our coach. His days in a uniform will be numbered. Put it like that.”

Now Bart loves to talk and he is a bit of a hot head, but would he really take Welker’s joking comments to the next level by actually trying to hurt the man? There have long been stories of bounties placed on the heads of certain players and Rex’s father, Buddy is actually said to have originated this practice. So is it impossible? No. But my guess, as is usually the case, is that the guy who does the most talking does the least when it comes down to it.

I’m sure Bart is just trying to send a message to Welker and the rest of the NFL that his coach’s sexual fetishes are off limits as far as trash talk goes. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of the back and forth through the media… I can’t wait for kickoff.

 

Tom Brady Responds to Cromartie: “I’ve been called worse”

 

The Jets, as always, have been popping off at the mouth all week trying to bait the Patriots into a war of words. It started with Rex Ryan’s attempt to make the game about him vs. Belichick. Belichick shrugged it off, and as always, focused on the task at hand. Antonio Cromartie then went off on a profanity laced tirade about the Patriots Tom Brady calling him an “asshole” and saying “F*CK HIM”.

New England reporters asked Brady if he had heard about the comments and repeated them back to the surefire MVP. Brady, in perfect Patriots form, shrugged them off by saying “I’ve been called worse”. He went on to add that “I’m sure a lot of people feel that way.”

Brady then immediately went on to praise Cromartie and Revis and the Jets secondary, quickly focusing back in on the game. People wonder why and how the Patriots are so good year in and year out. Maybe it has something to do with their ability and willingness to worry about the game at hand, rather than the pre-game trash talk and antics…

I, personally, hope Brady hangs half a hundred on Cromartie and the Jets.

Cromartie Hates Tom Brady, calls him an ASS****

 

Another day and yet another Jet popping off at the mouth leading up to the Divisional playoff game. Jets CB Antonio Cromartie told the New York Daily News that he hates Tom Brady and then went on to call the league’s MVP and one of the best QB’s in the history of the NFL an asshole.

Cromartie apparently took offense to the 45-3 beatdown they suffered at the hands of Tom Brady and the Patriots the last time they met. Specifically, Cromartie is upset at Brady’s “post-touchdown antics” where Brady reportedly pointed at the Jets sideline following a TD pass that put the Patriots up 38-3.

Rex Ryan, as always, started the talking earlier in the week when he tried the “It’s Personal” angle for the second straight week telling the press that the game was all about him and mastermind Bill Belichick. Cromartie was asked Tuesday by the Daily News if he’d ever seen Brady pointing after the Patriots score. He offered the following:

“We see that a lot. He does it a lot. That’s the kind of guy he is. We really don’t give a damn, to tell you the truth.”

When asked what kind of guy Brady is… Cromartie responded “An asshole.” “F*CK him.”

Well those are awfully strong words by a guy who’s job it is to stop Brady and the Patriots from scoring in the first place. Maybe if Cromartie is so upset by what Brady does following a TD pass he should focus on stopping Brady FROM THROWING TD PASSES!

 

Braylon Edwards, Meet Joe Haden

 

Braylon Edwards was pumped up to face his old team and he ran his mouth all week (not really anything new). From his comments and behavior, you would think the game against the 3-5 Cleveland Browns was the SuperBowl. By now you’re aware of the tweets and multiple interviews where Braylon told everyone about his intense hatred for Cleveladn and advised  fans to “get yo damn popcorn ready, 17 is coming back”.

Well Braylon… I had my popcorn ready and you were right… it was a great show, but I’m still waiting on you to show up!

The best part of the overtime thriller other than rookie QB Colt McCoy’s performance, just might have been rookie cornerback, Joe Haden locking up Braylon Edwards for 75 minutes. As anyone who has watched Edwards closely already knows, his bite is ALWAYS worse than his bark. Despite constant trash talking that he would later try to backtrack on, the extent of Braylon’s highlights were his quotes and soundbites leading up to the game.

That is, unless you consider Braylon screaming “Get yo ass up” to an injured Sheldon Brown to be a highlight. To me, it’s yet another classless act by the selfish, unaware, and unprofessional WR.

I mentioned last week how the last time Braylon built up incredible expectations (2008 following his Pro-Bowl 2007 campaign), he fell flat on his face as he couldn’t handle the pressure. Now, I can’t put yesterday’s game solely on Edwards not being to handle the pressure. The Browns knew that Edwards would be dying to light them up and get into the endzone and they schemed to prevent that. Joe Haden also played brilliantly against Edwards as he was primarily matched up against the mouthy WR once Sheldon Brown went out with a shoulder injury.

Edwards finished with 4 receptions for 59 yards and was really a non-factor once he was matched up with Joe Haden. Early in the game he was able to get a few quality catches against Sheldon Brown who was forced to play a little too soft because he doesn’t have great speed and he had to respect Braylon’s ability to go deep. But once the rookie, Haden switched on Edwards he was just about completely locked up and Haden added an interception as well. With Colt McCoy going right after Revis yesterday in the 4th quarter, Joe Haden almost looked like the best corner on the field. With the All-World Darrelle Revis and former Pro-Bowler Antonio Cromartie on the other sideline, that’s saying a lot.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Joe Haden is better than Revis or even Cromartie…. yet. But there is no question that Revis isn’t the same player as last year and for the rookie to be matched up with one of the most physically imposing WR’s in the game and to shut him down in a game where Edwards was giving everything he had to get into the endzone, he certainly outplayed Revis. Braylon Edwards is 6’3 and 215 pounds and he can run and jump with just about anyone. He is one of the stronger WR’s in the NFL and if he wasn’t completely and totally batshit crazy he would be one of the top 3 or 4 WR’s in the NFL.

But for all the trash talking and for all the tweets and whining about being run out of Cleveland, Braylon was a non-factor and Joe Haden did all his talking on the field. Braylon and the Jets would be better off if Braylon could ever learn to do the same.