O'Connor: Time to land K.C.'s Gonzalez Monday, October 13, 2008 By IAN O'CONNOR RECORD COLUMNIST EAST RUTHERFORD ? The opposing quarterback was a Harvard man, but Brett Favre was smart enough to bring his "C" game with Ryan Fitzpatrick in the house. Fitzpatrick is best known for using his Ivy League education to ace the Wonderlic exam given to all NFL prospects. It?s the test that measures everything except the actual talents required to win football games. Nobody cares if Favre?s Wonderlic number matches up with his jersey number, or if the Jets? quarterback wouldn?t want to challenge Fitzpatrick to a debate on the global impact of China?s Cultural Revolution. On any given Sunday, Favre knows how to score more points than the other guy, even when he?s throwing the ball the way a drunken sailor throws punches. So the Jets beat the winless Bengals and Carson Palmer?s backup, 26-14, in a completely unwatchable game. The victory moved the Jets to 3-2, and should?ve moved their general manager, Mike Tannenbaum, to conclude that he needs to get Favre some help by Tuesday?s trade deadline. More specifically, Tannenbaum needs to do everything he can to get Tony Gonzalez from the Kansas City Chiefs, who last did the Jets a favor by taking Herm Edwards off their hands. You don?t hear a lot about the trade deadline in the NFL, not like you do in baseball, where looser salary restrictions and a wide gulf between markets big and small shape a culture that allows marquee names to come and go. The Jets have a chance here to remind you that football has a deadline, too, and one that can define a team?s mission statement just like that. Everyone knows the Jets haven?t appeared in a Super Bowl since man walked on the moon, and that Favre might make his Jets career a one-and-done proposition, leaving the franchise in the ultimate win-now mode. Gonzalez confirmed to Foxsports.com that he wants out of Kansas City by Tuesday, that he wants to play for a contender before his legs are shot. He?s apparently smitten with the idea of playing for the Giants, who could use a high-powered tight end in Jeremy Shockey?s absence. The Giants reportedly offered a sixth-round pick to the Chiefs for Gonzalez. The Jets can?t let that happen in their own back yard. They have to make the best offer for Gonzalez, just like they made the best offer for Favre. "We?ve got the right ingredients to be good," safety Kerry Rhodes said. Gonzalez would be the right ingredient to make the Jets great. They have a bunch of scheduled softies on deck, and Tom Brady?s injury made their division and conference as wide open as Ocho Cinco?s mouth. The Jets have to go all in now. They need to peddle a piece of their Favre-less future for a better shot in their all-Favre, all-the-time present. "When we finally get to a point," Favre said, "where as a team we believe as one that we?re unstoppable and we?re unbeatable ? we?ll be fine." Gonzalez gets the Jets to that point. One of the greatest tight ends in league history would be the perfect complement to one of the greatest quarterbacks in league history. Favre completed 25 passes Sunday, and 24 were caught by people who don?t play the tight end position. Chris Baker is a solid player and Dustin Keller is a promising rookie, but Baker sure isn?t Gonzalez and Favre doesn?t have time to wait on Keller. Gonzalez is an ideal fit for the Jets? system, too. Favre has completed 71.3 percent of his passes ? a career best after five regular-season games ? because he?s changed his mentality in recent years. Though he still carries himself with a John Wayne swagger, Favre now prefers to kill teams softly. He likes to throw underneath coverage and watch his receivers do the dirty work. "I haven?t thrown for a lot of yards this year, but it doesn?t matter," he said. "I?m not here for stats. I?m here for wins." Favre was intercepted twice Sunday, yet spread the ball around to his wideouts and running backs, keeping everyone happy. But his short game would be so much better with an elite tight end weaving his way between lead-footed linebackers and undersized safeties. Gonzalez is a hell of a football player, and a good enough athlete at the University of California to have once bounced Pete Carril?s Princeton basketball team from the NCAA tournament on a turnaround jumper. What would it take to land him? The Giants received second- and fifth-round draft picks for Shockey, and the Raiders received a fourth-round pick for Randy Moss. The Jets already have given Green Bay a conditional draft choice for Favre, likely a second-rounder, so the long-term price for Gonzalez wouldn?t be cheap. It would be a price worth paying anyway. "I think there are positive vibes that are taking place here," Favre said, "and that?s the way you start winning. And things start kind of happening. "You go, ?Oh, OK, that didn?t happen to us in the past.? And you just start believing that way and good things seem to fall in place." Crazy things happen in sports all the time. If Eli Manning can lead the Giants to a Super Bowl victory over the 18-0 Patriots one year, who says Brett Favre can?t advance the Jets to the big game the next? It?s a long road from a 3-2 start, and Favre still needs a lot of help. By Tuesday?s 4 p.m. trade deadline, the Jets should dial up Kansas City to get it for him. It would be a price worth paying anyway. "I think there are positive vibes that are taking place here," Favre said, "and that?s the way you start winning. And things start kind of happening. "You go, ?Oh, OK, that didn?t happen to us in the past.? And you just start believing that way and good things seem to fall in place." Crazy things happen in sports all the time. If Eli Manning can lead the Giants to a Super Bowl victory over the 18-0 Patriots one year, who says Brett Favre can?t advance the Jets to the big game the next? It?s a long road from a 3-2 start, and Favre still needs a lot of help. By Tuesday?s 4 p.m. trade deadline, the Jets should dial up Kansas City to get it for him. __________________
I don't understand that people, especially the media, forget that the first thing to look at when considering a trade is your salary cap situation. We used up almost all our cap room when we acquired Favre. And Gonzalez has to have a big cap number. So, Ian O'Connor (who i think is a real douche to begin with) can fantasize all he wants and try and tell Mr. T how to do his job. But the fact remains this deal is not going to happen.
I agree. If he were just sitting there -- maybe. But even then -- they are keeping Keller -- they are keeping Franks and you just signed baker.
Completely nailed it. This would be a ridiculous trade. I hope we don't do it. At this point; we run with what we have.
:rofl:"from the Kansas City Chiefs, who last did the Jets a favor by taking Herm Edwards off their hands.":rofl:
I know it is funny, but I think Herm was going to get the axe whether KC took him or not. I think if he were still here we would have a defense that gives up 600 points a season and an offence that scores 180.
I agree. We don't throw to the TE that much and Te's are not game breakers. This guy is a Mangini hater and just needed to write a negative Jet article
If this were baseball and we were the Yankees and had money coming out of our @$$, then heck yeah. But it aint', and we have a salary cap, and as good as Gonzalez would be ... it wouldn't help the team as much as money spent elsewhere. All of the other big $ acquisitions seemed to address glaring needs. This one, not so much. It would definitely upgrade things, but I would not rate the TE situation in even the top half of the Jets needs, so for that reason it would be an idiotic move, this writer is saying more about his own ignorance than he is about the Jets. Not like we're gonna outbid the Giants anyway (or that Gonzalez would choose us over them).
According to rotoworld, Gonzo is only making $1 million this year so we could afford him. I don't know if I like the idea, but in terms of salary cap we could pull the trigger.
i dont think they were invisible. i dont think the offense is designed to go to the tight end very much. most of the time those guys are running little dump off routes about 2 yards in front of the LOS. no te could do much running those routes all game.
For the record, let me just say that I will not be surprised if by the end of the year Keller starts to emerge as a threat & all this talk about Gonzalez will seem foolish in hindsight.
I was against the Favre trade because it would make the team a win-now proposition, but now that we're there, why not go all out? For a reasonable price. Giants offered a 6th, let's give 'em a 5th.
I'd rather groom from within, work with what we've got and spend the pick more wisely, like bundling up for a future prospective heir apparent to Favre.
I agree. As long as we're not talking a huge pick, what the hell? As for the effect on the offense, it would completely change it, regardless of us not throwing to the TE very often. If teams have to account for Gonzalez on top of Coles, Cotchery, Stuckey, and Washington/Jones, rather than Baker, Franks, or Keller, you're talking about a vastly different gameplan. I wasn't a fan of the Keller pick on draft day, but he's definitely grown on me. I think he'll come along well long-term. This team doesn't have long-term though. We have right now with one of the best QBs to ever set foot on a field. Win today or rebuild tomorrow. Take that chance on that moment in the sun. Within reason, of course. I'd go as high as a third rounder, but nothing more.
I watched the broadcast when I got home last night, Dick Enberg was talking about us getting Leon Washington with the 4th rounder we got for Herm. :up:
Totally agree with this writer!!!!!!!!!! Does anybody here believe a player like TG could turn this team into the 2003 Chiefs Offensively???? We have a better QB Favre<<<Green We Have better Receivers corps Coles/Cotch/Stuckey/Keller<<<Kenninton/Morton/Hall/Dunn They had a better Runningback/Fullback Holmes/Young Richardson<<<Jones/Old Richardson We have the better 3rd down back though Washington>>>Blaylock They had the better Run blocking OLine and We have the Pass block OLine And our Defense is ten times better then theirs ever was. We would have a dominating offense with a pick up of TG. My point, I think a player like this added to the Jets would make our team elite and a true superbowl contender. I think it would be great if the FO pulled this off. This year is the Jets shot, Brady is out, Merriman is out, Manning is coming back from an injury. THIS COULD BE A MAGICAL YEAR!!!!:up:
