I will get links later Jets far ahead of where they were at this point last year By ANDREW GROSS THE JOURNAL NEWS (Original publication: June 8, 2007) HEMPSTEAD - The Jets are still a week away from their mini-camp and seven weeks away from the start of training camp. Still, there's the sense the team is ahead of where it was at this point last year. "The good thing is a lot of the new offense is installed," wide receiver Laveranues Coles said yesterday after the team's offseason-training-activity session at Hofstra. Of course, there's a simple explanation: Coach Eric Mangini, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and defensive coordinator Bob Sutton are entering their second year in those roles. Coles noted that Mangini is running drills in organized training activities that didn't show up until training camp last year. Which means these OTA sessions have been much more intensive. "He's got it all going, he ain't missing a beat," Coles said. "Last year, the OTAs were actually easier. Last year they were an hour and 15, an hour and 30. Now, they're 1:50, two hours. Last year, we thought, 'Oh, OK, this will be all right.' Then we got to camp and it was a rude awakening." Second-year quarterback Kellen Clemens, who is expected to be Chad Pennington's backup after being No. 3 on the depth chart last year, has also noticed the change. "Last year, it was a lot of seeing where we're going," Clemens said. "Now, guys have a pretty good idea of where we are and where we want to go." The Jets finished what many considered a surprising 10-6 last season and earned an AFC wild-card berth before losing to the Patriots. The offseason acquisition of running back Thomas Jones has bolstered the offense. But the Jets' defense finished 20th in the NFL last year, allowing 331.6 total yards per game. So the team spent its first two draft picks on cornerback Darrelle Revis and linebacker David Harris. "I think, as a group, the defense has been making real strides," Mangini said. "Last year at this time it was more of trying to learn a system, learn the basics of the system. Now, with that experience, you see nuances and the communication level improving. All that stuff is positive." Notes: Mangini said he has not spoken to veteran left guard Pete Kendall, who is no longer participating in the team's offseason workouts as he seeks to have his contract renegotiated. "I expect everybody to be here for (mini-camp)," Mangini said. ... Linebacker Jonathan Vilma missed yesterday's session to see his sister, Alice, receive her master's in business administration from Harvard. ... Center Nick Mangold, who has been sidelined with what is believed to be a back injury, participated on a limited basis in yesterday's session, though Wade Smith made the snaps with the first team in 11-on-11 drills. Mangold would not say whether this was the first day he was on the field and not on the stationary bike. "I'm working hard, trying to get back full blast when I can," Mangold said. ... Mangini reported that Revis has been having problems handling the ball on kick returns.
Continuity helps Jets' passing game BY TOM ROCK June 8, 2007 Although the upgrade of the Jets' running game is obvious - Thomas Jones, the 1,200-yard rusher for whom they traded in March, already has made an impression on the team with his skill and work ethic - the improvements to the passing attack won't show up on the opening day roster. Instead, the Jets will be using the same pieces as last year. Quarterback Chad Pennington is healthy for the first offseason in years. Top receivers Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery are back and third wideout Justin McCareins continues to impress during the workouts. Tight end Chris Baker, who was working with Pennington in the rehab room a year ago, now is clicking with the quarterback on the field. Offensive coordinator Bryan Schottenheimer, who flirted with a head coaching opportunity in Miami this winter, is back in his role as play-caller and innovator. That kind of personnel continuity may be common for George, Brad and Matt on the set of "Ocean's 13," but in the NFL it's a rarity. For the Jets it makes these offseason workouts less meet-and-greet and more about refining and experimenting. "Any time you're in the same offense, which I hadn't been in a long time, it has its advantages because now you can learn the intricacies and be a little looser in the offense," Coles said. "It takes a lot of the guesswork out of it." That's not to say there's nothing new. Coach Eric Mangini said the offense is always trying to stay "ahead of the posse" and "add some new wrinkles." Last year the Jets were extolled for their offensive schemes that featured plenty of shifting, motion and misdirection. Now, in Schottenheimer's second year as a coordinator, there's a so-called book on the Jets' offense; it's up to the coaches to keep adding chapters. "This time of year, you're going to experiment anyway because you've done a lot of different things in terms of offseason studies, things that you liked that other teams did or things you want to improve," Mangini said. "Maybe some changes you wanted to make during the season that time doesn't really allow for." A healthy NFL offense is always changing, even when it's lucky enough to have the players and coaches remain the same. Notes & quotes: Coles scoffed at the idea of a Mellow Mangini in his second year at the helm. "If anything, he's put his foot more on the gas since we've been back," Coles said. "He's not one of those guys that's going to let up, that's for sure." ... McCareins continues to look impressive in practices ... C Nick Mangold participated in a few drills but was mainly relegated to the sideline along with WR Tim Dwight and LB Matt Chatham ... Mangini said he has not spoken to G Pete Kendall, the lone roster player not attending these voluntary workouts because of a contract dispute. Mangini sternly said he expects everyone to be at next week's mandatory minicamp. Giants sign guard. The Giants signed former Titans guard Zach Piller yesterday. Piller started three games last season for the Titans before suffering an ankle injury at Miami on Sept. 24 that kept him out for the rest of the season. Tennessee waived Piller in February and he was signed by Detroit in March, but the Lions cut him last month. In eight seasons with Tennessee, the 6-5, 315-pounder played in 87 games, starting 58. He was the Titans' third-round draft choice in 1999 out of the University of Florida. Piller will add experience to a Giants offensive line that lost two players from last year. In February, former starting left tackle Luke Petitgout was released and backup tackle Bob Whitfield retired. The Giants also released defensive tackle Sir Henry Anderson and cornerback R.W. Cobbs. - AP Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.
Eric still Mean Mangini BY RICH CIMINI DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Friday, June 8th 2007, 4:00 AM Success hasn't softened Eric Mangini. Just the opposite, actually. The hard-driving coach, who established his reputation last summer with an ultra-demanding training camp, is pushing the Jets harder than ever, several players said yesterday. And they suspect the worst is yet to come. "I look at the calendar every day, and I'm just dreading the fact that (training camp) has to come around," wide receiver Laveranues Coles said after practice at Hofstra. Such is life under Mangini, who apparently doesn't believe in the phrase "Lighten up." Some coaches start out as tough guys and back off in the second year, once they've built a foundation. Not Mangini, who has cranked up the intensity this offseason during organized team activities. The non-contact practices, which conclude with next week's mandatory minicamp, include drills that weren't employed last year until training camp. The practices have been running about 30 minutes longer than last spring, players said. "If they're two hours now," Coles said, "there's no telling what it will be like in camp." The Jets finished a surprising 10-6 last season, but Mangini takes the amnesia approach to recent history. Playoff berth? What playoff berth? "That little taste of success will make him push us even harder," safety Kerry Rhodes said. Vintage Mangini: Even though the Jets aren't going to play a foul-weather game for another five months, he made them practice outdoors on Monday in driving rain and unseasonably chilly temperatures. "Hurricane Monday," quarterback Kellen Clemens called it. Their indoor practice facility remained empty. Coaches have to be careful because there are league rules that prohibit contact and excessive work in the offseason - ask Tom Coughlin - but no one has publicly criticized Mangini's tactics. Even Coles, who often bemoans the workload, sees a method to the madness. "He wants to see who's going to fold under pressure," he said. "All he does is apply pressure - week in, week out, day to day, hour to hour. A lot of guys can't handle it. But if they can deal with that, they can deal with game conditions." TIP O' THE CAP: Curtis Martin, who is expected to retire, re-worked his contract in recent days, according to an NFL source. He agreed to void the 2008 and 2009 seasons and he reduced his 2007 salary from $3.25 million to $820,000, the veterans' minimum. It creates $2.4 million in additional cap space this year. The Jets were comfortably under the cap, so it's unclear why they needed to create immediate space. ... CNick Mangold, who sat out last week with an undisclosed injury, is participating on a limited basis. ... LB Jonathan Vilma was excused to attend the graduation of his sister, who received an MBA from Harvard.
Coles may whine and everything, but at least he knows that there are inherent results from all the hard work and he seems determined to get his work in just the same. It's good to at least have someone on the team to add in some color commentary every once in a while. Kendall's absence must really stick out like a sore thumb there. I wonder how much respect he's lost in the locker room as a result of being the only one not there during these tough workouts.
I'm new here...and i'm not sure if this is the right place to post--but i read this today on nfl.com. Happy landing for Culpepper? By Dave Gladow NFL.com In a move expected for months now, the Chiefs finally completed a trade with Miami, sending quarterback Trent Green to the Dolphins in exchange for a conditional draft pick. The biggest news to result from the trade had little to do with Green though, and everything to do with the man he'll be replacing in Miami. Daunte Culpepper could soon be traded, but to what team? Following the acquisition of Green, incumbent quarterback Daunte Culpepper said the Dolphins approached him to let him know they'd be attempting to trade him -- a somewhat surprising decision, given the team's investment in Culpepper and the general expectation that if the Dolphins were to cut ties, they'd simply release the quarterback and be done with it. Now it seems the Dolphins want something in return. Initially, Culpepper was not pleased with the news. "They would like to trade me in order to 'get something for me,"' Culpepper said in an email. "However, it is my position that I have already been down that road and I am not interested in being traded." Still, Culpepper may not have much say in the matter, and it appears he has realized this. NFL Network's Adam Schefter is reporting that Culpepper is now willing to restructure his contract to facilitate a deal. That's probably the right attitude to take, but toward what end? Where will Culpepper ultimately end up? According to Schefter, it won't be in Atlanta, Chicago, Minnesota, Oakland or with the New York Giants -- teams that have had some sort of Culpepper connection in the past but are denying interest now. One can also eliminate teams with little to no cap room (such as the Steelers and Broncos). Even though Culpepper is reportedly willing to restructure, according to the Associated Press he is still scheduled to make $5.5 million this season. Realistically, that's a lot of money to leave on the table. Expect him to want a significant portion of that. Because of this, it doesn't make sense for a team with a firmly entrenched starter to make a play for him either, not when he'd strictly be a backup at what could amount to a starter's salary. That eliminates teams like Cincinnati, New England and Indianapolis. Of course, some teams wouldn't make any kind of sense for Culpepper because of their existing depth. So scratch off Baltimore, Philadelphia, Buffalo and teams of their ilk. That left me with a list of five teams that seem to be a good fit. Two teams denying interest, Chicago and Minnesota, both make a great deal of sense too, as both organizations have the salary cap space and the perceived need at the position. However, the Bears refuse to do anything other than stand by Rex Grossman for the moment, and the Vikings would likely be too proud to trade for a player they cast aside barely more than a year ago. Nope, instead we have the following five. Enjoy! 5. Houston Texans -- Okay, so they just traded for Matt Schaub, awarded him a fat contract and anointed him their starter. I'm not convinced. Particularly when I look at the backup situation: Sage Rosenfels and Bradlee Van Pelt. Schaub is largely unproven, and while Culpepper would add a burden to the team's salary cap, he would also give the team a true second option -- something the Texans don't realistically have right now. 4. St. Louis Rams -- Again, it might not appear to be the perfect fit, but one has to take into consideration the often shaky injury status of starting quarterback Marc Bulger. Culpepper's best season came while playing under current Rams head coach Scott Linehan in Minnesota, and the appeal of getting to work with St. Louis' arsenal of weapons (Steven Jackson, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, etc.) has to be strong. The Rams could use him, given Bulger's injury history and the team's current backup situation (Gus Frerotte and Ryan Fitzpatrick). Chad Pennington's injury history makes a Culpepper deal possible. 3. New York Jets -- Chad Pennington will be 31 by training camp, an aging veteran with a relatively weak arm (and a couple of shoulder surgeries to boot). New York, already a playoff team, could afford to take on Culpepper as a reclamation project with Pennington already in the saddle, while Culpepper would join a talented roster and sit behind a quarterback who has proven fragile throughout his career. The only hiccup in the plan would be second-year man Kellen Clemens, but by most reports, Clemens is not progressing particularly well at the moment. Still, even if he does come around, Culpepper would provide great competition. 2. Jacksonville Jaguars -- I happen to be a believer in Byron Leftwich, but given his injury history and current contract situation (Leftwich is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season), it's clear the Jaguars aren't. David Garrard has been inconsistent as a backup, and Quinn Gray does not appear to be the answer either. Culpepper would add more competition to the mix and would be in a position to take over in 2008 if Leftwich leaves in the offseason. Either way, Culpepper would be good insurance for a team that has the cap room to make it work. 1. Green Bay Packers -- The Packers are very familiar with what Culpepper can do, having faced him when he was a member of the NFC North rival Vikings on several occasions. Green Bay also has the salary cap space to make the move, but most importantly, the Packers have the need. Brett Favre is getting closer and closer to retirement, and the team has to find a replacement. Some observers think that player could be Aaron Rodgers, whom Green Bay drafted in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft, but more and more it is becoming obvious the team has little confidence in him. Don't kid yourself -- Favre would have been sent packing two years ago if Rodgers was good enough. And with Favre struggling to the third-worst quarterback rating of his career last year (72.7), that doesn't say much for Rodgers at this point. Of course, I'm not ready to condemn him to a Tommy Maddox-like career just yet. But it just seems clear that the team isn't entirely sold on him either. Whether Rodgers blossoms or not, it would be a good idea to have some veteran talent on hand to ease the transition when Favre retires. Culpepper would provide that. Give Culpepper another year to recover from his disastrous knee injury, take the pressure off Aaron Rodgers to perform immediately and give the team added depth for the next several years. It makes sense. Probably too much sense for it to actually happen.
I find this very interesting. Didn't Martin already restructure his contract last year or something to free up some room? I know he's a nice guy, but I don't know why he would basically throw away over 2 million dollars since he won't be making that kind of money once he retires. Anyone think we are on the verge of making some sort of big deal? Resigning Rhodes? Trading for Asante Samuel? Anyone else we might be makign a move for?
Im almost positive that kendall has lost little to no respect in the locker room, esspecially those who work on the line with him (mangold and dbrick.) Everytime the media asks another player about a hold out they all say the same thing. "its all business" and they have no problem with it because at somepoint they all might be there, so i doubt he has lost respect among his peers.
Didn't see this anywhere. If already posted, sorry. :smile: Column: An offer Mangini couldn't refuse By JIM LITKE, AP Sports Columnist Thu Jun 7, 7:39 PM ET http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070607...litke070707;_ylt=Agv3sfg5N1Cxf2SlVVDFQy7IyLQF As if NFL commissioner Roger Goodell didn't have enough wayward players to worry about, Jets coach Eric Mangini was caught on camera in a New Jersey restaurant last week meeting a known mob boss who has wagered large sums of money on his team. Fishy, no? Yet a call to league headquarters Thursday to find out how Goodell planned to deal with Mangini generated this kind of response: Fuhgedaboutit. Before going any further, let's clear up a few things. That was indeed Mangini and his wife, Julie, on HBO last Sunday night dining out, and the plates of food set out in front of them were real, too. Everybody and everything else, from Tony Soprano to the restaurant itself, the Nuovo Vesuvio, was fictional. After a cameo on "Sesame Street" last year, Mangini decided to add some dramatic bona fides to his resume by playing himself on last Sunday night's episode of "The Sopranos." That's one of the show's rules. Lauren Bacall, Ben Kingsley, Nancy Sinatra and Lawrence Taylor all went along. So did Mangini. And so in the next-to-last show of the long-running series, the Jets coach is glimpsed dining at a restaurant owned by Soprano's childhood friend, Artie Bucco. At one point, Bucco ventures over to the table where Soprano and his wife, Carmella, are sitting. "Tone, you know who's in tonight?" Bucco asks, before mangling the answer to his own question. "Man-genius." Soprano has to explain to Carmella who Mangini is. "It's the Jets coach, sweetie," he says. "I should go say hello." And Tony and Artie do, walking over to the table where Mangini is dining as the camera pulls back for a long shot. "Playing me eating dinner is a real stretch," Mangini joked during a telephone interview with The AP's Dennis Waszak, "but I worked with an acting coach and I think I really nailed it." So did just about everyone else. Despite not speaking a word, an art Mangini learned from mentor Bill Belichick and honed during his own news conferences, he turned out to be a very believable prop. And not everyone is happy about that. "Look, I know it's not real," Anthony Fucilli wrote on Scout.com, "but they were able to use his association with a mob boss and gambling on the Jets and tie it all together. "The NFL has done it's best to disassociate themselves from gambling. You just wonder what Coach Mangini was thinking, or in this case, not thinking." That's easy. "I've liked the show since it started and to have the opportunity to be part of it, especially here at the end, it was just a great opportunity," Mangini said. He also knew exactly what he was getting into. "It's not like Tony and I had any previous affiliation or subsequent affiliation. It was more or less just meeting another person at a restaurant who happened to be a fan of the Jets." We wondered what Goodell & Co. thought about it, and whether a few months into a "get-tough" campaign launched shortly after he took office in September, the commissioner still had a sense of humor. After all, Goodell has already suspended Tennessee's Adam "Pacman" Jones for the entire season, Cincinnati's Chris Henry for eight games and Chicago's Tank Johnson for a minimum of six ? all for various run-ins with the law. He's also waiting for an investigation to conclude the extent of Michael Vick's involvement in a pit-bull fighting ring before deciding whether Atlanta's star quarterback will cool his heels on the sideline for a number of games. So besides being busy, the league office hasn't been a particularly mirthful place of late. But a league spokesman chuckled when asked whether Goodell was planning to critique Mangini's acting style. "No, no, not at all," Greg Aiello said. "What coach Mangini did was harmless. ... In addition to the other things 'The Sopranos' is known for, it's known for a sense of humor." And generally speaking, the NFL isn't. So credit Mangini with having enough good sense to recognize an offer he couldn't refuse, even if neither the cast nor the script ever sufficiently explained why Mangini was dining at a restaurant in New Jersey instead of say, Long Island. "It could have been after a game," he told his local newspaper. "We didn't explore the motivation very deeply."
The bit which intrigues me is... I'm really interested to see if his arm is any stronger and how an already great thinking QB is going to build on last year in terms of learning more plays and building on becoming sharper.
I agree. This guy needs to lighten up. It's a god damned cameo for 4 seconds, and in no way did Mangini convey that he was tied to the mob or gambling. To my knowledge, he was EATING FUCKING DINNER which there is nothing wrong with
I DONT WANT CULPEPPER, and i never convinced myself that martin would retire. again martin showing a class of man and player that is rarely known in the NFL, by restructuring yet again, and voiding the last 2 seasons on his contract, amazing.
Seriously, that was one of the more ridiculous things that I've read this offseason. This season needs to start now. Thoughts from other articles: 1. Curtis is a God among men. Seriously, this guy looks on par with Jesus at times with his charity. 2. I'm kind of ambivalent about Cullpepper. I have enough trust in this FO that if we go after him for no more than a 5th rounder IMO I'll trust that they think that they can at least reclaim something from him, and if not I don't care.
If we take DC I would want a 5th rounder as well Miami Dolphins Updated:06/06/2007 The Palm Beach Post reports that Trent Green is finally a Dolphin. After three months of negotiations with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Dolphins have acquired the two-time Pro Bowl player for a conditional fifth-round draft pick. The Dolphins will try to trade Daunte Culpepper, but if a deal can't be found quickly, he could be released.
He's not throwing anything away. He only makes that 3.25 million if the Jets choose to pay him, it's not guaranteed. On the other hand he has a reasonable shot at making the vet minimum and actually taking it home. Soon as he retires the remaining years of his contract are void anyway.
And the bonus cap hit accelerates into our cap. It was probably cheaper, cap wise, for the Jets to pay Martin for 1 more year, at 800K to let the bonus hit next year be minimal since it can spread over 2.. I don't know the numbers, but it definitely can be true with high bonuses like he got. Say he got 10M over 5 yrs... Well if he retired now with 3 to go, 6M, spilt between this year (2M) and next yr (4M). Pay him 800K, and put him on IR.... Saves $ this year. I don't know his bonus $ value, but I'm assuming it's high... It's funny how sometimes spending 800K more this year saves us 2M cap room next year... along with the savings this yr.
If the Jets were to sign Daunte Culpepper, it would be a slap in the face to Kellen Clemens and Chad Pennington. It would be a slap in the face to Chad because the organization can say, "hey you only had one healthy season, he's an insurance policy." It would be a slap in the face to Kellen because lets say Chad doesn't play well and the Jets were to somehow fall out of the playoff race or get injured, then not inserting Clemens basically states that he won't ever be a starting quarterback. Sorry, no need for Culpepper on this team.
