None! A pleasant surprise. Aside from the draft talk about past Clemons issues, he seems to have his head on straight. And for the rest of the team, JD has assembled a really nice bunch of talent, who all seem like good hard-working dudes. No divas or head-cases... even Mims, while he requested a trade, he's been quiet, & when interviewed was always under control, respectful & professional. Then there's Duane Brown. At 37, he injured his shoulder immediately, and could've had surgery & packed it in, with some nice guaranteed bucks. Instead, he chose to rehab & get back on the field ASAP. So, aside from the talent, what an easy team to root for.
@burf ... you're in my head! This morning I was gonna start a thread on this very subject. Joe Douglas & Rex Hogan have stated they want high character players on the roster and I believe we're seeing evidence of that in the locker room and more importantly... on the field. You can see the effort the players are putting out in games... not giving up when down on the scoreboard... effective blocking from skill players.... Breece Hall hopping toward the goal line with a guy wrapped around his leg. This is a very likable group... from the head coach on down. Go JETS!
I don’t really care if they’re professional street fighters on Tuesdays or ballerinas. As long as they’re playing well and not getting arrested or suspended. There have been a lot of NFL scumbags whose performance or locker room presence wasn’t affected by their scumbaggery.
Yeah, it's kinda amazing... all GMs/owners always pay lip service to character, but when it's crunch time they usually opt for the fast fix over character. JD really deserves credit. It's not like these guys are alter boys, they're just kids with talent, work ethic, & a desire to win. In Brown's case, not so much a kid.
Most of the time they disrupt team chemistry, but you miss my main point... these guys are easy to root for.
This is an engaging and likable group. I don't really see a bad seed among them. It will make it that much sweeter when they achieve the success they are capable of.
yup…lip service is exactly what it is. in the end…winning matters and owners will sign players who win even if they are scumbags off the field. Plenty of players with crap on their record are playing. Once in a while someone will be made an example of if there is enough pressure, like Ray Rice because we all saw it on video. But for every one of those, there are plenty who have bad records but are on rosters…shit how much did Tyreek Hill get, and he’s not super clean? regardless, that’s true in many other industries as well…look at Hollywood…so many outright rapists and bad characters there that still work…
What's fascinating in the entertainment industry, which I used to work in, you have the talent, the crews & the business types. It's very team-oriented, like sports. The business types are kinda sleazy, like people in real estate (& sports). While the crews are some of the hardest-working people you can meet. An then there's the talent, most, no matter how big & famous they are, are generally good down-to-earth people, who tend to remember their roots. People often think of them as divas, but not in my experience. Of course, some of them buy friends Maseratis for b-days.
When the jets talk about character and the type of player they want I think they define it a lot more narrowly. It is not being altruistic, knowledgeable, caring etc but rather it is football specific traits. You hear Saleh and Douglas keep on asking one question over and over does the player love football? Is football the focus of their life. If you look at JD's picks the one trait they have in common is picking players who are captains. Players that likely lead and are team orientated. They want players that live and breathe football. When you listen to our young players it's never about I but about the team. A great example is JJ. The night of the draft he, Sauce and Wilson did a very long question and answer interview with the NY media. JJ was so focused on the team but what really impressed me was despite being very engaging and articulate JJ kept pausing and making room for Sauce and Wilson to speak and share the spotlight. The same goes with FA's they have brought in high character team leaders like Tomlinson, Lawson CJ Uzomah, Reed and so on. Not just players that fit the scheme but players that fit the culture they want to develop. One of the things Saleh and JD have talked about when developing a young team is not only do they want the coaches capable of developing young talent (one of the reason for so many additional coaches) but they want the right veterans in the locker room to install the culture they need to develop these players. Everything they have done has been coordinated as part of that long term plan of developing young players. A huge part of that is character and culture. It is not just lip talk but a big part of what JD and Saleh are trying to do.
