By Tom Rock
Got back from Dallas and had to stop at a Sports Authority on the way home. Inside, way in the back, near the camping and weight-lifting things that no one buys, was a rack of green stuff and a sign:
All Jets Merchandise - 30 % Off.
It reminded me of the urban legend of the sporting goods store that was robbed in New Orleans a few years back. The thieves took everything in the place, cleaned it out, but they did leave a rack of Bobby Hebert jerseys untouched.
Anyway, the Jets are off for a few days. Some of the players said they were heading out of town, others were coming back to LI to get some rest. Five more games. Five more games. Keep telling yourself, five more games.
And I know someone posted a comment about the NY media building Kellen Clemens up only to tear him down. I'm not gonna tear him down yet. But I think he needs to have at least one or two really strong games -- 3 TDs, 300 yards, no INTs -- or else the Jets could be in the market for another QB of the future in the not-so-distant future. Colt Brennan's NY Jets?
Here's my question for you to ponder this weekend:
Do you think the Jets could be an underdog against a winless team next week? I think there's a pretty good chance the Dolphins wind up giving them a point or two. Not that we condone gambling, but we certainly pay attention to the spreads. So, fans, what's the spread for the Miami game?
Comments (10)
Colt Brennan as a Jet -- very intriguing, hadn't thought about that one. I'll be honest. Five years ago, when Pennington took over the reins from Vinny, I wasn't convinced he was an NFL-starter-caliber quarterback, so I'm not going to pass judgement on Clemens yet. However, as your colleague, Mr. Powell pointed out in his column, he could just be the beginning of another long, agonizing search -- which scares me to death. I'm harkening back to all the hype surrounding Browning Nagle (he had a pretty strong arm if I remember correctly) but not much else. By the way, I still say the Jets will lose to Miami for their only win, then beat New England for their only loss -- that would be so Jets. Also, on a Christmas shopping note, Chad Pennington's Fathead is already half-price on their website -- a good deal for fans like me who still believe in him -- but reports of #10's demise have been highly exagerrated. Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving (except for that silly little 34-3 part).
The Jets are losing 21 to 0 and they kick a field goal.ARE YOU KIDDING ME???????They should have stayed home and spent Thanksgiving day with their families and forfeited the game. This team IS A JOKE!!!!! I have been a Jet fan for over 40 years and every time I think that this franchise can't get any worse,IT DOES!!Please Mr. Johnson, give all the Jet fans a Christmas present and move this putrid excuse for a football franchise to Los Angeles, PLEASE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We fans have suffered enough.
The spread for the Miami game will depend a lot on how the Dolphins play on Sunday, especially if Beck looks really bad. Also remember that the Jets have won 6 out of the last 7 against them, and in that one loss, Brooks Bollinger had over 300 yards passing.
Forget the talk about looking for another quarterback in the draft. With the pitiful offensive line and defensive line the Jets better be looking at drafting linemen with their first few draft picks.
I don't think it's really fair to base an opinion of Clemens on what he's done so far. I just watched Eli Manning throw 21 points to the opposing defense in his 53rd game. Clemens has made, what, 4 starts? And the team stinks. The running game has been worse than the stats indicate, the offensive line is bad, and the receivers/TEs haven't made many game-breaking plays. I don't see him as a great QB, but I expect him to be solid; one of the top 16 starters in the league when he gets experienced and there's a team around him. He was awful against what might be the second best team in the NFL.
Just my opinion: Colt Brennan has nothing on Clemens in terms of talent. He's got slightly below average arm strength and doesn't have the great accuracy (like Chad) that can kinda compensate. He's just 2 months younger than Clemens, too. He sat out his first year and spent his second year at JUCO. Plus he's undersized for the position. He's listed at 6'3"/196. That'd be considered skinny for a wide receiver. Timmy Chang put up huge numbers at Hawaii, as well. It's that system.
Thinking way ahead: If the Jets wind up with a top 5 pick, they'd do well to trade down and stockpile picks. Not one player is going to make enough of a difference. They need help at OG, OT, OLB, NT (if they stick with the 3-4), DE and maybe FS and CB. They could probably also use more speed at TE. That's a lot of holes. Too many to use a high pick on a QB when the one they've got now hasn't gotten a chance to prove himself.
The team has and always will blow. They are trying to be like the pats, yet they have ZERO TALENT!
No big game WR's.
QB is a joke.
OL is pathetic.
DL, LB, CB and Safety all blow....
They are looking at another 5 years of misery in a division that gets better daily!
FIRE MANJERKOFF,,,,,SELL THE TEAM !!!
Four NFL starts. And he HAS to have a big game? Behind this excuse for an offensive line? Gimme a break. Go look at Eli.
Looking at rebuilding with Manidiot for another 5 years....Then we will fire him and re-build again. SELL THE TEAM.....FIRE THE GM....FIRE THE COACH ......... MOVE THE FRANCHISE TO NY !!!!
Fire Tangini. Hire Bill Cowher!
Is Ricky playing Sunday? If he is, I expect it to be his comeback game, we can make anyone look like an All-Star.
Not sure about Clemens yet either. It is way early, but he looked like a deer caught in the headlights Thursday. Losing Coles really hurts him, nore than I thought it would. Cotechery doesn't look like he can carry the load and Smith looks like a converted QB trying to catch passes all of a sudden.