The former Jets gathered Tuesday evening for Jets Night differed on their most memorable Shea moment but all offered similar opinions on one thing: the team’s move from Hofstra to New Jersey is a bad idea. I’ll be doing a Hofstra training camp retrospective once this year’s training camp gets underway but here’s a sampling:
Randy Beverly: “I’m really sad that they’re leaving because when you think of the Jets, you think of Hofstra. The two go together. We see it as a Long Island team and Hofstra being the home for the Long Island team.”
Marty Lyons: “If you look at New York now, the two teams that carry New York in front of them, the Jets and Giants, are both in New Jersey. The only team in New York is Buffalo.”
Wesley Walker: “It’s a disappointment for me because I will always remember Hofstra and it’s just different.”
But tonight’s winner for speaking boldly about the move goes to John Schmitt, a Hofstra graduate and center for the Super Bowl team.
“In all honesty, I think it sucks that they’re leaving,” Schmitt said.
That made me really want to ask Schmitt about the prospect of PSLs, but I didn't.
Not that the night was about bitterness or acrimony. Far from it. Players received a nice ovation before the game on the field and spoke glowingly about playing at Shea, particularly the unique dimensions of the field and the acoustics provided by LaGuardia that sometimes threw off the opposition. Hofstra was just one topic, one that many former players happen to feel passionately about.
Walker, incidentally, said a good deal of players were upset when they found out that the 1983 season would be the team’s final one at Shea. Players, however, were discouraged from voicing their true feelings.
“We were told to say certain things and that’s one of the things I regret where we couldn’t just say what we really felt,” Walker said.
Good thing current Jets players are encouraged to be much more open.
I was actually going to ask Walker about the knee injury that cost him the final seven games of the 1979 season but the Jets PR man on duty tonight, David Tratner, quickly interceded.
(Tratner, completely free of charge after the Mets 7-0 victory, suggested "Mets honor Jets by scoring touchdown," as a headline for tomorrow's papers. Simply Amazin')
Comments (43)
While I am too young to recall the Shea days and am no longer in NY, I do remember Hofstra practices fondly.
I am sad they will be no more.
I love Shea stadium...being a baseball fan I've been to quite a few stadiums considering I've only been alive for 20 years....that being said, what's with all of the "bigger, better, more expensive" approach? Shea, if they spent a year renovating it, could turn out to be way nicer and a great place for the Jets to call home. However, that would never happen, for the same reason that Yankee Stadium is getting torn down. For gods sake, Yankee Stadium in and of itself is an icon. Some of the most memorable games, plays and players have made their mark within that stadium and yet its getting torn down just so that the Steinbrenner's can make another fortune on boxes?
There's no reason that Shea or Yankee Stadium should be torn down. Turn them into a stadium for our beloved Jets. At this point, after years of sharing it with the Giants, even an S Hole like Shea (it really needs a renovation if it were to be used again) would be better than another stadium that we;re just going to share.
I recently realized why I'm so cynical if anyone has even read this far; Quaker education. I went to a Quaker middle school and a Quaker high school; WASTE OF MONEY DON'T EVER SEND YOUR KIDS THERE. It is a school for the weak...It is because of those schools that I am now a cynical and sarcastic clown. Oh, and life's way better when you can mock someone without them even getting it.
Cliff, bad night at work? You sound like I did after some nights at ESPN Zone dealing with Times Square tourists.
"Good thing current Jets players are encouraged to be much more open"
OMG you cracked me up there :D
Erik,
Its sad that they are leaving Hofstra. But i have learned over the years fans take it more to heart then the players and people in the business. The reality of the move its a business. I hate to say that but its true. The only positive thing about the move is that the complex will be unbelievable and lets hope that helps the team.But i will certainly leave me heart at Hofstra. GO JETS!!!!
Ya, and I've gotta argue a speeding ticket in an hour. PA can't use radar but for some reason cops like to guess speeds.
That really was a ridiculous post. hope you're all doing better than I am
Erik,
Wouldn't want to get in the way of Cliff's healthy, optimistic sharing. Quaker schools sound a lot like the Catholic schools I went to.
I for one, will miss standing a few feet away from the players and coaches during practice. I fondly remember Keshawn yelling at a fan who mocked him during practice. The next season he was gone. Class act. Couldn't hold a candle (or flashlight) to Wayne Chrebet for heart and class.
Cliff,
Are you sure Yankee Stadiums getting torn down? i heard they were keeping it up, maybe for one of their minor league teams? i cant imagine them tearing down something as symbolic as yankee stadium.
Eric
Where there's smoke, there's fire, especially when JJ and the Cowpokes get involved ...
"The name that continues to float around Valley Ranch is former Texas star Chris Simms. Simms, 26, is under contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and has told friends he would definitely be interested in signing with the Cowboys."
http://www.star-telegram.com/332/story/746507.html
I was hoping that Simms could somehow find his way to the Jets. Any thoughts?
On another note, I still dress too warmly when I go to Jet games in the Meadowlands, because I'm used to Jets and Mets at Shea. I always say that Shea Stadium could feel 20 degrees colder than any other spot in the NY Metro area.
Sorry, Erik, not Eric.
The JETS moved out of Shea because the city of NY and the METS would not maintain the stadium. Shea is a dump. It is dirty, cold and never had enough men's rooms. Why anyone would want to renovate or preserve a dump is beyond me.
The JETS new facility is a state of the art training facility which hopefully will have a positive impact on team performance. The JETS are not restricted in the growth of their facility by Hofstra. While I enjoyed Hofstra, I surely won't miss the traffic getting there.
Last I heard, Brian, that was the case...they were considering
making it into a big parking complex...which is why the old parking garages that have thrived around there for years are worried more so than just the team moving. That's why I'm upset with the organization...I'm debating becoming a Rays fan (oh, not because the Rays are winning, I swear).
the Jets are not staying in N.J. permanently as a business decision. They are staying there for good because the rich man who bought the team is from New Jersey, got his panties in a bunch when he didn't get the stadium he wnated, and he doesn't care that the Jets' fan base has historically (and only generally) been NYC and East (and South) while the Giants' bas has been NYC and North (and West).
finnaly someone agrees
i say we start "stay at hofstra" chants at training camp this year
finnaly someone agrees with me
i say we start stay at hofstra chants at training camp this year
Hey Ed(itor),
We had a "state of the art" labratory in space called Skylab, and some mountain folk move one day to Beverly Hills, and a hermit crab could live into a beer can. All we have to show for all that is a crater in Austrailia, hillbillies in Beverly, and a taste in my beer that is less than refreshing.
With all due respect, the Jets moved out of Shea and the Meadowlands because of money. They could charge more money regardless of if it's impact to the fans that built the franchise. The Jets should win because that's what they are paid to do. Win a Super Bowl and i'm all for cup holders, bathroom for people with wide stances, and "room for growth."
The NYJs have made the best of what they could. That NJ practice facility will help to improve the team. This stadium (which would have been in NYC except for self-defeating politics) will make more money with which to build the team.
Shea Stadium was a mess a long time ago -- those nostalgic ex-players didn't spend a helluva lot of time in the fan spaces of that hell hole, you can tell that from their comments.
The swamps of the Meadowlands were a no-man's land that Sonny Werblin and friends turned into a little New York playing area. That Giants Stadium has hosted a helluva lot of great fan experience, just in case ya'll folks are interested.
I'm sure the new space will have its points as well. Most importantly, we need a team that builds and keeps a winning tradition for a change.
Woody is spending his money in every way he can think of to get this done. My hat's off to him for that.
Let's just win.
Boland, I hate to see the Jets move their practice facility out of Hempstead. I grew up going to Jets training camp at Hofstra and, to me, it was the last tangible tie the team had to the New York-area. Either way, they'll always be my Jets and I certainly would trade a practice facility in Jersey for a winning season.
Milo, sorry for the delay in responding here to your Chris Simms question. Simms' best year was 2005 when he started 10 games, completing 61 percent of his passes and threw for 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He hasn't played since early 2006 because of a splenectomy. I'm not telling you anything you already don't know, but I just don't see the appeal of Simms for the Jets and you're not the first person to raise his name here. The loser of the Clemens/Pennington QB battle automatically becomes good insurance as a backup and don't forget about Erik Ainge, either. The Jets are interested to see him throw the ball this preseason as his recovery from surgery kept him from throwing during OTAs and the minicamp.
Erik,
Simms' name has come up since March with the rumors of the Jets thinking about trading Chad. The Kellen would be the starter and Simms would be good insurance if Kellen were to struggle. But it was all specualtion. Two weeks to camp.
The Jets tried very hard to be a NYC team. They spent a lot of time and effort trying to broker a deal with MTA, City & State officials.
New Yorkers can thank their politicians who don't believe that Jets fans are an important part of their constituency, expecially State Assemblyman Sheldon Silver (assembly speaker whose his district is in Manhattan) and Joe Bruno (upstate NY near albany, and I believe Senate Pres. at the time). God knows how many NY politicians got their palms greased by those upstanding citizens, the Dolans (owners of MSG, Cablevision), who decided that they could not tolerate owning the 2nd largest indoor venue in Manhattan.
They can also thank other powerful NY politicians like U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, who does nothing but whine about things he doesn't like, after it's too late to do anything about it.
Personally, I'm happy, because it's easier for me to get to games & training camp in NJ (I live there now), but I do feel bad for the Jets and for the LI & NY fans that have to trek to NJ just to see their team. But if you have anger about the situation, direct it at those responsible, not the Jets.
Former Long Islander,
Couldn't have said it better.GO JETS!!!!
Boland, want to throw up?
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/salaries/2008/cb.html
David Barrett has the 21st highest cap figure of all NFL CB's. More than the following players, Terrence McGee, Samari Rolle, Ronde Barber, Rashean Mathis, Quentin Jammer, Dunta Robinson, Marcus Trufant, Lito Sheppard, Leigh Bodden, etc etc.
HOW IS HE STILL ON THIS TEAM?????
dmb88886 - you forgot Darrelle Revis.
The move from Hofstra was long overdue.
The Jets are the only team that has been playing 16 road games every year, and not because the fans are all still in the lot drinking beer until the second quarter.
Do not underestimate the negative affect the travel to Jersey for a home game had on this team. Training five minutes from the stadium will eliminate a huge disadvantage. The opponent usually arrived before the Jets the morning of the game.
While I hate the fact that they left NY, once they abandonded Shea they should have left Hofstra too, for the good of the team, and I say this as a Hofstra Grad who attended that school mostly because the JEts trained there.
In fact, had they left, I may have gone to Rutgers.
Ira, couldn't have said it better: two weeks until camp...
dmb88886, agreed but looking at those figures, know what's scarier? Looking at Dewayne Robertson's $11,191,369 cap number the Jets might have been on the hook for had they not dealt him. (Not sure why his salary is still listed on the Jets page on that site but whatever. Robertson signed a five-year deal with Denver).
Yeah, I noticed that about Drob. It may be more scary, but i'm not sure its a worse contract. Despite it costing a lot more, at least Drob plays one of the most important positions, and at least Drob is good enough to be a quality starter in a 4-3. Barrett is just atrocious all around. And there was a good chance Drob was going to get cut if not traded......so why isn't Barrett talked about being cut????
I think the media, starting with you, needs to put out articles about this stuff. Sometimes these things take on steam in the media and end up coming true.
The only thing I missed about LI was going to see the JETS training camp at Hofstra. Now I can go to the new digs in NJ when I'm upstate on vacation.
The state abandoned this team, as well as the Dolans' and the rich people on the West Side who didn't want the noise over a railyard. If you really think ownership wanted this then you need to think that over. Woody has a bunch of property he already owns in south Jersey. If he really wanted to impact fans and just do what HE wanted, he should have built his own stadium on land he already owns.
This approach worked out quite well for Daniel Snyder who owns the Deadskins. This is one of the reasons the Deadskins are one of the wealthiest teams in sports!
Let's face it people, the training facility at Hofstra was old. It wasn't until Tuna got here that they even had a weight training facility worthy of an NFL team or an indoor training field.
The new facility is designed to face the same direction as the new stadium. A state of the art weight room and training room. This all benefits our team.
The only thing I missed about LI was going to see the JETS training camp at Hofstra. Now I can go to the new digs in NJ when I'm upstate on vacation.
The state abandoned this team, as well as the Dolans' and the rich people on the West Side who didn't want the noise over a railyard. If you really think ownership wanted this then you need to think that over. Woody has a bunch of property he already owns in south Jersey. If he really wanted to impact fans and just do what HE wanted, he should have built his own stadium on land he already owns.
This approach worked out quite well for Daniel Snyder who owns the Deadskins. This is one of the reasons the Deadskins are one of the wealthiest teams in sports!
Let's face it people, the training facility at Hofstra was old. It wasn't until Tuna got here that they even had a weight training facility worthy of an NFL team or an indoor training field.
The new facility is designed to face the same direction as the new stadium. A state of the art weight room and training room. This all benefits our team.
While Barrett's cap #'s are high [this won't be popular] he is better then most people give him credit for.He has 11 INT's since he has been with the Jets. That is the highest total besides Kerry and Law who each have 10.He is a good veteran to have around but i am surprised they haven't approached him to restructure his contract. If they don't before or during camp and a player like Woolfork or Lowery shows they could contribute right away Barrett could be in trouble.
"While Barrett's cap #'s are high [this won't be popular] he is better then most people give him credit for."
No he's not, he's terrible. In fact, he's worse than what most people say. Every time he's in the game he gives WR's a HUGE cushion, and even with that cushion he still gets beat deep. Every QB targets his side. Re-watch the opening game of the season vs. the Pats and specifically watch Barrett (just one example, you can watch any game), he's ALWAYS getting beat, short and deep. Any time we had a 3rd down on a team, he always gave up a 3rd down 1st down. He's arguably the worst CB on an NFL roster. Jason David is pretty bad too, but Barrett is easily top 3 worst in the NFL.
"He has 11 INT's since he has been with the Jets."
That means nothing. INTs are the most misunderstood stat in sports. Good cover guys don't have nearly as many balls thrown their way. Bad CB's get thrown on a lot more often, they have more passes to be able to intercept. Its a pointless stat to use. Some CB's have bad hands.
Sure he gets beat and so does every other CB in the league. He is still a steady player and he is a hard hitter and good in run support. He almost killed TJ in the Bengals game last year. Problem is if Miller doesn't grab that other CB stating spot[ i think he will] there isn't much of a difference between Barrett and the rest of the players competing for that spot. Once again Barrett's money #'s are the strike against him. That last CB spot will come down Woolfork,Barrett or Coleman.And if they end up moving Lowery to safety Barrett will be on this team.
"Sure he gets beat and so does every other CB in the league."
IRA, he gets beat MORE than every other CB in the league, a LOT more.
"He is still a steady player and he is a hard hitter and good in run support."
His tackling is overrated, he's actually missed a lot of tackles the last year or two. And its an extremely unimportant talking point that everyone uses because he's terrible in the actual important areas of his job. Nobody would want a DE that is a terrible pass rusher and terrible run stopper, but is excellent in coverage when he sometimes drops into it to cover a TE or a zone.
"Problem is if Miller doesn't grab that other CB stating spot[ i think he will] there isn't much of a difference between Barrett and the rest of the players competing for that spot."
When Drew Coleman started 3-4 straight games his rookie season, he covered infinitely better than Barrett has covered in his best 3-4 games of his career.
"Once again Barrett's money #'s are the strike against him."
As well as the fact that he's one of the worst at doing his job in the entire league.
While Barrett is not what I consider solid, he can hold the fort. When he played hurt he still held his own! I agree, for the $ no go, but you are exaggerating his status. He is your average CB and until someone takes his job(hope its JM), with our improved pass rush he will be fine.
"he can hold the fort. When he played hurt he still held his own! "
No he can't, and no he didn't. Unless you considering getting burnt more than every other CB in the NFL holding the fort....
I beg to differ. You clearly are one sided on this. I remember your posts from Cimini's blog and wondered what did Barrett do to your family?
From what I seen, he is not as you make him out.
Scott, come to the ESPN jets board, 90% of the poster feel he's as terrible as i'm making him out to be. I don't dislike him, I could care less, I just dislike that he's hurt my team so much over the years.
I respect your opinion. Fair enough. However, even if he is slightly subpar, the improved pass rush will not expose him. Look at the giants secondary,ranked close to the bottom and that is the ENTIRE secondary! Don't panic!
Scott proves a point. with what should be an improved(as a jets fan ive learned not to get my hopes up about preseason predictions) front 7, the line is going to make the whole defense look good. the DB's can afford to put the presure on the receivers because the qb should be on his back inside of 3 seconds. thats not enough time to get the receivers to a position to have already beaten the CB's downfield if Barrett gives as much cusion as dmb88886 is making it out to be.
Honestly though, i think Miller will take the 2nd spot away from Barrett anyway cause i think Miller's been playing like hes got something to prove after a sketchy rookie season and injury riddled 2nd season.
It doesn't matter how much the pass rush covers it up for him. The fact is, well run NFL teams don't keep guys making that much money on the roster of they are terrible. He needs to be cut either way.
The jets could have moved to queens if they wanted. This woody johnson is bad news. Ihope this clown sells the team in a few years. Iam going to training camp thissummer and have a sign that will say new jersey jets. It is really time for the jets and giants to change there name jersey.
Scotty, as always I have to side with you. dmb's got a lot of hatred for Barrett, but its not really warranted. I agree that Barrett isn't a speedy guy, nor is he a shutdown corner, but on the Jets roster, who the heck else do we have? Hell, we've got Hank Poteat on there (its been 6 years since he was relevant). It goes to show you the problems with depth on our team. I agree he's not worth the #, but dmb you make some absurd arguments.
To start, anytime you reference an ESPN board, I'll tone out. Half of the schmucks on the ESPN boards are 14-16 year old kids or middle aged guys who don't watch as much as they claim to. Hell, the only reason they feel like they can talk about anything is because they do fantasy sports (not to mention half of these same idiots post during the year whether they should trade LT for Ronnie Brown (The week after he got injured).
That's the first thing, the second thing is that 11 ints is a decent place to be for any CB. QBs hate guys who have good enough hands to pick a pass...or to make their mistakes look really bad. Hell, Champ Bailey doesn't get thrown on but he sure as hell did that rookie year (until he started picking passes left and right). The same thing with Antonio Cromartie (a personal favorite of mine). The guy got thrown on 10-15 times a game the first few weeks when he was the 3rd CB. Then, he picked a few passes and that dropped to 5-10. By the end of the year, Peyton threw his way 5 times in a game and had 3 of them picked. Corners who can intercept passes are the ones that ultimately become an asset to a team. Trust me, Barrett having good hands is a good thing.
As I enjoy playing Devil's Advocate, I must say that I hope that Barrett is the #4 CB on the team (only #3 when we drop into zone). However, for the money, he should be cut...there's no reason to pay that much.
Don't be quick to jump on the Miller band wagon. Hes yet to prove himself outside of some nifty special teams spurts. As mush as I want to believe that the green and white D is going to be the top of the league this year, I cannot give credit until credit is due.
You all know, just as well as I do, that preseason leads to a lot of false hope for jets' fans.