Proving once again how tough a business the NFL is, the Jets tonight released safety Nate Lyles, originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent on May 2. In a corresponding roster move, the Jets signed cornerback Ahmad Carroll, a player with a troubled past. Carroll was a first-round pick of the Packers in 2004 and though he played in 34 games - starting 28 - he was waived in 2006. The Jaguars picked up Carroll but he was released in May of 2007 following his arrest on gun and drug charges. Carroll started 15 of 16 games for the Orlando Predators this past Arena League season.
Lyles, of course, was one of the feel-good stories of the OTAs and minicamp and he was trying to earn a spot in the league after coming back from what was thought to be a career-ending neck injury in 2005 while at Virginia.
Once again, live chat tomorrow (Wednesday) at 1 p.m. where we likely won't discuss this, unless you really want to.
Comments (19)
If we're going to sign scumbag thug types, can we at least sign a talented scumbag thug like Chris Henry? Ahmad Carroll was horrible in Green Bay. You couple that with the off-field issues and I was sure he'd never play in the NFL again.
Rich, i think they brought Carroll in not to play football but to beat some sense into Baker. A little motivational magic trick called "guess which sock is full of nickels".
I don't see him making the roster. Maybe a body for the practice team or extra competition to push the rest of the secondary.
Rich R., hadn't seen you on here in a while. Welcome back!
Mr. Green T, um, well, you hit it on the head I think with that analysis.
Erik,
Very surprised they signed a Carroll who was charged with drug and gun charges back in May 2007.
Francesa confirmed what I wrote a week ago. Jets are talking Favre.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/39946-wfans-mike-francesa-just-confirmed-brs-mantz-715-exclusive-jets-favre
It makes too much sense but i just can't see it happening. I don't want a 1 year tease and then he retires again. He will end up with Tampa or some team that is a favorite to go to the Super Bowl who loses their QB during camp.
I can't see Favre wanting to play New England twice in a season, then again if they make the playoffs. The AFC East is not a patsy division like the NFC North.
He'll take Tampa Bay, where the worst thing he'll have to worry about is Carolina.
Ira, agreed on Carroll, who seems a very un-Jets-like player with that past. But they're also convinced his bad off-the-field days are over with and he is young.
Bob, I'm not sure that's confirmation of anything regarding Favre. I'll be the first to do a mea culpa if I'm wrong, but from what I've been told there's nothing to this and never has been.
Hi Erik,
No to change the topic again, but I read on rotoworld.com that if J. Vilma plays in 85 percent of the snaps this year The Jets will get The Saints' second round pick in 2009. The Giants will then get The Saints first round pick for Shockey and the Saints can keep their fifth rounder.
I wasn't sure that we resolved this topic yet.
Carroll >>>> Barrett
Good article by Myers about Favre:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2008/07/22/2008-07-22_if_the_jets_pass_on_brett_favre_theyre_s-3.html?page=0
Erik,
Did I see somewhere that the Patriots signed Clement? I was hoping we would add him for depth since he knows the system better then anyone else.
Tim
No way the Saints let Vilma play 85% of the defensive snaps. They will keep him to about 80% so they don't have to give up those prime picks.
Not Nate Lyles!! i'm telling you, if given a chance, he could have made the roster. Smart kid, hits hard...maybe lacking speed. Great character, not like this Carroll guy.
Are they trying to turn us into the Bungles? we don't need trouble makers on this squad. let them go play in Cincy or Dallas
Seth, check out one of my blog posts from yesterday. Tom Rock, who was covering the Jets for Newsday when the Vilma trade was made and now covers the Giants, went through the deal pretty extensively. Basically, it looks like this will turn out to be a third-rounder.
dmb, I saw the Myers column and he makes several good points, although he used the words "win-now" which is a phrase on this blog's permanent banishment list:). And while I'm not against looking into Favre - but not for a second-rounder - the Jets do have to find out what they have in Clemens at some point. I don't care what anyone says, last year's offensive line made evaluating him OR Pennington almost impossible. As for your other post, even Eric Mangini, to use one of his favorite words, would admire your "consistency" when it comes to Barrett.
Tim, yes, the Patriots did sign Clement. While depth is a problem for this line, Clement just wasn't very good for the Jets and it probably was best for both player and team that he get another shot elsewhere.
(the real) mike, I know you were a fan of Lyles and he would have made a nice story. And the little interaction we had with him, he seemed a class act all the way around. Carroll definitely made a mistake in his past, the question is whether it was part of a pattern or a one-time thing.
To get back into the Vilma 85% thing. Here are a few reasons why he COULD get to that mark, though I agree its not a sure thing and the Saints will try and avoid it.
1) The Saints have a very good team, a great offense and a great Dline, most importantly a potentially very good QB with weapons. And when you have a very good QB in this league, you have a shot at being a SB team. They're certainly a playoff caliber team with the potential for more. So the Saints would be idiotic to hurt their chances of going far if Vilma is playing at the level he has played in the past in the 4-3.
2) Every other LB on the Saints (starting and backup) is terrible. Look at the names of all their LB's: Scott Shanle, Scott Fujita, Mark Simoneau, Marvin Mitchell, Troy Evans, William Kershaw, and Jo-Lonn Dunbar
3) Its not unusual for a LB to play 100% of the snaps on the season. Its not like DT where guys rotate in and out a lot, see here:
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7961194
4) Vilma is a 3 down LB who can cover, so it would make it that much harder to sit him if he's playing well and is their best 3rd down LB.
Its certainly not a definite he'll get to 85%, but there are a lot of odds in our favor that he can get to that mark and that it will make it harder for the Saints to avoid that number.
Erik, I agree with you on the QB's and Favre. Could you imagine if barrett beats out everybody and wins that #2 CB spot. What would dmb say then? I was sorry to see that the Pats signed Clement for depth and lets hope hunter will step up and show he could be that guy. Otherwise they will be watching the waiver wires all summer for a veteran OT.
Any chance that the Jets won't be a sad joke again this year?
1969 !!
Been reading this blog for a while. Great stuff. Living down here we don't get much Jets news so its awesome to read your blog along with all the very informative posters. Thanks Guys.Keep it up. Go Jets.