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East Rutherford – It’s time for a heaping helping of Jets post-game notes and Whispers from MetLife Stadium following the Jets loss to San Diego . . .
Austin Howard gives you everything he’s got, and is a good run blocker, but he really struggles against speed and quickness as a pass blocker.
While there is plenty of blame to go around, a number of the line breakdowns came on the right side, including Howard giving up two sacks to OLB Shaun Phillips (New Jersey-native), including the strip sack late recovered by the Chargers.
Howard has a great motor, but he has slow feet, and might need to lose weight. He’s a massive guy, and lumbers at times trying to jump outside to deal with speed rushers. Today wasn’t a good outing for him . . .
You have to wonder if the Jets will be able to get the Jacksonville Jaguars on tampering charges.
You all know about the Chris Mortensen report by now – “League sources say it is a virtual certainty Tim Tebow will land a job back home with theJacksonville Jaguars in 2013,” wrote Mortensen on the ESPN website. “Tebow reportedly will be traded or released after the season, but league sources say the Jets are likely to honor Tebow’s forthcoming request to be released and therefore become an unrestricted free agent.”
If Mortensen is on to something here, which he certainly might be since he’s got a strong relationship with Tebow’s agent Jimmy Sexton, and has a relationship with the quarterback.
Mort isn’t a hack. He doesn’t just throw out stuff out irresponsibly like some other reporters.
I think he is on to something here.
But you know what, if he’s on to something, there could be some tampering.
Think about it – Tebow is under contract for the next two years with the Jets. If Sexton, or some league source, is telling “Mort,” it’s a “virtual certainty” that Tebow will be in Jacksonville next year, when he’s under contract with the Jets, you could assert there is tampering on some level.
I asked Rex what he thought of the report and his answer we pretty telling.
“My understanding is that Tim is under contract with the Jets,” Ryan said after the game. “Maybe people are making assumptions.”
Maybe Rex and Mike are done with their nice guy act. It’s time for both of them to toughen up.
It would be foolish for the Jets to just let Tebow walk if the Jaguars want him. I’m not saying they are getting a high draft pick, but at least they should get a middle round choice.
They don’t owe Tebow anything. This concept that “the Jets are likely to honor Tebow’s forthcoming request to be released and therefore become an unrestricted free agent,” is a bad way to conduct business.
Why would they do that?
If Shad Khan wants him, make him pay,
And also tell “Mort,” Sexton or whoever, to knock it off, or they are pressing tampering charges against Jacksonville.
As for Tebow, he basically pleaded, “The Fifth,” acting like he didn’t know anything about the rumors.
It’s somewhat hard to believe that if it’s a “virtual certainty” that Tebow will be playing for Jacksonville next year, he knows nothing about it . . .
One silver-lining in this game – Quinton Coples had 1.5 sacks.
This end combo of Mo Wilkerson and Coples looks like it’s going to be special.
To Rex and Mike’s credit, they hit on defensive lineman, outside of the Top 10, two years in a row.
That’s not easy to do . . .
Coples helped get Chargers left tackle Mike Harris benched after the first half, in favor of Kevin Haslam, a Rutgers product, who did a better job . . .
As you know, McElroy was sacked 11 times today, and it could have been worse.
“There were other plays that should have been sacked and wasn’t,” said one former Jets lineman at the game.
McElroy scrambled four times for 25 yards . . .
December 23, 2012
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