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The question was posed, and the answer is likely “yes” unless the Jets tweak their approach.
Tabloid headline yesterday – “Will Baker Mayfield clash with New York media if drafted by the Jets …”
There is a very good chance.
I think it’s preventable, but if the Jets don’t tweak their approach with certain reporters, clashes are certainly a possibility.
In fact, I think the biggest chance of a clash might be with the person who wrote the article.
If the Jets pick Mayfield, they better have a strict plan regarding his media availability.
If they don’t, there are certain people who will take advantage of Mayfield (or another kid QB), and that might not end well.
I will keep this simple.
If the Jets pick Mayfield next year, he’s likely won’t play in Year One. It will likely be a redshirt year. Coming off a pair of 5-11 seasons, and seven straight seasons out of the playoffs, they need to make the playoffs. I don’t care if there is a playoff mandate or not from the boss – they need to make the playoffs. Or at the very least, have a winning record, compete for the playoffs, and perhaps just miss out. They need to go with a veteran QB to do this.
Josh McCown wasn’t signed to a one-year, $10 million deal to sit on the bench. He was signed to be the starting QB. They will go through the “open competition” Kabuki Theatre like last year – blah, blah, blah – but McCown was signed to be the starter.
So if the Jets select Mayfield, and he’s sitting this season, he really shouldn’t do a lot of media interviews.
But then again, Christian Hackenberg didn’t play at all the last two years, but that didn’t stop certain people from going over to his locker, unabated, to talk to him with regularity. Why? Probably hoping he would say something controversial that would create headlines and clicks. Hackenberg never did, but it wasn’t do to a lack of effort from certain people.
So, if the Jets don’t have a plan to deal with Mayfield (if they pick him), where he’s protected from the media when he’s not playing, there are likely going to be a problem.
Do you think young quarterbacks, who aren’t playing with other teams, are doing tons of interviews while they are sitting? Not likely. The number of interviews Hackenberg did the last two years, considering he never played, was beyond the pale. Quite honestly, it was out of control.
My point is pretty basic – protect Mayfield if he’s a Jet, have a plan – don’t just allow people to go over whenever they please hoping for long-hanging fruit.
If the Jets’ people who handle this kind of stuff don’t protect Mayfield, I think there will be problems.
And the person who wrote the blog seemed to be projecting on other people in the piece.
He’s one of the prime candidates to make a lot of visits to the locker of Mayfield (or any other QB they might pick). He’s a tour-de-force in the Jets’ locker room. The team doesn’t seem to have an answer for him.
So the bottom line is simple, if the Jets have a strong plan, and protect Mayfield, there likely won’t be clashes.
If they allow a free-for-all, they are asking for trouble.
April 4, 2018
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