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New Jersey – There are some truly bizarre narratives that are pushed by some who don’t want to focus on the stuff that really matters in the world of football . . .
Some were at the Jets complex today asking Todd Bowles, Ryan Fitzpatrick other others if the Tennessee game is “a trap game.”
Trap game?
First of all, I don’t believe in trap games. Every game in the NFL is of great import because there are so few.
But even if you do believe in the concept of trap games, how would that apply to a Jets team that probably needs to run the table to make the playoffs?
This is an easy story for some who don’t want do any heavy lifting, but it’s not applicable at all to the 2015 Jets.
“We’re not a good enough team to overlook anybody,” Fitzpatrick said. “We’ve got to treat everyone like it’s the playoffs, we’re in the playoffs right now trying to win each week. I don’t think you’ll see, hear or feel [the trap game mentality] out of our team at all.”
This story-line is beyond foolish . . .
Another reporter keeps asking me, “Why was Revis on the sideline for the Giants game?”
The reason he keeps bringing this up, is that he doesn’t understand how it’s a good idea for a concussed player to be in a stadium with loud crowd noise, loud music, fireworks and so forth.
I have to agree. It doesn’t make any sense to me either.
Aside from the noise factor, what if somebody ran over him on the sideline. We have seen that happen plenty of times.
It was somewhat bizarre. But I’m not going to ask Bowles about this. Sometimes you need to draw a line on what you ask (even me).
The other day, the usually mild-manner Ron Rivera, went off on a reporter in Charlotte regarding his handling of Cam Newton against the New Orleans Saints, vis-a-vis the concussion protocol.
“Don’t question my integrity,” Rivera said.
You ask a coach about his handling of a player’s injury, and you are jumping on a slippery slope . . .
Before the Jets-Giants game, CBS sideline reporter Evan Washburn said, “You could tell guys, [Revis] really wants to be a part of this game and try and slow down Beckham, one of the best the NFL has to offer.”
I’m not totally buying that.
First of all, that Revis-Beckham angle was totally blown out of proportion by the media last week. It made for a sexy story-line, but it wasn’t steeped in reality.
A Revis-Beckham matchup would have been far from ideal for the Jets.
And you really have to wonder if Revis was anxious to face-off against Beckham, after what happened to him against DeAndre Hopkins and Amari Cooper?
The Jets did the right thing against Beckham – doubling him almost the entire game.
And if Revis played, they should have doubled him also . . .
From what I hear, one of the reasons the Jets promoted Ronald Martin from their practice squad was to help on special teams. He could get some work in one of the gunner spots . . .
Bobby April advised Devin Smith to treat the gunner role like a “nine-route.” In other words, run down the field like a fly-route.
While Smith has shown some improvement, he was total non-factor last week on special teams and on our offense.
He needs to make more of an impact on the real nine-route (he has yet to catch a true deep pass this season), and also on the when he runs the nine-route as a gunner (he was on the field on two long Dwayne Harris returns – the 80-yard punt return TD and the long kickoff return in overtime and wasn’t close to making a tackle on either player).
December 9, 2015
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