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New Jersey – Interest in players could be teams just doing their due diligence. Sometimes these scenarios can get embellished. There was a report the Jets were close to signing former San Francisco 49ers guard Mike Iupati.
Now it looks like he’s going to sign with the Arizona Cardinals.
I don’t think the Jets missing out on him is a huge deal.
Colin Kaepernick was sacked 52 times last year. The 49ers pass protection was awful last year.
No question Iupati is a road-grading run blocker – a mauler in the run game, but he’s very inconsistent in pass protection, with a tendency to lunge and lose his balance . . .
The Jets giving safety Jaiquawn Jarrett a second round tender might seem a little high to some, but upon further review, it really isn’t too high.
First of all, he has improved a great deal with the Jets, after flaming out in Philadelphia. We all saw his tour-de-force against the Pittsburgh Steelers last year.
But why such a high tender for a player who has been primarily a backup with the Jets?
First of all, Dawan Landry is a free agent who likely won’t be re-signed, and Jarrett is the leading candidate for his job.
Secondly, Jets new coach Todd Bowles has a strong connection with Jarrett. Remember, they are both safeties out of Temple. Bowles has a lot of respect for Jarrett, who is a kindred spirit to him.
And there is a lot to like about Jarrett. The Brooklyn-native is tough as nails on the field, and a class act off of it. He’s a man of few words who does his talking on the field. He’s the kind of guy you want on your team – a great teammate.
One other reason for the second round tender is the Buffalo-factor. The Jets are wary of Rex Ryan raiding their roster . . .
As you all know, at 4 pm on Tuesday, the NFL free agent sweepstakes get underway. A big focus of the Jets’ Nation will be on Darrelle Revis.
On October 3, Manish Mehta wrote in the Daily News, “The Daily News has learned that Johnson has been involved in serious internal discussions with Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan to make a push for perennial All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis if/when he becomes a free agent next week.”
This story got a lot of attention nationally. I’ve written about it before.
But let’s re-visit this blockbuster story with free agency on the near horizon, and Revis being in the spotlight.
I asked somebody with the Jets about this story, and what their take was.
I wondered, “How could he possibly know what Woody Johnson and Mike Maccagnan are talking about behind the scenes?”
He hardly knows Maccagnan. I have never seen any evidence of a relationship with Johnson.
And even if he had one, why would Johnson tell him this, considering the league is already investigating the owner for tampering for his verbal slip-up a day after the season – “Darrelle is a great player. I’d love for Darrelle to come back.”
So there is no way he’s talking about this topic with anybody in the media.
So where did the writer get this from?
The Jets’ person thinks it was just based on that Woody quote, the tampering quote, and the scribe putting two and two together based on that.
Also, if you look at the paragraph closely, you can make a strong argument it’s logical guesswork.
We all knew that the Patriots weren’t going to pick up the $20 million option, so Revis’ free agency was a strong possibility. The Jets’ brass has been meeting for weeks going over personnel scenarios. So of course Revis’s name is going to come up in the meetings. Of course.
When you look at the paragraph closely, to me, it’s just based on a pretty safe assumption.
I absolutely think the Jets are going to kick the tires on Revis, but will not allow themselves to be played for fools, like having to pay $2 million more a year than the Patriots.
Johnson had a revealing quote in the press conference he was accused of tampering.
“If I thought I could have gotten Darrelle for [what the Patriots paid], I probably would’ve taken him.” – Woody on Dec. 29. Salient point.
Very revealing. He’s not into getting gauged. He’s into paying fair market value.
March 9, 2015
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