Behind the Jets – Hill unfairly criticized

In the latest edition of “Behind the Jets,” we have a couple of items – one on wide receiver Stephen Hill, and another on quarterback Geno Smith.

The NFL Network is wrong to make fun of Stephen Hill.

NFLN caught up with Hill at “Jets West” in Los Angeles a couple of days ago.

He was asked by an NFL Network reporter if the Jets will make the playoffs this season.

“Oh yes, definitely,” Hill said. “We will be in the playoffs and deep in the playoffs.”

What do you want him to say, “we are going to stink, and come in last place in our division?”

And does it really matter? Who cares? So much is blown so out of proportion these days.

Why not think positive?

I don’t think Hill did anything wrong.

But the NFL Network’s morning show took some time to make fun of the Jets’ second-year receiver.

The hosts asked analyst Jamie Dukes what he thought of Hill’s comment.

Dukes asked the producers to play back the tape three times before commenting.

“I wanted to make sure he wasn’t talking about the Giants,” said Dukes.

Is that supposed to be funny?

Hill just turned 22. He’s a kid. Do you expect him to be perfect with every quote?

I just find it strange that the Jets put up with this stuff from their media partners at NFL Network. This is the NFL Network, owned by the league.

Hill was at “Jets West” to work on his game. He wasn’t there to do interviews. He was nice enough to stop and talk to an individual from the NFL Network, and it comes back to bite him.

Hill has enough issues to deal with right now.

He has to improve his route-running, consistency of hands and also has to learn his second offense in a year. He had to learn one in a crash course last spring, and then he had a new playbook thrown at him this spring. That is awful for the development of a young player, having to learn two systems in two seasons.

The last thing he needed was additional pressure thanks to a quote that went viral nationally.

If I were Hill, I’d tell the PR department I want to cut way back on interviews, and it’s not just because of “Jets West.”

I think reporters are starting to get into his head with all the questions about his hands . . .

You have to wonder what is going on with Geno Smith’s contract.

It’s understandable that there are a bunch of first round picks not signed (23). That is common.

But there are only four second round picks left unsigned, and Smith is one of them.

You have to wonder what his agent, Jay-Z (with assistance from Kim Miale), is looking for.

Here is the problem.

Smith was picked 39^th overall. So with the way it generally works, he should make a little less than the 38^th pick (LB Manti Te’o – San Diego Chargers) and a little more than the 40^th pick (DE Tank Carradine – San Francisco 49ers).

But with a quarterback, in a quarterback-driven league, who might end up starting during the course of this contract, you want clauses that will increase the money, if he becomes a starter.

Jay-Z and Miale don’t just want the money slotted for 39 – they want a contract a little more involved than that, to protect themselves, and their client.

So with that factor, along with the inexperience of Jay-Z and Miale as NFL agents, this contract could take a while to get done.

July 15, 2013

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