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When it comes to Peyton Manning, the best way to describe the Jets interest is by saying “they tipped their toe in the water.”
Here is what they are doing – earlier in the week, they checked, via back channels, if Manning was interested, and it looks like the answer to that is “no.”
They wanted to be super careful how they handled this, for two reasons.
First off, they want to be able to still have a workable relationship with Mark Sanchez.
But being very tepid with their public interest, they should be able to accomplish this.
Mike Tannenbaum has established a reputation as checking into everything – some consider him anal.
He’s very diligent about “turning over every stone,” and that is why a few years ago JC gave him the nickname, “TOES” Tannenbaum.
So that is how he’s going to explain it to Sanchez – that they look into everything, but the interest in Manning wasn’t that serious.
The second reason they Jets are being very careful with how they approach the whole Manning pursuit is public relations.
Woody Johnson is always very focused on how things look, and doesn’t want to end up with egg on his face, with the perception that Manning blew them off.
From what we hear, Johnson is still smarting over the Giants’ Super Bowl run, and the Jets awful collapse down the stretch. The last thing he wants, is this Manning pursuit to turn into a PR disaster.
So by reading the tea leaves through back channels, the Jets were able to avoid Sanchez getting very upset, and also avoided being destroyed in a press.
I’m sure you have noticed the story is kind of dying a quiet death.
While I’m not a big fan of reporters constantly running to Joe Namath for his comment on all things Jets, I think “Joe Willy” nailed this one.
The iconic former Jets quarterback felt that Manning would want nothing to do with the Jets current three ring circus.
Manning loved played in Indianapolis because it was such a small media market, the organization was able to make sure the press never got out of control.
For the last few years, they have basically had ONE beat writer – Mike Chappell (Indy Star). I kid you not – ONE beat writer.
The Jets press is out of control. Manish Mehta must have set some kind of record for quoting unnamed coaches, players and executives in Florham Park, since the end of the season. I’ve never seen anything like it. In college, they would call this “a lack of institutional control.”
Manning wants nothing to do with a culture like this.
Over his 14 years in Indy, can you think of one time, you saw “an unnamed Colts source” quoted? I can’t.
In a lot of ways, Manning ran that organization.
I hear from one source close to the Colts, he sometimes decided who should talk on offense and who shouldn’t. He didn’t want rookies talking.
He and Bill Polian ran a very tight media ship in Indy. I heard during a Jets-Indy game a couple of years ago, Polian had a team official follow around an SNY cameraman, to monitor what he was shooting.
Manning controls when and where he speaks. From what I hear, he was pissed at those Florida reporters who tracked him down by his South Beach apartment a couple of days ago. This scene might actually hurt the Dolphins.
The Dolphins have a large media contingent in South Florida that covers the team, perhaps too big for Manning’s liking.
That is why Kansas City, Denver and Arizona are in play – small media markets where the press is more manageable.
The Jets and their fans can only hope that one of those three cities is Manning’s landing spot, because if he joins Tom Brady in the AFC East by signing with the Dolphins, the Jets chances of winning the division any time soon would be a long shot.
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